Philippians 3
-The Lordship and Supremacy of Christ Jesus obtained by
faith in Him is again magnified in this eloquent chapter of Scripture. Paul
begins by telling his readers to rejoice as a safety measure (Philippians 3:1).
He then offers warning to what he calls “the dogs,” which are evildoers who
mutilate their flesh (Philippians 3:2). Paul uses irony here since it is
usually to Pharisaical Jews who call Gentiles “dogs” because of their
uncleanness in life apart from the Law. The apostle offers that believers in
Christ are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in
their Savior putting no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). Paul claims
that if anyone could have confidence in the flesh it would be him. He lists his
former accomplishments in Judaism under the Law and ancestrally as a persecutor
of the church and blameless in their religious system. But, whatever he had
gained, he counted it as loss for the sake of accepting and receiving the
righteousness of Christ as his Lord. The worth of Christ Jesus surpassed
everything in Judaism and allowed him to count all else as junk (rubbish, trash,
vain) in comparison. *Application* IN Christ we have a righteousness that does
not come from the Law, but through faith in Him. This allows us to know Him and
the power of his resurrection as well as the fellowship of His sufferings in
this world. We become like Him in His death so that we can attain the
resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:4-11). In what ways have you died to
yourself so that you may live in Christ’s resurrected power? This is not only a
reality for the future in Heaven, but can be our experience now on this earth
as He sanctifies us (Romans 5:10).
-Paul knew he had not already obtained this perfected
resurrection life yet, but he was pressing on to make it his own because Christ
had made him His own (Philippians 3:12). He was forgetting his past and the
failures of merit based works and straining forward to what lay ahead. He was
striving for the upward call of God IN Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). He
exhorted all to hold true to what had been attained through the work of Jesus
on the cross for redemptive Spirit filled life as mature believers (Philippians
3:15-16). *Application* Perfection in the Christian walk is never completely
achieved on this earth as we see expressed in the words of the apostle. No
matter how far we think we’ve come in the Spirit, there is always the next
challenge of spiritual growth and maturity. We must be ever growing and adding
to our faith so that we do not become nearsighted and blind (2 Peter 1:3-11;
3:18). Press on believer! Grow IN Christ!
-To have growth we need the Holy Spirit indwelling us
leading us into all truth and grace (John 16:13, 2 Peter 3:18). We also need
more mature believers that we can look to and imitate (Philippians 3:17). We
shouldn’t idolize these mentors, coaches, and counselors, but they are there
for our spiritual benefit and can teach us to be more Christlike as we develop.
If we don’t grow, Paul is warning the Philippians and us as well, we run the
danger of nullifying our witness and testimony by turning to carnal things.
This may even be an indication that we are NOT IN Christ because the writer
clearly states that these will end in destruction whose god is their belly (selfish
appetite) and glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things
(Philippians 3:19). This is why we must examine ourselves constantly to make
sure that we are in the true faith and not deceiving ourselves (Proverbs 14:12;
16:25, 1 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21). “Our
citizenship is in Heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body (1 Corinthians
15), by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself
(Philippians 3:20-21).” *Application* Get on your knees if you can right now
and praise the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is. Praise His Name!
Verses to Memorize-
Philippians 3:10-12
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