So far in our study of Philippians chapter 2 and 3 we have
been invited by Paul to examine the example of Christ beginning with His
attitude. He was willing to humble
himself and serve those whom He created despite the suffering and death that he
had to experience along the way. We saw that His death and resurrection enabled
Him to give us eternal life and rescue us from the penalty of sin by believing
in Him and now we are to live for Him as citizens of heaven.
But there is a fallible human tendency to conclude that our
works make us righteous. And some have even
felt we should try to keep the Law since it was commanded by God at one
point. Paul reminds them of his own
history of following the Law and how none of it made Him righteous. In other places, he points out that if we
fail to keep the Law in just one point we have failed already (e.g. Galatians 3:10;
James 2:10). (Besides, if we could make
ourselves righteous, what need do we have for the death of Christ!)
So, Paul regarded his former law-keeping as so much manure
to gain a far better outcome guaranteed by Christ’s death and resurrection in
our place. And he encouraged the
believers to exult in this knowledge that they had the righteousness of Christ
because they were in Christ.
A New Life Purpose
Philippians 3:10
But aren’t we supposed to do something? In verse 10, Paul gives us his goal. It is to know Christ. In verse 8, he already mentioned knowing
Christ Jesus as a far greater value than any personal abilities or attainments.
Now he expands this “knowing” so we can see that it is far more than a set of
facts to be memorized. Here he calls it
“experiencing” the power of His resurrection and it is also “sharing” in His
sufferings and “becoming like Him” in His death. It is not just a fascination with pain and
suffering. There was pain from beatings and nails and spears, but Jesus had a
purpose and an attitude behind it that Paul wanted to experience. Paul wants to
immerse himself in the experience of the One Who gave Himself for us. It is a very different kind of life purpose
that is willing to spend a life for others.
Those who have eternal life should take up this new eternal
perspective. While our works can never begin
to pay for eternal life, yet Christ calls us to live with this new purpose and
attitude according to His example.
His suffering was the means by which Jesus could provide us
His righteousness – not for Himself but for us.
This is what it means to say that Christ died for us. His suffering was far more than just His
death on the cross although that was the final blow. As Paul has just recounted in chapter 2 in
the Carmen Christi, Jesus suffered throughout
His entire humiliating earthly experience.
And now Paul wants to “share” or “partake” in these sufferings. (KJV calls it “the fellowship” of His
sufferings). This is indeed an
invitation to entering into a rather painful sounding experience of suffering
and death. But notice that the
experience also includes His resurrection.
Suffering and death were elements of the curse of sin as
described in Genesis. But resurrection
seems to be a reversal of the curse.
Suffering and death can be either the end or, by faith, a new
beginning. So, Paul says this resurrection
has become his new goal even though the path may lead through suffering and
death. But notice that he is not just
looking for the end of pain and suffering in the resurrection of the righteous
someday, but it is something he is striving for right now! It is a striving to live up to the
righteousness that Christ has already put on his account.
Reaching for the
Out-Resurrection Philippians 3:11
In verse 11, Paul adds a note of contingency. “If by any means” or “and so, somehow” are
how some translations word it. Because
He is now talking about something we strongly desire to attain, there is a
possibility we might not do as well as we would like. In fact, there is a distinct possibility we
might fail in this endeavor that most translations call the “resurrection from
the dead.”
But, how can a Christian fail to take part in the
resurrection of the righteous? Notice
that this resurrection here seems to be looked for in this life! In
Greek, this word usually translated “resurrection” is only used one time in the
entire Bible—right here. It is not our
normal word for resurrection. There is
something unique and different about this.
A very literal translation would be something like the “out-resurrection
out of the dead.” And, based on what this
“out-resurrection” actually does, according to the next few verses, it seems
more likely that it is referring to something that we desire to happen in this
life—before our physical death. How can
you have a resurrection without dying?
Paul is not dead yet but hopes to attain the
“out-resurrection” in this life. So, it
is not a physical resurrection but a “spiritual resurrection.” Paul wants to
experience now the attitude of Christ that we will all eventually experience in
the resurrection of the righteous when Christ returns. Paul wants us now—together
with God – to cooperate with Him – in a new life experience.
We have to plan for it, strive for it and count on God’s
help for it. Since it is something we
work at, and based on the next few verses, it is a transformation in our
attitude. Our old attitude needs to die
and a new one needs to arise. It is a different kind of resurrection he
has in view.
Striving for Transformation
Philippians 3:12-13
In verses 12-13 Paul notes he has not yet attained this goal—not
perfectly. That’s why he calls it “being
perfected.” By seeking to know Christ
and to share in His willingness to obey the Father and spend His life for
others at all costs, he is striving to measure up to the righteousness Christ
has already attained for us.
How does knowing Christ and His sufferings help us to
measure up? I already have eternal life
by believing in Jesus’ promise to give it to me based on His
righteousness. Knowing the suffering He
did on my behalf helps me to understand the kind of attitude I need to have to
live up to this righteousness.
Paul pointedly says he has not yet attained perfection. He still fails to live completely up to the
standard Christ has put on our account.
But he doesn’t give up. He tries
all the harder as if he can actually attain this standard “somehow” because
that is Jesus’ ultimate goal for us—to be like Him. Therefore, he realizes that all His past
attainments will never measure up. And
pointing out this lack in his own life should be an encouragement to his
readers who might naively believe that someone might actually attain this
perfection in this life. But it is NOT
naïve to strive toward that end. That is transformation.
The Upward Call of
God Philippians 3:14
So, in verse 14, this remains his goal knowing that “the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus” is to lay hold of this spiritual
resurrection now and looking forward to our own resurrection someday which offers
a reward to believers “according to their works” (I Cor 3). Rewards are something more than just eternal
life. They are given for our faithful
works done in the attitude of Jesus’ own life!
Maturity Entails
Striving for Christlikeness Philippians 3:15
Now, in verse 15, Paul says that understanding and living
this way requires a “mature” or “perfect” faith. Some will wrongly say, it isn’t possible so
why try or, on the other hand, others will wrongly say that they have reached
perfection. Paul acknowledges that this
is a point of view that not all believers will share but God will reveal their
need for change even if they aren’t ready to hear it now. It’s something that requires a desire for
spiritual growth. We must cooperate with
God. Not all Christians want to grow
up. They want to stay in Never-Land.
Live Up to What
You Understand Philippians 3:16
Finally, in verse 16, whether we embrace this need for all
of us to strive to be like Christ in order to please Him, we all should live
up to what we do understand to the best of our ability.
© 2019 Eric Thimell
No comments:
Post a Comment