Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Philippians 3:10

Clarke's Commentary

Verse 10. That I may know him — To be the true and promised Messiah, and experience all that salvation which he has bought by his blood.

The power of his resurrection — In having this body of my humiliation raised from death, and made like unto his glorious body. This seems to be the sole meaning of the apostle; for it is in virtue of Christ's resurrection that we are to be raised incorruptible and immortal.

And the fellowship of his sufferings — Christ died, not only as a victim for sin, but as a martyr to the truth. No creature can have fellowship with him in his vicarious sufferings; as a martyr to the truth, St. Paul wished to imitate him. Not only in the apostle, but in the primitive Christians generally, there seems to have been a strong desire after martyrdom.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

3:1-21 THE WAY TO PERFECTION

Paul’s testimony (3:1-16)

At this point Paul repeats warnings that he gave the Philippian church some time earlier concerning Judaisers. He calls the Judaisers ‘dogs’ because they like to ‘cut the flesh’ of people; that is, they insist that they must circumcise Gentiles before those Gentiles can be saved. The true people of God, whom Paul calls the ‘true circumcision’, are not those who have carried out a ceremony to put a mark in their bodies, but those who have received new life from Christ through an inward spiritual change (3:1-3).
To support this statement, Paul refers to his own experience. He was born and circumcised a Jew and trained to be a zealous law-abiding Pharisee, but he found that trying to do good by keeping laws could not make the guilty sinner acceptable to God. Such things only prevented him from trusting in Christ (4-7). He has not only put aside religious ceremonies and national status, but he considers that all things in which he might boast are worthless. They cannot gain righteousness before a holy God. Righteousness is a gift that God gives to those who have faith in Christ (8-9).
But Paul does not stop there. Having died and risen with Christ, he wants to go on and experience in reality what this means - death to sin and selfish desires, and a new life of constant victory through the living power of the risen Christ within him. He is encouraged to keep moving towards this goal by his knowledge that final victory over sin, suffering and death is certain (10-11).
Paul knows that he will not reach perfection in this life. He will reach it only on the day when Christ returns and raises the righteous from death. But since he now belongs to Christ, he believes that perfection is the only goal he can aim at. Nothing less would be in keeping with such a high position. He therefore puts all his energy into his efforts to reach this goal, just as a runner strains every muscle to reach the finishing line and gain the prize (12-14).
Mature Christians will have the attitude to life that Paul has just outlined. Should any at present think differently, they will soon come to agree, if they allow God to teach them. Whatever the case, all should make sure that they do not slip back from the standard of practical holiness they have already reached (15-16).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.

As Barry pointed out, "The order of these verses is notable and instructive Alfred Barry, op. cit., p. 82. The three mountain peaks of interest are: (1) the resurrection of Christ; (2) the fellowship of Christians with him in sufferings; and (3) the glorious resurrection unto eternal life at the last day. The three-fold emphasis discernible in these verses provides a thumbnail abbreviation of the apostolic gospel, an abbreviation which by extension can be made to include nearly everything in the entire New Testament. Note:

1.    The Resurrection of Christ.

This, of course, includes all of the gospel record which preceded and led up to the resurrection, all of which, especially the sufferings and death of our Lord, were in a sense validated, confirmed and endowed with eternal significance by the resurrection. This focal emphasis on Christ’s resurrection was not exclusively Pauline, but characterized all the New Testament writers. Peter tied the entire Pentecostal sermon to the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:24), making forgiveness of sins and the reception of the earnest of the Holy Spirit derivative from the fact of our Lord’s resurrection, ascension and sending the Comforter; and, while true enough that Peter promised forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit as blessings to be received subsequently to and in consequence of the recipient’s believing, repenting, and being baptized into Christ, the sacred word makes it clear enough that the sinner’s part in such marvelous blessings is limited to his fulfillment of the preconditions prior to receiving them, and that Christ, not the sinner, is the fountain source from which all blessings flow.

It would be impossible to trace in a single chapter the amazing manner of Paul’s making all to depend on Christ’s resurrection. Everything depends on it; without it, we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17); it is the pledge of our justification and forgiveness (Acts 13:30; Acts 13:38-39), etc.

2.    Suffering with Christ.

This is the "partaking of Christ’s sufferings," "the conformity to his death," the "taking up the cross," and being "crucified with Christ," as stressed throughout the New Testament (1 Peter 4:13; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 1:5; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 2:11). It was expected that every Christian should suffer as a result of his faith; indeed it was a proverb or "faithful saying" that "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

3.    Attainment to the Resurrection from the Dead.

This means the final and glorious resurrection of the redeemed at the last day, an event so nobly referred to by Paul a few moments later in Philippians 3:20-21. Another Pauline reference to this is: "If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Romans 6:5). Also in 1 Corinthians 15:12-23, Paul made the resurrection of Christ, appealed to as a fact which not even the enemies of the faith could deny, to be a pledge of the Christian’s own resurrection at the last day. See notes in this series on those references.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

That I may know him - That I may be fully acquainted with his nature, his character, his work, and with the salvation which he has worked out. It is one of the highest objects of desire in the mind of the Christian to know Christ; see the notes at Ephesians 3:19.

And the power of his resurrection - That is, that I may understand and experience the proper influence which the fact of his resurrection should have on the mind. That influence would he felt in imparting the hope of immortality; in sustaining the soul in the prospect of death, by the expectation of being raised from the grave in like manner; and in raising the mind above the world; Romans 6:11. There is no one truth that will have greater power over us, when properly believed, than the truth that Christ has risen from the dead. His resurrection confirms the truth of the Christian religion (notes, 1 Corinthians 15:0); makes it certain that there is a future state, and that the dead will also rise; dispels the darkness that was around the grave, and shows us that our great interests are in the future world. The fact that Christ has risen from the dead, when fully believed, will produce a sure hope that we also shall be raised, and will animate us to bear trials for his sake, with the assurance that we shall be raised up as he was. One of the things which a Christian ought most earnestly to desire is, to feel the power of this truth on his soul - that his great Redeemer has burst the bands of death; has brought life and immortality to light, and has given us the pledge that our bodies shall rise. What trials may we not bear with this assurance? What is to be dreaded in death, if this is so? What glories rise to the view when we think of the resurrection! And what trifles are all the things which people seek here, when compared with the glory that shall be ours when we shall be raised from the dead!

And the fellowship of his sufferings - That I may participate in the same kind of sufferings that he endured; that is, that I may in all things be identified with him. Paul wished to be just like his Saviour. He felt that it was an honor to live as he did; to evince the spirit that he did, and to suffer in the same manner. All that Christ did and suffered was glorious in his view, and he wished in all things to resemble him. He did not desire merely to share his honors and triumphs in heaven, but, regarding his whole work as glorious, he wished to be wholly conformed to that, and, as far as possible, to be just like Christ. Many are willing to reign with Christ, out they would not be willing to suffer with him; many would be willing to wear a crown of glory like him, but not the crown of thorns; many would be willing to put on the robes of splendor which will be worn in heaven, but not the scarlet robe of contempt and mockery.

They would desire to share the glories and triumphs of redemption, but not its poverty, contempt, and persecution. This was not the feeling of Paul. He wished in all things to be just like Christ, and hence he counted it an honor to be permitted to suffer as he did. So Peter says, “Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings;” 1 Peter 4:13. So Paul says Colossians 1:24 that he rejoiced in his sufferings in behalf of his brethren, and desired “to fill up that which was behind, of the afflictions of Christ,” or that in which he had hitherto come short of the afflictions which Christ endured. The idea is, that it is an honor to suffer as Christ suffered; and that the true Christian will esteem it a privilege to be made just like him, not only in glory, but in trial. To do this, is one evidence of piety; and we may ask ourselves, therefore, whether these are the feelings of our hearts. Are we seeking merely the honors of heaven, or should we esteem it a privilege to be reproached and reviled as Christ was - to have our names cast out as his was - to be made the object of sport and derision as he was - and to be held up to the contempt of a world as he was? If so, it is an evidence that we love him; if not so, and we are merely seeking the crown of glory, we should doubt whether we have ever known anything of the nature of true religion.

Being made conformable to his death - In all things, being just like Christ - to live as he did, and to die as he did. There can be no doubt that Paul means to say that he esteemed it so desirable to be just like Christ, that he would regard it as an honor to die in the same manner. He would rejoice to go with him to the cross, and to pass through the circumstances of scorn and pain which attended such a death. Yet how few there are who would be willing to die as Christ died, and how little would the mass of people regard it as a privilege and honor! Indeed, it requires an elevated state of pious feeling to be able to say that it would be regarded as a privilege and honor to die like Christ to have such a sense of the loveliness of his character in all things, and such ardent attachment to him, as to rejoice in the opportunity of dying as he did! When we think of dying, we wish to have our departure made as comfortable as possible. We would have our sun go down without a cloud. We would wish to lie on a bed of down; we would have our head sustained by the kind arm of a friend, and not left to fall, in the intensity of suffering, on the breast; we would wish to have the place where we die surrounded by sympathizing kindred, and not by those who would mock our dying agonies. And, if such is the will of God, it is not improper to desire that our end may be peaceful and happy; but we should also feel, if God should order it otherwise, that it would be an honor, in the cause of the Redeemer, to die amidst reproaches - to be led to the stake, as the martyrs have been - or to die, as our Master did, on a cross. They who are most like him in the scenes of humiliation here, will be most like him in the realms of glory.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

10That I may know him He points out the efficacy and nature of faith — that it is the knowledge of Christ, and that, too, not bare or indistinct, but in such a manner that the power of his resurrection is felt. Resurrection he employs as meaning, the completion of redemption, so that it comprehends in it at the same time the idea of death. But as it is not enough to know Christ as crucified and raised up from the dead, unless you experience, also, the fruit of this, he speaks expressly of efficacy. ⁽¹⁸⁸⁾ Christ therefore is rightly known, when we feel how powerful his death and resurrection are, and how efficacious they are in us. Now all things are there furnished to us — expiation and destruction of sin, freedom from condemnation, satisfaction, victory over death, the attainment of righteousness, and the hope of a blessed immortality.

And the fellowship of his sufferings Having spoken of that freely-conferred righteousness, which was procured for us through the resurrection of Christ, and is obtained by us through faith, he proceeds to treat of the exercises of the pious, and that in order that it might not seem as though he introduced an inactive faith, which produces no effects in the life. He also intimates, indirectly, that these are the exercises in which the Lord would have his people employ themselves; while the false Apostles pressed forward upon them the useless elements of ceremonies. Let every one, therefore, who has become through faith a partaker of all Christ’s benefits, acknowledge that a condition is presented to him — that his whole life be conformed to his death.

There is, however, a twofold participation and fellowship in the death of Christ. The one is inward — what the Scripture is wont to term the mortification of the flesh, or the crucifixion of the old man, of which Paul treats in Romans 6:0; the other is outward — what is termed the mortification of the outward man. It is the endurance of the Cross, of which he treats in Romans 8:0 of the same Epistle, and here also, if I do not mistake. For after introducing along with this the power of his resurrection, Christ crucified is set before us, that we may follow him through tribulations and distresses; and hence the resurrection of the dead is expressly made mention of, that we may know that we must die before we live. This is a continued subject of meditation to believers so long as they sojourn in this world.

This, however, is a choice consolation, that in all our miseries we are partakers of Christ’s Cross, if we are his members; so that through afflictions the way is opened up for us to everlasting blessedness, as we read elsewhere,

If we die with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. (2 Timothy 2:11,)

We must all therefore be prepared for this — that our whole life shall represent nothing else than the image of death, until it produce death itself, as the life of Christ is nothing else than a prelude of death. We enjoy, however, in the mean time, this consolation — that the end is everlasting blessedness. For the death of Christ is connected with the resurrection. Hence Paul says, that he is conformed to his death, that he may attain the glory of the resurrection. The phrase, if by any means, does not indicate doubt, but expresses difficulty, with a view to stimulate our earnest endeavor ⁽¹⁸⁹⁾ for it is no light contest, inasmuch as we must struggle against so many and so serious hinderances.

(188) “De l’efficace ou puissance;” — “Of the efficacy or power.”

(189) “Afin de nous resueiller et aiguiser a nous y addonner de tant plus grande affection;” — “That it may arouse and stimulate us to devote ourselves to it with so much greater zeal.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Philippians 3 .

Again, remember that the background of this epistle, Paul is chained to a Roman soldier in Rome, in prison, writing to the Philippians. The keynote of the epistle is rejoice, and he said,

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord ( Philippians 3:1 ).

You know, oftentimes it is extremely difficult to rejoice in circumstances. In fact, I think sometimes it is impossible to rejoice in circumstances. I just did a dumb thing, I ran through a red light and hit somebody and I am being sued for a million dollars. It is hard to rejoice in circumstances. But you can always rejoice in the Lord, because He is above circumstances. So, the exhortation in the scripture is always that of rejoicing in the Lord. And Paul writes,

To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous ( Philippians 3:1 ),

In other words, "Here I am, I am chained in prison, but I don't find it hard to write this to you. I am rejoicing here, in the Lord." I am sure he wasn't rejoicing in the circumstances themselves. They were rather miserable, but that does not stop you from rejoicing in the Lord. There is always cause to rejoice in the Lord.

but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs ( Philippians 3:1-2 ),

Now, immediately after telling them to rejoice in the Lord, he is warning them about the false teachers. Paul had certain people that seemed to follow him wherever he went, trying to pervert that which he taught of the grace of God, especially the Jewish legalizers who sought to bring the people back to a legal relationship with God, putting them under the law. They demanded that they be circumcised and they keep the law of Moses in order to be saved, which Paul called the perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting that these people usually referred to the Gentiles as dogs. That was a common name by which the Jews referred to the Gentiles: the gentile dogs. It was not a reference to a kindly family pet, but it was a reference to those mean wild dogs that roamed Israel. Barking and snapping at everybody, and belonging to nobody. And they were a sort of a hated animal. And thus the name dog the Jews began to apply to the Gentiles. 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.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision ( Philippians 3:2 ).

The word concision comes from a Greek word, which means mutilators. Paul is talking about their demands that the Gentiles be circumcised to be saved. And then he uses a contrasting Greek word, and it is a play on Greek words. If you read any Greek, you can pick up on the play on words. "Beware of the concision."

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit ( Philippians 3:3 ),

Paul was constantly emphasizing that the physical rites had no value except there be a corresponding spiritual experience, that the circumcision of the flesh accounted for nothing. What God was interested in is that my heart was circumcised, that I had the heart after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. And though I may have a fleshly rite, if my heart was after the things of the flesh, then what happened to me physically has no bearing upon my relationship with God at all.

The same can be said of any of the other rites that we have within the church. The rite of water baptism is really not a physical rite, but a spiritual experience. It is not the physical experience that saves, it is the spiritual: the death to the old nature and the old man in my heart, the reckoning of myself to be dead, and living that new life in the resurrected Lord. And so Paul says, "Beware of those who would mutilate your body, for we are of those who are circumcised in the spirit." We worship God in the spirit.

Jesus said, "God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus ( Philippians 3:3 ),

And that is in the glorious liberty that we have in Christ Jesus, that relationship that we can now have with God apart from the law.

and have no confidence in the flesh ( Philippians 3:3 ).

Now, Paul said in his Roman epistle, "I know in me, that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing." I have no confidence in the flesh. Paul said,

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more [If anyone might have something to boast in the flesh. I am the one who would]: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless ( Philippians 3:4-6 ).

Hey, this is a pretty good pedigree. I mean, if you can be saved by works, if you can be saved by your own efforts, if you can be saved by keeping the law, then Paul said, "Hey, I am ahead of the pack. I more than anybody else. I had everything going for me as far as righteousness from the law."

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." Now, Paul was a classic example of what Jesus was referring to. As far as the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, Paul had it. He had done everything that he was supposed to do according to the law to be righteous. In fact, he had gone beyond. He was a Pharisee. He persecuted the church. As far as his zeal and according to the righteousness that is in the law, he was blameless. But still, that is not enough to bring a man an entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

Now, here they were going around and trying to tell the Gentile believers that you had to keep the law to be righteous. Paul said, "No, I came out of that. I had it made as far as the law was concerned." But then this monumental statement,

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ ( Philippians 3:7 ).

All of this background that put me in a high standing as far as the law is concerned I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ( Philippians 3:8 ):

Paul the apostle is on his way to Damascus to persecute the church. He had papers from the high priest that empowered him to throw in prison those who believed in Jesus Christ. And as he headed out towards Damascus, he was going out with threatenings of murder against the believers. But while he was on his way, just before arriving in Damascus about noontime, there came a light from heaven brighter than the noonday sun. Paul fell on the ground, and there the Lord spoke to him and said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" And he answered, "Who art thou, Lord that I may serve thee?" And He said, "I am Jesus. It has been hard for you to kick against the pricks." And there Paul was converted. He met Christ on the Damascus road. Suddenly upon meeting Christ, all that he counted as important to him up to that point in his life, all of his religious credits, all of the religious background, he said lost for Christ. 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. He is referring to it, "The things which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ, thirty years ago, on the road to Damascus." But then Paul updates his experience. And he said, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." In other words, "I experienced it thirty years ago, and I had a turn-around in my life, and all of the past legalism and legal relationship with God, and all of those endeavors in my own flesh, the works of my flesh, I counted loss. Now I do count them, thirty years later, I still count them loss."

A lot of people testify of an experience that they had in Christ years ago. "Oh, I had such a glorious experience, the Lord met me in such a powerful way. And I just dedicated my life completely to the Lord. I was so moved, I was so touched by the Spirit of God upon my life." But unfortunately, since then, a lot of those things that they counted loss at that point, they picked back up, so that they are encumbered again. You see, past experience is only valid if it is translated into the present. If the past experience has not been translated into the present, then it really has no value at all. There is really no value to say I counted those things loss for Christ thirty years ago, if in the meantime I have picked them back up and I am encumbered with them again. Always, we must be able to translate the past experience into the present relationship if it is to be a valid experience at all. Otherwise, the experience is invalidated.

I really am not so much interested in what happened to you thirty years ago, twenty years ago, or ten years ago. I am interested in what is your relationship tonight with the Lord. That is what is important. Experiences are good. 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. It is still going on. The past is translated into the present. "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." I love that phrase. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

I think that we have to be the most blessed and privileged people in the world. You know, there are many people in the world tonight who have never had the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. People lived and died without ever having heard of Jesus Christ our Lord. Not only do we have the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but we have the privilege of gathering together and studying the word of God together. What some people wouldn't give for the opportunity of gathering with us.

He said,

For whom I have suffered the loss of all things ( Philippians 3:8 ),

Indeed Paul did. He was totally, completely ostracized by those who were once his compatriots, those whom he once shared with. When he received Jesus Christ, as far as they were concerned, he was dead. He no longer existed. But he said those things which were so important to me, those things for which I lived,

And do count them but dung [as refuse], that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith ( Philippians 3:8-9 ):

Now, Paul had excelled in the righteousness in the law. He said he was blameless. But he said he cast that over for the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He counts all of the works of the past just wasted effort, refuse. "My desire is to know Him, and to be found in Him." Not having my own righteousness, my works through the law, but now the righteousness which is of God by faith, that righteousness which is imputed to those who believe, that righteousness that Abraham had when God imputed his faith for righteousness.

Now, I can endeavor to be righteous before God by my own works and efforts. I must, first of all, set the standard: what constitutes righteousness? What is right and what is wrong? And having determined then what is right and what is wrong, I may then seek to always do that which is right. Work hard at doing that which is right. And, at best, I can develop a self-righteousness. The effect of it usually on the individual who has obtained such a thing: I keep the rules; I never do anything wrong; I always do what is good; I am a doo bee; I am just living by these righteous standards. The effect upon the individual is usually pride and the developing of a judgmental attitude.

As the Pharisee who went in before the Lord and said, "Father, I thank you that I am not as other men. I am not an extortioner, and the other things. God, I thank you that I am so good," that pride and self-righteousness. But then, worse than that, this judgmental spirit. Because suddenly, you see, I am on a little spiritual pinnacle, and I can begin now to judge everybody else who doesn't live by the same standards of holiness by which I live. "How can they say they are a child of God? How can they say . . . " and here I am in my little pompous righteous throne, judging everybody else who isn't living by my standards. It can be a very dangerous thing.

On the other hand, I can recognize that I have a problem with sin, with myself, with my flesh. I can be honest with myself. When I have been upset (because that is against my rules, never be upset) and so I am upset, I have to lie to myself and say, "I really wasn't upset, I was just indignant." And you can become a phony, because, you know, you set your own standards; you live by your own rules. But when I take the righteousness which is by Christ, it is an honest life, I can say, "Hey, I am not perfect, but I believe in Jesus Christ with all my heart. He is my Savior. He is my Lord." And God then imputes to me, or accounts to me, righteousness. 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. But tomorrow, some nut pulls in front of me on the freeway and then blocks and traps me, and I may shake my fist and honk my horn, and say, "Get off the road, you fool." And all of my good record down the tube and the righteousness is erased. I blew it. Oh, what a shame. Here, my entire life I have never done anything wrong, have been going by the rules, up till now. You see, there would be no security in that kind of righteousness at all. And any moment I could lose it. But not the righteousness which God has accounted to me through my faith in Jesus Christ. Because I may blow my horn and shake my fist, but the Spirit will say, "Hey, don't you remember you have got a fish emblem on the back of your car? What are you going to do when you pass the guy?" And I may pull over to the side of the freeway and decide not to pass him so that I won't be a bad witness, and bow my head and say, "God, I am sorry. That isn't a real representative of You. Forgive me, Lord."

You see, the angel doesn't have to erase the righteousness and then rewrite it, or whatever. It stays there. The righteousness through faith in Christ, my faith in Jesus doesn't waver. My actions they may, but not my faith in Him. And the righteousness is accounted to me by my faith in Him. And so, it is an established righteousness. No wonder Paul opted for the new righteousness, though he had done pretty good up until this point. "Don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, so hey, I will jump this ship and get on this one and I will gladly throw overboard the old life, with the struggle and the effort in my flesh, in order to live this new life after the Spirit, believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, to do for me what I really can't do for myself. And to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God, through faith."

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 now she was in her senior year. They were going to have the senior prom. 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. So, she decided that she would make for herself a new dress for the senior prom. Now, because she had spent all of her money on tuition, and just getting by, on her books, and everything else, she really didn't have much money. She couldn't buy a dress, but she really didn't have much money to buy very good material. But she went down to the dime store and picked out the best that she could afford, bought a simplicity pattern. She laid the thing out, carefully cut it out, but she really had never sewn anything before. So, by the trial and error method, the redoing a lot of the seams and all, and the hem wasn't really straight, but it was a good effort. She gave it her best. It was surely the best that she could do. And so, she put it on and she walked out in the dorm where the other girls were and she said, "Look girls, this is my new dress for the prom. I made it myself." And they were kind to her, they said, "Oh, that is nice," but they did notice the imperfections in it. And did feel rather sorry for her. But they recognized that it was the best that she could do.

About that time, Lady Bountiful walked in the door. And she saw this young girl, modeling her dress and she said, "Would you mind going with me?" And the young girl went outside, and there was a limousine chauffeur, and they went down to I. Magnum's, and the chauffeur took the car up. They went in. And so the models started coming in with all these beautiful dresses showing them off and doing their little stances and all, and a model came in that had a dress that was absolutely gorgeous. She just sort of caught her breath when she saw it, it was just such a glorious gown.

Lady Bountiful, being very astute, noticed that she gasped at that one. She called the model over that they might look at it more closely and feel the texture of the material, and obviously she was very impressed with it. But as the model was turning around, her eye caught the ticket with the price tag $4,295.00. And she thought, "Oh my, I didn't dream anything could cost that much." But, Lady Bountiful, seeing her interest in it, said to the clerk, wrap it up and have it sent to the car.

When she got back to the dorm, she went into her room and she carefully unwrapped this dress, put it on; it fit perfectly. Now she walks back out where all of the girls are waiting, and she said, "Look girls," and as they gasp in amazement at the glory and the beauty of the dress, she said, "This is something that I could have never purchased for myself. It is something that I could have never made for myself, but it was given to me by Lady Bountiful."

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." The righteousness which is of Christ through faith. Something that I could never purchase for myself, something that I could never do for myself. With all of my efforts I could never come up to that. And yet, that is what God has imparted to me through faith, my faith that He has given to me, in Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on,

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection ( Philippians 3:10 ),

And at this point we also say, "Ya, ya, power, I want power. I would like to know Him in the power of His resurrection. Give me the power," and we are so power-hungry. But Paul didn't stop there did he?

and the fellowship of his sufferings ( Philippians 3:10 ),

Hey, wait a minute, Paul; I want to get off at the last stop. I don't know about this suffering bit. I like the power, but I don't like the suffering. Don't you know that Christians don't have to suffer? The fellowship of His sufferings.

Our flesh always rebels against suffering. The disciples found it difficult to handle when Jesus started talking about the suffering that he was to experience, and Peter cried out, "Lord, be that far from thee." And Jesus said, "Get thee behind me, Satan, you offend me." It was the natural cry of man, "Spare yourself from suffering." But Paul is willing to follow Jesus to the cross. "I want to know him; I want to know him completely." Yes, the power of the resurrection, but you know, you can never know the power of the resurrection until you have, first of all, know the cross. Jesus wasn't resurrected until he first went to the cross. The resurrected life always follows the crucified life. The power of the resurrection follows the fellowship of the suffering and the cross. And so yes, I want to know the power of the resurrection, but if I am to experience that, I have got to, first of all, experience the fellowship of the suffering, the death on the cross, the death to my old self, my old nature.

being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead ( Philippians 3:10-11 ).

But how can you attain the resurrection of the dead unless you, first of all, have died? You see, Jesus could not experience the power of the resurrection until the cross. The cross was essential and necessary for Him to experience the power of the resurrection. So it is true with us. I am crucified with Christ, now I can experience the power of the resurrected life. And many people have never experienced the power of the resurrected life, because they have shied away from the fellowship of the suffering and of the crucified with Christ life. "I want to hang on to the flesh. I don't want to see it nailed to the cross. I want to hold on to the things of the flesh." But you will never know the life of the resurrected Christ until you have experienced the fellowship of the sufferings.

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect ( Philippians 3:11-12 ):

It is sort of sad that so many people seem to feel that they have attained, or they have achieved their spiritual walk, and they sort of sit on little pedestals, little ivory towers. "I have attained, I have achieved. Here I am, you know, come and I will teach you. Sit at my feet and learn." 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."

but I follow after [I am pursuing], if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus ( Philippians 3:12 ).

Now, Paul recognized something that is very important for all of us to recognize who have been apprehended by Jesus Christ. When the Lord apprehended us, and you can all look back in your own life to that point where the Lord apprehended you, where He said, "I have chosen you and ordained you that you should be my disciple," and we turn to follow Jesus Christ. Now, when the Lord apprehended us, He had in His mind a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. The Lord knew exactly what He intended for you to do. He had a work for you to fulfill. Paul said, "I have not yet apprehended that for which I was apprehended. The Lord apprehended me, but when He did, He had a purpose in mind. I have not yet accomplished that purpose."

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." The reason why we can all say it tonight is because we are all here. Why did the Lord apprehend you? So that you could share with Him the eternal glories of His kingdom. And so, when He is finished with me here, this robe of flesh I will drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air. Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. And one day when I am sitting, looking up in Jesus' face, just overwhelmed by His glory and love, I will turn to the fellow next to me, and I will say, "I finally have apprehended that for which I was apprehended. This is what the Lord intended for me, to be with Him in His kingdom, to share with Him His glory. Father, I would that those who You have given to me, to be with me here, would also share with me in the Kingdom."

That is why God apprehended you; He has a glorious plan and a purpose for your future. He has a plan for your life now, and we should be as Jesus, who said, "I must be about my Father's business." Anything I do for myself is a waste of time and effort. I am forestalling the plan of God. So what do I do? I forget those things which are behind.

A lot of people make the mistake of trying to live in the past. And with a lot of people, there is just a lot of bad experiences in the past. And the problem is that they are constantly going back and going over those bad experiences. And they are not really going ahead in life at all, because they are so involved in the past. "They really did me wrong. I can't get over that. I can't believe what they did to me. I just can't rise above it. I just..." And living in the past, and being destroyed in the past, and can't go ahead because they are looking backward. Living in the past, there is always that danger of discouragement, which shuts off initiative for the future. The Lord may inspire you to some good work that He wants you to do. Many times the worst thing you can do is share with your friends what the Lord has laid upon your heart to do. Because so many times, they say, "Well, you really can't do that. You see, someone else already tried that and it just doesn't work." And so they go back to the past, and they pick up the failures of the past, and they are discouraged to try anything in the future. And so looking back to the past, oftentimes, we look at our failures and we are discouraged from trying to go on. "Hey, I tried it before. I tried it for so long. It just doesn't work. I just can't do it. If I could, I would have done it a long time ago," and looking back I am discouraged of trying to go ahead.

Or, on the other hand, a person looks back and glories in their victories of the past, and they are resting on their accolades. "You know, it is what I used to be, what I used to do. I hold the record and my name is on the record books, and all." They are always looking at their past and doing nothing now. They are stagnating now. They go to the bars and drink lite beer and talk about the touchdowns they use to make. They are living in the past, the past glories. 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. And it is sad when a person is resting in the past, not pressing ahead. The past has been glorious, it has been exciting to see what God has done, but you know, I am more excited about what God is going to do.

So,

forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before ( Philippians 3:13 ),

We haven't seen anything yet. Like the song said, "Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead." And rather than resting in the past, what God has done, let's look forward to what God wants to do. We haven't yet scratched the surface of the work that needs to be done in the hearts and lives of the people of Orange County, in Southern California, across the United States. We have only begun to see the work of God; we have only begun to see the glory of God poured out. Let's not just sit back and rest, let's press forward to what God has for us in the future. "Reaching forth to those things which are before, I press," and the word in the Greek is agonizo. They say, that in training for the Olympics, you have got to go till it hurts, and you have to work yourself through the pain. I mean, you have got to give it every effort, working through pain, beyond the pain threshold. You run until you ache and you think you can't go anymore, but you keep going. You think you are going to drop, but you keep going. And there comes that second wind, then it seems like you can go forever. But it is working through it, but it is agonizing. When you are pressing towards the mark. I agonizo towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.

Paul said, "Don't you realize that they that run in a race run all, only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain." There are a lot of people running the race just to say, "Well, I ran in the race." "Well, where did you place?" "Well, I didn't finish it, but I ran in it." Paul said, "One receives the prize, and you run to obtain." In other words, "Give it all you have got."

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [would be complete], be thus minded [let this be in your mind] ( Philippians 3:14-15 ):

Let this be the same rule for your life. Forgetting the things which are behind, reaching forth for those things which are before, pressing towards that mark, be thus minded.

and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, [and] let us mind the same thing ( Philippians 3:15-16 ).

Let this be your mind, let's walk by these rules. And so the rule of the Christian life is: forgetting those things which are behind, and pressing for those things which are before, or reaching for those things which are before, pressing towards the mark.

Brethren, be followers together of me ( Philippians 3:17 ),

So, let this be your mind, let this be your attitude, follow me.

and mark them which walk so as ye have us for your ensample [example]. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are [really] the enemies of the cross of Christ ( Philippians 3:17-18 ):

You know, there are a lot of people who talk a lot about Jesus Christ but are enemies of the cross of Christ. That is, they want still to live after the flesh so bad, that the idea of being crucified with Christ, the death of the old life, the death of the old man, the death of the old flesh life, is irritating to them. They don't want to hear it; they are enemies of that message. 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. Whatever you desire, just ask God, insist on God, command God. Because you can drive a Cadillac, and you can live on Lido Island. You can have these things of your flesh, you know. And it is an interesting period in church history where those who are indulging their flesh look upon it as spiritual superiority. "You know, if you only had enough faith, you could be jetting across the United States also in your own Lear Jet." So, it is rather tragic, because these people are opposed to the life of sacrifice, self-denial, and yet, that is the first step that Jesus said was necessary to be a disciple of His; you have got to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him.

And Paul said, "Follow me; you have me as your example. The old life, you know, I accounted loss. I want to know Him, I want to know the power of the resurrection, but yet, I want to know the fellowship of the sufferings and the cross. So, those things which we once gained, those things which were once so important to me, I counted loss, and I forget those things which are behind, because I am pressing forth for those things which are before. And now, follow me as an example, live by this rule, because there are those who don't live by this rule. There are those who are living after their flesh. They are enemies to the cross of Christ, not to Christ Himself, but to that aspect of suffering with Him,"

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things [because their minds are always on earthly things] ( Philippians 3:19 ).

They are out there, there are many of them. In front of people they can act very holy and sanctified and excited and exhilarated in the things of the Lord, but when they get away from the stage, they can have filthy mouths; they can tell dirty jokes, they are living a two-faced life. They exist; they are there. Paul warns that they are there, they were there in Paul's day; they are there today. They really mind the earthly things. 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. But Paul said,

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 ).

Our citizenship. "Let's not get too," Paul said, "involved in the world. Let your every contact with the world be just as light as possible." Our citizenship isn't here. Abraham and those saints of the Old Testament, the scripture said, confessed that they were just strangers and pilgrims on this earth, that they were looking for the city which hath foundations whose maker and builder is God. They were looking for the eternal kingdom of God. They weren't looking for a place, and so they roamed the earth, as outcast, not possessing of the earth.

Jesus roamed the earth as an outcast, didn't seek to possess any things of the earth. Why? Because He was interested in the heavenly kingdom. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we look for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Who, when He comes, He is going to change our bodies, that they might be fashioned like His own glorious image. "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 ).

"I'll show you a mystery, we are not going to all sleep, but we are all going to be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of any eye. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality and then will be brought to pass the saying, Oh, death where is thy sting? Oh, grave where is thy victory?" ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 )

When Jesus comes again, we will each experience a metamorphosis. "This robe of flesh I will drop and rise to reap the everlasting prize." The new body, the building of God not made with human hands, the eternal house that God has created for my spirit. And so, this body will be changed, and I will receive a new body like His, fashioned like His glorious image, according to that power of the Spirit that raised Him from the dead.

"

Contending for the Faith

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

That I may know him: Paul takes up the word "knowledge" from verse 8 and expresses his desire to grow into a deeper and more meaningful experience with Christ. "To know Christ" is Paul’s ultimate goal. This knowledge is the highest attainment of the Christian experience. He expands on what it means to "know Christ." While the previous verse deals with Paul’s justification, verse 10 explains his present sanctification. The sanctification of the believer involves his being conformed to the image of Christ in this life (Galatians 4:19; Romans 8:29). Experiencing the power of His resurrection, sharing in His sufferings, and becoming like Him in His death are the ways Paul will acquire this deeper knowledge and understanding of his Lord.

and the power of his resurrection: There are a couple of passages that seem to have some bearing on this one and should help explain what these thoughts mean. Romans 6:1-11 and 2 Corinthians 3:4 to 2 Corinthians 4:6 bring together the concepts of justification, sanctification, and glorification found in this passage. Paul discusses at length in Romans 6 how the Christian has "died to sin," been "baptized into His death," "buried with Him by baptism," and "raised in the likeness of His resurrection," in order to have a "new life." This identification or union with Christ is appropriated by the believer through baptism.

Baptism is not simply an event depicting what has already happened to a believer in conversion. Baptism is the act that translates the sinner from death in the world to life in Christ. One submits to baptism because of his faith in God’s power to resurrect the dead (Colossians 2:12). He believes God has raised Jesus from the dead and will raise him from the dead spiritually at baptism and physically at the resurrection day. Baptism has lifetime effects because of the individual’s change in relationship. Once baptized, he has life. In Christ, one has access to forgiveness from future sins by confession, repentance, and prayer (1 John 1:8-10; Acts 8:22). The Christian then is renewed daily through the blood of Jesus. The life transforming power of the resurrection is an ever present reality in the sanctification process of the believer. In the New International Version Paul states:

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:19-20).

and the fellowship of his sufferings: Silva says:

The participation of believers in Christ’s death includes not only their definitive breach with sin (the main concern of Romans 6) but also those sufferings they undergo by virtue of their union with Christ. This latter idea seems to be the concern of Philippians 3:10...Their baptism represents a deeply traumatic experience; nothing less than the terrifying picture of Christ’s death does justice to the seriousness of that experience. To be sure, they have been infused with new life, but there is a sense in which they continue to bear the death of their Lord—in their spiritual disappointments and frustrations, in their struggles with the prince of darkness. The stinging reality of Christian suffering is our reminder that we have been united with Christ. More than that, it is the very means God uses to transform us into the image of His Son (191).

In Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 1:5-7, Paul uses the same word ("sufferings") to describe the afflictions in which all Christians participate in as a result of their faith in Christ. All Christians suffer to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:7). Suffering with Christ is a prerequisite to being glorified with Him (Romans 8:17). Paul certainly suffered in many ways as a Christian (2 Corinthians 11:23-28; 2 Corinthians 1:4-11; 2 Corinthians 11:28). Such sufferings lead to hope and glory (Romans 5:3). These sufferings were temporary and cannot even be compared to the glory that will be given to those who suffer in Christ (Romans 8:18). By this experience, Paul is conformed to Christ’s death.

being made conformable unto his death: The word "conformable" is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It means "to grant or invest with the same form" (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker 788). The related adjective is used in Philippians 3:21 and Romans 8:29. The root noun is rendered "nature" in Philippians 2:6-7. It refers to being conformed to His nature. Paul desires to be so completely united with Christ that he continually strives to put his old self to death. Again, related passages provide help. The perfect tense of the verb "united" in Romans 6:5 (which says, "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection") means this past event has continuing effects. "Paul who was united with Christ in his death on the cross is continually being conformed to that death as he shares in Christ’s sufferings" (O’Brien 410). O’Brien quotes Kim:

The life of discipleship, which involves our participation in Christ’s sufferings and our being conformed to his death, is paradoxically the process in which we are being transformed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18) and in which the resurrection life of Jesus is being manifested in our mortal bodies (2 Corinthians 4:10 f; Philippians 3:10) (411).

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Paul’s greater goal 3:8-11

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

This verse resumes the thought of knowing Christ in Philippians 3:8. The tense of the Greek infinitive tou gnonai ("to know") is aorist, probably an ingressive aorist, which sums up the action of the verb at the point where it begins.

"It suggests that for Paul just the coming to know Christ outweighs all other values, that for him the significance of Christ, ’in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:3), is so vast that even to begin to know him is more important than anything else in all the world." [Note: Hawthorne, p. 143.]

Compare the implication of intimate, complete knowledge in the clause "the man [Adam] knew his wife, Eve" (Genesis 4:1).

"I’ll never forget a letter I read from a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, where I serve as chancellor. He wrote of his gratitude for his years at our fine institution. What troubled me was that he also lamented that when he arrived, he was deeply in love with Jesus Christ; but when he left, he had fallen more in love with the biblical text. For all the right reasons, our professors did their best to teach him the Scriptures, but he left loving the Bible more than he loved His [sic] Savior. To use Paul’s words, ’the serpent seduced him.’ After a few tough years in ministry, he came to realize that he needed to love Christ. I don’t remember his using these precise words, but he admitted that he had to look intently at his schedule, to face the truth of his drift, and to carve out time to get back to a simple devotion to Christ." [Note: Charles R. Swindoll, So, You Want to Be Like Christ? p. 40. This whole book deals with Philippians 3:10.]

Among all the other things that Paul wanted to learn in His relationship with Christ, he mentioned first the power of Christ’s resurrection. Paul probably did not mean that he wanted to experience resurrection supernaturally as Jesus Christ had done. He knew that if he died he would experience such a resurrection. He probably meant that he wanted the power that resurrected His Savior and was within himself because of the indwelling Christ to manifest itself in his life for God’s glory (cf. Romans 6:4; Colossians 3:1; Ephesians 2:5-6).

Paul also wanted to grow in his experiential knowledge of the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. He did not mean that by suffering in the service of His Lord he could add to the merit of Christ’s sufferings. Such an idea is completely foreign to biblical teaching (cf. Hebrews 10:14). Rather he saw suffering for the sake of Christ as only fair since the Savior had suffered so much for him. The Christian who suffers because of his or her faithful testimony for Christ can enter into Jesus’ feelings when He suffered for faithfully obeying His Father. There is a fellowship in that kind of suffering (cf. Romans 6:8; Galatians 2:19-20). A believer who never suffers for the Lord’s sake cannot do that.

The last phrase in this verse modifies the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Complete dedication to the will of God, which resulted in Jesus’ sufferings and which will result in the believer’s suffering, means death ultimately. It means death to one’s own agenda for life (Romans 6:4-11), and it may result in physical death. Death is a grim prospect, but Paul did not have a morbid, unhealthy fascination with suffering and death for its own sake. He so loved Jesus Christ that he wished to share all aspects of His life, to know Him as intimately as he could. He even was willing to follow Him into the valley of the shadow of death.

"Christian life is cruciform in character; God’s people, even as they live presently through the power made available through Christ’s resurrection, are as their Lord forever marked by the cross." [Note: Fee, Paul’s Letter . . ., pp. 334-35.]

Barclay's Daily Study Bible

Chapter 3

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE JOY ( Php_3:1 )

3:1 As for what remains, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble to me to write the same things to you, and for you it is safe.

Paul sets down two very important things.

(i) He sets down what we might call the indestructibility of Christian joy. He must have felt that he had been setting a high challenge before the Philippian Church. For them there was the possibility of the same kind of persecution, and even the same kind of death, as threatened himself. From one point of view it looked as if Christianity was a grim job. But in it and beyond it all there was joy. "Your joy," said Jesus, "no one will take from you" ( John 16:22).

There is a certain indestructibility in Christian joy; and it is so, because Christian joy is in the Lord. Its basis is that the Christian lives for ever in the presence of Jesus Christ. He can lose all things, and he can lose all people, but he can never lose Christ. And, therefore, even in circumstances where joy would seem to be impossible and there seem to be nothing but pain and discomfort, Christian joy remains, because not all the threats and terrors and discomforts of life can separate the Christian from the love of God in Christ Jesus his Lord ( Romans 8:35-39).

In 1756 a letter came to John Wesley from a father who had a prodigal son. When the revival swept England the son was in York jail. "It pleased God," wrote the father, "not to cut him off in his sins. He gave him time to repent; and not only so, but a heart to repent." The lad was condemned to death for his misdeeds; and the father's letter goes on: "His peace increased daily, till on Saturday, the day he was to die, he came out of the condemned-room, clothed in his shroud, and went into the cart. As he went on, the cheerfulness and composure of his countenance were amazing to all the spectators." The lad had found a joy which not even the scaffold could take away.

It often happens that men can stand the great sorrows and the great trials of life but are undone by what are almost minor inconveniences. But this Christian joy enables a man to accept even them with a smile. John Nelson was one of Wesley's most famous early preachers. He and Wesley carried out a mission in Cornwall, near Land's End, and Nelson tells about it. "All that time, Mr. Wesley and I lay on the floor: he had my greatcoat for a pillow, and I had Burkitt's notes on the New Testament for mine. 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!'" They had little enough even to eat. One morning Wesley had preached with great effect: "As we returned, Mr. Wesley stopped his horse to pick the blackberries, saying: 'Brother Nelson, we ought to be thankful that there are plenty blackberries; for this is the best country I ever saw for getting a stomach, but the worst I ever saw for getting food!'" Christian joy made Wesley able to accept the great blows of life, and also to greet the lesser discomforts with a jest. If the Christian really walks with Christ, he walks with joy.

(ii) Here also Paul sets down what we might call the necessity of repetition. He says that he proposes to write things to them that he has written before. This is interesting, for it must mean that Paul had written other letters to the Philippians which have not survived. This is nothing to be surprised at. Paul was writing letters from A.D. 48 to A.D. 64, sixteen years, but we possess only thirteen. Unless there were long periods when he never put pen to paper there must have been many more letters which are now lost.

Like any good teacher, Paul was never afraid of repetition. It may well be that one of our faults is our desire for novelty. The great saving truths of Christianity do not change; and we cannot hear them too often. We do not tire of the foods which are the essentials of life. We expect to eat bread and to drink water every day; and we must listen again and again to the truth which is the bread and the water of life. No teacher must find it a trouble to go over and over again the great basic truths of the Christian faith; for that is the way to ensure the safety of his hearers. We may enjoy the "fancy things" at meat times, but it is the basic foods on which we live. Preaching and teaching and studying the side-issues may be attractive, and these have their place, but the fundamental truths can neither be spoken nor heard too often for the safety of our souls.

THE EVIL TEACHERS ( Php_3:2-3 )

3:2-3 Be on your guard against the dogs; be on your guard against the evil workers; be on your guard against the party of mutilation; for we are the truly circumcised, we who worship in the Spirit of God; we whose proud boast is in Jesus Christ, we who place no confidence in merely human things.

Quite suddenly Paul's accent changes to that of warning. Wherever he taught, the Jews followed him and tried to undo his teaching. It was the teaching of Paul that we are saved by grace alone, that salvation is the free gift of God, that we can never earn it but can only humbly and adoringly accept what God has offered to us; and, further, that the offer of God is to all men of all nations and that none is excluded. It was the teaching of these Jews that, if a man wished to be saved, he must earn credit in the sight of God by countless deeds of the law; and, further that salvation belonged to the Jews and to no one else, and that, before God could have any use for him, a man must be circumcised and, as it were, become a Jew. Here Paul rounds upon these Jewish teachers who were seeking to undo his work. He calls them three things, carefully chosen to throw their claims back upon themselves.

(i) "Beware of the dogs," he says. With us the dog is a well-loved animal, but it was not so in the East in the time of Jesus. The dogs were the pariah dogs, roaming the streets, sometimes in packs, hunting amidst the garbage dumps and snapping and snarling at all whom they met. J. B. Lightfoot speaks of "the dogs which prowl about eastern cities, without a home and without an owner, feeding on the refuse and filth of the streets, quarrelling among themselves, and attacking the passer-by."

In the Bible the dog always stands for that than which nothing can be lower. When Saul is seeking to take his life, David's demand is: "After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! after a flea!" ( 1 Samuel 24:14, compare 2 Kings 8:13; Psalms 22:16; Psalms 22:20). In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, part of the torture of Lazarus is that the street dogs annoy him by licking his sores ( Luke 16:21). In Deuteronomy the Law brings together the price of a dog and the hire of a whore, and declares that neither must be offered to God ( Deuteronomy 23:18). In Revelation the word dog stands for those who are so impure that they are debarred from the Holy City ( Revelation 22:15). That which is holy must never be given to dogs ( Matthew 7:6). It is the same in Greek thought; the dog stands for everything that is shamelessly unclean.

It was by this name that the Jews called the Gentiles. There is a Rabbinic saying, "The nations of the world are like dogs." So this is Paul's answer to the Jewish teachers. He says to them, "In your proud self-righteousness, you call other men dogs; but it is you who are dogs, because you shamelessly pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ." He takes the very name the Jewish teachers would have applied to the impure and to the Gentiles and flings it back at themselves. A man must always have a care that he is not himself guilty of the sins of which he accuses others.

(ii) He calls them evil workers, workers of evil things. The Jews would be quite sure that they were workers of righteousness. It was their view that to keep the Law's countless rules and regulations was to work righteousness. But Paul was certain that the only kind of righteousness there is comes from casting oneself freely upon the grace of God. The effect of their teaching was to take men further away from God instead of to bring them nearer to him. They thought they were working good, but in fact they were working evil. Every teacher must be more anxious to listen to God than to propagate his own opinions or he, too, will run the risk of being a worker of evil, even when he thinks that he is a worker of righteousness.

THE ONLY TRUE CIRCUMCISION ( Php_3:2-3 continued)

(iii) Lastly, he calls them, the party of mutilation. There is a pun in the Greek which is not transferable to English. There are two Greek verbs which are very like each other. Peritemnein ( G4059) means to circumcise; katatemnein means to mutilate, as in Leviticus 21:5, which describes forbidden self-mutilation, such as castration. Paul says, "You Jews think that you are circumcised; in point of fact, you are only mutilated."

What is the point of this? According to Jewish belief, circumcision was ordained upon Israel as sign and symbol that they were the people with whom God had entered into a special relationship. The story of the beginning of that sign is in Genesis 17:9-10. When God entered into his special covenant with Abraham, circumcision was laid down as its eternal sign. Now, circumcision is only a sign in the flesh, something done to a man's body. But if a man is to be in special relationship with God, something far more is needed than a mark in his body. He must have a certain kind of mind and heart and character. This is where at least some of the Jews made the mistake. They regarded circumcision in itself as being enough to set them apart specially for God. Long, long before this, the great teachers and the great prophets had seen that circumcision of the flesh is by itself not nearly enough and that there was needed a spiritual circumcision. 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). The summons of the writer of Deuteronomy is: "Circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn" ( Deuteronomy 10:16). He says that the Lord will circumcise their hearts to make them love him ( Deuteronomy 30:6). Jeremiah speaks of the uncircumcised ear, the ear that will not hear the word of God ( Jeremiah 6:10). The writer of Exodus speaks of uncircumcised lips ( Exodus 6:12).

So what Paul says is, "If you have nothing to show but circumcision of the flesh, you are not really circumcised--you are only mutilated. Real circumcision is devotion of heart and mind and life to God."

Therefore, says Paul, it is the Christians who are the truly circumcised. They are circumcised, not with the outward mark in the flesh, but with that inner circumcision of which the great law-givers and teachers and prophets spoke. What then are the signs of that real circumcision? Paul sets out three.

(i) We worship in the Spirit of God; or, we worship God in the Spirit. Christian worship is not a thing of ritual or of the observation of details of the Law; it is a thing of the heart. It is perfectly possible for a man to go through an elaborate liturgy and yet have a heart that is far away from God. It is perfectly possible for him to observe all the outward observances of religion and yet have hatred and bitterness and pride in his heart. The true Christian worships God, not with outward forms and observances, but with the true devotion and the real sincerity of his heart. His worship is love of God and service of men.

(ii) Our only boast is in Jesus Christ. The only boast of the Christian is not in what he has done for himself but in what Christ has done for him. His only pride is that he is a man for whom Christ died.

In the Cross of Christ I glory,

Towering o'er the wrecks of Time;

All the light of sacred story

Gathers round its head sublime.

(iii) We place no confidence in merely human things. The Jew placed his confidence in the physical badge of circumcision and in the performance of the duties of the Law. The Christian places his confidence only in the mercy of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. The Jew in essence trusted himself ; the Christian in essence trusts God.

The real circumcision is not a mark in the flesh; it is that true worship, that true glory, and that true confidence in the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

THE PRIVILEGES OF PAUL ( Php_3:4-7 )

3:4-7 And yet it remains true that I have every ground of confidence from the human point of view. If anyone has reason to think that he has grounds for confidence in his human heritage and attainments, I have more. 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. 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. But such things as I could humanly reckon as profits, I came to the conclusion were all loss for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Paul has just attacked the Jewish teachers and insisted that it is the Christians, not the Jews, who are the truly circumcised and covenant people. His opponents might have attempted to say, "But you are a Christian and do not know what you are talking about; you do not know what it is to be a Jew." 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. He knew what it was to be a Jew in the highest sense of the term, and had deliberately abandoned it all for the sake of Jesus Christ. Every phrase in this catalogue of Paul's privileges has its special meaning; let us look at each one.

(i) He had been circumcised when he was eight days old. It had been the commandment of God to Abraham: "He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you" ( Genesis 17:12); and that commandment had been repeated as a permanent law of Israel ( Leviticus 12:3). By this claim Paul makes it clear that he is not an Ishmaelite, for the Ishmaelites were circumcised in their thirteenth year ( Genesis 17:25), nor a proselyte who had come late into the Jewish faith and been circumcised in manhood. He stresses the fact that he had been born into the Jewish faith and had known its privileges and observed its ceremonies since his birth.

(ii) He was of the race of Israel. When the Jews wished to stress their special relationship to God in its most unique sense it was the word Israelite that they used. Israel was the name which had been specially given to Jacob by God after his wrestling with him ( Genesis 32:28). It was to Israel that they in the most special sense traced their heritage. In point of fact the Ishmaelites could trace their descent to Abraham, for Ishmael was Abraham's son by Hagar; the Edomites could trace their descent to Isaac, for Esau, the founder of the Edomite nation, was Isaac's son; but it was the Israelites alone who could trace their descent to Jacob, whom God had called by the name of Israel. By calling himself an Israelite, Paul stressed the absolute purity of his descent.

(iii) He was of the tribe of Benjamin. That is to say, he was not only an Israelite; he belonged to the elite of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin had a special place in the aristocracy of Israel. Benjamin was the child of Rachel, the well-loved wife of Jacob, and of all the twelve patriarchs he alone had been born in the Promised Land ( Genesis 35:17-18). It was from the tribe of Benjamin that the first king of Israel had come ( 1 Samuel 9:1-2), and it was no doubt from that very king that Paul had been given his original name of Saul. When, under Rehoboam, the kingdom had been split up, ten of the tribes went off with Jeroboam and Benjamin was the only tribe which remained faithful with Judah ( 1 Kings 12:21). When they returned from the exile, it was from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah that the nucleus of the reborn nation was formed ( Ezra 4:1). The tribe of Benjamin had the place of honour in Israel's battle-line, so that the battle-cry of Israel was: "After thee, O Benjamin!" ( Judges 5:14; Hosea 5:8). The great feast of Purim, which was observed every year with such rejoicing, commemorated the deliverance of which the Book of Esther tells, and the central figure of that story was Mordecai, a Benjaminite. When Paul stated that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, it was a claim that he was not simply an Israelite but that he belonged to the highest aristocracy of Israel. It would be the equivalent in England of saying that he came over with the Normans or in America that he traced his descent to the Pilgrim fathers.

So, then, Paul claims that from his birth he was a God-fearing, Law-observing Jew; that his lineage was as pure as Jewish lineage could be; and that he belonged to the most aristocratic tribe of the Jews.

THE ATTAINMENTS OF PAUL ( Php_3:4-7 continued)

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.

(i) He was a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents. This is not the same as to say that he was a true Israelite. The point is this. The history of the Jews had dispersed them all over the world. In every town and in every city and in every country there were Jews. There were tens of thousands of them in Rome; and in Alexandria there were more than a million. They stubbornly refused to be assimilated to the nations amongst whom they lived; they retained faithfully their own religion and their own customs and their own laws. But it frequently happened that they forgot their own language. They became Greek-speaking of necessity because they lived and moved in a Greek environment. A Hebrew was a Jew who was not only of pure racial descent but who had deliberately, and often laboriously, retained the Hebrew tongue. Such a Jew would speak the language of the country in which he lived but also the Hebrew which was his ancestral language.

Paul claims not only to be a pure-blooded Jew but one who still spoke Hebrew. He had been born in the Gentile city of Tarsus, but he had come to Jerusalem to be educated at the feet of Gamaliel ( Acts 22:3) and was able, for instance, when the time came, to speak to the mob in Jerusalem in their own tongue ( Acts 21:40).

(ii) As far as the Law went, he was a trained Pharisee. This is a claim that Paul makes more than once ( Acts 22:3; Acts 23:6; Acts 26:5). There were not very many Pharisees, never more than six thousand, but they were the spiritual athletes of Judaism. Their very name means The Separated Ones. They had separated themselves off from all common life and from all common tasks in order to make it the one aim of their lives to keep every smallest detail of the Law. Paul claims that not only was he a Jew who had retained his ancestral religion, but he had also devoted his whole life to its most rigorous observance. No man knew better from personal experience what Jewish religion was at its highest and most demanding.

(iii) As far as zeal went, he had been a persecutor of the Church. To a Jew zeal was the greatest quality in the religious life. Phinehas had saved the people from the wrath of God, and been given an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God ( Numbers 25:11-13). It is the cry of the Psalmist: "Zeal for thy house has consumed me." ( Psalms 69:9). A burning zeal for God was the hall-mark of Jewish religion. Paul had been so zealous a Jew that he had tried to wipe out the opponents of Judaism. That was a thing which he never forgot. Again and again he speaks of it ( Acts 22:2-21; Acts 26:4-23; 1 Corinthians 15:8-10; Galatians 1:13). He was never ashamed to confess his shame and to tell men that once he had hated the Christ whom now he loved and sought to obliterate the Church which now he served. It is Paul's claim that he knew Judaism at its most intense and even fanatical heat.

(iv) As for the righteousness which the Law could produce, he was blameless. The word is amemptos ( G273) , and J. B. Lightfoot remarks that the verb memphesthai ( G3201) , from which it comes, means to blame for sins of omission. Paul claims that there was no demand of the Law which he did not fulfil.

So Paul states his attainments. He was so loyal a Jew that he had never lost the Hebrew speech; he was not only a religious Jew, he was a member of their strictest and the most self-disciplined sect; he had had in his heart a burning zeal for what he had thought was the cause of God; and he had a record in Judaism in which no man could mark a fault.

All these things Paul might have claimed to set down on the credit side of the balance; but when he met Christ, he wrote them off as nothing more than bad debts. The things that he had believed to be his glories were in fact quite useless. All human achievement had to be laid aside, in order that he might accept the free grace of Christ. 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.

So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. He is not condemning Judaism from the outside. He had experienced it at its highest point; and he knew that it was nothing compared with the joy which Christ had given. He knew that the only way to peace was to abandon the way of human achievement and accept the way of grace.

THE WORTHLESSNESS OF THE LAW AND THE VALUE OF CHRIST ( Php_3:8-9 )

3:8-9 Yes, and I still count all things loss, because of the all-surpassing value of what it means to know Jesus Christ, my Lord. For his sake I have had to undergo a total abandonment of all things, and I count them as nothing better than filth fit for the refuse heap, that I may make Christ my own, and that it may be clear to all that I am in him, not because of any righteousness of my own, that righteousness whose source is the Law, but because of the righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, the righteousness whose source is God and whose basis is faith.

Paul has just said that he came to the conclusion that all his Jewish privileges and attainments were nothing but a total loss. But, it might be argued, that was a snap decision, perhaps later to be regretted and reversed. So here he says, "I came to that conclusion--and I still think so. It was not a decision made in a moment of impulse, but one by which I still stand fast."

In this passage the key-word is righteousness. Dikaiosune ( G1343) is always difficult to translate in Paul's letters. The trouble is not that of seeing its meaning; the trouble is that of finding one English word which covers all it includes. Let us then try to see what Paul thinks about when he speaks about righteousness.

The great basic problem of life is to find fellowship with God and to be at peace and in friendship with him. The way to that fellowship is through righteousness, through the kind of life and spirit and attitude to himself which God desires. Because of that, righteousness nearly always for Paul has the meaning of a right relationship with God. Remembering that, we try to paraphrase this passage and to set down, not so much what Paul says, as what was in his mind.

He says, "All my life I have been trying to get into a right relationship with God. I tried to find it by strict adherence to the Jewish Law; but I found the Law and all its ways worse than useless to achieve that end. I found it no better than skubala ( G4657) ." Skubala has two meanings. In common language it was popularly derived from kusi (compare G2965) ballomena ( G906) , which means that which is thrown to the dogs; and in medical language it means excrement, (dung, as the King James Version translates it). So, then, Paul is saying, "I found the Law and all its ways of no more use than the refuse thrown on the garbage heap to help me to get into a right relationship with God. So I gave up trying to create a goodness of my own; I came to God in humble faith, as Jesus told me to do, and I found that fellowship I had sought so long."

Paul had discovered that a right relationship with God is based not on Law but on faith in Jesus Christ. It is not achieved by any man but given by God; not won by works but accepted in trust.

So he says, "Out of my experience I tell you that the Jewish way is wrong and futile. You will never get into a right relationship with God by your own efforts in keeping the Law. You can get into a right relationship with God only by taking Jesus Christ at his word, and by accepting what God himself offers to you."

The basic thought of this passage is the uselessness of Law and the sufficiency of knowing Christ and accepting the offer of God's grace. The very language Paul uses to describe the Law--excrement--shows the utter disgust for the Law which his own frustrated efforts to live by it had brought him; and the joy that shines through the passage shows how triumphantly adequate he found the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW CHRIST ( Php_3:10-11 )

3:10-11 My object is to know him, and I mean by that, to know the power of his Resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, while I continue to be made like him in his death, if by any chance I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.

Paul has already spoken of the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ. To that thought he now returns and defines more closely what he means. It is important to note the verb which he uses for to know. It is part of the verb ginoskein ( G1097) , which almost always indicates personal knowledge. It is not simply intellectual knowledge, the knowledge of certain facts or even principles. It is the personal experience of another person. We may see the depth of this word from a fact of Old Testament usage. The Old Testament uses to know of sexual intercourse. "Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain" ( Genesis 4:1). In Hebrew the verb is yada' ( H3045) and in Greek it is translated by ginoskein ( G1097) . This verb indicates the most intimate knowledge of another person. It is not Paul's aim to know about Christ, but personally to know him. To know Christ means for him certain things.

(i) It means to know the power of his Resurrection. For Paul the Resurrection was not simply a past event in history, however amazing. It was not simply something which had happened to Jesus, however important it was for him. It was a dynamic power which operated in the life of the individual Christian. We cannot know everything that Paul meant by this phrase; but the Resurrection of Christ is the great dynamic in at least three different directions.

(a) It is the guarantee of the importance of this life and of this body in which we live. It was in the body that Christ rose and it is this body which he sanctifies ( 1 Corinthians 6:13 ff.).

(b) It is the guarantee of the life to come ( Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:14 ff.). Because he lives, we shall live also; his victory is our victory.

(c) It is the guarantee that in life and in death and beyond death the presence of the Risen Lord is always with us. It is the proof that his promise to be with us always to the end of the world is true.

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.

(ii) It means to know the fellowship of his sufferings. Again and again Paul returns to the thought that when the Christian has to suffer, he is in some strange way sharing the very suffering of Christ and is even filling up that suffering ( 2 Corinthians 1:5; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11; Galatians 6:17; Colossians 1:24). To suffer for the faith is not a penalty, it is a privilege, for thereby we share the very work of Christ.

(iii) It means to be so united with Christ that day by day we come more to share in his death, so that finally we share in his Resurrection. To know Christ means that we share the way he walked; we share the Cross he bore; we share the death he died; and finally we share the life he lives for evermore.

To know Christ is not to be skilled in any theoretical or theological knowledge; it is to know him with such intimacy that in the end we are as united with him as we are with those whom we love on earth and that, as we share their experiences, so we also share his.

PRESSING ON ( Php_3:12-16 )

3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained this, or that I am already all complete but I press on to try to grasp that for which I have been grasped by Jesus Christ. Brothers, I do not count myself to have obtained; but this one thing I do--forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching out for the things which are in front, I press on towards the goal, in order that I may win the prize which God's upward calling in Christ Jesus is offering to me.

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 . Teleios ( G5046) in Greek has a variety of interrelated meanings. In by far the most of them it does not signify what we might call abstract perfection but a kind of functional perfection, adequacy for some given purpose. It means full-grown in contradistinction to undeveloped; for example, it is used of a full-grown man as opposed to an undeveloped youth. It is used to mean mature in mind and therefore means one who is qualified in a subject as opposed to a mere learner. When it is used of offerings, it means without blemish and fit to offer God. When it is used of Christians, it often means baptized persons who are full members of the Church, as opposed to those who are still under instruction. In the days of the early Church it is quite often used to describe martyrs. A martyr is said to be perfected by the sword, and the day of his death is said to be the day of his perfecting. The idea is that a man's Christian maturity cannot go beyond martyrdom.

So when Paul uses the word in Php_3:12 , he is saying that he is not by any means a complete Christian but is for ever pressing on. Then he uses two vivid pictures.

(i) He says that he is trying to grasp that for which he has been grasped by Christ. That is a wonderful thought. Paul felt that when Christ stopped him on the Damascus Road, he had a vision and a purpose for Paul; and Paul felt that all his life he was bound to press on, lest he fail Jesus and frustrate his dream. 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.

(ii) To that end Paul says two things. He is forgetting the things which are behind. That is to say, he will never glory in any of his achievements or use them as an excuse for relaxation. In effect Paul is saying that the Christian must forget all that he has done and remember only what he has still to do. In the Christian life there is no room for a person who desires to rest upon his laurels. He is also reaching out for the things which are in front. The word he uses for reaching out (epekteinomenos, G1901) is very vivid and is used of a racer going hard for the tape. It describes him with eyes for nothing but the goal. It describes the man who is going flat out for the finish. So Paul says that in the Christian life we must forget every past achievement and remember only the goal which lies ahead.

There is no doubt that Paul is here speaking to the antinomians. They were those who denied that there was any law at all in the Christian life. They declared that they were within the grace of God and that, therefore, it did not matter what they did; God would forgive. No further discipline and no further effort were necessary. Paul is insisting that to the end of the day the Christian life is the life of an athlete pressing onwards to a goal which is always in front.

In Php_3:15 he again uses teleios ( G5046) and says that this must be the attitude of those who are teleios ( G5046) . What he means is: "Anyone who has come to be mature in the faith and knows what Christianity is must recognize the discipline and the effort and the agony of the Christian life." He may perhaps think differently, but, if he is an honest man, God will make it plain to him that he must never relax his effort or lower his standards but must press towards the goal, until the end.

As Paul saw it, the Christian is the athlete of Christ.

DWELLER ON EARTH BUT CITIZEN OF HEAVEN ( Php_3:17-21 )

3:17-21 Brothers, unite in imitating me, and keep your gaze on those who live, as you have seen us as an example. For there are many who behave in such a way--I have often spoken to you about them, and I do so now with tears--that they are enemies of the Cross of Christ. Their end is destruction: their god is their belly; that in which they glory is their shame. Men whose whole minds are earthbound! But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, for he will refashion the body which we have in this state of our humiliation and make it like his own glorious body, by the working of that power of his whereby he is able to subject all things to himself.

Few preachers would dare to make the appeal with which Paul begins this section. J. B. Lightfoot translates it: "Vie with each other in imitating me." Most preachers begin with the serious handicap that they have to say, not, "Do as I do," but, "Do as I say." Paul could say not only, "Listen to my words," but also, "Follow my example." It is worth noting in the passing that Bengel, one of the greatest interpreters of scripture who ever lived, translates this in a different way: "Become fellow-imitators with me in imitating Jesus Christ," but it is far more likely--as nearly all other interpreters are agreed--that Paul was able to invite his friends, not simply to listen to him, but also to imitate him.

There were in the Church at Philippi men whose conduct was an open scandal and who, by their lives, showed themselves to be the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Who they were is not certain. But it is quite certain that they lived gluttonous and immoral lives and used their so-called Christianity to justify themselves. We can only guess who they may have been.

They may have been Gnostics. The Gnostics were heretics who tried to intellectualize Christianity and make a kind of philosophy out of it. They began with the principle that from the beginning of time there had always been two realities--spirit and matter. Spirit, they said, is altogether good; and matter is altogether evil. It is because the world was created out of this flawed matter that sin and evil are in it. If then, matter is essentially evil, the body is essentially evil and will remain evil whatever you do with it. Therefore, do what you like with it; since it is evil anyhow it makes no difference what you do with it. So these Gnostics taught that gluttony and adultery and homosexuality and drunkenness were of no importance because they affect only the body which is of no importance.

There was another party of Gnostics who held a different kind of doctrine. They argued that a man could not be called complete until he had experienced everything that life had to offer, both good and bad. Therefore, they said, it was a man's duty to plumb the depths of sin just as much as to scale the heights of virtue.

Within the Church there were two sets of people to whom these accusations might apply. There were those who distorted the principle of Christian liberty. They said that in Christianity all law was gone and that the Christian had liberty to do what he liked. They turned Christian liberty into unchristian licence and gloried in giving their passions full play. There were those who distorted the Christian doctrine of grace. 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.

So the people whom Paul attacks may have been the clever Gnostics who produced specious arguments to justify their sinning or they may have been misguided Christians who twisted the loveliest things into justification for the ugliest sins.

Whoever they were, Paul reminds them of one great truth: "Our citizenship," he says, "is in heaven." Here was a picture the Philippians could understand. Philippi was a Roman colony. Here and there at strategic military centres the Romans set down their colonies. In such places the citizens were mostly soldiers who had served their time--twenty-one years--and who had been rewarded with full citizenship. The great characteristic of these colonies was that, wherever they were, they remained fragments of Rome. Roman dress was worn; Roman magistrates governed; the Latin tongue was spoken; Roman justice was administered; Roman morals were observed. Even in the ends of the earth they remained unshakeably Roman. Paul says to the Philippians, "Just as the Roman colonists never forget that they belong to Rome, you must never forget that you are citizens of heaven; and your conduct must match your citizenship."

Paul finishes with the Christian hope. The Christian awaits the coming of Christ, at which everything will be changed. Here the King James Version is dangerously misleading. In Php_3:21 it speaks about our vile body. In modern speech that would mean that the body is an utterly evil and horrible thing; but vile in sixteenth-century English still retained the meaning of its derivation from the Latin word vilis which in fact means nothing worse than cheap, valueless. As we are just now, our bodies are subject to change and decay, illness and death, the bodies of a state of humiliation compared with the glorious state of the Risen Christ; but the day will come when we will lay aside this mortal body which we now possess and become like Jesus Christ himself. The hope of the Christian is that the day will come when his humanity will be changed into nothing less than the divinity of Christ, and when the necessary lowliness of mortality will be changed into the essential splendour of deathless life.

-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

Philippians 3:10

(see note on Philippians 3:7)

Fellowship of Christ

    Personal experience, "That I may know him" (note the "me", John 20:29; John 17:20.)

    Powerful experience, Resurrected by the H.S., power, Acts 4:33

    Painful experience, Privilege to suffer, Acts 5:41

    Practical experience, by baptism into the likeness of His death - Romans 6:2-5

Becoming like him in his death -- A clear reference to baptism, Romans 6:3-5.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

That I may know him,.... The Ethiopic version reads "by faith"; and to the same sense the Syriac. The apostle did know Christ, and that years ago; he knew whom he had believed; he knew him for himself; he knew his personal interest in him; nor did he know any but him in the business of salvation: but his knowledge of Christ, though it was very great, it was, imperfect; he knew but in part, and therefore desired to know more of Christ, of the mystery and glories of his person, of the unsearchable riches of his grace, of his great salvation, and the benefits of it, of his love, which passes perfect knowledge, and to have a renewed and enlarged experience of communion with him. The apostle here explains what he means by winning Christ, for the sake of which he suffered the loss of all things, and counted them but dung; it was, that he might attain to a greater knowledge of the person and grace of Christ:

and the power of his resurrection; not that power which was put forth by his Father, and by himself, in raising him from the dead; but the virtue which arises from it, and the influence it has on many things; as on the resurrection of the saints: it is the procuring cause of it, they shall rise by virtue of union to a risen Jesus; it is the firstfruits, which is the earnest and pledge of their resurrection, as sure as Christ is risen, so sure shall they rise; it is the exemplar and pattern of theirs, their bodies will be raised and fashioned like to the glorious body of Christ; and this the apostle desired to know, experience, and attain unto. Christ's resurrection has an influence also on the justification of his people; when Christ died he had the sins of them all upon him, and he died for them, and discharged as their public head and representative, and they in him: hence it is said of him, that "he was raised again for our justification", Romans 4:25. Now, though the apostle was acquainted with this virtue and influence of Christ's resurrection, he desired to know more of it, for the encouragement of his faith to live upon Christ, as the Lord his righteousness. Moreover, the regeneration of men is owing to the resurrection of Christ; as to the abundant mercy of God, as the moving cause, so to the resurrection of Christ, as the means or virtual cause; and therefore are said to be "begotten again by the resurrection of Christ from the dead", 1 Peter 1:3. This power and virtue the apostle had had an experience of, yet he wanted to feel more of it, in exciting the graces of the spirit to a lively exercise, in raising his affections, and setting them on things above, and in engaging him to seek after them, and set light by things on earth, and in causing him to walk in newness of life, in likeness or imitation of Christ's resurrection, to all which that strongly animates and encourages; see Colossians 3:1.

And the fellowship of his sufferings; either his personal sufferings, and so signifies a sharing in, and a participation of the benefits arising from them; such as reconciliation for sin, peace with God, pardon, righteousness, nearness to God, c. or the sufferings of his members for him, and with him, and which Christ reckons his own: these the apostle was willing to take his part in, and lot of, knowing, that those that are partakers of his sufferings in this sense, shall reign with him, and be glorified together. What the Jews deprecated, the apostle was desirous of namely, sharing in the sorrows and sufferings of the Messiah, and which they reckon the greatest happiness to be delivered from.

"The disciples of R. Eleazar y asked him, what a man should do that he may be delivered מחבלו של משיח, "from the sorrows of the Messiah?" he must study in the law, and in beneficence.''

And elsewhere they say z,

"he that keeps the three meals on the sabbath day shall be delivered from three punishments, מחבלו של משיח, "from the sorrows of the Messiah", and from the damnation of hell, and from the war of Gog and Magog.''

But our apostle rejoiced in his sufferings for Christ, and was desirous of filling up the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his body's sake, the church:

being made conformable unto his death; either in a spiritual sense dying daily unto sin, 1 Corinthians 15:31, having the affections, with the lusts, crucified, Galatians 5:24, and the deeds of the body mortified, Romans 8:13, and so planted in the likeness of his death, Romans 6:5; or rather in a corporeal sense, bearing always in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, 2 Corinthians 4:10, and being continually exposed to death for his sake, and ready to suffer it whenever called to it.

y T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2. z T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 118. 1. See Cetubot, fol. 111. 1.

Mitchell's Commentary on Selected New Testament Books

Philippians 3:7-11

Good-day, friends. It is our great desire that people come to know the Word of God. How else can people know the things of God if we do not spend time in the Word of God? And you know, we’re not left to our own resources. If you love the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Spirit of God indwells you and, as our Saviour could say in John 16:1-33, “When He the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. He will take the things of Mine and show them unto you. He will show you things to come.” And if you are really a believer in the Lord Jesus, then, my friend, you have the Spirit of God as your teacher; and He is willing and waiting to take the Word and make it live in your life.

How glad I am that Jesus could say, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” And our Lord could say, “Thy Word is truth.” And so it is our desire to unveil as far as we can the marvelous revelation of Christ, His work for men and women, His care for His own people, His return to the earth in power and great glory.

Indeed I want to talk to you personally, to sit down and talk to you about these wonderful things that God has given to us in His Word.

We’re dealing in the book of Philippians in chapter 3, and in the first 6 verses of this chapter. We’re talking about things that hinder us from really knowing Christ. Now it’s not a mental knowl­edge that I’m talking about. I believe that the Spirit of God here has reference rather to knowing Christ experimentally, that is, the enjoyment of Christ Himself.

You know, it’s a wonderful thing, when you think of it, that you and I who were sinners can now be redeemed, can become a child of the living God, can be pronounced righteous by Him, in-dwelt by His Spirit, and then to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, to really enjoy Christ for Himself. We had this in chapter 2; now we have it in chapter 3. In fact, the theme of chapter 3 is “that I might know Christ”—in a very intimate way; but there are things that hinder our knowing Christ in an intimate way. This is what Paul is dealing with in the first six verses.

You remember, he has warned us in verse 2 of certain false religious leaders, false teachers, those who would seek to deny the sufficiency of Christ and would get you occupied with yourself and your own feelings, your own experiences and your own religious works rather than the person of Christ. And he takes his own experiences in verses 4 to 6 and speaks of the fact that there was a time when he was very, very religious.

Indeed, if you have his own testimony—if I may be allowed to do this again—he was a real Jew, a pure Hebrew. He could even tell his tribe; he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. He was not a proselyte; he was a real Jew. And he was circumcised the eighth day. He was a Hebrew of the He­brews. In his position he was a Pharisee; that is, he was a stickler for the Word of God and especially for the law of Moses. It is true that the Pharisees pushed the Word of God beyond what I believe was the intent of the Spirit of God. Paul would be called, in this day, in our day, one who was an ultra-con­servative. He would be called by some an ultra-fundamentalist.

There was one thing he was not; he was not a Sadducee. Sadducees, you remember, in our Lord’s day and in Paul’s day, were the men in Israel, religious leaders, who denied the supernatural. They denied the resurrection; they denied the miraculous, the things that God would do. They were the modernists of the day; they believed in man, entirely in man. The question of a supernatural God doing supernatural things was entirely out of their range of knowledge.

Nor was Paul a Herodian. The Herodians were the religious politicians of the day. No, Paul was a Pharisee.

And then he said, “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church.” Do you remember in 1Co 15:9 he could say, “I am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the church of God.” And you remember how he persecuted the church of God. In fact, on the road to Damascus, when he met the Saviour, he was going to that city to put the Christians in prison. He had a zeal for God but not ac­cording to knowledge.

A great many people are just like this. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Religious works, religious organizations, religious things occupy them. It’s of the flesh; it’s the religious flesh. And these are the things hindering our knowing and experiencing the wonder­ful Son of God. I’m pressing this to your heart because Paul is so desirous of our realizing that it’s not the bad flesh, not so much the so-called sinful flesh; it’s not the bad things of life that hinder our knowing Christ so much. It is sometimes the good things, the religious things.

And then he goes on to say in verse 6, “Touching the righteousness of the law, blameless.” In other words, he was a man devoted to what he believed. That is, I take it, that he walked according to the standards of the Law; he did openly all the things the Law demanded. Blameless!

My, what a man this man Paul was before he met Christ. Pure Hebrew, a Pharisee, a conserva­tive in theology, a zealot for God and, touching the righteousness in the Law, blameless. But all these things hindered his knowing Christ.

My friend, is it not true—can I say this—really, really honestly to us Christians, it’s not the bad things of life that hinder our knowing Christ. Oftentimes it’s the good things. We choose the good, and we miss the best. And so often Christ ceases to be the center of our affection, of our devotion, of our lives.

I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been a minister of the Word of God for a great many years. I know how subtle this thing is. We can be a teacher of the Word of God, a preacher of the Gospel and give all our time to the things of Christ and to the things of the church and still miss the life in Christ. “These things,” says Paul, “which were gain to me, I count them loss for Christ.”

Now something must have happened for Paul to do this. Something must have happened. Let me read it in verses 7-11:

Philippians 3:7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Philippians 3:8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Philippians 3:9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of (as from among) the dead.

Now when you come to this, you see this man’s great passion. I don’t know of any scripture that reveals the heart of Paul more than this. As I said a moment ago, and I repeat it. Here’s a man who was very sincere, very devoted, very religious , a zealot for God—but wrong. He had to be saved. You see, my friend, sincerity is not enough. It is not sufficient. You must have Christ.

People tell me, “As long as I’m sincere, I must be all right.”

My friend, that’s far from the truth. You’re not saved by your sincerity, by your religion, by your good works. Christ is the Saviour. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to repeat it because I’m meeting it all the time, in witnessing to people who often say, “Why, Mr. Mitchell, I’m a very sin­cere man or woman. I do the best I can for God. Now what more does God want?”

My friend, He doesn’t want what you can do. Did you hear what I said? He doesn’t want what you can do. You’re not saved by work you can do. I am saved by another. I’m saved by God’s wonderful Son, Jesus Christ. He came. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He died and was buried, and God raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavens to be a Prince and a Saviour. And He’s an all-sufficient Saviour. He’s a perfect Saviour. You can’t add to what He has done. But the religious flesh would love to add to what Christ has done. We would like to say it is Christ plus my sincerity. It is Christ plus me, Christ plus what I can do or what I hope to do.

Paul says, “All these things that were gain to me. I count them loss for Christ.” What had hap­pened? Paul had caught a glimpse of the Saviour. And when Paul caught a glimpse of the Saviour, all that he’d been trusting, all that he had been depending upon was just like the refuse of the streets. He had a complete reversal of values once he saw the Saviour.

And you know, I’m afraid this is so today. We’ve been so occupied with our goodness, our religious ceremonies, and what we can do, we have in some way been blind to the beauty and the glo­ry and the righteousness of God’s precious Son.

Do you see what I want you to do? I want you to know something about the Saviour. I want you to fall in love with Jesus, God’s beloved Son. And the reason you are trusting the works you are doing, the reason you are trusting religious feelings and zeal and even a zeal for God is because you’ve never seen Him in His beauty, in His righteousness, in the perfection not only of His character but perfection of His work for lost men and women.

Believer in Christ, why don’t you revel in Him?

Forget your deadly doing, and just be occupied with the Saviour. Just for today, will you? We’ll talk about tomorrow, but for today, will you do that? And may the Lord wonderfully bless you.

Good-day, friends. I just trust that you who have been reading the book of joy and rejoicing, the book of Christian experience, the book of Philippians are rejoicing in the Lord.

Beware of those who would seek to thwart the work of God in your heart, who would seek to blur your vision of the Saviour, and who do it by false teaching, who do it by religious flesh. Paul in verses 4 to 6 of this third chapter speaks of this for it was the thing that hindered him. He was well­born. He was a conservative in theology. He was a zealot for God. As touching the law, the righteous­ness in the law, he was blameless. And all these things that were gain to him, he counted them loss of Christ.

What made this man turn his back on all his religious feelings and religious doings and just trust Jesus? He caught a glimpse of the Saviour. You know that marvelous verse in Ephesians 1:6—do you remember it?—that God has accepted us in the beloved, that God sees the man in Christ in all the beauty, in all the merit, in all the righteousness of the Saviour. And once you see Him as a perfect, all-sufficient Saviour, my friend, you begin to realize that these other things are not worth anything. As Paul here says, he just counted them as the refuse of the street, just fit for the ash can once he saw Christ in His beauty, in His righteousness.

Oh, friend, today, I wish in some way I could picture to you the Lord Jesus Christ as He really is. But you read the Word of God, and you’ll find it. Does Christ understand you? Is He full of com­passion? Is He tender? Does He know all about you? Yes. Yes. Does He ever leave you? No. Does He love you? Yes. Do your failures affect His love? No. No.

Oh, read the first four books of the New Testament, the four Gospels, and then read through the epistles of Paul, through Hebrews, and so on. My, what a Saviour we have! And I tell you very frankly and bluntly that once you catch a glimpse of the Lord Jesus in His sufficiency, in the perfec­tion of His work for you, you’ll never again trust the flesh, even good flesh, even religious flesh, moral flesh. And Paul could say in verse 8,

Philippians 3:8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung—(what for?)—that I might win Christ.

All the past with its attainments is just loss compared to knowing Christ. The knowledge of Christ is so far superior, so far more wonderful, that Paul is glad to empty his life of everything that he has just to know Christ! Just to experience Christ!

You see, he didn’t suffer the loss of bad things. We expect when a person accepts the Saviour, certain things will drop out of his life, things that are corrupt, things that dishonor God. We expect that. The world expects it. If you want to know how a Christian should live, you ask the man of the world. He’ll tell you very quickly what he expects of Christians. But sometimes we hate to give up good things—to give up sometimes even religious things, and to give them up if you’re trusting them, especially!

Now does that mean that we’re not going to do good things anymore? Does that mean we’re not going to be in the service of the Lord anymore? Well, of course not. But if you’re trusting those things instead of Christ— .

This is the thing. Don’t trust them; because, if you trust them, it means that they become the object of your affection and that Christ is pushed out of the picture.

Paul says, ‘I’m going to push these things out of the picture, if it’s going to hinder my know­ing Him in a very, very vital way. In fact, I count everything but loss for the excellency of the knowl­edge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but refuse—just fit for the ashcan —just to know Christ, just to win Christ.

Now he is not writing about being saved. Paul was saved. Ephesians 2:8 you all know, “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” In Titus 3:5, Paul wrote, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”

Well, what’s he talking about then: to win Christ? It’s to experience Christ in the life, to be satisfied with nothing less—and by the way, nothing more than Christ.

I ask you a simple question. Can Christ satisfy your heart? Can Christ meet the needs of your heart and your life?

You say, of course, He can.

Then why don’t you trust Him? Why do you trust the flesh? Why do you trust men? Why do you trust yourself?

Paul says that having caught a glimpse of my Saviour in all His beauty and glory and righ­teousness, I count everything but loss just to know Him, just to be found in Him, just to win Christ. What a thing!

And then when you get down to verse 9, an amazing verse, “And be found in Him.” I count everything but loss to be found in Him, “not having mine own righteousness, which is (by works) of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Now he comes to this amazing truth again of righteousness. You are no longer filled with filthy rags, no longer with self-righteousness. I count the whole thing loss to be found in Christ’s righteousness.

Do you know, in 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul writes, “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus,” who in the wisdom of God has been made unto us righteousness. And Romans, chapter 10, verse 4, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” And 2 Corinthians 5:21, God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

I tell you, friend, I don’t know of any doctrine in the Bible that grips my heart more and thrills me more than this fact when Paul says, “I’m going to be found in Christ, not having any righ­teousness of my own.” Isaiah 64:6 says that our righteousness is in God’s sight as filthy rags.

Job could say, “Though I wash myself with snow water and be ever so clean, my very clothes will abhor me.” To be found in Him righteous! And may I suggest to your thinking, my friend, there’s one righteousness and that’s God’s. Time would fail to go back into the book of Romans 3:21-22, “But now the righteousness of God without the law (works) is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe”—everyone—Jew or Gentile. And he goes on to say, “Therefore we con­clude that a man is justified (declared righteous) by faith without the deeds of the law.”

In Rom 4:5, he says, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Therefore, being declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God. “Being declared righteous through His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” I’m still quoting from the book of Romans 5:1; Romans 5:9. And one could go on down into chapter 8, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?” To whom? To the one who is simply trusting in Jesus.

Friend, may I ask you a question? Are you trusting in Jesus alone: a-l-o-n-e? Or is it Christ plus what you do? Christ plus some ceremony? Is it Christ plus some religious act? Or is it Christ alone? Christ alone.

Again let me quote a verse of a song: “I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.”

Oh, friend, it’s a wonderful thing to know that you and I can come into the presence of God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Because we’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we have

peace with God. We’re no longer at enmity, and you and I can come at any time into the presence of God.

I tell you, when Paul saw this, he could say, “I count everything but loss.” What for? For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but refuse—fit for the ashcan—to win Christ, to be found in Him, having the righ­teousness of God, not of my own. All His.

Friend, my friend, listen. This is just the simple Gospel: That He who knew no sin—Jesus Christ, who knew no sin—was made sin for you and me who knew no righteousness that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Wonderful thing! We do not stand before God in self-righ­teousness or in legal righteousness. We stand before God in all the righteousness of Christ, accepted in the Beloved.

I repeat it. When Paul saw this, when Paul saw this—I count everything else worthless, ab­solutely worthless just to be found in Him. My friend, have you seen the Saviour in all His beauty? Have you seen Him in all His righteousness? This wonderful, holy, sinless, righteous Son of God?

And then to know that He loved you and me enough to die for us to put away sin, corruption, judgment, death and set you and me free! To fit us to stand in the presence of God in all His righ­teousness! The righteousness of God! Oh, friend, what a Saviour we have. What a salvation is this. May God open your eyes. May God open my eyes to see more and more of the beauty and glory of our Saviour. Then we will have a complete reversal of values. Then we begin to enjoy Christ for Him­self. Instead of being occupied with ourselves or people, we’ll be occupied with Him.

May this be your joy today for His name’s sake.

Good-day, friends. We’re in Philippians, chapter 3, and I would like to read again if I may from verse 7, where we have this great desire and aim of the apostle Paul, in verses 7-11.

Philippians 3:7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Philippians 3:8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Philippians 3:9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Now we’ve been dealing with the Apostle Paul’s first of all giving us the things that would hinder our knowing Him, such as things of the flesh. And remember God has no confidence in any­body’s flesh. Paul here is willing to count all things loss. In fact, he had suffered the loss of all things, just to win Christ. I tell you it’s a wonderful thing.

You know, this is where we fail. We hang up on things and experiences and movements and tradition. We depend on anything and everything but not just Christ; and Paul says, I count everything but loss, anything that would hinder my experiencing the Saviour, knowing Him in a very intimate, personal way. I count everything but loss. I give up good things if need be, just to know Christ, and to win Christ, and then to be found in Him, righteous (verse 9)—no longer dressed in filthy rags. Indeed, self-righteousness means loss; Christ’s righteousness means gain.

It’s a wonderful thing: Christ is our righteousness. And I again repeat it, once the Apostle Paul saw Christ as his righteousness, everything else was no good. The flesh could go to one side. He wouldn’t have any more place for it because he was trusting implicitly in Christ.

Now when you come to verse 10, we come to the, shall I say, the very heart cry of Paul. He counted all things but loss, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellow­ship of His sufferings.” Mark these three things, will you today, please? That I might know Him. I re­peat it again. He’s talking here about personal fellowship with Christ, an intimacy, to live with Him, to revel in Him.

You know the old statement that you do not really know anybody until you live with him, and sometimes it takes a long time even when you’re living with him to know him. Friends, may I say you’ll never really know Christ as He really is. You’ll not know Him in your own heart’s experience unless you live with Him.

I think that’s the cry of Paul in Philippians 3:1-21, when he said, he prayed that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, that Christ may dwell down in our heart, that Christ might have the run of the house. Oh, says Paul, just to know Him. I count everything but loss just to know Him. All the advan­tages of life, all the good things of life, all the religious activity, I’m willing to give everything up just to know Him.

My friend, this is a passion. This man is in love with the Saviour. And you know, to be hon­est with you, how much of Christ do you know? I mean in your experience? How much of Christ do I know? I’m afraid very, very little—very, very little. Here was an intimacy, a cry of a human heart for a real intimate, personal knowledge of the Saviour. “That I may know Him.”

I always think of Abraham. Do you remember that three times in the Bible Abraham is called the friend of God—in 2 Chronicles 20:7, in Isaiah, and then in James 2:23. In fact, Isaiah 41:8 quotes God saying, “Abraham, My friend.” Oh, here’s an intimacy that God wants. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that in some way the Apostle Paul had caught a glimpse, a little glimpse of the yearning of the heart of God for fellowship with the ones He has redeemed, His children.

Oh, that I might know him! Job cried out, “Oh, that I might know where I might Him!” Well, we’ve found Him. We can say with Andrew, “We have found Him.” We can say with Philip, “We have found Him.” You’ll find that in John’s Gospel, chapter 1. Can we say this to somebody to­day? “We have found Him!”

Today men are trying anything and everything to get personal satisfaction. Different move­ments are striking out. Young people are following different movements and different ways, trying to get some reality out of life. And it’s an amazing thing, we’ll go anywhere and everywhere; we’ll try anything and everything but Christ.

As I started to say about Abraham, he had had a glimpse of the heart of God. He yearned for God, and God met that yearning. And you remember in the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis, verse 17, God said to Abraham, Shall I hide from Abraham what I’m going to do? If I can put a little word in there—“Shall I hide from my friend, Abraham, what I’m going to do?”

Oh, here’s an intimacy. Here’s a life in God, something that the world knows nothing about, something that most Christians know nothing about. I wish I knew more about it, don’t you? This life in Christ!

But listen, friend, it doesn’t cost us anything to become a child of God. He has done a perfect work at the cross. But, oh, I tell you, to know Him is going to cost you everything.

Paul says, “These things that were gain to me, I count them loss for Christ. I count everything but loss, just for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things that I might know Him.”

Personalized intimacy! To know Him. To live a life with Him, every hour, every day, with Christ on your heart. The enjoyment of Christ.

Ah, this is spiritual life. This is the spirit-filled life.

“Oh, but, Mr. Mitchell, if I were Spirit-filled, I’d be doing all kinds of things.”

No, you wouldn’t; no, you wouldn’t. What is a spiritual life? What’s a Spirit-filled life? The enjoyment of Christ. That I may know Him. A passion, a love, a yearning for the Son of God Himself. Not for the things He can give, not even for the things that He does. To love Him for Himself.

Many of us are like children. Our parents give us toys. They give us little presents, and we’re so occupied with the present, with the thing that has been given, we forget the giver. And how many of us are so occupied with some past experience or some great ecstatic utterance or some gift you claim to have or some service you’ve done or a great revival you had and yet you know so little, so little of Him, so little of Him.

Paul said, “That I might know Him.”

Friend, do you really know Him today? I think I’ve said enough. In some way has it ever gotten a hold of your heart, the wonder, the marvel of knowing the Saviour?

I tell you, my friend, it’s a marvelous thing—that you can really, really know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death.

It’s a funny thing, you know, that people want the power of God, but not the suffering. They want the power of God without knowing Him in that intimate way. We get occupied with the miracu­lous and the supernatural and oftentimes, we really miss Him.

What is there in my life, what is there in my yearning that hinders my really knowing Christ? Some good thing?

Some service?

Now, these are all right; don’t misunderstand me. Service, good things, zeal for God—these have their place.

But to know Him—then He becomes the very object of our heart’s devotion. And I would sug-

gest today that you and I get into our Bibles and someway lay hold of the things of Christ. And, my friend, you’ll have a joy, a peace that’s beyond the understanding of men. And God grant this to you today, for His name’s sake.

Good-day, friends. We are in the book of Philippians, chapter 3, and dealing with the great passion of the Apostle Paul, his great desire and aim. How this man longed for Christ!

And we’ve been discussing this in the past two lessons. If I may come down now to verse 10

again.

Philippians 3:10. That I may know Him, (and this is to know Him experimentally), and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;

Philippians 3:11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of (from among) the dead.

We’ve been discussing how Paul would suffer all things just to win Christ, to be found in Him righteous, and then to know Him. Again I repeat it. This has to do with a life of intimacy with Christ, to really know Him—a life lived with Christ. He had the great desire that every moment of his life was to be occupied with the person of Christ, to glorify Him in everything he said, in everything he did.

His whole motive, the driving force of his life was to magnify the Saviour and to know Him. Just as it was, by the way, in the life of our Lord, when He could say, “I do always the things that please the Father.” The great driving force in our Lord’s life was the will of His Father, that He might perfect and might complete the purpose for which He came. And so it is with Paul. “I count every­thing but loss, just to know Him.”

Now come back to that verse: “And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” You know, Paul must have had a real glimpse of the Saviour when he said this. I know a great many folks have quoted this verse, this 10th verse so much, yet I wonder how much of it we re­ally know. The power of His resurrection. What do we know about that?

Do you remember in Eph 1:18-22, where Paul says, “That you might know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principalities and powers.” That “mighty power” is the power of His resurrection.

Paul could say in Colossians 1:29, I strive according to the working of Him Who worketh in me mightily—the power of His resurrection.

In 2Co 10:4, he said, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds”—the power of his resurrection!

In the book of Acts 4:33, I read, “With great power gave the apostles witness.” What of? Of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—resurrection!

In Rom 8:11: “If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Think of it! You and I already have in us the power of resurrection. It’s what Romans 8:11 says. But Paul is praying that we might know it in our experience. The fact is we have the power.

You know, when I first went out preaching the Gospel of Christ, I used to ask the Lord for power. What did I want power for? Power in preaching to reach souls for Christ. My motive was

right. I wanted to be so able to preach the Gospel of the grace of God and of the power of God that many, many souls would be saved. But then I began to realize as I grew in the Word of God, it’s not a question of asking for more power.

We already have the power of the resurrection in us now. We even have the power of trans­formation and the power of translation, according to Romans, chapter 8, verse 11. But how much of it do we experience in our day by day living? Oh, that I may know Christ and the power of His resurrec - tion!

As I said a moment ago, we all want that power; we all want to experience it; but, you know, there’s something more than that. There’s something more than that.

Are you willing to say, I count everything but loss to know Him and the fellowship of His suf­ferings? I maintain that you will never know the power of His resurrection without knowing some­thing of the fellowship of His sufferings. You take all the saints of God who have experienced the power of God—they’ve also experienced the sufferings.

In fact, I would say, it’s when you come to the place of real suffering that we experience something of His power—maybe not a power that is seen openly so everybody can see it but, oh, that sustaining, wonderful thing where a believer can go through suffering and tests and afflictions and sorrow and still glorify the Saviour.

Brother, this is victory. This is Christianity. This is experiential Christianity—counting ev­erything but loss to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, Paul takes it up. In Romans, chapter 8, verses 17 and 18, Paul says, “If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together (with Him), for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.”

And in 2Co 4:17, Paul says that these light afflictions are just for a moment and they are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and 2Co 4:18. You see, once you get your eye on Christ and experience Christ and live with your heart in enjoyment with Christ, sufferings don’t mean so much because you’re seeing more and more and experiencing more and more of His wonderful presence and joy.

As a pastor for more than 36 years, I’ve had the joy of being with these people in suffering and sorrow, and some of the things that have amazed me—and I say, it very kindly and bluntly— some of the things that have amazed me would be the fortitude and sweetness and the testimony of His saints in suffering. I’ve had them tell me, not once, I’ve been told a number of times by those who have really been in suffering, “I would be glad to go through it all over again if I thought I would have the same experience with Christ.”

Do you remember this fact that when Jesus Christ was in the storm with His disciples and He stilled the storm, they said of Jesus, “What manner of man is this that the very winds and the waves obey Him?” Remember that Jesus never stilled the storm for the crowd, for the multitude. It was only for disciples that He rebuked the waves and the wind. There was a calm. Why? He wanted to encour­age them in Himself. He wanted them to know what kind of a Lord they had, and it’s in the storms we get to know Him.

It’s in the afflictions of life we experience more power than we do when everything is run­ning smoothly.

I wonder, my Christian friend, and I speak to you very bluntly and yet I trust with a heart of compassion and tenderness and love, I wonder how much you, how much I really know the Saviour? What do we know about Him and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering? This is what I’m after; this is what I mean. When Paul caught a glimpse of the Saviour in His glory, in His righteousness, he had a complete reversal of value.

We’re back now to verse 6 on through. All that he was trusting in the past was gone. He’s got a new glimpse of a Saviour Who not only saves for eternity, but day by day.

You know, a lot of Christians—and I have to say this kind of sadly—there are a great many Christians who can trust their souls to God for eternity, but they can’t trust him for the next 24 hours. It is nice to have a Saviour Who can get us to heaven, to forgive our sins, to make us children of God, but what do we know about Him today! This hour? Now?

What do we know about Him in our lives? Do we experience His power? Do we know as much about His sufferings? Do we really know Him?

You know, there’s a verse that comes to mind in the book of Daniel, “The people that know their God,”—and this is experimental knowledge—“that know their God shall be strong.” Shall be strong.

I wonder if Solomon had this in mind when he said, “The Righteous are as bold as a lion.” Yes, but you’ve seen God.

Elijah could say to King Ahab, “Jehovah before Whom I stand,” and “The heavens will be closed at my word.” Elisha could say the same thing.

Moses could say the same thing. Who was the great mighty Pharaoh to a man who has been in the presence of God? Oh, may God give us today a real passion for Him, a real hunger for the Saviour.

My friend, my Christian friend, I do not know what your circumstances are. I do not even know where you live. I don’t know what church you go to. I’m not concerned about those things. What I am concerned about is what place does Jesus Christ your Saviour have in your life, in your own heart?

Paul could say, I count everything—the good things of life—but loss just to know Him and know the power of His resurrection, to know the fellowship of His suffering, to be made conformable unto His death.

I just pray that today, you and I may experience more than we’ve ever done before in our lives something of the sweetness and the joy and that glory of this wonderful Saviour, Who gave Himself to redeem us out of all iniquity and to purify unto Himself a people for His possession.

Do you really, really, know Him? I’m not asking you, are you saved? That comes by receiv­ing Him as your Saviour. But do you really know Him in your life?

As Paul could say in Colossians 3:1-4, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek ye the things that are above where Christ sitteth. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God, and when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory.”

Live today in the ecstasy of that for His name’s sake.

Mitchell's Commentary on Selected New Testament Books

Philippians 3:10-14

Good-day, friends. We’ve been considering Paul’s great desire and aim in verses 7 to 10 of Philippians chapter 3.

How this man Paul longed for Christ Himself! And with your permission, I would like to read again from chapter 3, starting in at verse 10, where Paul writes, “That I may know Him.” He has just been saying he counts everything but loss that he might win Christ, that he might know something more about the life that is in Christ and to be found in Christ and His righteousness.

Philippians 3:10     That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship

of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:11     If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of [from among] the

dead.

    Philippians 3:12     Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I fol-

low after [press on], if that I may apprehend [lay hold on] that for which also I am apprehended of [I was laid hold on by] Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13     Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended [yet to have laid hold]: but

this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Philippians 3:14     I press toward the mark for [goal unto] the prize of the high calling of God in

Christ Jesus.

Now we’ve been discussing this matter of Paul’s desire and aim, and I repeat it—how this man really longed for Christ Himself! He had a complete reversal of values on the Damascus road when he saw the Saviour and, hence, he could count everything but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord.

All the good things that a man counts good, even the religious things, if they come between him and knowing the Saviour, he’s going to get rid of them. Experiences, movements, tradition, what have you, anything that would hinder our experiencing Christ, Paul counted loss to win Christ.

Now he’s not talking here about being saved, but rather about experiencing Christ in his life, about being satisfied with nothing less than Christ. He’s talking about being found in Him, no longer in filthy rags of self-righteousness but the righteousness of Christ. He’s talking about knowing Him in an intimate way, in this 10th verse, to so live with Him that we shall know Him very, very intimately. He wants to know Him and the power of His resurrection—that is, to live in His resurrection power. You remember that in Romans 8:11, we already have the power that raised Christ from the dead—and then the fellowship of His sufferings.

As Paul could say in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4 in the 10th verse and on down to the end of the chapter where he talks about these light afflictions he’s suffered for the Gospel’s sake, or Romans chapter 8, verse 18, “I reckon the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.”

In other words, Paul counted everything but loss. The great passion of his life was to know Christ, to experience the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.

Remember in Colossians, he said “to fill up that which is behind with the sufferings of Christ.” And writing to Timothy, he could say, “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.” There is something about a life in Christ that’s going to cost you something.

Now I recognize that it costs us nothing to be saved; it cost God everything to save you and me. And, my friend, may I again suggest that, if you want to know what it cost to save you, you look at the cross of Calvary and see the holy, righteous, sinless Son of God dying in your place, in your stead.

Remember that’s how bad you and I were—so bad that Jesus Christ became an accursed thing. I think too often when we try to get people saved, we try to make it so easy that they miss something of the glory of what Christ really paid for their redemption. It’s more than just believing on the Saviour in the sense of mental assent to the facts of the cross and of resurrection, but rather, may I remind you, that life comes through a relationship with Him.

There must be a real relationship to the Son of God, and the reason why most people do not accept the Saviour is because they don’t believe they need a Saviour. They’re as good as anybody else. They’ve never seen themselves as God sees them and they have never seen the holy, righteous character of God.

And when the Apostle Paul saw the holy, righteous character of God, he would say, “I want to be found in Christ, not having my own righteousness.”

Someone says, “Well, suppose I keep all the Law of God and suppose I keep the 10 Com­mandments and suppose I keep the Golden Rule.”

Well, suppose you did? What would you have? That wouldn’t give you life. That wouldn’t make you righteous. Oh, you would have self-righteousness. You’d have possibly legal righteousness, but you wouldn’t have the divine righteousness, the righteousness of Christ. And it’s when Paul saw this, the marvels of Christ in His righteousness and His beauty and His glory, he could count every­thing but loss to know Christ in an intimate way, to really get to know the Saviour in the power of His resurrection, in the fellowship of His suffering.

Most Christians would like to know something of the power of His resurrection but are not very much inclined to want something of the sufferings of Christ.

May I say it again, very bluntly, if you aspire to the power of Christ, you are going to have to have something to do with the sufferings of Christ; for it is in the time of afflictions and tests and trials that we experience the power of God.

He goes in the 10th verse even a little farther. “Being made conformable unto His death.” All that we were in the old has been nailed to the cross.

You see, all that you and I were in Adam—we were born in sin, we were unrighteous, we were unholy, and we were looked upon by God as a terrible thing—and this thing that we had, this old sin­ful nature, and all that we are in our own personalities were so bad, the Father had to say, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” What God saw that we were, He crucified it in Christ.

Now this is the book of Romans, chapter 6, where he takes up this question that when Christ died, He died unto sin once; in that he liveth, He liveth unto God. We are to reckon the same thing— that when Christ died, we died. And Paul here says, “I want to be made conformable unto His death. I want to live this new life in Christ. I don’t want to live the old life.”

It’s very hard for us to believe—I mean, actually believe that all that we were in the old was crucified with Christ. But you know, Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5:14 and 15, when he said, “The love of Christ constrains (overmasters) us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” Death has come in, and severed the relationship between the Christian and the old master of sin. Again, the death of Christ has come in and severed the relationship between the Christian and the old race in Adam, which is unto death.

When you tell me that you have eternal life, it means that something has happened to the old life. The old was judged at the cross in Christ. The very death of Christ separates you, emancipates

you, severs the relationship between you and all that you were in Adam’s race. We are now new men and new women in Christ. As Paul would say, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, all things are become new.”

We have a new life. That’s why he could say, “We do not know even Christ after the flesh; from now on, we know Him no more.” We’ve been joined to a risen Christ. The old was so bad that God crucified it. God has absolutely no confidence in anybody’s flesh. I say, it was so bad and cor­rupt, God crucified it in Christ. Now, as a believer in Christ, as a Christian, we have new life. We have a new life. You possibly know that verse in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin pays wages. God executes the penalty.

How are you going to get rid of your wages? You can’t go on strike. You can’t quit the job. You’ve got to receive the wages. Either you receive the wages or somebody else does.

Now the wonderful fact is that when Christ came, He bore your sin. Listen, He not only died for your sins, He died for you. He took your place. You and I were the ones who should have died. We were the sinners; we were the rebels. Christ died in our place, in our stead.

Paul here says that he wants to experience to the full this new life in Christ, and you remem­ber in Ephesians, chapter 4, that this new man in Christ is created in righteousness and true holiness. True, we are now in the flesh, in bodies that are frail and have lusts and desires; but we don’t need to live in them. Paul wants us to experience this new life in Christ. That’s what he means when he says, “Being made conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from among the dead.”

But we can’t speak of this question of resurrection life unless we believe that we died. The very word “resurrection,” of course, signifies that death has come in. Resurrection has no meaning un­less death has come in, and we died with Christ. We were raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. And now as Christians, joined to a risen Christ, he wants us to experience this identification with the marvelous risen Son of God.

That’s why he could say in the preceding verses, “I count everything but loss”—everything but loss, even the good things of life I count but loss if they stand in the way of my experiencing this new life in Christ Jesus.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing today if you and I just sat down and believed this, that God does not see us in any other place than in His Son? But the tragedy is we know so little in our experi­ence, in our day-by-day living, of this new life, this resurrection, this powerful life in Christ.

May God grant we will push to one side anything and everything that will hinder Christ from being manifested in our lives today.

May your heart be occupied with Him today, with the One who is indeed your life. And the Lord bless.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:   10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;   11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.   12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.   13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,   14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

      We now heard what the apostle renounced; let us now see what he laid hold on, and resolved to cleave to, namely, Christ and heaven. He had his heart on these two great peculiarities of the Christian religion.

      I. The apostle had his heart upon Christ as his righteousness. This is illustrated in several instances. 1. He desired to win Christ; and an unspeakable gainer he would reckon himself if he had but an interest in Christ and his righteousness, and if Christ became his Lord and his Saviour: That I may win him; as the runner wins the prize, as the sailor makes the port he is bound for. The expression intimates that we have need to strive for him and after him, and that all is little enough to win him. 2. 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. Or it alludes to a judicial appearance; so we are to be found of our Judge in peace, 2 Peter 3:14. We are undone without a righteousness wherein to appear before God, for we are guilty. There is a righteousness provided for us in Jesus Christ, and it is a complete and perfect righteousness. None can have interest or benefit by it but those who come off from confidence in themselves, and are brought heartily to believe in him. "Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law; not thinking that my outward observances and good deeds are able to atone for my bad ones, or that by setting the one over against the other I can come to balance accounts with God. No, the righteousness which I depend upon is that which is through the faith of Christ, not a legal, but evangelical righteousness: The righteousness which is of God by faith, ordained and appointed of God." The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord our righteousness, Isaiah 45:24; Jeremiah 23:6. 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. Faith is the ordained means of actual interest and saving benefit in all the purchase of his blood. It is by faith in his blood,Romans 3:25. 3. That he might know Christ (Philippians 3:10; Philippians 3:10): That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings. Faith is called knowledge, Isaiah 53:11. Knowing him here is believing in him: it is an experimental knowledge of the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, or feeling the transforming efficacy and virtue of them. Observe, The apostle was as ambitious of being sanctified as he was of being justified. He was as desirous to know the power of Christ's death and resurrection killing sin in him, and raising him up to newness of life, as he was to receive the benefit of Christ's death and resurrection in his justification. 4. That he might be conformable unto him, and this also is meant of his sanctification. We are then made conformable to his death when we die to sin, as Christ died for sin, when we are crucified with Christ, the flesh and affections of it mortified, and the world is crucified to us, and we to the world, by virtue of the cross of Christ. This is our conformity to his death.

      II. The apostle had his heart upon heaven as his happiness: If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead,Philippians 3:11; Philippians 3:11.

      1. The happiness of heaven is here called the resurrection of the dead, because, though the souls of the faithful, when they depart, are immediately with Christ, yet their happiness will not be complete till the general resurrection of the dead at the last day, when soul and body shall be glorified together. Anastasis sometimes signifies the future state. This the apostle had his eye upon; this he would attain. There will be a resurrection of the unjust, who shall arise to shame and everlasting contempt; and our care must be to escape that: but the joyful and glorious resurrection of saints is called the resurrection, kat exochen--by eminence, because it is in virtue of Christ's resurrection, as their head and first-fruits; whereas the wicked shall rise only by the power of Christ, as their judge. To the saints it will be indeed a resurrection, a return to bliss, and life, and glory; while the resurrection of the wicked is a rising from the grave, but a return to a second death. It is called the resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of life (John 5:29), and they are counted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead,Luke 20:35.

      2. This joyful resurrection the apostle pressed towards. He was willing to do any thing, or suffer any thing, that he might attain that resurrection. The hope and prospect of it carried him with so much courage and constancy through all the difficulties he met with in his work. He speaks as if they were in danger of missing it, and coming short of it. A holy fear of coming short is an excellent means of perseverance. Observe, His care to be found in Christ was in order to his attaining the resurrection of the dead. Paul himself did not hope to attain it through his own merit and righteousness, but through the merit and righteousness of Jesus Christ. "Let me be found in Christ, that I may attain the resurrection of the dead, be found a believer in him, and interested in him by faith," Observe,

      (1.) He looks upon himself to be in a state of imperfection and trial: Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect,Philippians 3:12; Philippians 3:12. Observe, The best men in the world will readily own their imperfection in the present state. We have not yet attained, are not already perfect; there is still much wanting in all our duties, and graces, and comforts. If Paul had not attained to perfection (who had reached to so high a pitch of holiness), much less have we. Again, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (Philippians 3:13; Philippians 3:13), ou logizomai. "I make this judgment of the case; I thus reason with myself." Observe, Those who think they have grace enough give proof that they have little enough, or rather that they have none at all; because, wherever there is true grace, there is a desire of more grace, and a pressing towards the perfection of grace.

      (2.) What the apostle's actings were under this conviction. Considering that he had not already attained, and had not apprehended, he pressed forward: "I follow after (Philippians 3:12; Philippians 3:12), dioko--I pursue with vigour, as one following after the game. I endeavour to get more grace and do more good, and never think I have done enough: If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Observe, [1.] Whence our grace comes--from our being apprehended of Christ Jesus. It is not our laying hold of Christ first, but his laying hold of us, which is our happiness and salvation. We love him because he first loved us,1 John 4:19. Not our keeping hold of Christ, but his keeping hold of us, is our safety. We are kept by his mighty power through faith unto salvation,1 Peter 1:5. Observe, [2.] What the happiness of heaven is: it is to apprehend that for which we are apprehended of Christ. When Christ laid hold of us, it was to bring us to heaven; and to apprehend that for which he apprehended us is to attain the perfection of our bliss. He adds further (Philippians 3:13; Philippians 3:13): This one thing I do (this was his great care and concern), forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before. There is a sinful forgetting of past sins and past mercies, which ought to be remembered for the exercise of constant repentance and thankfulness to God. But Paul forgot the things which were behind so as not to be content with present measures of grace: he was still for having more and more. So he reaches forth, epekteinomenos--stretched himself forward, bearing towards his point: it is expressive of a vehement concern.

      (3.) The apostle's aim in these actings: I press towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,Philippians 3:14; Philippians 3:14. He pressed towards the mark. 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. The fitter we grow for heaven the faster we must press towards it. Heaven is called here the mark, because it is that which every good Christian has in his eye; as the archer has his eye fixed upon the mark he designs to hit. For the prize of the high calling. Observe, A Christian's calling is a high calling: it is from heaven, as its original; and it is to heaven in its tendency. Heaven is the prize of the high calling; to brabeion--the prize we fight for, and run for, and wrestle for, what we aim at in all we do, and what will reward all our pains. It is of great use in the Christian course to keep our eye upon heaven. This is proper to give us measures in all our service, and to quicken us every step we take; and it is of God, from whom we are to expect it. Eternal life is the gift of God (Romans 6:23), but it is in Christ Jesus; through his hand it must come to us, as it is procured for us by him. There is no getting to heaven as our home but by Christ as our way.

Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible

Do You Know Him?

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A Sermon

(No. 552)

Delivered on Sunday Morning, January 31st, 1864, by the

Rev. C. H. SPURGEON,

At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington

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"That I may know him." Philippians 3:10 .

THE object of the apostle's life that for which he sacrificed everything: country, kindred, honor, comfort, liberty, and life itself, was, that he might know Christ. Observe that this is not Paul's prayer as an unconverted man, that he may know Christ, and so be saved; for it follows upon the previous supplication that he might win Christ and be found in him. This is the desire of one who has been saved, who enjoys the full conviction that his sins are pardoned, and that he is in Christ. It is only the regenerated and saved man who can feel the desire, "That I may know him." Are you astonished that a saved man should have such a desire as this? A moment's reflection will remove your astonishment. Imagine for a moment that you are living in the age of the Roman emperors. You have been captured by Roman soldiers and dragged from your native country; you have been sold for a slave, stripped, whipped, branded, imprisoned, and treated with shameful cruelty. At last yon are appointed to die in the amphitheatre, to make holiday for a tyrant. The populace assemble with delight. There they are, tens of thousands of them, gazing down from the living sides of the capacious Colosseum. You stand alone, and naked, armed only with a single dagger a poor defense against gigantic beasts. A ponderous door is drawn up by machinery, and forth there rushes the monarch of the forest a huge lion; you must slay him or be torn to pieces. You are absolutely certain that the conflict is too stern for you, and that the sure result must and will be that those terrible teeth will grind your bones and drip with your blood. You tremble; your joints are loosed; you are paralyzed with fear, like the timid deer when the lion has dashed it to the ground. But what is this? O wonder of mercy! a deliverer appears. A great unknown leaps from among the gazing multitude, and confronts the savage monster. He quails not at the roaring of the devourer, but dashes upon him with terrible fury, till, like a whipped cur, the lion slinks towards his den, dragging himself along in pain and fear. The hero lifts you up, smiles into your bloodless face, whispers comfort in your ear, and bids you be of good courage, for you are free. Do you not think that there would arise at once in your heart a desire to know your deliverer? As the guards conducted you into the open street, and you breathed the cool, fresh air, would not the first question be, "Who was my deliverer, that I may fall at his feet and bless him?" You are not, however, informed, but instead of it you are gently led away to a noble mansion house, where your many wounds are washed and healed with salve of rarest power. You are clothed in sumptuous apparel; you are made to sit down at a feast; you eat and are satisfied; you rest upon the softest down. The next morning you are attended by servants who guard you from evil and minister to your good. Day after day, week after week, your wants are supplied. You live like a courtier. There is nothing that you can ask which you do not receive. I am sure that your curiosity would grow more and more intense till it would ripen into an insatiable craving. You would scarcely neglect an opportunity of asking the servants, "Tell me, who does all this, who is my noble benefactor, for I must know him?" "Well, but" they would say, "is it not enough for you that you are delivered from the lion?" "Nay," say you, "it is for that very reason that I pant to know him." "Your wants are richly supplied why are yon vexed by curiosity as to the hand which reaches you the boon? If your garment is worn out, there is another. Long before hunger oppresses you, the table is well loaded. What more do you want?" But your reply is, "It is because I have no wants, that, therefore, my soul longs and yearns even to hungering and to thirsting, that I may know my generous loving friend." Suppose that as you wake up one morning, you find lying up on your pillow a precious love-token from your unknown friend, a ring sparkling with jewels and engraved with a tender inscription, a bouquet of flowers bound about with a love-motto! Your curiosity now knows no bounds. But you are informed that this wondrous being has not only done for you what you have seen, but a thousand deeds of love which you did not see, which were higher and greater still as proofs of his affection. You are told that he was wounded, and imprisoned, and scourged for your sake, for he had a love to yon so great, that death itself could not overcome it: you are informed that he is every moment occupied in your interests, because he has sworn by himself that where he is there you shall be; his honors you shall share, and of his happiness you shall be the crown. Why, methinks you would say, "Tell me, men and women, any of you who know him, tell me who he is and what he is;" and if they said, "But it is enough for you to know that he loves you, and to have daily proofs of his goodness," you would say, "No, these love-tokens increase my thirst. If ye see him, tell him I am sick of love. The flagons which he sends me, and the love-tokens which he gives me, they stay me for awhile with the assurance of his affection but they only impel me onward with the more unconquerable desire that I may know him. I must know him; I cannot live without knowing him. His goodness makes me thirst, and pant, and faint, and even die, that I may know him."

Have I imagined emotions which would not be natural? I think not. The most cool and calculating would be warmed with desires like these. Methinks what I have now pictured before you will wake the echoes in your breasts, and you will say, "Ah, it is even so! It is because Christ loved me and gave himself for me that I want to know him; it is because he has shed his blood for me and has chosen me that I may be one with him for ever, that my soul desires a fuller acquaintance with him."

Now may God, the Holy Ghost, very graciously lead me onward that I may also quicken in you the desire to know HIM.

I. Beloved, let us PASS BY THAT CROWD OF OUTER-COURT WORSHIPPERS WHO ARE CONTENT TO LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING CHRIST. I do not mean the ungodly and profane; we will not consider them just now they arc altogether strangers and foreigners to him I mean children of God: the visible saints. How many there are of these whom I must call outer-court worshippers, for they are strangers to this panting to know him. They can say with Paul, "That I may win him and be found in him" that they do want; but this higher wish, "That I may know him," has not stirred their hearts. How many brethren we know, who are content to know Christ's historic life! They read the evangelists and they are charmed with the perfect beauty of the Savior's history. "Never man spake like this man," say they; and they confess that never man acted with such love as lie did. They know all the incidents of his life, from his manger to his cross; but they do not know HIM. They are as men who have read " Caesar's Commentaries," but who have never seen Caesar. They know the battles which Caesar fought; they can even recognize the mantle which Caesar wore "that day he overcame the Nervii;" but they do not know Caesar himself. The person of the Lord Jesus is us much hidden from their eyes us the golden pot of manna when concealed in the ark. They know the life of Christ, hut not Christ the Life; they admire his way among men, hut they see not himself as the way.

Others there are who know Christ's doctrine, and prize it too, but they know not Him. All which he taught is dear to them; orthodoxy for this they would burn at Smithfield, or lay down their necks at Tower Hill. Many of them are well-instructed and divinely-illuminated in the doctrine of Christ, and the wonder is, that they should stop there; because, beloved, it does seem to me when I begin to know a man's teaching, that the next thing is the desire to know his person. Addison, in one of the " Spectators," tells us that the reason why so many books are printed with the portraits of the authors is just this, that as a man reads a book, lie feels a desire to know what sort of appearance the author had. This, indeed, is very natural. If you have ever been refreshed under a minister's printed sermons, if you have at any time received any benefit from his words, I know you have said, "I would like to see that man; I would like to hear the truth flow hot and fresh from his living lips; I would like to know just how he said that sentence, and how that passage sounded as it came from his earnest heart." My beloved, surely if you know the doctrine of Jesus, if you have so been with Christ as to sit at his feet and hear what he has to say, you must, I hope, have had some longings to know him to know his person; and if you have, you will have had to pass by multitudes of followers of Jesus who rest satisfied with his words, but forget that he is himself "THE WORD."

Beloved, there are others and against them I bring no complaint; they go as far as they can who are delighted with Christ's example. Christ's character is in their esteem the mirror of all perfection. They desire to walk in his footsteps; they listen to his sermon upon the Mount; they are enchanted with it as well they may be; they pray to he obedient in all things to Christ, as their Master and their Lord. They do well. Mark, I am finding no fault with any of these who prize the history, or who value the doctrine, or who admire the precept; but I want more. I do want, beloved, that you and I should "know HIM." I love his precepts, but I love HIM better. Sweet is the water from Bethlehem's well; and well worth the struggle of the armed men to win but a bucket from it; but the well itself is better, and deserves all Israel's valor to defend it. As the source is ever more valuable than the stream, so is Christ ever better than the best words of his lips, or the best deeds of his hand. I want to know him. I do care for his actions; my soul would sit down and admire those masterly works of holy art his miracles of humiliation, of suffering, of patience, and of holy charity; but better far I love the hands which wrought these master-works, the lips which spoke these goodly words, and the heart which heaved with that matchless love which was the cause of all. Yes, beloved, we must get farther than Immanuel's achievements, however glorious; we must come to "know him."

Most believers rest perfectly at ease with knowing Christ's sacrifice. They see Jesus as the great High Priest, laying a great sacrifice upon the altar for their sins, and with their whole heart they accept his atonement. By faith they know that all their sin is taken away by precious blood. This is a most blessed and hallowed attainment, I will grant you; but it is not every Christian who perceives that Christ was not only the offerer of a sacrifice, but was himself the sacrifice, and, therefore, loves him as such. Priest, altar, victim, everything Christ was. He gathers up all in himself, and when I see that he loved me, and gave himself for me, it is not enough to know this fact: I want to know him, the glorious person who does and is all this. I want to know the man who thus gave himself for me. I want to behold the Lamb once slain for me. I want to rest upon the bosom which covers the heart which was pierced with the spear; I pray him to kiss me with the kisses of that mouth which cried, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" I love Calvary, the scene of woe, but I love Christ better, the great object of that agony; and even his cross and all his sufferings, dear though these must ever be to the Christian mind, only occupying a second place; the first seat is for himself, his person, his deity, and humanity.

Thus, you see, we have to leave a great many believers behind; nor have we enumerated all, for I believe that even some of those saints who have received grace to look for the coming of Christ, yet in their vision of his coming too much forget him. Is it not possible for nine to pant for the second advent as to lose sight of him who is to make that advent? So to long for a millennium, that I may forget him who is to reign King of kings? So to pant after that glory of Israel that I may forget him who is Israel's glory? Anywhere short of knowing him, I would not have you stop, beloved; and even when you know him, I would urge you still to be impelled with the same desire, and to press forward, crying with the apostle, "That I may know him."

Beloved, how many there are who have heard of Christ and read about Christ, and that is enough for them! But it is not enough for me, and it should not be enough for you. The apostle Paul did not say "I have heard of him, on whom I have believed," but " I know whom I have believed." To hear about Christ may damn you, it may be a savor of death unto death to you. You have heard of him with the ear; hut it is essential that you know him in order that you may be partakers of eternal life. My dear hearers, be not content unless you have this as your soul's present portion.

Others there be who have been persuaded by the judgment and encouragement of others, that they know something about the great Redeemer. They do not know him, but still they are persuaded by others that they have an interest in him. Let me warn you of second-hand spirituality, it is a rotten, soul-deceiving deception. Beware of all esteeming yourself according to the thoughts of others, or you will be ruined. Another man's opinion of me may have great influence over me, I have heard of a man in perfectly good health killed by the opinion of others. Several of his friends had foolishly agreed to play him a practical trick; whereupon one of them met him and said, "How ill you look this morning." He did not feel so; he was very much surprised at the remark. When he met the next, who said to him, "Oh! dear, how bad you look," lie began to think there might be something in it; and us he turned smart round the corner, a third person said to him, "What a sight you are! How altered from what you used to be!" He went home ill, he took to his bed and died. So goes the story, and I should not marvel if it really did occur. Now, if such might be the effect of persuasion and supposed belief in the sickness of a man, how much more readily may men be persuaded into the idea of spiritual health! A believer meets you, and by his treatment seems to say, " I welcome you as a dear brother" and means it too. You are baptized, and you are received into Church-fellowship, and so everybody thinks that von must be a follower of Christ; and yet you may not know him. Oh, I do pray you, do not be satisfied with being persuaded into something like an assurance that you are in him, but do know him know him for yourself.

There are many who I hope will be saved ere long; but I am in great doubt of them, because they can only say they half think they know Christ; they do not quite believe in him, but they do not disbelieve in him; they halt between two opinions. Ah, dear hearer, that is a very dangerous place to stand in. The border-land is the devil's hunting ground. Undecided souls are fair game for the great fowler. God give you once for all the true decision by which through grace you shall know him. Do not be satisfied with thinking you know him; hoping you know him, but know him. Oh, it is nothing to have heard about him, to have talked about him, to have eaten and have drank with him, to have preached him, or even to have wrought miracles in his name, to have been charmed by his eloquence, to have been stirred with the story of his love, to have been moved to imitate him this shall nothing avail you, unless you win him and are found in him. Seek with the apostle, to give up everything of your own righteousness, and all other objects and aims in life, and say, "This I seek after, that I may know him." Thus much, then, on the first point. Leaving those behind who do not know him, let us make an advance.

II. Secondly, let us DRAW CURTAIN AFTER CURTAIN WHICH SHALL ADMIT US TO KNOW MORE OF CHRIST.

Did you ever visit the manufactory of splendid porcelain at Sevres? I have done so. If anybody should say to me, "Do you know the manufactory at Sevres?" I should say, " Yes, I do, and no, I do not. I know it, for I have seen the building; I have seen the rooms in which the articles are exhibited for sale, and I have seen the museum and model room; but I do not know the factory as I would like to know it, for I have not seen the process of manufacture, and have not been admitted into the workshops, as some are. "Suppose I had seen, however, the process of the moulding of the clay, and the laying on of the rich designs, if anybody should still say to me, "Do you know how they manufacture those wonderful articles?" I should very likely still be compelled to say, "No, I do not, because there are certain secrets, certain private rooms into which neither friend nor foe can be admitted, lest the process should be open to the world." So, you see, I might say I knew, and yet might not half know; and when I half knew, still there would be so much left, that I might be compelled to say, "I do not know." How many different ways there are of knowing a person and even so there are all these different ways of knowing Christ; so that you may keep on all your lifetime, still wishing to get into another room, and another room, nearer and nearer to the great secret, still panting to "know him." Good Rutherford says, "I urge upon you a nearer communion with Christ, and a growing communion. There are curtains to be drawn by, in Christ, that we never shut, and new foldings in love with him. I despair that ever I shall shall win to the far end of that love; there are so many plies in it. Therefore, dig deep, and set by as much time in the day for him as you can, he will be won by labor."

To begin with. We know a person when we recognize him. You know the Queen. Well, I do. I recollect seeing her, and if I were to see any quantity of ladies, I think I should know which was the Queen and which was not. You may say honestly that you know her to that extent. Beloved, every Christian must in this sense know Christ. You must know him by a divine illumination so as to know who he is and what line is. When Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Whom sayest thou that I am," he said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;" and the Lord replied, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee." It is an early step in this knowledge of Christ, to know and to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; to know that Christ is God, divine to me; that Christ is man, brother to me bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh that as such line is a sin-subduing Savior; that line is for inc an intercessor, pleading before the throne; my prophet, priest, and king in this sense I trust that most of you know him. If you do not, breathe the silent prayer now, "Lord, help me that I may know him." But this knowledge of recognition is comparatively a low attainment, one of the lowest rounds of the ladder of light.

In the second place, a believer knows Christ, to a higher degree when he knows him by practical experiment at acquaintance with what he does. For instance, I know Christ as a cleanser. They tell me he is a refiner, that he cleanses from spots; he has washed me in his precious blood, and to that extent I know him. They tell me that he clothes the naked; he hath covered me with a garment of righteousness, and to that extent I know him. They tell me that he is a breaker, and that he breaks fetters, he has set my soul at liberty, and therefore I know him. They tell me that he is a king and that he reigns over sin; he hath subdued my enemies beneath his feet, and I know him in that character. They tell me he is a shepherd: I know him for I am his sheep. They say he is a door: I have entered in through him, and I know him as a door. They say he is food: my spirit feeds on him as on the bread of heaven, and, therefore, I know him as such. You know if anyone says, "Do you know doctor So-and-so?" It is a very satisfactory answer, if you can reply, "Oh, yes, I know him, for he attended me the last time that I was ill." There is more knowledge in that, than if on could only say, " Oh, yes, I know him: he wears such-and-such a hat or "line is a man of such-and-such an appearance." So, Christian, thing is a second and higher step to know Christ, because you have experienced in your own soul that he is just what God has revealed him to be.

But we know a man in a better sense than this when we are on speaking terms with him. "Do you know So-and-so?" " Yes," you say, I not only know him by name, so as to recognize him; I not only know him as a tradesman having dealt with him, but I know him because when we pass each other in the morning, we exchange a word or two; and if I had anything to say upon matters any request to make I should feel no difficulty about asking him." Well, now. the Christian knows his Lord in this sense, line has every day official communication with Christ, line is on speaking terms with him. There may be persons here, perhaps, who know the Queen in a sense in which I do not know her perhaps they speak to him. They have so done; I have never done that; they go beyond me there. But you see, dear friends, this is not a very great thing because you may be on speaking terms with a man, but you may not know much of him for all that. So you may be in the habit of daily prayer, and you may talk with Christ every morning and every evening, and you may know exceedingly little of him. You are on speaking terms with him; but there ins something beyond this, very far beyond this. As I might say that I know a man merely because I meet him every day, and ask him for what I want, and understand that he is kind and generous; but how shallow is such an acquaintance, for I do not know his private character nor his inward heart. Even so a believer may have constant dealings with Christ in his prayers and in his praises, and yet for all that, he may have only gone a certain distance, and may have need still to pray, "That I may know him."

But you are said to know a person better still when he invites you to his house. At Christmas time there is a family party and a romp, and he asks you there, and you are one of the children, and enter into all their sports around the fire-side, and you indulge as they do in the genialities of social life. You are asked again; you go there pretty often; in fact, if there is a happy evening in that house they generally expect to see friend So-and-so there. Well, now, that is better. We are getting now into something like knowing a man; and I do trust there are many of you, beloved, who have got as far as this with regard to your divine Lord. Christ has entertained you with some rare visits from his gracious presence. He brought you into the banquetting-house, and his banner over you was love. When he manifested himself, he did it unto you as he did not unto the world. He was pleased in the majesty of his condescension, to take you aside and show you his hands and his side. He called you "Friend;" he treated you as such, and permitted you to enjoy thine sweets of being one of the family.

Ah, but you may go into a man's house as a constant visitor, and yet you may not know him that is to say, not in the highest sense. You speak to the man's wife and say, "Your husband is a marvellously charming man; what a cheerful, joyful, spirited man he is; he never seems to have any depressions of spirit, and experiences no changes whatever." She shakes her head. and she says, "Ah! you do not know him, you do not know him as I do;" because shine sees him at all times and at all hours; she can read the very heart of the man. That Christian has grown much in grace who has advanced not only to be the friend of Christ, having occasional fellowship with him, but who comes to recognize his marriage-union with the person of his Lord, and of whom it can be said, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant," Now we have the intimacy of love, with its perfect frankness, nearness, sweetness, joyousness, delight. The rending away of every separating veil makes the communion to be as near as it well can be this side the black river; but a Christian may get farther than this.

Even the spouse may not know her husband. The most loving wife who ever entered into the cares of her husband, must have discovered that there is a something which separates his experience from her powers of comprehension. Luther's wife. Catherine, was of all women the wife for Luther; but there were times in Luther's gigantic tribulations, when he must leave Kate behind. There were extraordinary times within him; times both of ecstatic joy, when like a great angel, he stretched his mighty wings, and flew right up to heaven, and of awful misery, when he seemed to sink down to the very depths of hell; and in either case, no other heart could keep pace with him. Then it was himself alone who had communion with himself. And a Christian may so grow in grace as to become identified with Christ, a member of his body; not so much married to him as a part of him, a member of the great body of Christ, so that he suffers with Christ, sympathizes with Jesus, his heart beating to the same dolorous tune, his veins swollen with the sumac floods of grief, or else his eyes sparkling with that same gleam of joy, according to the Master's Word, "That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

Well, have not you waded out of your depth some of you? I have certainly got out of my own. I feel as if the Master might come on to this platform, look round on many of us, and say, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?" for truly even in the minor sense, though I trust we arc saved, though we have believed in Jesus, yet we have not reached the height of this great text "That I may know him."

III. Having taken you so far, let us SIT DOWN A FEW MINUTES AND CONSIDER WHAT SORT OF KNOWLEDGE THIS KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST IS "That I may know him."

Then it is clear, if I know him I shall have a very vivid sense of his personality. "That I may know him." He will not be to me a myth, a vision, a spirit, bat a person, a real solid person, as much real as I am myself, or as my dearest friend can be to me. My soul, never be satisfied within a shadowy Christ. My heart, be thou never content until he hath embraced thy soul, and proved to thee that he is the lover of his people. This knowledge, then, must be a knowledge of him in his personality. Then, beloved, it must be a personal knowledge on our part. I cannot know Christ through another person's brains. I cannot love him with another man's heart, and I cannot see him with another man's eyes. Heaven's delight is, "Mine eyes shall see him and not another." These eyes shall behold the King in his beauty. Well, beloved, if this be heaven, we certainly cannot do without a personal sight of Christ here. I am so afraid of living in a second-hand religion. God forbid that I should get a biographical experience. Lord save us from having borrowed communion. No, I must know him myself. O God, let me not be deceived in this. I must know him without fancy or proxy; I must know him on mine own account.

Then these few thoughts upon what sort of knowledge we must have. It must be an intelligent knowledge I must know him. I must know his natures, divine and human. I must know his offices I must know his attributes I must know his works I must know his shame I must know his glory; for I do not know him if it be merely a subject of passion and not of intellect. I must let my head consciously meditate upon him until I own something like an idea of him, that I may "Comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge."

Then I must have an affectionate knowledge of him; and, indeed, if I do know him at all, I must love him. As it is said of some men, that there is such a charm about them, that if you once get into their company you cannot criticise any longer, but must admire; so you feel with Christ. It is said of Garibaldi, that if you are in his society he charms all, so that even malice and slander must be silent in his presence. Infinitely, supremely so is it with Christ. Being near him, his love warms our hearts, till we glow with intense love to him.

Then I shall find, if I know Christ, that this is a satisfying knowledge. When I know Christ my mind will he fill to the brim I shall feel that I have found that which my spirit panted after. "This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger."

At the same time it is an exciting knowledge; the more I know of Christ, the more I shall want to know. The deeper I plunge the greater the deeps which will be revealed. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I shall want the more as I get the more. My spiritual thirst will increase, though in another sense it will be entirely quenched.

And this knowledge of Christ will be a most happy one, in fact, so happy, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than "Man that is born of a woman who is of few days, and full of trouble;" for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever-living Savior, and gird me with the golden girdle of his eternal happiness. To be near to Christ, is to be near to the pearly gates of the golden-streeted city. Say not, "Jerusalem, my happy home, my labors have an end in thee;" but say, "Jesus, thou art my rest, and when I have thee, my spirit is at peace." I might thus keep on speaking in praise of this knowledge, but I will not.

Only permit me to say, what a refreshing, what a sanctifying knowledge is this, to know him. When the Laodicean Church was neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, how did Christ seek her revival? Did he send her precious doctrines? Did he send her excellent precepts? Mark you, he came himself, for thus it is said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me." That is a cure for it all, you see. No matter how lukewarm, though God may say, "I will spue thee out of my mouth," yet, if Christ comes, that is the cure. The presence of Christ with his Church puts away all her sicknesses. When the disciples of Christ were at sea in a storm, do you recollect how he comforted them? Did he send them an angel? No. "It is I, line not afraid;" and when they knew him, then they had no more fears. They were assembled one night, "the doors being shut for fear of the Jews:" how did he comfort them? Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said, "Peace be unto you." There was Thomas, full of doubts and fears. How did Jesus Christ take away his doubts? "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side." Oh! it is Christ, it is Christ who cures all. The company of Christ is the only thing which a Christian wants. I will undertake that if his heart be like an iceberg, as soon as Jesus comes, it shall flame like Vesuvius. His spirit shall be dead and like a rotten corpse; but if Jesus comes he shall leap like a hart, and become strong as a young unicorn. Thy presence makes me like the chariots of Amminadib. Now, do not think I am talking what I do not know. Do not imagine that I am talking mere fanatical slip-slop which I cannot prove. I do assert (and God who searcheth all hearts, knows how true this is), I do assert that, from the depths of doubt, of dullness, of worldliness, I have leaped in one moment into love, and life, and holy enthusiasm, when Jesus Christ has manifested himself to nine. I cannot describe the difference between my spirit, water-logged, worm-eaten, ready to sink to the bottom without Christ, and that same spirit, like a strong stanch ship, with sails full, with favorable wind, speeding into harbor, with a golden freight. Like you poor little bird which some cruel boy has torn from the nest and almost killed it is not fledged yet, and cannot fly, and it lies down to die, trampled in the mire in the streets that is my heart without Christ. But see that other bird! The cage-door is opened, its wings vibrate, it sings within all its might. and flies up to talk with the sun that is my heart when I have the conscious presence of my Lord Jesus Christ! I only bring in my own consciousness because I do not know yours; but I think I will now venture to say that every believer here will admit it is the same with him

"'Midst darkest shades if he appear

My dawning is begun;

He is my soul's bright morning star,

And he my rising sun.

IV. I shall close by urging you, dearly beloved, who know the Lord, to take this desire of the apostle, and by exhorting you, make it your own, "That I may know him." I wish I had time this morning time will fly I wish I had time to urge and press you, believers, onward to seek to know him. Paul, you see, gave up everything for this you will be seeking what is worth having. There can be no mistake about this. If Paul will renounce all, there must be a reward which is worthy of the sacrifice. If you have any fears, if you seek Christ and find him, they will be removed. You complain that you do not feel the guilt of sin; that you cannot humble yourself enough. The sight of Christ is the very best means of setting sin in its true colors. There is no repenting like that which comics from a look of Christ's eye: the Lord turned and hooked upon Peter, and he went out and wept bitterly. So it is not a sight of the law, it is the sight of Christ looking upon us which will break our hearts.

There is nothing like this to fill you with courage. When Dr. Andrew Reed found some difficulties in the founding of one of his orphan asylums, he sat down and drew upon a little piece of paper the cross, and then he said to himself, "What, despair in the face of the cross?" and then he drew a ring round the cross, and wrote in it nil desperandum! and took it for his coat of arms. Oh, there cannot be any despair in the presence of the cross. Thou dying Lamb, didst thou endure the cross, despising the shame, and shall I talk of difficulties when thy glory is in the way? God forbid! O holy face, bedewed with bloody sweat, I pledge myself in thy solemn and awful presence, that though this face of mine should be bedewed with sweat of the like sort, to accomplish any labor upon which thou shalt put me; by thy will and in thy strength, I will not shrink from the task. A sight of Christ, brethren, will keep you from despondency, and doubts, and despair. A sight of Christ! How shall I stir you to it? It will fire you to duty; it will deliver you from temptation; it will, in fact, make you like him. A man is known by his company; and if you have become acquainted with Christ, and know him, you will be sure to reflect his light. It is because the moon hath converse within the sun, that she hath any light for this dark world's night; and if you talk with Christ, the Sun, he will shine on you so gloriously, that you. like the moon, shall reflect his light, and the dark night of this world shall be enlightened by your radiance. The Lord help us to know him.

But I do seem, this morning, to have been talking to you about him, and not to have brought him forward. O that I knew how to introduce you to him! You who do not love him, O that I could make you seek after him! But you who do love him and have trusted in him, O that I could make you hunger and thirst until you were filled with him! There he is, nailed to his cross, suffering oh! how much! for you; there he is, risen, ascended, pleading before the throne of God for you. Here he is: "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Here he is, waiting to be comforted with your company, desiring communion with you, panting that his sister, his spouse, would be no longer a stranger to him. Here he is, waiting to be gracious, saying, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Come, Christian, come, let this be thy desire, "That I may know him."

And you who do not know him, and have not loved him, I pray you, breathe this prayer with me, " Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." O sinner, he is a gentle Christ; line is a loving Savior, and they that seek him early shall find him. May you seek and find him, for his name's sake. Amen.

Kelly Commentary on Books of the Bible

There is no epistle in the New Testament which gives so little space to the development of. doctrine as this to the Philippians. Need it be said that it has not the less its own proper office on that account? And what is this but the unfolding of the truth in the heart and in the ways of the Christian? Hence it is that, although doctrine is sparse, if not almost excluded, nevertheless what little appears comes in as ancillary to the main purpose. It is interwoven with practical appeal, and indeed the chief development of doctrine (namely, in the second chapter) forms a ground of exhortation.

Accordingly, from the very starting-point, we are prepared for a difference of tone and character. The apostle drops entirely his official status in addressing the saints at Philippi. He associates Timothy with himself, not merely, as elsewhere, himself apostle and Timothy in some other relation, but here conjointly "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ." He thus takes a common place with his beloved son in the gospel. This place throughout is one of promoting, enlarging, deepening, and purifying the experience of the saints themselves in that which filled his own heart with joy in the Lord. We shall see the importance of this elsewhere. It is what enabled him to look at the saints, as he called them to look at one another, esteeming others, as he says, better than themselves. Had it been a question of his apostolic dignity, this could not have been; but an apostle even could, and did, and loved to, take the place of one that served others whom he viewed directly in their relationship to Christ. His own place toward them was but to serve them in love. Such did, such was, Christ. There is nothing so high as that which we all have been made in our blessed Lord.

So here at the beginning he simply takes the place of servant with Timothy, owning all the saints as well as the officials in their place: "To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." This last is but a confirmation of the same truth. It is not at all a question of ecclesiastical order, in which naturally the chief guides would have front rank. The apostle is here contributing to that which shall never pass away, and hence begins with the "saints in Christ Jesus" as such. These Philippians will not be less saints in heaven, where there can be no such charges as "bishops or deacons." 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. Nevertheless there is that which is suited only to the conditions of time; there is that which, given here, survives all change. The apostle loved to give God's place and value to everything; and here it is the mingling of Christ with the circumstances of every day. It is the forming of the heart with the affections and the judgments of the Lord. It is the imbuing of the Christian with that which is life everlasting, but the life that he is now living by "the faith of the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for him." Hence he at once begins, not with a doctrinal preparation after the introduction, but the introduction brings us as usual into the general spirit if not special object of the epistle. "I thank my God for my whole remembrance of you," says he, after his usual salutation and wish, "always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy."

There is no epistle that so abounds in joy. This is the more remarkable because it is so intensely practical. For we can all understand joy in believing; we can readily feel how natural is joy to the Christian who dwells on his eternal portion. The trial is to keep that joy undimmed in the midst of the difficulties and sorrows that every day may bring. This epistle treats of daily sorrows and difficulties, yet does it manifestly overflow with joy, which all the dangers, sufferings, and trials only made the more triumphant and conspicuous.

So he brings before them another remarkable feature of it their fellowship; and this fellowship too with the gospel. Their happy and bright state in Christ did not dim their fellowship with the gospel. But whatever might be their own proper joy, whatever might be their delight in that which God works in the church, they had full and simple-hearted fellowship with His good news. It had always been so, as the apostle gives us to learn. It was not some sudden fit, if one may so say, nor was it the influence of passing circumstances. It was a calm, fixed, cordial habit of their souls, which indeed had distinguished them from the first. This was now among the last outpourings of the apostle's heart, as he himself had almost arrived at the end of his active labours, if indeed it was not absolutely their end. 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. But his spirit was as bright as ever, his joy perfectly fresh, deep, and flowing. And now he would have them looking to Christ, that no damp should gather round their hearts from anything that might befall him, that nothing which happened, whether to themselves, to other saints, or even to the apostle, should interfere for a moment with their unclouded and abounding confidence in the Lord. So he tells them that he always thus remembered them for their "fellowship with the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

There is not even the allowance of the possibility of their turning aside from the bright career both of possessing a Saviour they knew, and of enjoying Him increasingly. He had no theory that first love must necessarily wane and cool down, but the very reverse. Himself the striking witness to the contrary, he looked for nothing less in the saints he so dearly loved. Indeed that which had drawn out the epistle was the proof that the trying circumstances of the apostle had but called out their affections. His being out of sight rather made the remembrance of his words and ways the more distinct, and imparted a chastened earnestness to their desires of pleasing the Lord. "Being confident," he therefore says, "of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ, even as it is meet for me to think this of you all." It is not one who cherished a trust in the Lord's fidelity spite of what was visible. This counting on the Lord the apostle might have even where things were wrong. It was so as to the Corinthians; nay, it was not wholly wanting for the Galatians, though that which they allowed imperilled the foundations of grace and faith. But the practical ways and spirit of the Philippians were the living evidence not only of life, but, so to speak, of vigorous health in Christ. So it was right for him to anticipate good and not evil, not as in the authorized version and other translations, because "I have you in my heart," which would be no ground of assurance for them, but because "ye have me in your heart," which showed their spiritual feelings to be true and sound. This seems to me the real meaning, which the margin gives rightly.

It is a thing more important in practice than many suppose. There is no more common device of Satan than to seek the destruction of the power of testimony by the allowance of evil insinuations against him who renders it. Of course, the enemy would have desired above all and at any cost to lower such an one as the apostle Paul in the loving esteem of God's saints, more particularly where all had been sweet and happy; but, notwithstanding every effort, grace hitherto had prevailed, and these saints at Philippi felt the more for the apostle when he was a prisoner. When God does not interpose, men are apt to allow reflections and reasonings. Not seldom do they begin to question whether it can be possible that such a one is really of value to the church of God. Would God in this case let His servant be so long kept away from the gospel or the church? Surely there must have been something seriously wrong to judge in him!

It was not thus that the true-hearted Philippians felt; and spiritual feeling is worth more than all reasoning. Their affections were right. Reasonings on such matters are in general miserably wrong. Their sympathies, drawn out by the afflictions of the apostle in his work, were the workings of the Holy Spirit in their souls at least the instincts of a life that was of Christ, and that judged in view of Him, and not according to appearances. They had him in their heart, as he says, "Inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace," or "of my grace." "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ." For his was a heart deeply sensible of love, and consequently he was not one that had sought either to make the saints dependent upon him, and still less did the apostle depend on the saints for anything that was the fruit of grace in them. He desired not anything for himself, but only what should abound to their account in the day of Jesus Christ. This he must wish for them, if he wished them well. Accordingly he prays for them, that as they had shown this true and unabated love for himself as Christ's servant, so their love might abound yet more and more, and this too in knowledge and in all judgment.

This is the great value of Christian experience. It is not love growing less but more, and this abounding in intelligence and knowledge, which could not be looked for in saints just beginning their career. There is no necessity and where is the epistle that more thoroughly disproves the thought of any necessity? that a saint should decline. To abound in love is far from declension. To "abound yet more and more," to have that love tempered by divinely given wisdom and divinely exercised judgment, is the very reverse of going back. Their true and constant progress was what the apostle had before his own soul in prayer for them, instead of coolly giving up the saints, as if the new nature must grow feebler day by day as if the things of the world must overcome faith, and the things which are seen outweigh those which are unseen and eternal. Is this your measure of the love of Christ? Is He really so far from any of those that call upon Him?

Thus, then, he prays for them, and to this end, not that they might become more intelligent merely not that they might grow more able to discourse of divine things, though I doubt not that there would be growth in these respects also; but all here has an eminently practical form, "that ye may approve things that are more excellent; that ye may be pure and without offence till the day of Christ." Such is the thought that the apostle had before his soul of that which became the Christian. 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. It is a blessed and refreshing picture even in thought. Oh that the Lord might make it true of His own! This is certainly what the apostle here puts before these saints. "Filled," says he, "with the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ;" for it is all supposed to be fruit, not isolated fruits here and there, but as a whole, which adds greatly to the strength of it. It should be "the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

Then he turns, not to doctrine after this opening, but to circumstances, to circumstances, however, illumined with Christ The most ordinary details are taken out of their own pettiness (though it is really a little mind which counts them petty), and are made simple and genuine, and this through Christ Jesus intermingled with them. Oh, it is a blessed thing, that in the midst of the sorrows of this world, the Holy Spirit knows how thus to blend the name of Christ, as the sweetest balm, with the sorrow, however bitter, and to make the very memory of the grief pleasant because of Christ, who deigns to let Himself into it all. It was this that so cheered the apostle's heart in his loneliness often, in his desertion sometimes, when the sight of a brother would have given fresh courage to his heart. Looking to the Lord, as it is the life-breath of love, so it adds to the value of brotherly kindness in its season. Thus we know how on approaching Rome Paul was lifted up and comforted, as he saw those who came to greet him. But there he was soon to experience the faltering of brethren; there he was to see not one standing by him in the hour of his shame and need. He must be conformed to his Master in all things; and this was one of them. But out of the midst of bitter experience he had learned Christ, as even he had never known Him before. He had proved long the power and the joy of Christ for every day, and for every circumstance of it.

It was such an one, truly the servant of Jesus Christ, and so much the more their servant because His, even their servant for Jesus' sake it was such an one that wrote from Rome to the tried saints at Philippi. Nor was he in that which he was about to write without deep feeling; but he had learned Christ for all; and this is the key-note of the epistle from the first, though only uttered distinctly at the last. He had learned practically what Christ is, and what He does, and what He can enable even the least to do, (as he says himself, "less than the least of all saints,") and so much the more, because the least in his own eyes.

Thus then he writes, telling them, "I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." He knew well how much they might be tried by the report of his own imprisonment, and no deliverance coming as yet. But he had himself gone through the trial; he had weighed it all; he had brought it into the presence of God. He had put all, as it were, into the hands of Christ, who had Himself given him His own comfort about it. "I would, then, that ye should understand, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." Once you are right about Christ, you are right about everything while He is before you. There is nothing assuredly right, on the other hand, where Christ is not the object of the soul. With Him you will be right about the gospel, right about the church, right about doctrine, walk, and service. There is not one of these things but may in itself become the veriest snare; and so much the more dangerous because each looks fair. What looks and sounds better than the saints of God? what than the ministry of Christ? what than the testimony for God? Yet there is not one of these things that has not become the ruin of souls; and there are none that ought to know this better than those I am addressing this night. Who have had more mournful proofs of the danger of putting saints practically in the place of Christ? Who have had more palpable witness that service may become the object rather than Christ? Has it not been the rock on which many a gallant bark has made shipwreck?

But now the apostle was shut out from every labour apparently. Surely he, most of all, must have felt the change the heart that took in the Gentiles, that swept the circle of lands from Jerusalem to Illyricum, that yearned over Spain, ever going out farther and farther, boundless in his desires for the salvation of souls. He was for a considerable time a prisoner. He is at Rome, where he desired to be, no doubt, but which he had never expected to visit as one in bonds. And that he ever was anything but a prisoner there, man at least cannot say. A prisoner he was; and such is all that Scripture tells about him there. We may see the moral harmony of that lot with his testimony, and how suitable it seems that he, who was above all men identified with the gospel of the glory of Christ, should be a prisoner, and nothing but a prisoner in Rome. At any rate, such is the picture that the Holy Spirit gives of him there. And now as he had Christ before his soul, in this way the gospel itself, he can feel, is only promoted so much the more. Far from him was the vanity of being the man first to preach Christ in the great metropolis. He forgot himself in the gospel. His desire above all was that Christ's name might go forth. This was very dear to him, let God use whom he would. The things that happened to him he could therefore judge calmly and clearly. What seemed to some the death of the gospel was in point of fact distinctly for the furtherance of it.

The manner, too, in which these things happened seemed to make all as remote as possible from furthering the gospel; but here again he brings in Christ. This disperses all clouds from the soul. This filled Paul with sunshine; and he would have others to enjoy the same bright light which the name of Christ cast on every object. And mark, it is not the anticipation of light with Christ in heaven, but His light now while He is in heaven shining on the heart, and on the circumstances of the pathway here below. He says that they had happened rather for the furtherance of the gospel, "so that my bonds in Christ are manifest;" for this is the way in which he looks at it "my bonds in Christ." Oh, how honourable, how sweet and precious, to have bonds in Christ! Other people would have merely thought of or seen bonds under the Roman emperor, the bonds of that great city that ruled over the kings of the earth. Not so Paul. They were bonds in Christ; how then could he be impatient under them? How could any murmur who believed they were really bonds in Christ? "My bonds in Christ," he says, "are manifest in all the palace." Strange way of God! but so it was that thus the gospel, the glad tidings of His grace, should reach the highest quarters. They were "manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by, my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."

Blessed is this confidence in Christ, and wondrous are His ways! 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? Yet they were the witnesses of Christ whom God had put forth at the close; for it was manifestly of Him. God never can fail; and the very trials that would seem to crush all hope for the glory of Christ on the earth are the precise occasions in which God proves that after all it is He alone who triumphs, while man always fails even if he be an apostle. But the weakest of saints (how much more this greatest of the apostles!) cannot but be conqueror, more than conqueror, where the heart is filled with Christ. There was victory to his faith by the grace of God. And so, too, he could now read and interpret all things in that bright light around him. Had he occupied himself with the persons that were so preaching the gospel, how disconsolate he must have been! What might you and I have thought of such? Is it too much to say that many a groan would have gone forth from us that are here? Instead of this a song of joy and thanks comes from the blessed man of God at Rome; for, as he says here, "Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely," nor was this all, but "supposing to add affliction to my bonds."

Not only was an utterly wrong spirit indulged in the work itself, and toward others engaged actually in it; but even as to the apostle, shut out from such service, a desire to pain and wound was not wanting. "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. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached." Christ is the sovereign balm for every wound; and it was the apostle's joy, whatever men's spirit might be, not only to enjoy Christ himself, but that His name was being proclaimed far and wide by many lips, that souls might hear and live. Whatever the motives, whatever the manner, the Lord would surely deal with these in His own day; but, at any rate, Christ was now preached, and God would use this both for His own glory and for the salvation of souls.

Hence, says he, "I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus." We must carefully remember throughout all this epistle that "salvation" never means acceptance. If this be borne in mind a large part of the difficulty that some have found completely disappears. 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. 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. See for instance Philippians 3:1-21. Hence the conflict is never with internal evil, but rather with Satan. For such conflict we need the power of the Lord and the whole armour of God. But that power displays itself not in our strength, or wisdom, or any conferred resources. The supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus shows itself in dependence, and this expresses itself therefore in prayer to God. And observe, too, that the apostle felt the value of others' prayers. They contributed to his. victory over the foe. How lovely that even such a man should speak, not merely of his own prayers, but of theirs, turning all to such account. "This shall turn," says he, "to my salvation through your prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." There is nothing so unaffectedly humble as real faith, and, above all, that character of faith which lives on Christ, and which consequently lives Christ. Such was the apostle's faith. To him to live was Christ.

"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed." If he desired for them that they should be without one stumble till the day of Christ, it was the purpose to which grace had girded up his own loins. But "that in nothing I shall be ashamed." What a word, and how calculated to make us ashamed! It is not a question of acceptance in Christ. No; it is practical. It is his state and experience every day, as to which his hope was that in nothing he should be ashamed; "but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ. shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death."

And what is it that gave such a hope to one that owns himself the chief of sinners and less than the least of all saints? There was but one spring of power even Christ. And, let me observe, it is not merely that Christ is my life. Sweet and wondrous word to say that Christ is our life; but the question is, how are we living? Are we living out that life which we have? Is this the life that is practically exercised? or are there mingled ways and mixed motives? Is there the struggle of the old with the appearance sometimes of the new? Does this content our hearts? Or is it, on the settled judgment of the old as altogether and only self and sin, that we are habitually manifesting Christ? Have we that one blessed person as the hope, motive, beginning, end, way, and power of all that occupies us from day to day? It was so with the apostle. May it be so with us! " To me," may each say truly, "to live is Christ."

Habitually, indeed throughout this epistle, we find the word " me," and a very different "me" from the "me" of Romans 7:1-25. There it was an unhappy "me," though distinct from the flesh: "O wretched man that I am" Here it would be, O happy man that I am! He is one who has his joy exclusively from and in Christ. When first he tasted it, he found it so sweet that he cared for none other. 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. "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." In any case, indeed, to the Christian, death is gain; but he could best say it who could say, "To me to live is Christ," who could say it not merely as the faith of Him, but as a matter of simple, unconstrained, spontaneous enjoyment of Christ in practical ways.

Now he proceeds to give his reason. It is his own personal experience; and this is the reason why we have "I" so often here. 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 here is the proper experience of a Christian. It is the apostle giving us what his heart was occupied with when he could not go forth in the activities of work, and when it seemed as if he had nothing to do. Now we all know that when a man is carried on the top of the wave, when the winds fill the sails and all goes prosperously, when hearts are gladdened in sorrow, when one witnesses the joy of fresh deliverance from day to day, it is a comparatively easy thing. But to one cut off from such work it was, in appearance at least, a heavy burden and an immense trial; but Christ changes all for us. His yoke is easy, and His burden light. It is Christ, and Christ only, that thus disposes of grief and pressure. And so accordingly His servant says here, "If I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour."

It is needless to recount the comments on these words. They really mean, this is worth my while, a well-known phrase in Latin too. He puts it as a matter left for him to judge of and decide by Christ. "if I live in the flesh, it is worth my while." But if not, what then? Why, it was gain. As far as he was concerned, therefore, why could he choose? In a certain sense too he could not, and in another he would not choose. Christ was so truly before his heart, that in fact there was no self left unjudged to warp the choice. This is what brings him, if one may so say, into the dilemma of love. If he left this world, he would be with Christ; if he lived longer in this, world, Christ was with him. In short, he was so living Christ, that it was only a question of Christ here, and of Christ there. After all it was better for Christ to choose, not for him. But the moment he has Christ before him thus, he judges according to the affections of Christ, and he looks at the need of saints here below.

The question is at once settled as a matter of faith. Though he wist not to choose what between the two before, when the need of souls rises before him, he says that he shall live, and is not yet going to die. Through the wonderful sight of the love of Christ, this answered the question to his faith, leaving all circumstances entirely aside. Witnesses, prosecutors, judges, emperor, everybody, became, in point of fact, nothing to him. "I can do all things," as he says elsewhere, "through him that strengtheneth me." So he could settle now about his life and death. "Therefore," says he, though I am in a strait betwixt two," as he had said before, "having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again."

Only he desires that their conversation should be as it became the gospel of Christ. It was not merely their calling in Christ, their being Christians, that was before him, but a walk as it became the gospel of Christ. It is not at all as the objects of the gospel, but as having fellowship with it, their hearts bound up and identified with all the trials and difficulties that the gospel was sustaining in its course throughout the world. "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." Thus fervour of desire for others is the happy index of this whenever coupled with adequate knowledge of ourselves. But how can this be unless the heart is perfectly at ease as to itself? "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." Let me press this, because alas! there is no small tendency whenever people know the gospel well, if this be all, to settle down, thinking they have nothing more to do with the matter. It was not so with the Philippians. They had so much the more to do because Christ had done all for their souls. They were coupled with the gospel in all its conflict and progress. It was not because of their own personal interest, though this was great and fresh, but they loved that it should go forth. They identified themselves, therefore, with all who were declaring it throughout the world. Hence he desired that their conversation should be as became such zeal; "that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."

This is the more important, because such fear is the main weapon of Satan. It is always the power of Satan that is in view here. He is regarded as the true adversary, working, of course, by human means; but none the less is it his power. It may be remarked here, that from an expression often misunderstood in Philippians 2:1-30 it might seem as if the apostle wished somehow to weaken their confidence. So unbelief interprets, but most assuredly it is wrong. The apostle does call for "fear and trembling" on the part of the saints in that chapter; but there is not an atom of dread or doubt in it. He would have them realize the solemnity of the strife that is going on. He desires for them, not anxiety about the issue of it, but true gravity of spirit, because of feeling that it is a question between God and the devil, and that we have to do with that struggle in the most direct way. We need to draw from God, the spring and the only supplier of power that can resist the devil; but, at the same time, that we have the devil to resist in His power is a conviction that may well demand "fear and trembling;" and this, lest in such a conflict we should let in anything of self, which would at once give a handle to the devil. In Him, we, know, who was the perfect model in the same warfare, which He fought single-handed, conquering for God's glory and for us, the prince of this world came, and had nothing in Him, absolutely nothing. With us it is far otherwise; and only as we live on Christ do we remove, as it were, from the enemy's hand that which would furnish him abundant occasion.

In rich measure did the apostle live thus himself it was the one thing he did; and he would have the saints to be living in it too. "In nothing," says he, "terrified by your adversaries [this is the other side]: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Thus the very suffering which unbelief might interpret wrongly, and regard as a severe chastening, and so cause the heart to be cast down, instead of taking comfort before God, the suffering for Christ's sake is a gift of His love, as much a gift as the believing in Christ for the salvation of the soul. For, in point of fact, through this epistle salvation is seen as going on from first to last, and not yet complete, being never viewed as such till the conflict with Satan is altogether closed. Such is the sense of it here. Hence he speaks of the conflict which they once saw to be in him, and now heard to be in him.

Next, not only did he exhort them not to be terrified by the power of Satan, which is itself an evident and solemn sign of perdition to those that oppose the saints of God; but he calls on them to cast out the sources of disunion among themselves; and this he does in the most touching way. They had been manifesting their mindful love for the apostle, who on his part was certainly not forgetful of its least token. If, then, they really loved him, "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if there be any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies," he would venture to seek another proof of it. That there was all this abundantly in these saints he did not doubt; they had just shown him the fruit of love personally. Did he want more for himself? Far from it. There was another way which would best prove it to his heart; it was not something future secured to Paul in his need, which would be the way of nature, not of love or faith. Not so: Christ is always better; and so says he, "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory." There is always danger of these, and the more so where there is activity among souls. There was evidently energy among these Philippians. This commonly is apt to give occasion for strife as well as vain-glory. No saints are outside the danger.

Nothing, then, would the apostle have done in strife or vain-glory; "' but in lowliness of mind each esteeming other better than themselves." Let me look at another as he is in Christ. Let me think of myself as one that is serving Him (oh, how feebly and failingly!) in this relationship, and it is an easy thing to esteem others better than myself. It is not sentiment, but a genuine feeling, thus "looking not each at his own things, but each also at the things of others." Now the saint that has Christ Himself before him looks abroad with desires according to the activity of divine love.

"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." There are two chief stages of His humiliation flowing out of His perfect love. 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. He "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

It will be observed that there is no such thing in the first instance as "to the glory of God," when we hear of all bowing in the name of Jesus. To the confession of His Lordship is added "to the glory of God the Father." The reason is, in my judgment, perfectly beautiful. "Jesus" is His own name, His personal name. Jesus is Jehovah, although a man; consequently the bowing in that name to the glory of God the Father does not occur to the apostle. Why, then, is it so in the next instance? Because he looks at Jesus, not in His own personal right and glory, where necessarily all must bow, but rather at Him in His official place as Lord the place He has righteously acquired as man. This is wholly distinct from His own intrinsic eternal glory. He was made Lord and Christ. The moment you look at what He is made, then it is to the glory of Him who thus exalted Him. It was God the Father that made Him Lord and Christ, but God the Father never made Him Jehovah. He was Jehovah, equal with God the Father. Impossible that He could be made Jehovah. Reason and sense are out of the question, though reason must reject a creature's becoming God. Such a notion is unknown to scripture, and revolting to the spiritual mind. Hence we see the great importance of this truth. All error is founded on a misuse of a truth against the truth. The only safeguard of the saints, of those that love the truth and Himself, is simple subjection to the word of God to the whole truth He has revealed in scripture.

Evidently, therefore, two glories of Jesus are referred to here. There is His own personal glory; and this first. The other is what suits it, but a conferred position. If Jehovah so served, it was but natural that He should be made Lord of all, and so He is. It was due to His humiliation and obedience; and so it is here treated.

Thus, in both parts of the history of Christ, presented to us in no obscure contrast with the first Adam, we have first of all His own glory, who humbled Himself to become a servant. The very fact, or way of putting it, supposes Him to be a divine person. Had He not been God in His own being and title, it would have been no humiliation to be a servant, nor could it be indeed a question of taking such a place. The archangel is at best but a servant; the highest creature, far from having to stoop in order to become a servant, can never rise above that condition. Jesus had to empty Himself to become a servant. He is God equally with the Father. But having deigned to become a servant, He goes down lower still. He must retrieve the glory of God in that very death which confessedly had brought the greatest shame on God outwardly. For God had made the world full of life; He "saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good," and Satan apparently won the victory over Him in it. All here below was plunged under the sentence of death through Adam's sin; and God's word could but seal it till redemption.

The Lord Jesus not only comes down into the place of servant in love among men, but goes down into the last fortress of the enemy's power. He breaks it completely, becomes conqueror for ever, wins the title for God's grace to deliver righteously every creature, save only those who, far from receiving Christ, dare to reject Him because of that very nature which He took on Him, and that infinite work on the cross which had caused Him suffering to the utmost in working all out for the glory of God. Oh, is it not awful to think, that the best proof of the love of Christ and of His glory is the very ground which the base heart of man turns into a reason for denying both His love and His glory? But so it is; and thus the food of faith becomes the poison of unbelief. But the day is coming when every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Not that all shall be delivered and centred in Him, but that all must bow. 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. But there are the things, or if you will, the persons under the earth which can never be delivered. Yet these shall bow, no less than those in heaven, or on earth. In His name all must bow. Thus the difference between reconciliation and subjection is manifest. The lost must bow; the devils must bow; the lake of fire must own the glory of Him who has power to cast them there, as it is said, "unto the glory of God the Father." But all in heaven and on earth shall be in reconciliation with God and headed up in Christ, with whom the Church shall share the unbounded inheritance. (Compare Ephesians 1:1-23 and Colossians 1:1-29) But all, even these in hell, must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

But now the apostle turns to the use that he makes of so blessed a pattern, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence." It was the exact reverse in good of what the Galatians were in evil, for they had been cordial and bright when the apostle was with them; but directly his back was turned, their hearts were alienated. Even he who knew them well marvelled that they were so soon shifting, not only from him, but from the gospel, after he left them. But with the Philippians there was increased jealousy for Christ. They were more obedient in his absence than in his presence. Hence he calls upon them, as one that could not be with them to help them in the conflict, to work out their own salvation. Such is the force of the exhortation. This epistle is therefore eminently instructive to those who could not have an apostle with them. God was pleased, even whilst the apostle was alive, to set him aside and to prove the power of faith where he was not.

Hence he says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." It is not the dread of losing the Saviour of their souls, but because they felt for His name; "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Therefore he intreated them to "do all things without murmurings and reasonings, that they might be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom they shone as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life." It is a description that might almost do for Christ himself, so high is the standard for those that belong to Christ. Christ was surely blameless in the highest sense, as His ways were harmless, "holy, harmless, undefiled," as it is said elsewhere. Christ was Son of God in a sole and supreme sense. Christ was "without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation." Christ shone as the true light in the world the light of life. Christ held it forth; nay, more, He was it. For what believer would deny that, however close the conformity, there is always that dignity and perfection which is proper to Christ, and exclusively His? 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! Like, another apostle (2 John 1:8) he does not hesitate to blend with all this an appeal to their hearts for his own service in their well-being.

"That" (says he, after he had exhorted the Philippians thus to stand,) "I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith." How truly he accounted himself less than the least of them! How gladly would he be a libation upon the sacrifice of their faith! He esteemed men better than himself. He too in love still keeps up the servant-character, and gives them as it were the Christ-character. This is the unfailing secret of it all the true source of humility in service. "For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state."

And now there is the most lovely picture of Christ again; for it is always Christ here, and this again practically. Timothy was very dear to him, and was then with him; but he is going to part with the one that was so much the more valued by him in his solitariness and sorrow because of his circumstances at Rome. Indeed he esteemed others better than himself. He is just about to send Timothy from himself that he might know about them. "For I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state." Timothy shared the unselfishness of the apostle's heart. "For they all seek their own." It might have been thought that so much the more would Paul need his love and services. Whatever he needed, love is never itself but in unselfish action and suffering. I speak of Christian love, of course. "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants."

He loves, we see, to couple with the relationship to himself what was related to them. Epaphroditus was his fellow-servant, and indeed more than that "my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness." Why? because he. himself had been sick? No; but "because that ye had heard that he had been sick." How lovely that this it was that pained him unselfish love! the love of Christ everywhere! "For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him." Was this all the apostle had to say? Not so. "And not on him only, but on me also," (what a difference is made when love interprets!) "lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be [not rejoicing here, but] the less sorrowful." He did feel it. Love feels acutely nothing so much; but it triumphs. "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."

This chapter then looks for the working of the gracious feelings of Christ Himself in the Christian individually, showing us, first, the fulness of them all in Christ in contrast with the first Adam. But it gives us also the effect of Christ in the saints eventually of Paul himself, of Timothy, of Epaphroditus, and indeed of the Philippian saints. It shows us grace practically in different measures and forms. But the (trace of Christ wrought in them all; and that was the great joy and delight of the apostle's heart.

In Philippians 3:1-21 it is not the display of intrinsic affection in Christ, or the gracious dispositions of Christ in the saints. Not the passive side of the Christian as being in the world, but the active comes before us. Accordingly, this being not so directly the subject of the epistle though a Very important part of it, it comes in parenthetically in a large measure, not now in any wise as a question of truth or development of the mystery of Christ, as we saw in Ephesians 3:1-21, but, nevertheless, as a parenthesis; for he resumes afterwards the internal side again, as we shall see inPhilippians 4:1-23; Philippians 4:1-23. Energy is not the best or highest aspect of Christianity. There is real power, there is strength from God that works in the saint; but the feelings of Christ, the mind of Christ morally, is better than all energy. Nevertheless, energy there is, and this assuredly judges what is contrary to Christ.

Here, accordingly, it is not the outgoings of love, but the zeal that burns indignantly as to what dishonours the Lord. This is one of the main features of our chapter. "Finally," says he, "my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of doers." InMatthew 23:1-39; Matthew 23:1-39 we have woe upon woe pronounced upon scribes and Pharisees, and so it is here. 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. It was a necessary duty sometimes as things are on the earth, but nothing more; and so it is still. "Beware of evil workers; beware of the concision."

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." 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. It is all judged, and its religious form not least, by Christ "Though," says he, "I might also have confidence in the flesh. 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. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." And what did the apostle do with all this roll of fleshly advantages? It was seen laid in the grave of Christ. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Will it be said that this is what the apostle felt, and did, and suffered in the freshness of his first acquaintance with Christ? It was also what he carried up to the moment of writing to the Philippians as ardently as ever. "Yea," said he, "and I count all things but loss." It is not only his reckoning in the first fervour of love for the Saviour. "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."

Such experience is both a real and a precious boon. Let us not mistake in this; let us not be driven from it by a too common misuse. That which men call by this name is really the trial of what flesh is under law much more than experience of Christ. But let us not be turned aside, and think that it is merely a question of believing and of knowing our place secure; but let us live of that very Christ who is our life. This is what he did, and accordingly this is the source, not merely of a firm faith and confidence as to the issue, but of present joy and all-overcoming power. This is what gives force to our affections, and rivets them on Christ. This is, accordingly, what flows forth in praise from himself, and in calling out praise from other hearts. So he says here, "For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung." Thus the two things are repeated the past judgment and the present power: "and do count them but dung, that I may, win Christ." This will be, no doubt, at the end of the journey: the faithful win Christ where He is. For it is not meant looking to Him now, or having Him as one's life: to win Christ means having Him at the other side. He always looks there in Philippians.

It is not at all a question of what one has here. This has its most weighty place elsewhere; but when it is a question of experience, the end cannot be here. There is the present joy of Christ; but this does not content the soul. The more one enjoys Christ here, the more one wants to be with Him there. "That I may win Christ," therefore he says; "and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law." This was precisely what he desired when a Jew. Now, having seen Christ, if he could even bring his own righteousness into heaven, he would not. It would be mere independence of Christ if he could have stood without a single flaw, as blameless, in fact, as in a certain sense outwardly he was under the law, until the Spirit of God gave him to see what he was in God's mind. Then he found himself a dead man condemned and powerless. But supposing it possible to be clothed with the righteousness of the law, he would not have it now. He had got a better righteousness, and he desired nothing so much as to be found in Christ, having that which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Nothing but the righteousness that was of God as its source satisfied him. 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. Such is the meaning here. Elsewhere it is God's or divine righteousness. Here the object seems to be to make its difference from legal obedience more felt the contrast with the law more complete.

"That I may know him." Now here we have what is present; so that the passage presents some difficulty to souls because of intermingling the present with the future. Thus easily do we fall into error, because the human mind likes to have either one thing or another, and thus avoid all difficulty in Scripture, having each squared according to our notions. But it is not so that God has written His word. Nevertheless, God will surely teach His own, and knows how to clear up what is hidden from them. He has written His word not to perplex, but to enlighten. Thus the true bearing of the passage is, that from the first the eye of faith is fixed steadily on the end of the journey. "That I may win Christ, and be found in him" where not a vestige of self remains, but all will be Christ, and nothing but Christ. This is the righteousness whose source is in God; it is also by faith of Christ, and not through the law, which, of course, would have man's righteousness if it could.

But now he adds, "That I may know him" (speaking of entrance by faith into communion with Christ)" that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection." This is open to the heart now. "And the fellowship of his sufferings" again and certainly a present thing, not relating to heaven. "Being made conformable to his death:" this too is clearly in the world now. "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from the dead."* Clearly we here look out of the world and into a state to come, when we have the consummation of our hopes and the end of the journey. This is what he calls "salvation." It cannot be till the Christ is risen according to the pattern of Christ Himself.

*There is no reasonable doubt that the received text is wrong, followed by the Authorised Version ("of," instead of "from" the dead). The Alexandrian, Vatican, Sinai, Clermont, and St. Germain Uncials, supported by some ten cursives, very many versions, and the chief Greek and Latin ecclesiastical writers read τὴν ἐξανάσταιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν . Codd. F and G, by manifest error, read τῶν ἐκ , and this seems to have been corrected (or rather corrupted) in order to make sense into τῶν (omitting ἐκ ) in K and L and the mass of cursives. But in my opinion the sense, and even the Greek, seems bad; for on the one hand both ἐξανάστασιν and the drift of the argument point to a resurrection of favour and blessedness, not to that in which the unjust must rise to judgment; while on the other hand τῶν νεκρῶν would imply the dead, i.e. all the dead, as a class. Hence I cannot but consider it a surprising error in Griesbach that he edited the received text in this place. Alter and Matthaei followed according to their plan the manuscripts before them; but the latter was too good a scholar not to feel the difference, though he appears to impute it to a corrector for the sake of elegance in his second edition. Long before them, Mill had given his judgment in favour of the more ancient reading; and Wetstein repeated it apparently with approval. Bengel hesitated; but Dr. Wells in this, as in many other instances, showed his sound judgment and quiet courage in rejecting the common text, and adopting that which has by far the best authorities.

Dr. S. T. Bloomfield indeed (Addit. Annotations in loc.) admits that the external testimony is quite in its favour, though it is hard to see what he means by the internal evidence being in this case denied; for he suggests himself that τὴν ἐκ may have been a correction proceeding from those who thought that the sense which the context requires, "the resurrection from the dead," could not be extracted from ἐξαν . τῶν νεκρῶν . The critical reading he owns has force and propriety; but he does "not see why ἐξανάστ . τῶν νεκρῶν should not of itself have the same sense as that conveyed, with more propriety of expression (and for that reason likely to be adopted in the early Uncial MSS.), ἐξαν . τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν . Little probable is it that the reading, ἐξανάστ . τὴν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν should have been altered to ἐξ τῶν νεκρ . There is great reason to think that the ἐξ arose from those who thought it necessary to the sense, and did not see that it could be fetched from the ἐξ in ἐξανάστ . Hence I am inclined to retain ἐξαν . τῶν νεκρ . as a popular and familiar mode of expression (suitable to the persons addressed), according to which the expressions ἐξαν . τῶν advert as at Romans 4:16, and elsewhere to the state of the persons in question, that state or kind of resurrection unto life of those who have died in the Lord, and whose resurrection will be a resurrection unto life and glory, their bodies being raised incorruptible, and both body and soul united for ever with the Lord. See 1 Thessalonians 4:6-18."

I have transcribed this note at length, because it is a fair sample of Dr. B.'s critical, scholastic, and exegetic manner. Enough has been already said above, before I even knew of his reasoning, to prove how unfounded it is in every point of view. The internal evidence ( i.e. the scope of the context) is as decidedly for τὴν ἐκ as the weightiest external witnesses. How the text got gradually changed from the most correct form (not correction) in the early Uncials has been explained. When the distinction of the resurrection of the just from that of the unjust got lost in Christendom, and all were merged in the error of one general indiscriminate resurrection, one can understand that people would not feel the impropriety of substituting τῶν for τὴν ἐκ (for as to τὴν ἐκ τῶν , of which Dr. B. speaks, it exists in no document whatever). There is therefore not the slightest ground to countenance the rather dangerous idea, that the apostle did not employ a phrase analogous to the correct one which is found elsewhere in the New Testament, and adopted "a popular and familiar mode of expression," i.e. a really inaccurate mode. And why should our Lord adopt a correct form to the Sadducees (Luke 20:1-47 repeated inActs 4:1-37; Acts 4:1-37), and Paul an incorrect one to the Philippians? Who can understand why it should be "suitable to the persons addressed," on Dr. B's showing? Of the two, the converse would be more intelligible; but my conviction is that both the Lord and His apostle used similar and correct phraseology, as did the Holy Spirit elsewhere. And as to Romans 4:17 (which was probably meant rather than 16), it has no bearing on the matter, as it is there merely a question of God's power displayed in quickening the dead, and calling things that are not in being as in being, and in no way distinguishing the resurrection of life from that of judgment. When the state or kind of resurrection is meant to be expressed, the anarthrous form is requisite, as we see in verse 24 of this very chapter, and regularly so. (See Romans 1:4.) I believe, therefore, that ἐξανάστασιν , especially if ἐκ be supposed to be fetched (as Dr. B. says) from ἐξανάστ , is incompatible with τῶν νεκρῶν , the one conveying the notion of a selected company, and the other of the dead universally. Modern editors of value, however differing in their system of recension agree in the ancient as against the received reading; so Scholz, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Ellicott, Alford, Tregelles, Wordsworth, etc.

Thus we see here the power of a risen and a heavenly Christ, not now treated doctrinally as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 or 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 and elsewhere, but as that which bears on the Christian for the constant experience of every day. Hence that which judged and put aside religion after the flesh, righteousness after the law, all that was now left completely and for ever behind, and the saint is set on the road that nothing can satisfy him but being in the same glorious condition with Christ Himself. Hence he says, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind." This, carefully remember, does not mean forgetting sins. Far from losing sight of our past ways, it is a very wholesome thing indeed to remember them: we are never safe in forgetting what we are and have been. What he means by forgetting the things that are behind is, that we should not think of any progress we may have made in following Christ, that we should lose sight of everything calculated to give us self-satisfaction. This were to spoil all, because it would please the flesh.

It is our progress then that we are to forget. Let us be humbled on account of our sins. Self-judgment, where grace is known, is a most wholesome exercise of soul; and we shall have it in perfection even in heaven itself before the judgment-seat of Christ. One of the elements of heavenly happiness will be the calm and settled knowledge of all that we have been here below. This will not detract for an instant from the perfect enjoyment of Christ, but rather promote it so much the more, making it more evidently and always pure grace even in glory. Thus "forgetting those things which are behind" refers to the progress that we may make. True experience is still the great theme which the apostle has in hand here as well as in his own personal history. He was too much bent on what was before to be occupied with calling to mind what was behind him; it must have impeded him in the race. "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise [ i.e. differently] minded, this also will God reveal to you." Differences there may be among the saints, and especially when we come to the question of experience. But in truth it may betray itself in doctrine and practice in various shapes.

And what is the true divine rule? Is it agreeing to differ? This is but a poor human resource, as unworthy of the saints as of the truth of God, who would not have us to wink at any mistake. It is no rule, but an evasion. There is, however, a sure and only divine standard: as far as we have attained, our call is to walk in the same path. And this is true from the first moment of our career as God's children. For, let me ask, what is our title to communion? What is it that brings us into the blessed fellowship that we enjoy? There is but one title, there can be no sufficient ground but the name of Christ Christ known and confessed in the Holy Ghost; and where He is simply before us, the progress is most real, if not always easy and sensible. It is not meant that there are no difficulties, but that Christ makes the burden light and all happy to the praise of God's grace; whereas any other means or measure detracts from His glory and draws attention to self.

Supposing, for instance, we mingle with Christ knowledge or intelligence about this truth or that practice, does it not give a necessary prominence to certain distinctive points, which so far must make Christ of less account? Even, therefore, if you could have (what is impossible) ever so much real spiritual knowledge along with Christ, who would so much as notice these acquisitions in comparison with Christ? Let us merely take up a single point of the primary ground of fitness for fellowship, which is often a difficulty with the saints. Yet the truth as to this abides, not only at the starting-point, but all the way through. What is there that you can rightly plead but Christ's own name? And this ground is one which always brings in the strength of the Holy Ghost, as it is based on God's mighty work of redemption. If right here, we are at one, so to speak, with His present purposes. What is the Spirit now doing? He is exalting Christ. It is not merely exalting His work, or His cross; it is not so much His blood, as Christ Himself. The name of Christ Himself is the true centre of the saints; unto this the Spirit gathers. As he had said elsewhere before, so he says here, "Be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ." Thus, as at the beginning of the chapter, there was the energy that went out against the evil workers, with a religious mind after the flesh, so now there is the energy that bursts forth against those that were misusing Christianity, making it an earthly system, setting their mind on things here below, under the name of the Lord Jesus; and between the two, is set forth the positiveness, if one may so speak, of Christ Himself.

It is plain, then, that inPhilippians 2:1-30; Philippians 2:1-30 the great spring of power is the love and the glory of Him who came down; who, even when He did so come, went down still lower, where none could accompany Him. Yet we may follow, and seek conformity unto His death; but there was that in His death on the cross which could be His alone.

In Philippians 3:1-21 there is no coming down from glory in the power of divine love, resulting in His exaltation by and for the glory of God the Father after a new sort. Here we see One who is in glory, and on whom the eye of the believer is set; and accordingly the judgment of evil is from the side of heaven. The one thing that suits is to pursue the glory before him, till he is in the same glory along with Christ. This is the object set before us inPhilippians 3:1-21; Philippians 3:1-21. The one therefore, I say, is the passive side of the Christian; the other is his activity. The passive shines in Christ coming down; the active is realized by the eye that is fixed on Christ, who is actually in glory. This separates from all, and judges the best of man to be dung, as the former conforms the heart after His love.

Philippians 4:1-23 is founded on both. The apostle takes up, no doubt, the sweet affections of chapter 2, but then they are strengthened by the energy that Christ seen in glory imparts, as in chapter 3. Hence he thus opens, "Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown." One cannot overlook the amazing strength with which he speaks even of his affections. "My joy and crown," "my dearly beloved." Not that there were not difficulties; there were many. "I beseech Evodia" (we may just notice the true form in passing; Euodias sounds like a man's name, whereas here it is really a woman). "I beseech Evodia, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. Yea [not and], I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labour with me." According to the true meaning it is not others, but those very sisters that he commends to Epaphroditus in desire for their blessing, "which labour with me in the gospel [or seeing that they shared the conflict of the gospel with me]." "Laboured" gives a wrong sense. Many hence have wrongly gathered that they were preachers. There is really no reason to suppose that they preached at all. What they did seems a much more proper thing, in my judgment, for a woman. They shared the conflict of the gospel; they partook of the reproach that covered those who preached it. This is lost in the idea of labouring in it. We must think rather of the conflict of the gospel: there was often for all concerned disgrace, and pain, and scorn.

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. Women may have gifts as well as men. We are not to suppose that, because we are men, we monopolise all the gifts of Christ. Let us see to it that we walk according to the place which God has given us. At the same time, God's word is to me plain as to the manner in which the gifts are to be exercised. And is there not evidently a path of unobtrusiveness (for the veil or sign of power on the woman's head is no vain figure) which most befits a woman? I believe that a woman shines most where she does not appear. Hers is a more delicate place than that which becomes the man, and one which a man attempting it would awkwardly fill. But while a man is quite unfit to do a woman's work, can it be doubted that a woman brings no honour to herself, or to the Lord, by attempting to do a man's task? The Lord has laid down their places respectively with distinctness. It is ignorance and absurdity to answer such scriptures by the text, that in Christ there is neither male nor female. We do not speak of standing in Christ now, but of their allotted services. In this we hear of difference; and scripture does not obliterate but contrariwise asserts it, and treats the practical denial of it as a scandal brought in by Corinthian headiness. No doubt the new creation is essentially neither male nor female; it is not a race perpetuated in a fleshly way; but all things are of God and in Christ. Notwithstanding, it has been already explained that the man has a relative place as the image and glory of God, being set in a remarkable position between God and the woman in matters of outward decorum.

Returning, however, to the women Evodia and Syntyche, they had devoted themselves to an exceedingly happy and prized service. They joined with those who preached the truth and partook of their obloquy. They helped them, and in that sense "laboured" if you will. At any rate they endured the conflicts of the gospel in its earlier days at Philippi. Why should women expose, themselves? Why go in the way of crowds of soldiers or civil officers? Why should such as they face the unmannerly officials that took advantage of the imperial government to treat with injury those identified with the gospel? Love does not calculate these costs and dangers, but goes calmly forward, come what will, trouble, scorn, or death. No wonder the apostle was grieved to think of differences among such women as these. "Help them" (says he) "with Clement also, and with my other fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life."

Finally, he calls them again to rejoice, and now with more emphasis than ever. "Rejoice in the Lord alway." in sorrow? Yes. In affliction, in prison, everywhere. "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." He did not make a mistake. He did not forget, but meant what he said. "Again I say, Rejoice." Let your moderation go along with it, because along with this joy there might be a certain enthusiastic spirit that would hinder calm judgment. But this is not the character of Christian joy. "Let your moderation be known unto all men;" that is, the meekness and gentleness which bends to the blow, instead of resisting it in the spirit that ever asserts its rights and fights for them. Have rather that spirit which counts nothing as a right to be claimed, but all one has as gifts of grace to be freely used in this world, because one has Christ in view. "Let your moderation be known unto all men," strengthened by this consolatory truth, "the Lord is at hand."

And this nearness of Christ I take simply to be the blessed hope here made a practical power. It is not the Lord at hand to succour one now and here from time to time. No one denies this, which is, or ought to be, no new thing for a Christian. He means the Lord, really, personally, at hand; as he had said in the end of the last chapter, that this was what we look for. "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence we wait for the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour" for this is the true meaning of it. And this puts the doctrine, as far as there is doctrine in the epistle, in a very clear light. There is no looking at Him as Saviour on the cross merely; but when He comes for us, there will be in the filial sense (as ever in our epistle) "salvation." Thus he anticipates the removal of the last trace of the first Adam; he looks for our being brought fully, even as to the body, into the likeness of the Second Man, the last Adam. This is salvation in truth. Hence he says, "We look for the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour: who shall change our vile. body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." It does not matter how unlike they may be, or how opposed; it does not matter what vessels of shame and misery they may have been now; "He is able to subdue all things unto himself."

Then, as to our practical every-day expectation, "the Lord is at hand." And, accordingly, why should one be a prey to care, if this be really so? "Be anxious [or be careful] for nothing; but in everything" this is the resource "in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Better not make them known to men; it is a dangerous snare. By all means let them be made known unto God. There is something which ought to be made known unto men, namely, the not fighting for your rights. "Let your moderation be made known unto men." "Let your requests be made known unto God." It is not that you have failed, perhaps, or broken down in some particular. Certainly this is painful and humbling. But it is better for you to lose your character, than for Christ through you to lose His; for you are responsible to display the character of Christ. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." "Let your requests," whatever they may be, "be made known unto God;" and not only so, but "with thanksgiving." You may be perfectly sure of an answer when you make known your requests: therefore let it be with thanksgiving. And what is the result? "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," feeling, judgment, everything, guarded and governed by this precious peace of God. The peace which God has in everything He will communicate to keep you in everything; and not only so, but the heart, being free from care, will enter into what pleases Him. 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." Instead of occupying oneself with all one hears that would cast down, now that we have committed all. that is miserable to God, we can go on delighting in the goodness of God, as well as in its fruits. In God there is ample supply. 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.

Then he turns to what had drawn out the epistle. "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity." So tender, so delicate is his sense, that he would not spare what was needful if there had been any want of thought, but at the same time he hastens to make whatever apology love could suggest. "Not," says he, "that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am," this is the great design of the epistle; it was not truth that was made known simply, but experience that was grown into "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through him who strengtheneth me." At the same time he intimates his value for their love, and takes care that his was independence founded on dependence, an independence of circumstances which finds its strength in simple and absolute dependence upon God.

So the apostle lets them know that he owned their hearty love; "not," he says, "because I desire a gift." For no personal end did he mention their grace; "but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." It was not that he wanted more. We know well that as men have sarcastically said, gratitude is a kind of fishing for fresh favours. There was the very reverse in Paul's case. As he tells them, fruit that might abound to their account was all that his heart really yearned after. Their gift to him was "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." What a God is ours, so to treat that which, connected with the world, Christ Himself calls "unrighteous mammon!" His goodness can even take this up and thus make it fragrant even to Himself. "But my God shall supply all your need." How rich and full he was of the goodness of the God he had proved so long and could recommend so well! And there is not now merely His riches of grace, but he looks forward into the glory where he was going, and can say, "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Thus with salutations of love he closes this most characteristic and cheering even of Paul's epistles.