Philippians 3:12-21--Straining Toward the Goal

Straining Toward the Goal​
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

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Paul clarifies that he, who many consider to be a "super apostle" (not a term he'd apply to himself) still is struggling with the things he talked about in the last section--to be joined with Christ in his sufferings and death and his resurrection.  Why?  Because Christ Jesus made Paul His own!  That statement couldn't be more true given the Damascus Road experience that Saul, persecutor of Christians, had when Jesus open the heavens, knocked him off his horse, blinded him with the light of His glory and said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4)

Paul knew that it was not what lay behind that is important, but the prize that lies ahead.  This is what makes the runner run with endurance the race that is set before him.  (See Hebrews 12:1)  Paul adopts this same language of an athlete striving for the prize and pressing on with endurance--and Paul points out that the prize is the call of Christ that we have already received, yet will come to completing on that glorious day.  Paul doesn't care if everyone understood this or not.  He said that the spiritually mature would think like this (that to have Christ is to have everything) and that eventually God would convince anyone who thought otherwise of the truth of what Paul was saying.  It's not about mansions or crowns or even sitting at His right hand or His left.  It's just about having Jesus now and forevermore.

Paul then encourages the Philippian believers to follow after him as he continues to strive to follow after Christ.  This is a hard thing for any man to say.  It was one thing for Jesus to say to His disciples, "Follow Me," for He was God in the flesh and was the one that they should be following, but it is quite another for any man...even a converted man...to say to other men, "join in imitating me."  This seems rather bold of Paul, but Paul would not say this if he were not someone that they could and should be imitating.  Not only did Paul tell them to walk in his ways, but also in the ways of all those who were walking according to the example that Paul and his coworkers has left for the church.

There are many that have turned away from what they had been taught and are now enemies of the cross, the gospel and of Christ.  Neither the Philippians nor us should follow the example of such men. Their end is destruction and their only desire is to satisfy their own lusts (the "belly" was the place of passion for the Greeks as they attached the stomach with all appetites).  Paul says they fulfill these fleshly desires in ways that should bring shame on them (probably referring to sexual sin) and they have their minds set on earthly things and not the things that are of the kingdom of God.

But God has called us to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven, and to be in the world but not of the world.  We await for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who one day will return and change all of us to be in His very likeness so that we too are prepared to live with Him forever in His kingdom and all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth will be put into subjection to His authority at that time.