Philippians: Resilient Joy - Week 7
Philippians 3:12-21
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Passion For Christ
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Philippians 3:12-21 〰️ Passion For Christ 〰️
This week, we’re covering Philippians 3:12-21!
We’re skipping over verses 1-11 of chapter 3 because we recently covered that passage over the summer. So this week, we’ll jump straight to verses 12-21 (audio from that teaching, as well as others, is available here). However, there are a handful of great resources for those interested in doing a deep dive, including The Gospel Coalition’s 12-week study in Philippians (week eight covers 3:1-11) and The Bible Project’s video.
In this passage, we get almost a disclaimer from Paul, where he teaches and clarifies that despite his great faith in Christ, he has not “arrived,” nor will he. Paul says, “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.” Since we jumped past v1-11, the “goal” here might be vague. What Paul is referring to can be found in verse 10.
“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death.”
Here, Paul shows us that even a strong spiritual leader like himself has not “arrived” at the spiritual finale of following Christ. It’s not because of his faith or actions that he gets closer to holiness or progresses in righteousness, but instead, because Christ has “taken hold” of him that he is sanctified in the Lord. This again propels one of the main points of Philippians: Christlike humility. While the world lives in such a way that tempts us to say, “I’m great; I have reached the goal and am deserving of authority and respect,” Paul, through Christ’s example, teaches us to walk in humility, not believing ourselves as more important than others. Paul wrote this in Philippians 2, saying that Jesus “did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited” but “emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant” and became “obedient to the point of death” (v7-9). This is where we can see another strand of the thread that runs through this whole book. Earlier, Paul honors his friend, citing his gratitude for Epaphroditus’s willingness and selflessness in coming “close to death for the work of Christ” (2:30).
In the next portion of this passage, we get to verses 14-16. Here, Paul reminds us that as we mature in Christ, the Lord will continually reveal things and grow (or sanctify) us. This is what Paul means when he says, “let all of us who are mature,” that is, in recognizing that we have not arrived, “God will reveal this to you also” (v15). Paul knows he has a long way to go in reaching that “goal” while still finding joy in learning and growing in Christ. This is the concept that Paul embodies in this passage, knowing that can honor God and live righteously, through Christ’s power, with his current knowledge and understanding. This is a push against passivity, recognizing that rightly following God does not require extensive Scriptural knowledge or an “enlightenment,” but rather living daily according to God’s word.
R.C. Sproul, a revered and respected theologian wrote, “The more I learn about God, the more aware I become of what I don’t know about Him.”
In this passage, we see the language of God’s Word and truth as something worth loving and reaching for. Throughout this section and previous passage, Paul calls it his goal, prize, something worth eagerly waiting for and something we should be living up to. This excitement and reverence Paul has toward the Gospel is something we should hold to as well. What we can learn from Paul’s words is that we’re never too mature or able to outgrow loving and desiring the beauty of the Gospel. We’re to fight against complacency by seeking Jesus and “reaching forward to what is ahead” (v13).
In closing this passage of Philippians, we see Paul calling himself a citizen of heaven who eagerly awaits for a Savior, Christ, to come. He goes on to write that as followers of Christ, we should look forward to being transformed into God’s likeness, but what does that mean? What it doesn’t mean is being transformed into God or like God, but rather restored to the image of His likeness before the fall. This concept goes all the way back to Genesis, where “God created man in his own image” (Gen. 1:27). This, however, was tainted by sin with the fall of man in Genesis 3, where mankind was infected with sin and banished from the immediate presence of God in the Garden. This concept of being transformed is called glorification. Theologian Wayne Grudem notes that by living in a fallen world, “our experience of salvation is still incomplete” because sin still remains in the world, and we are still affected by it. Only when we return to God’s presence after this life and this age are we transformed and glorified with Christ after this life. Paul writes of this in the letter to the Romans as well, noting that followers of Christ “eagerly waiting for…the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23-24).
As we jump into discussion, we’ll examine again what it means to love others and follow Christ, as well as discuss what being a citizen of Heaven looks like. Paul describes all followers of Jesus as citizens of Heaven, writing of the joy that comes with keeping this in mind. Our hope is that we, as a community, can be transformed by our “eagerly awaiting” Christ’s return, and be shaped by the Gospel, rather than the world.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from this passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in this passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Reread verse 18. How does this passage further display Paul’s love for the Philippians?
How do you think this love is informed by passion and discipline for following Christ?
Why do you think we need both passion and discipline to grow in spiritual maturity?
How does Paul describe followers of Jesus in verse 20? What do you think this means?
Would you describe yourself similarly? Why or why not?
What does it mean to “eagerly wait” for the Lord?
How can you “eagerly wait” for the Lord this week?