Philippians 3:1-11
Sripture 3:1-11
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to
you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs,
look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the
circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and
put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though
I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he
has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a
Pharisee; 6 as to
zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 But whatever gain
I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered
the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain
Christ 9 and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but
that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that
depends on faith— 10 that
I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, 11 that
by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. [1]
Devotion
Paul begins this section with the
word Finally. This should not however be taken as the end of Paul’s Letter. Paul began this section with a verse of
transition. Two matters in it call for brief discussion: the use of the word
“finally” and the statement that he was repeating his warning. First, the use
of “finally” has been misunderstood by many. It literally means to (toward) the rest, and that meaning
fits here.6
The word occurs again in 4:8. Second, Paul claimed to repeat what he had stated
earlier. Some relate that repetition only to the command to rejoice, which
precedes it,7 but that construction seems awkward, as do the
defenses for it. [2] So, we can see that Paul meant
this section to point to the rest of the book. Not a finally as in the ending
of the book.
Paul then proclaims
that the Philippians to watch out for evildoers who seek to make the church
accept the rite of circumcision as a means to admission into the Christian
faith. Saying we live by the Spirit of God not by external rites. We are to put
no confidence in the flesh. Paul says if anyone has confidence in the flesh he
does. Paul goes on to cite his credentials as reason to have confidence in the
flesh. Circumcised on the eight day of the tribe of Benjamin. As to righteousness
a Hebrews of the Hebrews and a member of the Pharisee’s, as to zeal a persecutor
of the church. As to righteousness under the law blameless.
But then Paul makes
an about face. He says he counts what ever he achieved in his former life as
loss because he now knows Jesus Christ and his righteousness. He counts whatever
he had as gain rubbish compared with the fullness of knowing and obeying Christ.
Paul seeks to be found in Christ and him only. Paul described he advantages in
Christ: Paul described succinctly and successively what has come to be known in
the topical arrangements of classical systematic theology as “justification”
(v. 9), “sanctification” (v. 10), and “glorification” (v. 11)[3] Paul seeks these things now
that he has known Christ and his glory. Paul wants to be justified, sanctified,
and glorified in Christ.
So should we seek these characteristics in our
daily walk with God Seeking to be clothed with these things so that we can be
lights and salt in the world. Being in the world as people justified in Christ,
sanctified by our way of like among the world and sanctified in all our actions
before a world who longs for these things. For the world has had enough of
people who demonstrate the opposite of these characteristics. Enough of people
who are justified in their own sight. Sanctified by their own selfish
interests. And glorified by their own actions.
6 C. F. D. Moule, Idiom
Book of New Testament Greek (Cambridge: University Press, 1953), 16ff.,
says that it may imply the end in a final sense (“finally”), or it may point to
the rest (“and so” or “it follows then, that”). Some theories of multiple
letters have supported their cases by the use of “finally,” but there is common
enough usage of it in the second sense in Paul so that no case can be made
based on this adverb alone (1 Thess 4:1, 2; 2 Thess 3:1).
7 G. Hawthorne, Philippians,
WBC (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1983), 124.
[2]
Richard R. Melick, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 126.
[3]
Richard R. Melick, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 131.
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