Philippians 3:12-4:1
Lesson Focus
Paul calls us to put our confidence in Jesus’ faithfulness toward the creation he loves and longs to save.
Lesson Outcomes
Through this lesson, participants will:
Understand that righteousness comes through faith in Christ alone, not through external religious markers or personal achievements.
Identify ways in which contemporary Christianity might add extra requirements to salvation, mirroring the issues Paul addressed.
Examine their own lives to recognize any external markers they rely on for validation instead of resting in God’s grace.
Catching Up on the Story
In the previous passage, Paul warns his friends in Philippi about those who would lead them astray. More specifically, Paul warns the Philippians against those who would add anything to their faith in Jesus. In other words, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are insufficient to bring about salvation and holiness, insisting that Gentile believers fully embrace the cultic and purity practices of the Jewish faith, including circumcision. Paul has no tolerance for anything that might challenge Jesus’ supremacy.
If anyone has reason to boast or rely on cultic and purity practices, it’s Paul. By all accounts, Paul is a super Jew, a Hebrew of Hebrews, always faithful, always Torah observant. Yet, Paul says, those things he used to rely on are no longer valuable compared to the glory of Jesus Christ. It’s not that Paul is throwing away his pedigree as a Jew; he’s not. Paul fully understands that those things no longer define him as a person or make him righteous in the eyes of God. Instead, it is the faithfulness of Christ, and Christ alone, that justifies Paul, making him righteous in God’s eyes. The closing sentences of last week’s text are worth repeating,
“The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. It includes being conformed to his death so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead.” (Phil., 1:10-11).
The Goal
This week’s text begins with Paul clarifying his previous comments. Paul confesses that he has not already reached the goal of righteous, Christ-likeness. Even though his pedigree is spotless, Paul understands he is still a work in progress. Paul isn’t perfect, but perfection is what he pursues.
A word here about Paul’s usage of “perfected.” Unfortunately, our definition of perfection doesn’t quite line up with what Paul means to communicate. For us, perfection is having no blemish or deficiency, either in character or form. When applied to the Christian life, we use perfect to denote the absence of sin. Particularly in the Wesleyan tradition, we’ve misunderstood that perfection is attainable on this side of the resurrection of the dead. Paul would not have understood perfection as something attainable here and now.
The word Paul uses carries a depth of meaning that is not carried by “perfection.” Instead, Paul understood perfection as being mature, complete, genuine, successful, and fulfilled (Louw and Nida, 243). Paul is righteous, but he isn’t fully mature or complete yet. You and I can be righteous and more mature or complete than we were, but we have not fully arrived. Paul’s argument makes sense when considering those against whom Paul is warning the Philippians. Paul’s fight is against understanding righteousness in God’s eyes as something attainable through religious observances like circumcision.
The second half of verse 12 further clarifies Paul’s position. Paul has not reached full maturity, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t pursuing it. Paul understands the Christian life as participatory and in response to Christ’s initiative. Paul pursues righteousness and the hope of resurrection of the dead, not to earn God’s favor, but because “Christ grabbed hold of me.” Paul has loosened his grip on what mattered most in his previous life so that he might more firmly cling to Jesus.
Like Paul and his Philippian friends, we are also called to let go of whatever we might have used to justify ourselves so that we can respond to Christ’s call to us. Paul clarifies his position more; spiritually mature people (the same word Paul uses in verse 12) should pursue Jesus in the same way Paul does. At this point, Paul acknowledges that we are all at different places in our faith journey, admonishing us to “live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached” (v. 16). Where we are in terms of our spiritual maturity is where we are, and that’s ok. That’s no license to remain where we are but an invitation toward continued growth and maturity.
Imitators
Nowadays, we have plenty of models to look to in our quest to become more like Jesus. We have over two thousand years of faithful Christians who have left behind their written works and legacy. Throughout the centuries, faithful women and men have lived righteous and faithful lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. This was not the case for the Philippians. We tend to forget that when Paul wrote his letters, little time had passed since Jesus’ death and resurrection (Craddock, 67-68). There’s a chance that the Philippian Christians were largely alone, apart from Paul and his companions.
To complicate matters, Paul and his companions weren’t the only ones telling the Philippians what to do. With that background, Paul calls on his friends to imitate his life and faith. While Paul certainly hasn’t arrived at the goal of his Christian life, he is much further along than his Philippian friends, and they can benefit greatly by observing and imitating Paul’s life as Paul seeks to imitate Jesus.
Paul offers himself as a model for Christian living, in part because he knows others are asking his friends to do the same. Indeed, that’s the thrust of this section of the letter: don’t follow or imitate those who rely on circumcision and the Jewish law in addition to Jesus. Instead, Paul says, imitate me as I imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Imitate those who exhibit sacrificial love. Imitate those who produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:1-26).
Enemies of the Cross
At this point, Paul reiterates something he has told his Philippian friends more than once: some people live as “enemies of the cross.” Who are these enemies, what are they doing, and why is Paul deeply sad? Though we can’t say for sure, Paul may be deeply sad because these “enemies of the cross” are fellow followers of Christ who have erred in their beliefs and how they live out their faith.
It may be that Paul is feeling the way he is because he knows the potential toward loving God and neighbor that these enemies possess. We’re most deeply moved when a person with great potential chooses to squander that potential. Though it’s different, we’re saddened when professional athletes ruin their careers by engaging in destructive behavior. Or, we’re saddened when an exceptionally bright student fails to appreciate the gift they have and squanders opportunities for lack of trying. Paul isn’t concerned about outsiders; he’s worried about those who should know better but are not living up to their God-given potential.
To be an enemy of the cross is to actively work against the ways and purposes of God. By failing to live into the qualities represented by the cross- things like suffering service, sacrifice, faithfulness in the face of unfaithfulness, and the like- they lead others astray (Cohick, 200). If these enemies of the cross are Judaizers, those who insist that new believers in Jesus completely follow the Old Testament Law, “they glory in perfection of faith in obedience to the law rather than embracing the cruciform life; their god is the belly, in that food laws are very important; they “glory in their shame” refers to the exposure of the body in the rite of circumcision; and “minding earthly things” is attending to sabbaths, new moons, regulations as to the clean and unclean” (Craddock, 65).
Not mincing words, Paul expresses the fate awaiting those enemies of the cross: destruction. A word of caution is due here. We cannot take Paul’s word concerning the judgment that will befall enemies of the cross as a weapon to wield against unbelievers and erroring believers. Paul is warning the Philippians, not calling them to pronounce judgment against these enemies of the cross. Too often, we’ve taken biblical warnings regarding behavior as the first move we make in spreading the good news about Jesus. While warnings and the judgment that will befall those who work against God’s movement in the world are a part of the biblical narrative, warning unbelievers about their behavior isn’t Paul’s purpose here.
What’s Paul’s purpose here? It is to encourage the Philippians to stay the course Paul set them on in the first place. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (v. 20). Citizenship is a language the Philippians would have understood. Philipi was a Roman colony home to veterans who enjoyed the benefits of their Roman citizenship. Citizenship was a mark of honor and belonging. It’s as if Paul says, “Look, don’t worry about those other folks; they’re focused on the wrong thing. You remember who you are and to what kingdom you belong, the Kingdom of God, which has come through the suffering service of Jesus Christ. Oh, and while we care deeply about the present, we’re also looking forward to Jesus’ return and when he will transform our broken bodies into bodies like Jesus’ glorious post-resurrection body. Stand firm! It’s worth it!”
So What?
Though our time and context differ greatly from Paul’s, his advice is no less useful. The main points Paul makes are as follows. First, Paul insists that the work God is doing in him is not yet complete, and the same is true for us. Without forgetting or devaluing the past (for Paul, this was his life in Judaism and the Law), fix our eyes forward, striving toward growth in grace. We’re all moving toward spiritual maturity but at different places in our journey. If you’re lagging behind, don’t sweat it. As the great and wise sage of our age, Dory from Finding Nemo, says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”
Second, Paul realizes that his friends don’t have much to go on as far as examples go. Not only that but they’re surrounded by people who may or may not mean well and who would have the Philippians become their imitators. Paul urges his friends to imitate his behavior, faith, care, and love. When it comes down to it, apart from the Bible, the greatest way to learn what it means to live a faithful, Christ-like life is by watching and following those who have come before us or who are further along the road.
Recently, a friend of mine has vented his frustration with the Christians who originally taught him the faith but who are now more likely to spew hate in the name of Christ rather than love. He’s frustrated because of the deep disconnect between what he was taught and what he reads in the bible and how a segment of the population has misinterpreted it. To illustrate his feelings, he sent me a meme split into two frames. In the first frame, a person stands, wondering if they’re out of touch with Christianity. In the second frame, the person has decided that he’s not out of touch with Christianity; it’s Jesus who is wrong. He feels he’s being asked to follow and imitate Christians who have remade Christ into their own image. He feels betrayed and misled. To quote Brennen Manning, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Let’s be mindful of whom we imitate.
Finally, our citizenship is in heaven. Our primary identity is not shaped by the world around us but by the faithful love and grace of Jesus Christ. Our allegiance is not owed to any earthly kingdom or nation. We are subjects of the one true king, Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
Paul acknowledges that he has not yet “arrived” at perfection but continues to strive forward. How does this encourage or challenge you in your own spiritual journey?
What do you think Paul means when he says he “presses on” to take hold of what Christ has for him? How does this contrast with a passive approach to faith?
Paul tells the Philippians to forget what lies behind them and press forward. What are some past experiences or mindsets that might hold believers back from growing in Christ?
In verse 16, Paul urges believers to live consistently with the maturity they have attained. What does this look like in everyday life?
Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him. Who are some faithful Christian examples in your life? How do they help you grow in faith?
Paul warns about “enemies of the cross.” What do you think it means to be an enemy of the cross in today’s context?
How does Paul’s statement that "our citizenship is in heaven" challenge the way we think about our identity and priorities?
What are some practical ways we can keep our focus on Christ amid distractions and competing influences?
Paul emphasizes standing firm in the Lord (4:1). What are some of the biggest challenges that make standing firm difficult? How can we support one another in this?
The theme of perseverance runs throughout this passage. What is one specific area where you need to keep pressing on in faith, and how can you take the next step?
Works Cited
Fred B. Craddock, Philippians, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Atlanta, GA: J. Knox Press, 1985).
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996).
Lynn H. Cohick, Philippians, The Story of God Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
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