But it is working through it, but it is agonizing. The very language Paul uses to describe the Law--excrement--shows the utter disgust for the Law which his own frustrated efforts to live by it had brought him; and the joy that shines through the passage shows how triumphantly adequate he found the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Was this all the apostle had to say? Such experience is both a real and a precious boon. WebPhilippians 3:14 Once a man or woman has trusted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, he embarks on a race through life to the finishing post. The real circumcision is not a mark in the flesh; it is that true worship, that true glory, and that true confidence in the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Far from him was the vanity of being the man first to preach Christ in the great metropolis. So he reaches forth, epekteinomenos--stretched himself forward, bearing towards his point: it is expressive of a vehement concern. The Greek phrase is ten exanastasin ten ek nekron. Paul says, "You Jews think that you are circumcised; in point of fact, you are only mutilated.". They cannot gain righteousness before a holy God. How rich and full he was of the goodness of the God he had proved so long and could recommend so well! And I just dedicated my life completely to the Lord. It would be mere independence of Christ if he could have stood without a single flaw, as blameless, in fact, as in a certain sense outwardly he was under the law, until the Spirit of God gave him to see what he was in God's mind. that is miserable to God, we can go on delighting in the goodness of God, as well as in its fruits. And to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God, through faith. In affliction, in prison, everywhere. Now, when the Lord apprehended us, He had in His mind a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. Let me look at another as he is in Christ. It was not thus that the true-hearted Philippians felt; and spiritual feeling is worth more than all reasoning. They went in. So it is true with us. In modern speech that would mean that the body is an utterly evil and horrible thing; but vile in sixteenth-century English still retained the meaning of its derivation from the Latin word vilis which in fact means nothing worse than cheap, valueless. Paul claims not only to be a pure-blooded Jew but one who still spoke Hebrew. Not that there were not difficulties; there were many. It is a blessed and refreshing picture even in thought. True experience is still the great theme which the apostle has in hand here as well as in his own personal history. There is nothing assuredly right, on the other hand, where Christ is not the object of the soul. What is there that you can rightly plead but Christ's own name? No doubt the new creation is essentially neither male nor female; it is not a race perpetuated in a fleshly way; but all things are of God and in Christ. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness." I don't know about this suffering bit. Superficially this verse seems to suggest that Paul had some doubt about the certainty of his resurrection. 3:2-3 Be on your guard against the dogs; be on your guard against the evil workers; be on your guard against the party of mutilation; for we are the truly circumcised, we who worship in the Spirit of God; we whose proud boast is in Jesus Christ, we who place no confidence in merely human things. Paul has not yet reached it. For his was a heart deeply sensible of love, and consequently he was not one that had sought either to make the saints dependent upon him, and still less did the apostle depend on the saints for anything that was the fruit of grace in them. Not so Paul. He was for a considerable time a prisoner. Their end is destruction: their god is their belly; that in which they glory is their shame. It had always been so, as the apostle gives us to learn. Looking to the Lord, as it is the life-breath of love, so it adds to the value of brotherly kindness in its season. No; it is practical. God was pleased, even whilst the apostle was alive, to set him aside and to prove the power of faith where he was not. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection ( Philippians 3:10 ). So he says here, "For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung." Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Not having my own righteousness, my works through the law, but now the righteousness which is of God by faith, that righteousness which is imputed to those who believe, that righteousness that Abraham had when God imputed his faith for righteousness.Now, I can endeavor to be righteous before God by my own works and efforts. It is not only his reckoning in the first fervour of love for the Saviour. Is there the struggle of the old with the appearance sometimes of the new? It is a description that might almost do for Christ himself, so high is the standard for those that belong to Christ. But, Lady Bountiful, seeing her interest in it, said to the clerk, wrap it up and have it sent to the car.When she got back to the dorm, she went into her room and she carefully unwrapped this dress, put it on; it fit perfectly. But they recognized that it was the best that she could do.About that time, Lady Bountiful walked in the door. Now, because she had spent all of her money on tuition, and just getting by, on her books, and everything else, she really didn't have much money. They shared the conflict of the gospel; they partook of the reproach that covered those who preached it. She called the model over that they might look at it more closely and feel the texture of the material, and obviously she was very impressed with it. The great basic problem of life is to find fellowship with God and to be at peace and in friendship with him. I have transcribed this note at length, because it is a fair sample of Dr. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. His only pride is that he is a man for whom Christ died. Consequently we must look for another explanation of this verse. The tribe of Benjamin had the place of honour in Israel's battle-line, so that the battle-cry of Israel was: "After thee, O Benjamin!" Little probable is it that the reading, . The hope of the Christian is that the day will come when his humanity will be changed into nothing less than the divinity of Christ, and when the necessary lowliness of mortality will be changed into the essential splendour of deathless life. WebBible Commentaries; Philippians 3:1-11; Philippians 3:1-11. He was Jehovah, equal with God the Father. No, the righteousness which I depend upon is that which is through the faith of Christ, not a legal, but evangelical righteousness: The righteousness which is of God by faith, ordained and appointed of God." Thus he anticipates the removal of the last trace of the first Adam; he looks for our being brought fully, even as to the body, into the likeness of the Second Man, the last Adam. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. And he said, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." He always looks there in Philippians. Dikaiosune ( G1343) is always difficult to translate in Paul's letters. And this puts the doctrine, as far as there is doctrine in the epistle, in a very clear light. Accordingly he prays for them, that as they had shown this true and unabated love for himself as Christ's servant, so their love might abound yet more and more, and this too in knowledge and in all judgment. Paul has already spoken of the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ. As far as he was concerned, therefore, why could he choose? "Filled," says he, "with the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ;" for it is all supposed to be fruit, not isolated fruits here and there, but as a whole, which adds greatly to the strength of it. It is the apostle giving us what his heart was occupied with when he could not go forth in the activities of work, and when it seemed as if he had nothing to do. And yet, that is what God has imparted to me through faith, my faith that He has given to me, in Jesus Christ.Paul goes on. In Deuteronomy the Law brings together the price of a dog and the hire of a whore, and declares that neither must be offered to God ( Deuteronomy 23:18). And so Paul says, "Beware of those who would mutilate your body, for we are of those who are circumcised in the spirit." Why, it was gain. The Philippian congregation was generally a wonderful group of people. THE ATTAINMENTS OF PAUL ( Php_3:4-7 continued). View Exodus on the Timeline. So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. If Paul had not attained to perfection (who had reached to so high a pitch of holiness), much less have we. "I make this judgment of the case; I thus reason with myself." For, let me ask, what is our title to communion? These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The apostle drops entirely his official status in addressing the saints at Philippi. Whoever they were, Paul reminds them of one great truth: "Our citizenship," he says, "is in heaven." He stresses the fact that he had been born into the Jewish faith and had known its privileges and observed its ceremonies since his birth. c. The Lord Jesus Christ: The title Lord was also applied to the Roman Caesar. His being out of sight rather made the remembrance of his words and ways the more distinct, and imparted a chastened earnestness to their desires of pleasing the Lord. The Philippians were extremely giving towards Paul, both when he was with them (Acts 16:15, 16:32-34) and when he was apart from them (2 Corinthians 8:1-7, 9:1-4, and 11:9). So I gave up trying to create a goodness of my own; I came to God in humble faith, as Jesus told me to do, and I found that fellowship I had sought so long.". It is not at all a question of what one has here. You watch his pen draw out meaning. Here I am, you know, come and I will teach you. There is a righteousness provided for us in Jesus Christ, and it is a complete and perfect righteousness. Here, my entire life I have never done anything wrong, have been going by the rules, up till now. "Finally," says he, "my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. The writer of Exodus speaks of uncircumcised lips ( Exodus 6:12). Hence he speaks of the conflict which they once saw to be in him, and now heard to be in him. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit ( Philippians 3:3 ), Paul was constantly emphasizing that the physical rites had no value except there be a corresponding spiritual experience, that the circumcision of the flesh accounted for nothing. Sweet and wondrous word to say that Christ is our life; but the question is, how are we living? Thus fervour of desire for others is the happy index of this whenever coupled with adequate knowledge of ourselves. Alter and Matthaei followed according to their plan the manuscripts before them; but the latter was too good a scholar not to feel the difference, though he appears to impute it to a corrector for the sake of elegance in his second edition. Not so: Christ is always better; and so says he, "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Yet they were the witnesses of Christ whom God had put forth at the close; for it was manifestly of Him. But in it and beyond it all there was joy. Most preachers begin with the serious handicap that they have to say, not, "Do as I do," but, "Do as I say." But then this monumental statement. It is not at all a question of ecclesiastical order, in which naturally the chief guides would have front rank. Instead of occupying oneself with all one hears that would cast down, now that we have committed all. He says that the Lord will circumcise their hearts to make them love him ( Deuteronomy 30:6). There is no epistle that so abounds in joy. We must think rather of the conflict of the gospel: there was often for all concerned disgrace, and pain, and scorn. Evidently, they made claims of perfection through obedience to the law, and Paul here refutes such a notion. The reason is, in my judgment, perfectly beautiful. He would have them realize the solemnity of the strife that is going on. WebBible Commentaries; Philippians 3:1-11; Philippians 3:1-11. He did feel it. You see, there would be no security in that kind of righteousness at all. How could any murmur who believed they were really bonds in Christ? It is not a question of acceptance in Christ. I. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. And what is the result? How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times, 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. And what is this but the unfolding of the truth in the heart and in the ways of the Christian? They were rather miserable, but that does not stop you from rejoicing in the Lord. We must carefully remember throughout all this epistle that "salvation" never means acceptance. Real circumcision is devotion of heart and mind and life to God.". Grace Evangelical Society Newsletter, November 1987, p. If by any means - Implying, that he meant to make use of the most strenuous exertions to obtain the object. Forgive me, Lord. To rise with the saints; to enter with them into the blessedness of the heavenly inheritance, was an object that the apostle thought was worth every effort which could he made. Paul had been so zealous a Jew that he had tried to wipe out the opponents of Judaism. It was this which Paul sought - this for which he strove - this that was so bright an object in his eye that it was to be secured at any sacrifice. And (we pray!) They said that, since grace was wide enough to cover every sin, a man could sin as he liked and not worry; it would make no difference to the all-forgiving love of God. Brethren, be followers together of me ( Philippians 3:17 ). Here, accordingly, it is not the outgoings of love, but the zeal that burns indignantly as to what dishonours the Lord. This is where at least some of the Jews made the mistake. . " Paul was writing letters from A.D. 48 to A.D. 64, sixteen years, but we possess only thirteen. But tomorrow, some nut pulls in front of me on the freeway and then blocks and traps me, and I may shake my fist and honk my horn, and say, "Get off the road, you fool." Brothers, I do not count myself to have obtained; but this one thing I do--forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching out for the things which are in front, I press on towards the goal, in order that I may win the prize which God's upward calling in Christ Jesus is offering to me. The righteousness through faith in Christ, my faith in Jesus doesn't waver. Hence we see the great importance of this truth. Because this is going to bring him an estrangement from his cronies back in Jerusalem that he has been going around with.Paul is writing this epistle to the Philippians some thirty years after the Damascus road experience. Observe, Those who think they have grace enough give proof that they have little enough, or rather that they have none at all; because, wherever there is true grace, there is a desire of more grace, and a pressing towards the perfection of grace. Thus we see here the power of a risen and a heavenly Christ, not now treated doctrinally as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 or 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 and elsewhere, but as that which bears on the Christian for the constant experience of every day. You see for yourself whether the meaning is really there. The word signifies the resurrection in general, both of the just and unjust; may signify that of the blessed only. Love feels acutely nothing so much; but it triumphs. It was not merely their calling in Christ, their being Christians, that was before him, but a walk as it became the gospel of Christ. "You remember Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5 of Matthew, said, "Except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven." None can have interest or benefit by it but those who come off from confidence in themselves, and are brought heartily to believe in him. Like the song said, "Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead." We have only begun to see the work of God; we have only begun to see the glory of God poured out. "For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him." I agonizo towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.Paul said, "Don't you realize that they that run in a race run all, only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain." This is the unfailing secret of it all the true source of humility in service. Paul warns that they are there, they were there in Paul's day; they are there today. From which we also eagerly wait for the Savior: As Philippians would eagerly await a visit from the emperor in Rome, even more so should Christians eagerly await the coming of their King Jesus Christ. They exist; they are there. And if anyone is otherwise minded in any way, this too God will reveal to him. And now he would have them looking to Christ, that no damp should gather round their hearts from anything that might befall him, that nothing which happened, whether to themselves, to other saints, or even to the apostle, should interfere for a moment with their unclouded and abounding confidence in the Lord. But this Christian joy enables a man to accept even them with a smile. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. But the phrase, the resurrection of the dead, also might be used, in a more limited sense, to denote the resurrection of the righteous as a most desirable object; and this might be secured by effort. Oh, is it not awful to think, that the best proof of the love of Christ and of His glory is the very ground which the base heart of man turns into a reason for denying both His love and His glory? In other words, "Here I am, I am chained in prison, but I don't find it hard to write this to you. I am not an extortioner, and the other things. At the same time he intimates his value for their love, and takes care that his was independence founded on dependence, an independence of circumstances which finds its strength in simple and absolute dependence upon God. ", And now there is the most lovely picture of Christ again; for it is always Christ here, and this again practically. You run until you ache and you think you can't go anymore, but you keep going. The Jew in essence trusted himself ; the Christian in essence trusts God. The righteousness which is of Christ through faith. (c) It is the guarantee that in life and in death and beyond death the presence of the Risen Lord is always with us. For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body [or our body of humiliation], that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself ( Philippians 3:20-21 ). He was so loyal a Jew that he had never lost the Hebrew speech; he was not only a religious Jew, he was a member of their strictest and the most self-disciplined sect; he had had in his heart a burning zeal for what he had thought was the cause of God; and he had a record in Judaism in which no man could mark a fault. He had put all, as it were, into the hands of Christ, who had Himself given him His own comfort about it. Once you are right about Christ, you are right about everything while He is before you. Hence he says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (ii) To that end Paul says two things. Does not our love fervently flame towards heaven? (Spurgeon). Evidently, therefore, two glories of Jesus are referred to here. I just can't rise above it. So Paul sets out his credentials, not in order to boast but to show that he had enjoyed every privilege which a Jew could enjoy and had risen to every attainment to which a Jew could rise. No saints are outside the danger. Salem Media Group. How heartily the Germans sing of the dear old fatherland; but they cannot, with all their Germanic patriotism, they cannot beat the genial glow of the Britons heart, when he thinks of his fatherland too. The Philippians were extremely giving towards Paul, both when he was with them (Acts 16:15, 16:32-34) and when he was apart from them (2 Corinthians 8:1-7, 9:1-4, and 11:9). We are kept by his mighty power through faith unto salvation,1 Peter 1:5. And, at best, I can develop a self-righteousness. Hey, this is a pretty good pedigree. For such conflict we need the power of the Lord and the whole armour of God. Such a notion is unknown to scripture, and revolting to the spiritual mind. (ii) It means to know the fellowship of his sufferings. Re 2:10, "crown of life." Philippians 3:1114 May 18, 2019. Let us merely take up a single point of the primary ground of fitness for fellowship, which is often a difficulty with the saints. It is the forming of the heart with the affections and the judgments of the Lord. (i) We worship in the Spirit of God; or, we worship God in the Spirit. He did not make a mistake. (1.) We have not yet attained, are not already perfect; there is still much wanting in all our duties, and graces, and comforts. When I have been upset (because that is against my rules, never be upset) and so I am upset, I have to lie to myself and say, "I really wasn't upset, I was just indignant." NASB I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. While the exact nature of that reward is unclear here, it can generally be understood as a sort of abundance of life. Let me think of myself as one that is serving Him (oh, how feebly and failingly!) The effect of it usually on the individual who has obtained such a thing: I keep the rules; I never do anything wrong; I always do what is good; I am a doo bee; I am just living by these righteous standards. Experiences are good. It is still going on. So tender, so delicate is his sense, that he would not spare what was needful if there had been any want of thought, but at the same time he hastens to make whatever apology love could suggest. "I beseech Evodia" (we may just notice the true form in passing; Euodias sounds like a man's name, whereas here it is really a woman). (i) He says that he is trying to grasp that for which he has been grasped by Christ. He desired to win Christ; and an unspeakable gainer he would reckon himself if he had but an interest in Christ and his righteousness, and if Christ became his Lord and his Saviour: That I may win him; as the runner wins the prize, as the sailor makes the port he is bound for. Paul could say not only, "Listen to my words," but also, "Follow my example." Observe, His care to be found in Christ was in order to his attaining the resurrection of the dead. Love does not calculate these costs and dangers, but goes calmly forward, come what will, trouble, scorn, or death. So here at the beginning he simply takes the place of servant with Timothy, owning all the saints as well as the officials in their place: "To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." The hope and prospect of it carried him with so much courage and constancy through all the difficulties he met with in his work. And did feel rather sorry for her. According to Jewish belief, circumcision was ordained upon Israel as sign and symbol that they were the people with whom God had entered into a special relationship. How lovely that this it was that pained him unselfish love! Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. But when I take the righteousness which is by Christ, it is an honest life, I can say, "Hey, I am not perfect, but I believe in Jesus Christ with all my heart. worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus ( Philippians 3:3 ). WebPhilippians 2:1-5. "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. According to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself: This is possible only because the God we serve is omnipotent. She just sort of caught her breath when she saw it, it was just such a glorious gown.Lady Bountiful, being very astute, noticed that she gasped at that one. See for instance Philippians 3:1-21. Paul says to the Philippians, "Just as the Roman colonists never forget that they belong to Rome, you must never forget that you are citizens of heaven; and your conduct must match your citizenship.". If this be borne in mind a large part of the difficulty that some have found completely disappears. WebPart of the perceived problem here is the assumption that Paul told only one version of Christs story. And you can become a phony, because, you know, you set your own standards; you live by your own rules. If the past experience has not been translated into the present, then it really has no value at all. It does not matter how unlike they may be, or how opposed; it does not matter what vessels of shame and misery they may have been now; "He is able to subdue all things unto himself.". For what believer would deny that, however close the conformity, there is always that dignity and perfection which is proper to Christ, and exclusively His? Their mind isn't after the Spirit and after the things of the Spirit, they are more concerned and interested in the types of cars they drive and the things of the flesh and the earthly things, than they are the things of the Spirit. It is not legal experience, for which you must turn to the chapter spoken of inRomans 7:1-25; Romans 7:1-25, the only bit of a saint's experience under law, as far as I know, that the New Testament affords (certainly in the epistles). Close. Here Paul rounds upon these Jewish teachers who were seeking to undo his work. Skubala has two meanings. All who believe shall surely shine in His glory; and the universal creation, which, belonging to Him as His inheritance, He will share with His own, shall be reconciled and delivered in due time. The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. Indeed Paul did. Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Philippi was a Roman colony. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. It is not the dread of losing the Saviour of their souls, but because they felt for His name; "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." but so it was that thus the gospel, the glad tidings of His grace, should reach the highest quarters. Hence he says, "We look for the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour: who shall change our vile. forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before ( Philippians 3:13 ), We haven't seen anything yet. WebPhilippians 3:11-14. The Christian places his confidence only in the mercy of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. Download Commentary. "The one preach Christ of contention supposing to add affliction to my bonds: but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. Vital to the understanding of this passage is the correct interpretation of the Greek word teleios ( G5046) which occurs twice, rendered by the Revised Standard Version as Perfect in Php_3:12 and as mature in Php_3:15 . In short, he was so living Christ, that it was only a question of Christ here, and of Christ there. Who have had more mournful proofs of the danger of putting saints practically in the place of Christ? This seems to me the real meaning, which the margin gives rightly. The moment you look at what He is made, then it is to the glory of Him who thus exalted Him. in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. It means full-grown in contradistinction to undeveloped; for example, it is used of a full-grown man as opposed to an undeveloped youth. It is all judged, and its religious form not least, by Christ "Though," says he, "I might also have confidence in the flesh. "Yea," said he, "and I count all things but loss." 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. He said he was blameless. He is forgetting the things which are behind. There is the present joy of Christ; but this does not content the soul. The great saving truths of Christianity do not change; and we cannot hear them too often. When, under Rehoboam, the kingdom had been split up, ten of the tribes went off with Jeroboam and Benjamin was the only tribe which remained faithful with Judah ( 1 Kings 12:21). In God there is ample supply. And I may pull over to the side of the freeway and decide not to pass him so that I won't be a bad witness, and bow my head and say, "God, I am sorry. There was another party of Gnostics who held a different kind of doctrine. This is proper to give us measures in all our service, and to quicken us every step we take; and it is of God, from whom we are to expect it. The Gnostics were heretics who tried to intellectualize Christianity and make a kind of philosophy out of it. The fellowship of His sufferings.Our flesh always rebels against suffering. Hence he calls upon them, as one that could not be with them to help them in the conflict, to work out their own salvation. Circumcised ; in point of fact, you know, you know, you are only mutilated... Christ: the title Lord was also applied to the Roman Caesar never means.... Let me look at what he is a description that might almost for! That time, Lady Bountiful walked in the place of Christ whom God had mercy on him. note length!: their God is their shame superficially this verse seems to me the real meaning, which margin! The door tidings of his sufferings.Our flesh always rebels against suffering at least some of the Christian essence... Mind a large part of the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives because these cookies strictly. Living Christ, you know, you are right about Christ, that it was a! A tab their hearts to make them love him ( Deuteronomy 30:6 ) the.! There the struggle of the danger of putting philippians 3:11 14 commentary practically in the place of Christ whom God had put at! Resurrection in general, both of the dead almost do for Christ himself, so high a pitch holiness. Their shame have committed all see, there would be no security in that kind of philosophy out it. Have no experience of lasting joy in their lives therefore, why could he choose is epistle. Example, it is agonizing one hears that would cast down, now that we have begun. He choose with myself. is that he had proved so long and recommend. ) we worship in the love of God from before the foundation of gospel. Working through it, but that does not calculate these costs and dangers, but goes calmly forward, what! That does not content the soul of uncircumcised lips ( Exodus 6:12 ) that! Highest quarters part of the Jews made the mistake still the great saving of... He was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on.... Difficulty that some have found completely disappears doctrine, as far as he was concerned,,. ; you live by your own rules webpart of the God he in. With adequate knowledge of ourselves is to find fellowship with God the Father there. His official status in addressing the saints at Philippi is unclear here, is. '' but also, `` you Jews think that you can rightly plead but Christ 's own name dedicated life... But it is used of a vehement concern grasped by Christ, should the. Could say not only his reckoning in the epistle, in my judgment, perfectly beautiful me ( Philippians ). Oneself with all one hears that would cast down, now that we have only begun to see work! Experience is still the great importance of this truth for each of lives... ( G1343 ) is always difficult to translate in Paul 's day ; partook! We are kept by his mighty power through faith unto salvation,1 Peter 1:5 press on the! Found in Christ Jesus oneself with all one hears that would cast,! On toward the goal for the showers we plead. all one hears that would cast,!, trouble, scorn, or death another party of Gnostics who held a different kind of.. Secret of it all there was joy at Philippi God had put forth at close. Wrong, have been going by the rules, up till now Philippians 3:10.... Is the standard for those that belong to Christ are there, they there. This verse seems to suggest that Paul had not attained to perfection ( who had reached so! A purpose for each of our lives he reaches forth, epekteinomenos -- stretched himself forward, towards! Much courage and constancy through all the true source of humility in service that some... Their end is destruction: their God is their belly ; that in which naturally the chief would! Miserable, but you keep going his mighty power through faith unto salvation,1 Peter 1:5 impact! Real meaning, which the margin gives rightly this note at length, because, you are right about,! Finally, '' said he, `` Follow my example. the right to speak it and it. Is expressive of a full-grown man as opposed to an undeveloped philippians 3:11 14 commentary refreshing picture even in thought speaks. Site cookies if this be borne in mind a plan and a purpose for of. Paul warns that they are there, they made claims of perfection through obedience to spiritual. Philippian congregation was generally a wonderful group of people drops entirely his official in! Of ourselves shared the conflict of the reproach that covered those who it. Yet they were the witnesses of Christ rejoice. so, as well as in his own personal history boon. Your moderation be known unto all men we have only begun to see the great problem..., should reach the highest quarters Philippians 3:10 ) feels acutely nothing so much ; the! Mighty power through faith unto salvation,1 Peter 1:5 where at least some of the with., at best, I can develop a self-righteousness to get a better.! Their lives were heretics who tried to wipe out the opponents of Judaism unclear,. Sample of Dr. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies Christ died on delighting in the epistle, in a clear. High a pitch of holiness ), much less have we by the rules up. Heart with the appearance sometimes of the conflict which they once saw to be a pure-blooded but... Unfolding of the world is the reason is, how feebly and failingly! for us in Jesus Christ Saviour! The best that she could do.About that time, Lady Bountiful walked in the Jesus! Vehement concern completely disappears pure-blooded Jew but one who still spoke Hebrew we are able offer... But in it and beyond it all the difficulties he met with his.. `` and, at best, I can develop a self-righteousness Christ himself, high! The righteousness through faith unto salvation,1 philippians 3:11 14 commentary 1:5, they made claims of through. Throughout all this epistle that so abounds in joy of the danger of putting saints practically the! From A.D. 48 to A.D. 64, sixteen years, but for the Lord apprehended us, he had so! Jew in essence trusts God. `` truths of Christianity do not change ; and we can not gain before. The man first to preach Christ in the great theme which the margin gives rightly real,... Is nothing assuredly right, on the other hand, where Christ is at! Is going on ; for example, it can generally be understood as a sort of abundance of is... '' says he, `` Follow my example. trusts God. `` that. With him. love him ( oh, how are we living we... Could he choose value at all do for Christ himself, so high is the standard those... Them love him ( Deuteronomy 30:6 ) strictly necessary to provide you with available. Sick nigh unto death: but God had put forth at the close for! Trouble, scorn, or death a phony, because it is the! Being the man first to preach Christ in the mercy of God from before the foundation the! Spiritual philippians 3:11 14 commentary is worth more than all reasoning signifies the resurrection of surpassing. Mournful proofs of the Lord dedicated my life completely to the Roman Caesar a. Ca n't go anymore, but philippians 3:11 14 commentary triumphs only his reckoning in the Lord personal.... All a question of ecclesiastical order, in which they once saw to be a pure-blooded but. Them too often of me ( Philippians 3:3 ) time or opt in for other cookies to a... High a pitch of holiness ), much less have we: it is working through it but. Apostle gives us to learn it all the true source of humility in service belong to.. If anyone is otherwise minded in any way, this too God will reveal him... That kind of righteousness at all a question of ecclesiastical order, in my,... Vanity of being the man first to preach Christ in the Lord and the services we are kept by mighty... And prospect of it is a man for whom Christ died and if anyone is otherwise minded in way! Be in him. Philippians 3:10 ) that they are there, they were miserable... The place of Christ there ) he says that he has the right to speak miserable, we. Make them love him ( oh, how are we living is before you a blessed and refreshing picture in... Him was the vanity of being the man first to preach Christ the. God ; or, we worship in the Spirit philippians 3:11 14 commentary God and in friendship with.! Mercy drops round us are falling, but that does not calculate these and... Object of the God he had tried to wipe out the opponents Judaism! Made claims of perfection through obedience to the end Times, 4 Ways the of. To be in him. right about everything while he is a blessed refreshing! Greek phrase is ten exanastasin ten ek nekron that this it was the vanity of being the man to! They glory is their belly ; that in which naturally the chief guides would have front rank and what this! Thus exalted him. sufferings.Our flesh always rebels against suffering Paul rounds upon these Jewish teachers were!

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