Page 439 - Demo

PHILIPPIANS 
Forward in Christ.* 12k It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity,* but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]. 13Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.l 15Let us, then, who are “perfectly mature” adopt this attitude. And if you have a di erent attitude, this too God will reveal to you. 16Only, with regard to what we have attained, continue on the same course.*
Wrong Conduct and Our Goal.* 17Join with others in being imitators of me,* brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.m 18For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.n 19Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things.o 20But our citizenship* is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.p 21He will change our lowly body to conform with his glori ed body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.q
The Three Crosses, 1653,
by Rembrandt (1606-1669)
3:13
Paul urges all to live in accordance with the promise of eternal life in Christ, not acting as though we have already earned it, and yet hoping for it, “straining forward” toward it like a runner in a race.
3:18
Who were these “enemies of the cross”? We cannot be sure, but perhaps they are people who have misinterpreted what it means to be free in Christ, indulging their bodies (“stomach”) and neglecting the central mystery of the Cross.
3:20
In a world where citizenship, particularly Roman citizenship, brought great status and economic bene ts, Paul’s use of the word “citizenship” here would have resonated strongly. Our citizenship is not here, but in heaven.
i. [3:10] Rom 6:3–5; 8:17; Gal 6:17.
j. [3:11] Jn 11:23–26; Acts 4:2; Rev 20:5–6.
k. [3:12] 1 Tm 6:12, 19.
l. [3:14] 1 Cor 9:24–25; 2 Tm 4:7.
m. [3:17] 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; 1 Thes 1:7; 1 Pt 5:3.
n. [3:18] 1 Cor 1:17, 23; Gal 6:12.
o. [3:19] Rom 8:5–6; 16:18.
p. [3:20] Eph 2:6, 19; Col 3:1–3; Heb 12:22.
q. [3:21] Rom 8:23, 29; 1 Cor 15:42–57;
2 Cor 3:18; 5:1–5 / 1 Cor 15:27–28.
427
* [3:12–16] To be taken possession of by Christ does not mean that one has already arrived at perfect spiritual maturity. Paul and the Philippians instead press on, trusting in God.
* [3:12] Attained perfect maturity: possibly an echo of the concept in the mystery religions of being an initiate, admitted to divine secrets.
* [3:16] Some manuscripts add, probably to explain Paul’s cryptic phrase, “thinking alike.”
* [3:17–21] Paul and those who live a life centered in Christ, envisaging both his su ering and resurrection, provide a model that is the opposite of opponents who reject Christ’s cross
(cf. 1 Cor 1:23).
* [3:17] Being imitators of me: not arrogance, but humble simplicity, since all his converts
know that Paul is wholly dedicated to imitating Christ (1 Cor 11:1; cf. also Phil 4:9; 1 Thes 1:6;
2 Thes 3:7, 9; 1 Cor 4:6).
* [3:20] Citizenship: Christians constitute a colony of heaven, as Philippi was a colonia of Rome
(Acts 16:12). The hope Paul expresses involves the nal coming of Christ, not a status already attained, such as the opponents claim.