Paul now turned to the second major quality that he introduced in 1:27-30, namely steadfastness in the face of opposition to the gospel (cf. 1:7, 28). He had introduced the idea of joy in the face of opposition earlier (1:19, 28-30; 2:17-18). He would discuss how to face overt persecution later (4:4-9).
There were two main sources of opposition that the Philippians faced as they sought to have fellowship with Paul in the proclamation of the gospel. Paul dealt with both of these. However, he began with a charge to rejoice in the Lord and ended this section with a summary exhortation.
Having created joy in his readers by referring to the sterling examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus, Paul warned them about certain other people who professed to be servants of God.
He introduced this section of his epistle with a transitional statement. "Finally"(Gr. to loipon) introduces such a statement here as well as elsewhere (cf. 1 Cor. 1:16; 4:2; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Thess. 4:1; 2 Thess. 3:1; Gal. 6:17). Usually this word does not mark a conclusion so much as a transition on the way to a conclusion.98It introduces what remains to be said.99Anyone who has listened to much preaching knows that Christian communicators often say "finally"long before the message ends.
The apostle's primary exhortation here was that his readers should rejoice in the Lord. They might rejoice in Epaphroditus' return, or in his recovery, or in Paul's prospect of release and return to Philippi. All of these were legitimate though less important reasons for rejoicing. We have noticed the consistent emphasis on joy and rejoicing that has marked this letter so far (1:3, 4, 18, 25; 2:1, 2, 17, 18, 19, 28, 29; cf. 4:1, 4, 10, 18). Joy is the prevailing mood of Philippians, but it is not its major theme. Paul gave the importance of rejoicing special emphasis here. Regardless of circumstances the Christian can and should always rejoice in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the basis of true joy and the sphere in which it thrives.100
False teachers can rob Christians of joy. Paul proceeded to deal with this threat in the rest of this chapter.
He introduced his comments by assuring his readers that he did not regard the need to warn them as a burden even though he had already instructed them on this subject. Paul may have been alluding to what he had just written about unbelievers who opposed the Philippians' witness (1:27-30). He may have been referring to previous instruction he had given them in person or in writing. Further exhortation would be an additional safeguard against their capitulating because of this evil influence.
Paul proceeded to deal with a significant group of antagonists that the Philippians faced.
3:2 Jesus and other prophets used the term "dogs"to refer to opponents of God's truth (Matt. 7:6; cf. Deut. 23:18; 1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14; Prov. 26:11; Isa. 56:10-11). The Jews habitually referred to Gentiles contemptuously as dogs (cf. Matt. 15:21-28). In ancient times many dogs were unclean, wild, vicious animals that threatened the safety of everyone.
"Paul now hurls this term of contempt back on the heads of its authors' . . ., for to Paul the Jews were the real pariahs that defile the holy community, the Christian church, with their erroneous teaching."101
"This metaphor is full of bite,' . . . Paul thus reverses the epithet; by trying to make Gentiles clean' through circumcision, the Judaizers are unclean dogs.'"102
The phrase "evil workers"(NABS) stresses the evil character of their labors. However "false circumcision"(NASB) or "mutilators of the flesh"(NIV, cf. Gal. 5:12) gives us the most insight into exactly whom Paul had in mind.
These were evidently the Judaizers that plagued Paul and his converts throughout his ministry.103They taught that people could only enter the church through the vestibule of Judaism, and that once inside they needed to submit to the Mosaic Law.104They emphasized circumcision because it was the rite that brought a person into Judaism, which they viewed as a prerequisite to justification (cf. Acts 15:1). False circumcision refers to circumcision for the wrong reasons, namely circumcision contrary to the revelation of God in Scripture.
3:3 The Philippians and Paul, and all true believers, belong to a different camp, that of the true circumcision. Paul was referring to the circumcision of the heart that happens when a person trusts in Jesus Christ. The alternative is trusting in self and in rite-keeping for salvation (Rom. 2:25-29; Col. 2:11, 13; cf. Lev. 26:41; Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; Ezek. 44:7).105
Paul used three terms to describe the false teachers (v. 2). He used three others to characterize the true circumcision. We worship (Gr. latreuein) God in the Spirit. The alternative is going through certain physical rituals (cf. John 4:23-24). Probably Paul meant that the Holy Spirit initiates worship with the result that love and service result (cf. John 14:17).106Those who rely on rites and ceremonies to make themselves acceptable to God do not have the Spirit of God. They are not believers in the gospel.
Second, we glory in Christ Jesus. That is, we look to Him as the one who makes us acceptable to God rather than looking to works (cf. Jer. 9:23-24; 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17). We focus on Him and find our satisfaction in Him because He is our Savior.
Third, we put no confidence in the flesh to make us acceptable to God. The New Testament writers used the term "flesh"(Gr. sarx) in a literal and in a metaphorical sense. Literally it refers to our bodies (Luke 24:39). Figuratively it refers to human nature (John 1:14) and to sinful human nature (cf. Rom. 7:5; 8:9, 19). Here Paul probably meant our lower unredeemed nature that is not inherently bad but the target of sin's attack and the occasion of our becoming sin's victim.107We do not have confidence that anything we do to our bodies will make us acceptable to God but realize that trusting in Jesus Christ is what is necessary. Yet primarily we have no confidence in what we are by nature to make us acceptable to God. We understand that we cannot save ourselves. We acknowledge that God must save us.
3:4a Paul proceeded to explain to the Philippians why he had spoken so harshly against the Jews (vv. 4-11). The apostle rejected confidence in the flesh because it cannot provide the righteousness that God requires (v. 9). He possessed what the Judaizers claimed was essential, namely circumcision, but he did not trust in it for salvation.
3:4b For the sake of the argument Paul adopted the Judaizers' attitude of confidence in the flesh. He did this to show that his rejection of Jewish advantages was not because he lacked them.108
3:5 Circumcision of the flesh was one thing that the Judaizers trusted in for acceptance by God. Paul had been circumcised on the eighth day after his birth as the Law of Moses prescribed (Lev. 12:3; cf. Gen. 17:12). He had not received circumcision later in life as many people did who converted to Judaism (e.g., Acts 16:3).
Paul was also an Israelite by birth, not a Gentile Jewish proselyte.
Furthermore he was a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the younger of the two sons born to Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. Benjamin was the only son of Jacob who was born in the Promised Land. The tribe of Benjamin provided many noble warriors throughout Israel's history (cf. Hos. 5:8). Israel's first lawful king came from Benjamin. Jerusalem and the temple stood within Benjamin's territory. This tribe alone, beside Judah, remained loyal to David's house when the monarchy divided. The feast of Purim celebrated the salvation of the Jews by a Benjamite, Mordecai. After the Exile, Benjamin and Judah formed the core of the restoration community. Of course, this tribe's history was not without its shame as well (e.g., Saul's failures, the Gibeans' atrocity that led to the civil war that almost wiped this tribe out, etc.). Nevertheless Paul could legitimately take pride in his Benjamite heritage.
A "Hebrew of Hebrews"means that Paul's parents brought him up as a strict Jew. Specifically he learned the Hebrew language and studied the Old Testament in the original tongue, not like so many other Jews of the Diaspora who could only speak and read Aramaic.
Paul had chosen to join the party of the Pharisees, the most orthodox of the sects within Judaism in his day. The Pharisees were punctilious in their observance of the Mosaic Law.109
"Not content merely to obey the Law of Moses, the Pharisees bound themselves also to observe every one of the myriad of commandments contained in the oral Law, the interpretive traditions of the Scribes. The most ardent of the Pharisees scrupulously avoided even accidental violations of the Law and did more than they were commanded to do . . . . Paul, a son of Pharisees (Acts 23:6), and a disciple of the great Pharisee, Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3), chose to be a Pharisee himself and set himself to be the most earnest of the earnest observers of the Jewish Law (Gal 1:14). Pharisee' for Paul was not a term of reproach, but a title of honor, a claim to the highest degree of faithfulness and sincerity in the fulfilment [sic] of duty to God as prescribed by the divine Torah' (Beare)."110
3:6 He had been a zealous promoter of Judaism even to the point of persecuting Christians to death. He had been an outstanding Pharisee.
Paul's obedience to the Law of Moses as it regulated external behavior had been without blame (Gr. amemptos, cf. 2:15). Clearly Paul was not claiming that he had done all that God required in the Law. Had this been true of him he would not have put Christians to death. However, he was very conscientious about what the Law required.
"Like most religious' people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him out of trouble, but not enough righteousness to get him into heaven! It was not bad things that kept Paul away from Jesus--it was good things! He had to lose his religion' to find salvation."111
Paul formerly regarded all these things that he possessed and others as contributing to God's acceptance of him. Yet he had come to learn on the Damascus road and since then that such fleshly "advantages"did not improve his position with God. Rather they constituted hindrances because the more of them that Paul had the more convinced he was that God would accept him for his works sake. Each of his fleshly advantages strengthened his false hope of salvation.
"While Christ did not considerGod-likeness to accrue to his own advantage, but made himself nothing,' so Paul now considershis former gain' as loss' for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. As Christ was found' in human likeness,' Paul is now found in Christ,' knowing whom means to be conformed' (echoing the morpheof a slave, 2:7) to his death (2:8). Finally, as Christ's humiliation was followed by God's glorious' vindication of him, so present suffering' for Christ's sake will be followed by glory' in the form of resurrection. As he has appealed to the Philippians to do, Paul thus exemplifies Christ's mindset,' embracing suffering and death. This is what it means to know Christ,' to be found in him' by means of his gift of righteousness; and as he was raised and exalted to the highest place, so Paul and the Philippian believers, because they are now conformed to Christ' in his death, will also be conformed' to his glory."112
3:8 Paul had regarded his advantages over other people as what put him in a specially good position with God. However, he had come to realize that absolutely nothing apart from Jesus Christ's work on the cross was of any value in his gaining God's acceptance. No good works improve our standing before God. They are all as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). Consequently Paul came to regard them as "rubbish."From then on he continued to take this view of things.
The Greek word translated "rubbish"(skybalon) occurs only here in the New Testament. Its derivation is uncertain, but it appears to have referred to excrement, food gone bad, scraps left over after a meal, and refuse. In extrabiblical Greek it describes a half-eaten corpse and lumps of manure.113Thus Paul meant that his former advantages were not only worthless but strongly offensive and potentially dangerous.
What he had learned to value was Christ Jesus his Lord. Consequently coming to know Christ, entering into a deeper and fuller appreciation of His person and work, was of primary importance to Paul. This knowledge (Gr. gnosis) is the kind that one obtains only by personal relationship. It is different from the knowledge we gain through objective academic study (Gr. oida), though information is part of our growing personal knowledge of Christ. To gain this fuller knowledge of Christ Paul had let everything else in life go. To use the language of 2:6, Paul did not regard anything else in life worthy of retaining. All he wanted was a fuller and deeper experiential appreciation of his Savior.
"You and I know aboutmany people, even people who lived centuries ago, but we know personally very few."114
3:9 Paul's vision turned again to the future and the judgment seat of Christ. He had made his choices in life since his conversion because of the essential value of getting to know Christ better and because God would evaluate his life one day. On that day Paul wanted to be found "in Him,"namely standing in the merit of Christ rather than in his own merit. His own merit rested on his own righteousness as the Mosaic Law defined it. The merit of Christ is His righteousness that God credits to the believer's account when we place our trust in Him (cf. Rom. 3:20-23). This righteousness comes to us "through faith"in Christ, and it comes to us "on the basis of"(or "by,"NIV) "faith"from God.
"Faith' is the very opposite of human works; it is the reception of God's work by those who acknowledge the futility of their own efforts to attain righteousness."115
3:10 This verse resumes the thought of knowing Christ in verse 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 comingto know Christ outweighs all other values, that for him the significance of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col 2:3), is so vast that even to beginto know him is more important than anything else in all the world."116
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. Rom 6:4; Col. 3:1; Eph. 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. Heb. 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. Rom. 6:8; Gal. 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 (Rom. 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."117
3:11 This verse does not contain a purpose clause as the NASB translation "in order that"implies. A better translation would be "if somehow"(NASB margin) or "and so, somehow"(NIV). It expresses expectation.
Superficially this verse seems to suggest that Paul had some doubt about the certainty of his resurrection. However elsewhere in his writings he was very confident that God would resurrect him and all believers (e.g., Rom. 8:11, 23; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:12-57; 2 Cor. 4:14; 5:1-5; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Tim. 2:18). The Bible teaches that God will resurrect all people, believers and unbelievers, if they have died (e.g., Dan. 12:2; Matt. 22:29-32; Luke 20:37-38; John 6:39-40, 44, 54; 11:25; Acts 4:2; 17:18; 23:6; 24:15; Heb. 6:2; Rev. 20:4-6, 13). Consequently we must look for another explanation of this verse.
"Now, if Paul believed in one general resurrection at the end in which all people, the saved and lost, would participate, it is difficult to understand his use of this language in relation to his personal participation. There would be no question of his being a part of such a resurrection."118
One possibility is that Paul was thinking of his spiritual co-resurrection with Christ.119In the context he had been speaking of his suffering and dying with Him. Yet these were evidently physical experiences, not spiritual realities. Furthermore the resurrection he said he hoped to attain was still future whereas he had already experienced spiritual resurrection with Christ to newness of life (Rom. 6:1-11).
Another view is that Paul was hoping that he would persevere faithfully in his quest to know Christ until he died. The logical progression in Paul's thought in verses 10 and 11 was from suffering to death to resurrection. Perhaps he meant he wanted to experience suffering for Christ's sake and was even willing to die for Him to arrive at his resurrection in a manner that would enable him to face His master unashamed.120The problem with this view is the unusual word used for the resurrection (Gr. exanastasin, lit. out-resurrection).
The words that Paul used seem to indicate that he was thinking of a resurrection from among those who were dead.121The NASB translators captured this idea when they rendered this phrase "the resurrection from among the dead."The NIV translators simply translated it "the resurrection from the dead."122This would point to the resurrection of believers that will result in Christians rising from among the unbelieving dead. However this is not a resurrection that Christians need to strive to attain. God will provide it for all believers.123
Paul may have been speaking of the Rapture.124When that event takes place God will snatch dead Christians' bodies out from among other corpses. This would explain the unusual word Paul employed that appears only here in the Greek New Testament.
"Perhaps he was using this word to refer to the Rapture, thus expressing the hope that the Lord would return during his lifetime."125
In other words Paul meant that he hoped he would live to experience the Rapture, the "out-resurrection from among the dead,"rather than dying. The verb katavtao("attain") means to come to, to arrive at, or to attain to something.
Another view is that Paul hoped he would arrive at and participate in the resurrection that will happen at the Rapture rather than experiencing translation while still alive. To do this he would have to die before the Rapture. Maybe the apostle wanted to die and experience resurrection rather than translation because if he experienced resurrection he could better share the experiences of his Savior. Paul evidently expected the Rapture to happen before he died (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Perhaps he wanted to die before the Rapture. This may have been another dilemma for him in which he saw advantages in either case (cf. 1:23-24). This view seems unlikely, however, since elsewhere Paul spoke of death as an enemy that everyone seeks to avoid (1 Cor. 15:54-57).
Another possibility is that Paul meant faithful Christians will experience a better resurrection than unfaithful believers.
"The out-resurrection is a special reward which only faithful believers will receive. While the exact nature of that reward is unclear here, it can generally be understood as a sort of abundance of life. All believers will be resurrected and have joy forever. Faithful believers only will obtain this out-resurrection and have abundance of joy forever. Hebrews 11:35 is instructive here. It speaks of believers who were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.' All believers will be resurrected, but there is a better one for those who endure. Obviously this out-resurrection is something which is capable of many degrees depending on the measure of one's faithfulness. Thus the degree to which we are faithful to use our talents, treasures, gifts, abilities, resources, and opportunities in life to please Him is the degree to which we will obtain this out-resurrection abundance of life."126
There is no question that there will be differences of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12-15). However there is no other Scripture that teaches a difference in the resurrection of faithful and unfaithful believers. It seems strange that if Paul wanted to distinguish between faithful and unfaithful believers here he would use the resurrection to do so. Other Scripture points to the judgment seat of Christ as the time when God will make this distinction, not the resurrection. Moreover the term "out-resurrection"seems to stress separation from others at the time of resurrection rather than separation from others following resurrection.
Robert Wilkin, the writer quoted above, later changed his view and adopted the "spiritual resurrection view."
"The spiritual resurrection view posits that the out-resurrection refers to the attainment of Christlike character in this life."127
However exanastasisseems to be a very unusual word to use to describe the attainment of Christlike character. I prefer the view that the "out-resurrection"refers to the Rapture.
3:12 Paul had said that he had not already grasped the intimate knowledge of His Savior that he sought to obtain (v. 10). He did not want his readers to understand him as saying that his conversion brought him into the intimate personal relationship with Christ that he desired. At conversion his views about what is important in life changed drastically, however. He did not believe he was perfect. There are some Christians who believe that after conversion they do not sin (cf. 1 John 1:6-10).
Paul realized his responsibility to pursue greater personal experiential knowledge of Christ, intimacy with Christ, conformity to Christ, and holiness. One of the reasons that God has saved us is that we might enjoy fellowship with Christ (John 15; 1 John 1:1-3). Practical sanctification does not come automatically by faith as justification and glorification do. We must pursue it diligently by following the Lord (vv. 13-15; cf. Gal. 5:16; 2 Pet. 1:5-11).
"To know the incomprehensible greatness of Christ demands a lifetime of arduous inquiry."128
"A divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress."129
3:13 Again Paul disclaimed having attained conformity to Christ. He viewed his experience as similar to a runner's. He did not look back. The apostle did not mean that he refused to remember things that had happened to him in the past. He had just reviewed some of those things. He meant that he did not rest in his heritage (vv. 5-7) or in his past attainments (vv. 9-12). He had abandoned the unworthy goal that he had pursued in the past. Now he had a new goal toward which he was looking and running.
"Forget those wrongs done, e.g. the persecution of the church (v 6), and so on, whose memory could paralyze one with guilt and despair. Forget, too, those attainments so far achieved as a Christian, the recollection of which might cause one to put life into neutral and to say, I have arrived.' Forget in such a way that the past, good or bad, will have no negative bearing on one's present spiritual growth or conduct."130
3:14 Paul's goal (Gr. skopos, lit. goal marker, the post at the end of the course on which the runner fixes his gaze) was complete knowledge of Christ. He would receive a prize when he reached that goal. He would only reach that goal when he entered the Lord's presence and saw Him face to face (1 John 3:2-3). Nevertheless he pursued the goal while living on the earth because he wanted to get to know the Lord as well as possible before dying.
The prize would come at the end of the race, when he had attained the goal, but not before then. Therefore "the prize of the upward call"probably does not refer to the Rapture. There is another reason this is not a proper identification. The Rapture is not a reward. God will catch up (rapture) into heaven every living Christian regardless of how he or she has run the race (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17). The prize probably refers to the reward faithful believers will receive at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). God has called every believer to salvation so we mayobtain that prize. However only those who run the race as Paul did, namely to gain an ever increasing experiential knowledge of Christ, willobtain it (1 Cor. 9:24).
"Each believer is on the track; each has a special lane in which to run; and each has a goal to achieve. If we reach the goal the way God has planned, then we receive a reward. If we fail, we lose the reward, but we do not lose our citizenship."131
"In keeping with the vivid imagery drawn from the Greek games that pervades this section there is still another explanation of the upward call' that seems the most reasonable explanation of all. It sees in the expression tes ano kleseos["the upward call"] an allusion to the fact that the Olympian games, which included foot-races, where organized and presided over by agonothetes, highly respected officers called Hellenodikai. After each event they had a herald announce the name of the victor, his father's name and his country, and the athlete or charioteer would come and receive a palm branch at their hands' (G. Glotz, Hellenodikai,' in C. Daremberg and E. Saglio [eds.], Dictionnaire des antiqus grecques et romaines[Paris: Hachette, 1900-1963] 3,1, 60-64). This is the call to which Paul is now alluding (Collange)."132
3:15 In conclusion, Paul urged those who were mature among his readers to recognize that what he had said was true. He also promised that God would enlighten those who think differently about minor matters if their attitude was right.
"The sentence is thus predicated on their mutual friendship and mutual trust, which is so secure that Paul can simply leave it in God's hands to reveal' to them what further understanding they may need on matters wherein they might not be ready fully to agree with him."133
"Perfect"(NASB) means "mature"(NIV, Gr. teleios). It does not mean sinless. In verse 12 Paul used the same root word and claimed he was not perfect. Probably there he meant that he was not absolutely perfect or mature, and here he meant that he was relatively mature compared to the immature.134He may have been using "perfect"here somewhat ironically.
". . . for the time being true Christian perfection consists only in striving for perfection.'"135
3:16 All Christians, but especially the immature who are in view here, need to maintain a consistent life in harmony with our understanding of God's truth. We should not wait until we have a complete knowledge of what God has revealed to put into practice what we do understand.
3:17 This verse is transitional. It applies equally well to what precedes and to what follows.
Paul's advice might appear to some as egocentric. Nonetheless the reason he encouraged others to follow his example was that he was following Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1). Those who walked after Paul's pattern of life included Timothy and Epaphroditus. In Philippians Paul typically gave warnings and then followed them up with encouragements in the form of good examples.
"At issue throughout is living a cruciform existence, discipleship marked by the cross and evidenced by suffering on behalf of Christ."136
Paul introduced this section with an exhortation to rejoice (v. 1) and a warning against Judaizing false teachers who would rob the readers of their joy (v. 2). He then explained his own view of the Christian life (vv. 3-14) and gave a final admonition to adopt his attitude (vv. 15-17). This was appropriate since his view differed radically from what the Judaizers taught, and it expressed the mind of Christ (2:5-11).
Paul had previously used the examples of Jesus Christ (2:5-11), himself (2:17-18), Timothy (2:19-24), and Epaphroditus (2:25-30) to challenge his readers. In this section his own example encourages us again to make Jesus Christ the focus of our lives. Many Christians are not very effective because they try to do too many different things. Paul had one clearly defined goal in relation to Christ: to get to know His Savior better and better.
Another threat to the joy and spiritual development of the Philippians was people who advocated lawless living. This is, of course, the opposite extreme from what the Judaizers taught (v. 2). Paul warned his readers of this danger next. These verses give the reason for Paul's exhortation in verse 17.
3:18 Who these enemies were becomes clear in the next verse. Here we learn that there were many of them though they were probably not in the Philippian church or Paul would probably have addressed them differently. These individuals caused the apostle much grief because they misled Christians. Perhaps he described them as enemies of the cross because what they taught was contrary to the spirit of obedience to God that had led Jesus to the cross (cf. v. 10).
3:19 The context does not specify whether these people were Christians or not, but antinomianism was common among both groups in Paul's day as it is today.137Consequently we should probably understand "destruction"in a general sense. The same Greek word (apoleia) occurs in 1:28 where it probably refers to unbelievers and eternal destruction. Nevertheless believers can experience premature death as discipline if they continue to resist the will of God (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16).
Three characteristics mark these people (cf. vv. 2-3). First, they give free rein to the satisfaction of their sensual appetites and do not restrain the flesh (cf. Rom. 16:18; 1 Cor. 6:13; Jude 11). Second, they find satisfaction and take pride in things that they do that should cause them shame (cf. Eph. 5:12). Third, they involve themselves almost totally in physical and material things, things pertaining to the present enjoyment of life, to the exclusion of spiritual matters. In short, their ritualistic observances had taken God's place in their lives. They had become idolaters.
"He [Paul] is probably describing some itinerants, whose view of the faith is such that it allows them a great deal of undisciplined self-indulgence. . . . In any case, they have not appeared heretofore in the letter, and do not appear again. They have served their immediate purpose of standing in sharp relief to Paul's own walk' and to his heavenly pursuit, so crucial to this letter, and toward which Paul now turns once more as he begins to draw this appeal to an end."138
3:20 The reason we should follow Paul's example and not that of these sensualists is that as Christians we have a citizenship in heaven as well as one on earth. Our heavenly citizenship and destiny are far more important than our brief earthly sojourn (cf. Gal. 4:26; Heb. 11:10). The Roman citizenship the Philippians enjoyed meant a great deal to them (Acts 16:12, 21). All believers need to learn to live as foreigners and pilgrims on this earth (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11).139
"Jews expect perfection now by keeping the Law; Christians yearn for the future at which time perfection will be achieved."140
The Greek word apekdechometha, translated "look for,"is a strong compound.
"The compound emphasizes the intense yearning for the Parousia . . ."141
"The expectation of the Lord's personal and imminent return gave joy and power to the early Christians and to the Christian communities."142
Furthermore it is from our heavenly kingdom that a Savior will come to deliver us out of this present evil world and take us to our home with Him above (John 14:1-2). The prospect of our Lord's return should motivate us to live as citizens of heaven even while we are still on earth (1 John 3:2-3).
". . . Paul prefers justification' to describe what has already been done in the Christian by God's action in Christ, while he reserves salvation' for what yet remains to be done (Beare; cf. Rom 5:9-10)."143
3:21 When Christ returns for us at the Rapture He will transform our present mortal bodies into immortal bodies such as our Lord's resurrected body. The comparison between these two bodies is striking. One is lowly, weak, and susceptible to all kinds of evil influences. The idea that it is sinful, which the AV implies by using the word "vile,"is absent in the Greek word (tapeinoseos). The other new body will be glorious, more expressive of our true state as the children of God, and incorruptible. This transformation will occur whether we are alive or dead when the Lord returns (1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 5:9-10).
This amazing change will transpire because of the same divine power by which God will eventually subject everything in the universe to Himself.
The key word "Therefore"(Gr. hoste) and the repetition of "stand firm"(cf. 1:27) point to a conclusion of the main subject. This verse begins the rather protracted conclusion of the letter. The apostle did not want his readers to lose their balance and tumble spiritually because of bad influences. Instead he wanted them to adopt the mind of Christ as he had and so continue with him in the partnership of the gospel.
Paul's strong affection for the Philippian Christians comes through very clearly in this verse. He called them "brethren"four times (1:12; 3:1, 17; 4:8), "beloved"twice (2:12 and here), and "beloved brethren"once (here). Again he affirmed his desire to visit Philippi and see them again (cf. 1:8; 2:24). Moreover he referred to them as his present source of joy and his future crown when he would stand before the judgment seat of Christ. He would receive a reward for establishing them in the faith.144
In this section on walking steadfastly (3:1-4:1) Paul urged his readers to rejoice in the Lord and warned them about false teaching of two kinds that would limit their joy. On the one hand, there was teaching from Judaizers, some of whom may have been Christians but most of whom were probably not. These false teachers wanted to limit the Philippians' legitimate liberty by persuading them to submit to laws that God did not intend to govern them. On the other hand, there were antinomians, many of whom seem to have been believers but some of whom may not have been. They were urging the abandonment of legitimate law and were advocating self-indulgence. Paul's example in the middle section of chapter 3 (vv. 4b-16) provides a path that leads us safely between these extremes.
Standing firm involves living in harmony with one another (vv. 2-3), rejoicing on all occasions (vv. 4-7), and developing the quality of sweet reasonableness (vv. 8-9). This is clear because three imperatives in the Greek text explain "so stand firm"or "stand firm thus"(Gr. houtos).
