But you will never know the life of the resurrected Christ until you have experienced the fellowship of the sufferings. Does not our love fervently flame towards heaven? (Spurgeon). Righteousness is a gift that God gives to those who have faith in Christ (8-9).But Paul does not stop there. forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before ( Philippians 3:13 ), We haven't seen anything yet. 's critical, scholastic, and exegetic manner. "How can they say they are a child of God? The righteousness through faith in Christ, my faith in Jesus doesn't waver. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself." We know well that as men have sarcastically said, gratitude is a kind of fishing for fresh favours. WebPhilippians 2:1-5. The Resurrection of Christ is the guarantee that this life is worth living and that the physical body is sacred; it is the guarantee that death is not the end of life and that there is a world beyond; it is the guarantee that nothing in life or in death can separate us from him. 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 . WebThe allusion is to the white line, or mark, which the runners in the Olympic games made up to, and to which he that came first received the prize; and by which the apostle intends the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ( skopov) , "the scope", or "mark", of all the thoughts, purposes, and counsels of God, to which they all aim, and in which they all And now, follow me as an example, live by this rule, because there are those who don't live by this rule. The supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus shows itself in dependence, and this expresses itself therefore in prayer to God. a really inaccurate mode. "Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation" (he would turn it again to practical profit as to others): "because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.". They thought they were working good, but in fact they were working evil. "I make this judgment of the case; I thus reason with myself." We must carefully remember throughout all this epistle that "salvation" never means acceptance. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. He must be conformed to his Master in all things; and this was one of them. At any rate they endured the conflicts of the gospel in its earlier days at Philippi. The apostle is here contributing to that which shall never pass away, and hence begins with the "saints in Christ Jesus" as such. If he left this world, he would be with Christ; if he lived longer in this, world, Christ was with him. But it is not so that God has written His word. He has written His word not to perplex, but to enlighten. "Let your moderation be made known unto men." First of all He emptied Himself, becoming a slave and a man; and having thus come down, so as to take His place in the likeness of men, He, found in figure as a man, humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the lowest point of degradation here below. "That I may know him." This is where at least some of the Jews made the mistake. "Yea," said he, "and I count all things but loss." The Lord is at hand." "Now, the fact that we are sitting here tonight, we can all say the same thing, "I am not yet apprehended that for which I was apprehended." 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. They cannot gain righteousness before a holy God. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Evidently, they made claims of perfection through obedience to the law, and Paul here refutes such a notion. But Paul the apostle said, "Look, I don't consider that I have attained; I don't look at myself as being perfect, the work of the Lord is not yet complete in me.". And He said, "I am Jesus. "So Paul, he had done his best to clothe himself in righteousness by works, but then he came in to that glorious knowledge of Jesus Christ, and, "No longer," he said, "to be found in my own righteousness, which is of the law, my own making, my own work, but I will gladly exchange that for the glorious righteousness which God has accounted to me through my faith in Jesus Christ." But that power displays itself not in our strength, or wisdom, or any conferred resources. All we want is, that the eye of faith be a little open; but it is only Christ before the eye that keeps it open. He had his heart on these two great peculiarities of the Christian religion. Generally the NASB is more literal, translating a Greek word with the same English word wherever the Greek word occurs. "if I live in the flesh, it is worth my while." And therefore, "whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. He is my Lord." His goodness can even take this up and thus make it fragrant even to Himself. Be of good cheer. A Hebrew was a Jew who was not only of pure racial descent but who had deliberately, and often laboriously, retained the Hebrew tongue. InMatthew 23:1-39; Matthew 23:1-39 we have woe upon woe pronounced upon scribes and Pharisees, and so it is here. The Philippian congregation was generally a wonderful group of people. As far as the Law goes, I was a Pharisee: as for zeal, I was a persecutor of the Churches: as for the righteousness which is in the Law, I was beyond blame. the love of Christ everywhere! He had to divest himself of every human claim of honour that he might accept in complete humility the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. The Christian places his confidence only in the mercy of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. Every man is grasped by Christ for some purpose; and, therefore, every man should all his life press on so that he may grasp that purpose for which Christ grasped him. This is the more important, because such fear is the main weapon of Satan. He had his heart on these two great peculiarities of the Christian religion. "Probably the best illustration I have heard of this particular passage is the story of the young girl who came from very poor circumstances, but was diligent and worked hard to work her way through college. And she was so excited over the fact that she had been able to labor and work and make her way through college and was going to be graduating. There was but one spring of power even Christ. "A lot of people testify of an experience that they had in Christ years ago. 3. 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). But as the model was turning around, her eye caught the ticket with the price tag $4,295.00. He would have one who begins with Christ to (so on with Christ, have nothing but Christ before his eyes, and pursue this path without a stumble till the day of Christ. Thank God for the experiences, but they are not valid unless they are translated into the immediate, present relationship, and I do count them but loss. There is no doubt that Paul is here speaking to the antinomians. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ ( Philippians 3:7 ). If anyone has reason to think that he has grounds for confidence in his human heritage and attainments, I have more. Again and again he speaks of it ( Acts 22:2-21; Acts 26:4-23; 1 Corinthians 15:8-10; Galatians 1:13). Paul finishes with the Christian hope. Differences there may be among the saints, and especially when we come to the question of experience. Philippians 3:4b-14. It is of great use in the Christian course to keep our eye upon heaven. There is something which ought to be made known unto men, namely, the not fighting for your rights. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times, 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. Many different commentaries state that of all the groups that Paul wrote to, Phillipi was probably the best of them all. We are undone without a righteousness wherein to appear before God, for we are guilty. 287.]. I can be honest with myself. The word concision comes from a Greek word, which means mutilators. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. He thus takes a common place with his beloved son in the gospel. "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." In fact, he had gone beyond. It is interwoven with practical appeal, and indeed the chief development of doctrine (namely, in the second chapter) forms a ground of exhortation. Not that all shall be delivered and centred in Him, but that all must bow. The fitter we grow for heaven the faster we must press towards it. They really mind the earthly things. Thus the degree to which we are faithful to use our talents, treasures, gifts, abilities, resources, and opportunities in life to please Him is the degree to which we will obtain this out-resurrection abundance of life." 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. When the revival swept England the son was in York jail. I had everything going for me as far as righteousness from the law. Impossible that anything done by other saints should turn to one's acceptance any more than what is done by himself The apostle uses salvation throughout his letter to the Philippians (nor is it confined to this scripture only) in the sense of the complete and final triumph over all the power of Satan. One possibility is that Paul was thinking of his spiritual co-resurrection with Christ. Or is it, on the settled judgment of the old as altogether and only self and sin, that we are habitually manifesting Christ? 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. True experience is still the great theme which the apostle has in hand here as well as in his own personal history. Had he not been God, he could not have been our righteousness; the transcendent excellence of the divine nature put such a value upon, and such a virtue into, his sufferings, that they became sufficient to satisfy for the sins of the world, and to bring in a righteousness which will be effectual to all that believe. So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. What then are the signs of that real circumcision? Christian joy made Wesley able to accept the great blows of life, and also to greet the lesser discomforts with a jest. Elsewhere it is God's or divine righteousness. We may see the depth of this word from a fact of Old Testament usage. She couldn't buy a dress, but she really didn't have much money to buy very good material. Was thinking of his Spiritual co-resurrection with Christ we grow for heaven the faster we must press towards it of... Namely, the not fighting for your rights 4 Ways the Parable of the resurrected Christ until you experienced. 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