Philippians 3:12-16
12: Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13: Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15: Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16: however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Paul was not claiming to have already known and obtained the power of resurrection from the dead, or the full knowledge of Christ, and His suffering and resurrection. Yet he pressed on so he may “lay hold of that for which also (he) was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” In other words, for whatever reason Jesus got a hold of Paul, he wanted to get a hold of that as well. There was a purpose, a reason, a calling that the Lord took hold of Paul for and he wanted to fulfil that purpose. He wanted to reach that goal.
He knew that reaching the goal wouldn’t just happen on its own. Paul would have to press on through every obstacle to obtain it. He admitted he hadn’t reached it yet, but one thing he did do was to forget the past and reach forward to what lay ahead. He pressed on toward the goal—the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The failures, and even successes, of the past will sometimes interfere with reaching the goal that God has set before us. We have to let those things go, fix our eye on the prize, push through the obstacles, and keep going.
Having said that about himself, Paul then said whoever was mature in Christ should have the same attitude. He told them that if they didn’t, God would show them. We would do well to seek the Lord and ask why He got a hold of us, what is our call, how we can forget the past, and look to the future. Ask Him to help us and provide us with what we need to do our part and fulfill our purpose.
Paul went on to say that even though they were to pursue this upward call, that didn’t mean they should forget what they’d already learned. Paul included himself in this and we should too. We should keep living by the same standard to which we’ve already obtained. We don’t toss out solid truths we’ve already learned to make room for new ones. We build on those solid truths. They are the foundation which will make the whole thing stand. They ground us and keep us from going off into error. They are like the rudder on the boat which keeps us heading in the right direction.
13: Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15: Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16: however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
***
Paul was not claiming to have already known and obtained the power of resurrection from the dead, or the full knowledge of Christ, and His suffering and resurrection. Yet he pressed on so he may “lay hold of that for which also (he) was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” In other words, for whatever reason Jesus got a hold of Paul, he wanted to get a hold of that as well. There was a purpose, a reason, a calling that the Lord took hold of Paul for and he wanted to fulfil that purpose. He wanted to reach that goal.
He knew that reaching the goal wouldn’t just happen on its own. Paul would have to press on through every obstacle to obtain it. He admitted he hadn’t reached it yet, but one thing he did do was to forget the past and reach forward to what lay ahead. He pressed on toward the goal—the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The failures, and even successes, of the past will sometimes interfere with reaching the goal that God has set before us. We have to let those things go, fix our eye on the prize, push through the obstacles, and keep going.
Having said that about himself, Paul then said whoever was mature in Christ should have the same attitude. He told them that if they didn’t, God would show them. We would do well to seek the Lord and ask why He got a hold of us, what is our call, how we can forget the past, and look to the future. Ask Him to help us and provide us with what we need to do our part and fulfill our purpose.
Paul went on to say that even though they were to pursue this upward call, that didn’t mean they should forget what they’d already learned. Paul included himself in this and we should too. We should keep living by the same standard to which we’ve already obtained. We don’t toss out solid truths we’ve already learned to make room for new ones. We build on those solid truths. They are the foundation which will make the whole thing stand. They ground us and keep us from going off into error. They are like the rudder on the boat which keeps us heading in the right direction.
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