And this puts the doctrine, as far as there is doctrine in the epistle, in a very clear light. What the apostle's actings were under this conviction. 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. This is the only allusion, as far as I know, to flesh in this epistle, but it is flesh in its religious form, and not as a source of evil lusts and passions. In the Bible the dog always stands for that than which nothing can be lower. 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. Let all of you who have graduated in the school of Christ have the same attitude of mind to life. Why did the Lord apprehend you? "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. But the (trace of Christ wrought in them all; and that was the great joy and delight of the apostle's heart. After being here near three weeks, one morning about three o'clock Mr. Wesley turned over, and, finding me awake, clapped me on the side, saying: 'Brother Nelson, let us be of good cheer: I have one whole side yet, for the skin is off but on one side!'" How lovely that even such a man should speak, not merely of his own prayers, but of theirs, turning all to such account. It is our progress then that we are to forget. Oh that the Lord might make it true of His own! If you read any Greek, you can pick up on the play on words. I do not say that the fruits of the loving service of any one of them will be forgotten there; nor that even glory will not bear the impress of that which has been really of the Holy Ghost here. Surely there must have been something seriously wrong to judge in him! I blew it. They were going to have the senior prom. He has not only put aside religious ceremonies and national status, but he considers that all things in which he might boast are worthless. Let us then try to see what Paul thinks about when he speaks about righteousness. "Oh, I had such a glorious experience, the Lord met me in such a powerful way. But as the model was turning around, her eye caught the ticket with the price tag $4,295.00. But so it is; and thus the food of faith becomes the poison of unbelief. Thus the two things are repeated the past judgment and the present power: "and do count them but dung, that I may, win Christ." How lovely that this it was that pained him unselfish love! And thus it was the power of the Spirit of God that gave him to look out in the midst of all that he passed through day by day, that all, whatever it might be, should be done to Christ, and so too all by Christ, the Holy Ghost working it, so to speak, in his soul to give him simply and settledly in everything that occurred an opportunity of having Christ Himself as the substance of his living and serving, no matter what might come in the course of duty. He counts all of the works of the past just wasted effort, refuse. That he might be found in him (Philippians 3:9; Philippians 3:9), as the manslayer was found in the city of refuge, where he was safe from the avenger of blood, Numbers 35:25. If by any means: The expression "If by any means" or "If in some way" seems to hint at doubt or uncertainty in Pauls mind that he would take part in the resurrection. But since he now belongs to Christ, he believes that perfection is the only goal he can aim at. I tried it for so long. 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." ( 1 Samuel 24:14, compare 2 Kings 8:13; Psalms 22:16; Psalms 22:20). One cannot overlook the amazing strength with which he speaks even of his affections. The fellowship of His sufferings.Our flesh always rebels against suffering. However elsewhere in his writings he was very confident that God would resurrect him and all believers (e.g., Romans 8:11; Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Corinthians 15:12-57; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 2:18). Evidently, they made claims of perfection through obedience to the law, and Paul here refutes such a notion. It is interesting that Paul turns it around and uses it of those teachers that would seek to put the believers back under the law. Let this be the end of everything; before you get to the end of it, and when you do get to the end of it, rejoice in the Lord.. I am crucified with Christ, now I can experience the power of the resurrected life. It is the only place in Scripture where the phrase means, not simply the righteousness of God in point of character, but the righteousness of God in point of source. Hence it may be remarked that in the epistle to the Philippians it is not a question of lusts of the flesh; the flesh is not so much as named here, except in a religious way; not in its gross sins, as man would judge, but in its pretensions to religion. Yet they were the witnesses of Christ whom God had put forth at the close; for it was manifestly of Him. There was the very reverse in Paul's case. Television would cause you to think that that is all retired baseball and football players do is just hang around the bars drinking lite beer, talking about the past. In short, he was so living Christ, that it was only a question of Christ here, and of Christ there. How truly he accounted himself less than the least of them! Witnesses, prosecutors, judges, emperor, everybody, became, in point of fact, nothing to him. He has written His word not to perplex, but to enlighten. The internal evidence ( i.e. It is used to mean mature in mind and therefore means one who is qualified in a subject as opposed to a mere learner. As he who runs a race never takes up short of the end, but is still making forwards as fast as he can, so those who have heaven in their eye must still be pressing forward to it in holy desires and hopes, and constant endeavours and preparations. By calling himself an Israelite, Paul stressed the absolute purity of his descent. You see, someone else already tried that and it just doesn't work." "My joy and crown," "my dearly beloved." In Leviticus the sacred law-giver says that the uncircumcised hearts of Israel must be humbled to accept the punishment of God ( Leviticus 26:41). This verb indicates the most intimate knowledge of another person. "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise [ i.e. What then are the signs of that real circumcision? Even in the ends of the earth they remained unshakeably Roman. When you are pressing towards the mark. Re 2:10, "crown of life." Let nobody suppose me to insinuate that a woman is not in place when exercising, according to the Scripture, any gift God has given her. of So Paul says that in the Christian life we must forget every past achievement and remember only the goal which lies ahead. If any other" carrying on the same thought of the flesh "if any other man thinketh that he hath matter of trust in the flesh, I more. Indeed he esteemed others better than himself. He had papers from the high priest that empowered him to throw in prison those who believed in Jesus Christ. That is what is important. Christian worship is not a thing of ritual or of the observation of details of the Law; it is a thing of the heart. In Revelation the word dog stands for those who are so impure that they are debarred from the Holy City ( Revelation 22:15). WebPhilippians 3:8-11 meaning Paul considers religious practices and custom meaningless compared to the far better value of serving Jesus Christ through the obedience of faith. 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. I was circumcised when I was eight days old: I am of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin: I am a Hebrew, born of Hebrew parents. 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 ). For, let me ask, what is our title to communion? The way to that fellowship is through righteousness, through the kind of life and spirit and attitude to himself which God desires. Himself the striking witness to the contrary, he looked for nothing less in the saints he so dearly loved. It seems strange that if Paul wanted to distinguish between faithful and unfaithful believers here he would use the resurrection to do so. Let us uphold the glory of His person, but, nevertheless, let us not forget how the apostle's picture of the saint resembles the Master! v. There is a significant contrast between the citizens of earth as described in Philippians 3:18-19 and the citizens of heaven as described in Philippians 3:20-21. b. a really inaccurate mode. To know Christ means for him certain things. It is right that the patriot should love his country. They were rather miserable, but that does not stop you from rejoicing in the Lord. 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. I like the power, but I don't like the suffering. Not our keeping hold of Christ, but his keeping hold of us, is our safety. (3.) Paul claims that there was no demand of the Law which he did not fulfil. i. Savior was a title given to the Caesars. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, but it doesn't yet appear what we are going to be, but we know when He appears, we are going to be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" ( 1 John 3:2 ). However there is no other Scripture that teaches a difference in the resurrection of faithful and unfaithful believers. My actions they may, but not my faith in Him. They want to tell you that you ought to be prosperous, you ought to be successful, you ought to be living in luxury, you are God's child, you ought to be indulging your flesh. The problem with this view is the unusual word used for the resurrection (Gr. Superficially this verse seems to suggest that Paul had some doubt about the certainty of his resurrection. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.I think that we have to be the most blessed and privileged people in the world. Paul could say not only, "Listen to my words," but also, "Follow my example." Jesus wasn't resurrected until he first went to the cross. He said he was blameless. As it was a true though distressing part for Christ to judge religious evil, something akin could not be absent here; but at the same time it was by no means a prominent characteristic of Christ's task here below far from it. Whence our grace comes--from our being apprehended of Christ Jesus. And he answered, "Who art thou, Lord that I may serve thee?" Is this your measure of the love of Christ? I can be honest with myself. 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. The effect of their teaching was to take men further away from God instead of to bring them nearer to him. And Paul writes. His language comes from the world of war and athletics and emphasizes the strenuous nature of his efforts to fulfill his vocation. But Paul was certain that the only kind of righteousness there is comes from casting oneself freely upon the grace of God. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. But it is working through it, but it is agonizing. I might attain unto - I may come to, or may secure this object. So far Paul has been stating the privileges which came to him by birth; now he goes on to state his achievements in the Jewish faith. A man must always have a care that he is not himself guilty of the sins of which he accuses others. It is a description that might almost do for Christ himself, so high is the standard for those that belong to Christ. This is not the same as to say that he was a true Israelite. Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. (1-2) Warning against the influence of legalistic Therefore, says Paul, it is the Christians who are the truly circumcised. It is of great use in the Christian course to keep our eye upon heaven. And they were a sort of a hated animal. Remembering that, we try to paraphrase this passage and to set down, not so much what Paul says, as what was in his mind. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord our righteousness, Isaiah 45:24; Jeremiah 23:6. This verse does not contain a purpose clause, as the NASB translation "in order that" implies. Grace Evangelical Society Newsletter, November 1987, p. It was in the body that Christ rose and it is this body which he sanctifies ( 1 Corinthians 6:13 ff.). Who would have expected that the timid man Nicodemus, and the honourable councillor Joseph of Arimathea, would have been brought out at the very time when even the apostles themselves had fled trembling with fear? WebPhil 3:12-14 (NIV) These verses flashed through my mind last night as I watched the intense focus of an Olympic competitor in the downhill slalom race compete for the gold. On my account, God writes righteous.Now, the problem of being righteous by my efforts, by my works, I may be doing right, I may have lived all of my life up to this point by the rules, having never violated, sailing along in good shape, and there is written across my name, righteous. At the same time, God's word is to me plain as to the manner in which the gifts are to be exercised. Why? He was in prison, long shut out from that which had been his joyful service, though in constant toil and suffering for so many years. I was so moved, I was so touched by the Spirit of God upon my life." That it was that pained him unselfish love of their teaching was to take men further away from instead... Resurrection of faithful and unfaithful believers spirit of God upon my life. was so touched the! His keeping hold of Christ, he was a title given to the cross the world of war and and. 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