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Philippians

Chapter 3

Knowing Christ and Pressing On

Paul tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord while warning them against confidence in the flesh. He recounts his own former religious advantages only to count them as loss compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ and possessing the righteousness that comes from God through faith. He then describes his life as a continual pressing on toward the goal in Christ and closes by contrasting earthly-minded enemies of the cross with the church's heavenly citizenship and its hope of bodily transformation by Christ's power.

This chapter sharpens the letter's Christ-centered joy by opposing it to every form of fleshly confidence. It turns the church from self-grounded righteousness to faith, from complacency to pursuit, and from earthly fixation to heavenly hope.

3 sections·474 words·~2 min read

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Philippians 3

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vv. 1-11

Righteousness through Faith in Christ

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F1inally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh! 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — 4though I myself could have such confidence. 5If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

7But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

vv. 12-16

Pressing on toward the Goal

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N12ot that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well. 16Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.

vv. 17-21

Citizenship in Heaven

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J17oin one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you. 18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.

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  1. 01vv. 1-11Righteousness through Faith in ChristPaul tells the church to rejoice in the Lord while warning them against those who boast in the flesh. Though he himself once had every possible ground for such confidence, he now counts all of it as loss for Christ, seeking instead to gain Christ, to be found in him with righteousness by faith, and to know Christ in resurrection power, suffering, and final resurrection.
  2. 02vv. 12-16Pressing on toward the GoalPaul says that he has not already obtained the full reality he seeks, nor has he already been perfected, but he presses on to grasp what Christ Jesus grasped him for. Forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead, he pursues the heavenly prize and calls the mature to share this mindset and to live consistently with what they have already reached.
  3. 03vv. 17-21Citizenship in HeavenPaul calls the Philippians to imitate his example and the example of others who walk the same way, because many live as enemies of the cross with minds fixed on earthly things. In contrast, believers belong to a heavenly commonwealth and wait for the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform their lowly bodies to be like his glorious body by the power with which he subjects all things to himself.
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