Pressing on! – Philippians3:4b-14
A. Paul’s C.V. – Paul writes: ‘if anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, (i.e. in his/her achievements, his/her credentials and their religious works), I have more:
i. circumcised on the eighth day, (not in his maturity of years as with male proselytes/converts)
ii. a member of the people of Israel, (not grafted in viz-a-viz Romans 11:17)
iii. of the tribe of Benjamin, (the source of Israel’s first king (Saul) and the sole Northern tribe loyal to Judah when the Northern Kingdom broke away (1 Kings12:21-23))
iv. a Hebrew born of Hebrews; (from Jewish parentage unlike proselytes)
v. as to the law, a Pharisee; (more expert in the Law than his opponents)
vi. as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; (expressive of Paul’s zeal before his conversion)
vii. as to righteousness under the law, blameless (upstaging Paul’s opponents who champion the Law instead of faith)[1]
B. Breaking with the past! – In order for Paul/Christians to ‘know (experience) Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing in his sufferings,[2] Paul writes in verse 8-11 he/we have to ‘die to self’ and our ‘old way of life’:
i. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, (KJV: dung)
ii. in order that I may gain Christ (Cf. Matt.13:46: ‘the pearl of great price’)
iii. and be found in him, (i.e. belonging to Christ)
iv. not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, (‘Not the labours of my hands, can fulfil thy laws demands; could my zeal on respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone: thou must save and thou alone.’) [3]
v. but one that comes through faith in Christ[a]’ [4] (This is one of the five great solas of the Reformation: sola fide)
vi. if somehow, (an expression not of doubt, but of humility) I may attain to the resurrection from the dead (Luke 20:35 and 1 Peter1:3)’[5]
C. Pressing toward the goal! Paul in verses 12-14 is careful to distinguish between what has already been obtained and the goal that still lies ahead:
i. What lies behind and is forgotten are the status markers of Philippians3:5-6 as discussed earlier.
ii. What has been achieved is his new status and identity in Christ (Cf. Philippians 3:12)
iii. What lies ahead is the resurrection from the dead (3:11,14)
Paul, employing language from the world of athletics, cautions the Philippians that ‘I’m not implying that I’ve already received ‘resurrection ’or that I’ve already become complete and mature,’ [6]…
N.B. Paul’s goal is to: ‘to forget everything that’s behind, and to strain every nerve to go after what’s ahead.’ [7]‘I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’[8]
Let us pray!
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[1]Philippians 3:4b-6 NRSV Pew Bible NT p.184 Bracketed notes are taken from the The Jewish Annotated New Testament (New York: Oxford Uni Press, 2017), p.403
[2] Philippians 3:10 – NRSV Pew Bible NTp.184
[3]Augustus Toplady (b. 1774 UK) Hymn: Rock of Ages (CH554) verse 2.
[4]Philippians 3: 7-9 NRSV Pew Bible NT p.184 (See also Philippians 1:1; Romans 1-8; Galatians 1-3)
(a)through the faith of Christ
[5]Philippians 3: 11 NRSV Pew Bible NT p.184 …QUESTION: When? ANSWER: upon Christ’s return …
See 1 Corinthians 15:23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15
[6] See Philippians 3:12 in The Bible for Everyone,(London: SPCK, 2028), p.1175
[7]See Philippians 3:13 in The Bible for Everyone,(London: SPCK, 2028), p.1175
[8] Philippians 3:14 N in the NASB 1995 Update Version
