Philippians 3:15-21

3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. ¹  If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. ²  3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard ³  that we have already attained. ⁴ 

3:17 Be imitators of me, ⁵  brothers and sisters, ⁶  and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. 3:18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. 3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. ⁷  3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 3:21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours ⁸  into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

[3:15]  ¹ tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”

[3:15]  ² tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.

[3:16]  ³ tc Although κανόνι (kanoni, “standard, rule”) is found in most witnesses, though in various locations in this verse (א² D² Ψ 075 Ï), it is almost surely a motivated reading, for it clarifies the cryptic τῷ αὐτῷ (tw autw, “the same”). Both the fact that the word floats, and that there are other variants which accomplish greater clarity by other means, strongly suggests the secondary nature of any of the longer readings here. Further, the shortest text has excellent and early support in Ì^16,46 א* A B I^vid 6 33 1739 co, rendering it decidedly the preferred reading. The translation adds “standard” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same hold fast.”

[3:17]  ⁵ tn Or “become fellow imitators with me [of Christ].”

[3:17]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:19]  ⁷ tn Grk “whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly and glory is their shame, these who think of earthly things.”

[3:21]  ⁸ tn Grk “transform the body of our humility.”