Philippians 3
3:1 a rejoice in the Lord: This theme is resumed in 4:4 b (see also 1:18 c; 2:17-18 d, 28 e; 4:10 f).• The phrase these things (literally the same things) is ambiguous: it may refer to (1) the immediately preceding encouragement to rejoice in the Lord; (2) the earlier encouragement to follow Christ’s example (2:1-18 g); (3) Paul’s exhortation in general; or (4) the following warning about threats to their faith.
Summary for Phil 3:2-11: 3:2-11 h Paul warns the believers against being influenced by Jewish Christians who argued that circumcision is necessary for salvation. He then talks about his own conversion from Judaism to Christ. 3:2 i those dogs, ... those mutilators: Here Paul reverses the traditional Jewish practice of referring to Gentiles as dogs (cp. Mark 7:27-28 j). Paul’s strongest insults are directed against Jews who preached that Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved (cp. 2 Cor 11:13-15 k; Gal 1:6-9 l; 5:1-6 m, 12 n).
3:3 o Circumcision was understood as identifying the true people of God (see Gen 17:10-14 p), but those who put their trust in Christ are the ones who are truly circumcised in heart (see Rom 2:28-29 q; cp. Jer 4:4 r; Eph 2:11 s; Col 2:11-13 t).
3:4 u in my own effort (literally in the flesh): Paul uses flesh here for self-reliance and human effort in contrast to reliance on Christ and empowerment by the Spirit.
Summary for Phil 3:5-6: 3:5-6 v If anyone could rely on Jewish credentials, Paul could: He practiced the strictest obedience to the Jewish law and was extremely zealous for the Jewish religion. 3:5 w circumcised when I was eight days old: See Gen 17:12 x; Lev 12:3 y; Luke 1:59 z; 2:21 aa.
• Paul was a member of the Pharisees, the Jewish sect known for its strict observance of the law (see Acts 23:6 ab; 26:5 ac).
3:6 ad I harshly persecuted the church (see Acts 8:1-3 ae; 9:1-2 af, 21 ag; Gal 1:13 ah): His actions demonstrated his zeal for Judaism, to which the Good News of Jesus was seen as a threat.
• Paul’s righteousness, as judged by human standards, was another indication of his zeal for the law (see also Gal 1:14 ai; for Paul’s later Christian view, cp. Rom 3:23 aj; 7:14-25 ak).
Summary for Phil 3:7-8: 3:7-8 al As a Christian, Paul now regarded these things (3:5-6 am) as worthless because of what Christ has done: A believer’s relationship with God is defined by knowing Christ (cp. 3:10 an; John 17:3 ao) and nothing else. The only important thing is to gain Christ, thus receiving the gift of eternal salvation (cp. John 3:16 ap; 1 Jn 5:11-13 aq). By comparison, all other things are meaningless garbage (or excrement).
3:9 ar Paul here summarizes the contrast between his understanding of salvation and that of his opponents (3:2 as).
• Believers become one with Christ by trusting him for salvation and sharing his life (cp. John 15:1-5 at).
• We become righteous, not by observing the law of Moses, but through faith in Christ. This is God’s way of making us right with himself: Salvation cannot be earned, but only received as a free gift (see Rom 1:17 au; 3:21-26 av; 4:5-8 aw; Gal 2:16 ax; Eph 2:8-9 ay).
3:10 az to know Christ: In knowing him, a person knows and is accepted by God (cp. 3:7-8 ba; John 1:12-13 bb; 17:3 bc).
• Believers experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead, both now and in eternity (see Rom 6:4-14 bd; 8:10-11 be; Col 3:1-4 bf).
• to suffer with him, sharing in his death: Joined to Christ, a believer has the privilege of experiencing his life and death (see Phil 1:29 bg; 2 Cor 4:10-12 bh; Col 1:24 bi; 1 Pet 4:13-16 bj).
3:11 bk To experience the resurrection from the dead is to be saved from judgment and receive eternal life (see Rev 20:4-6 bl). Paul was aware of God’s holiness and the severity of the final judgment (Rev 20:11-15 bm); he knew he must persevere in his pursuit of Christ and salvation (cp. Gal 5:5 bn).
Summary for Phil 3:12-4:1: 3:12–4:1 bo Using himself as an example, Paul encourages the Philippians to pursue Christ and the hope of heaven with determination and strength.
Summary for Phil 3:13-14: 3:13-14 bp the race: See study note on 2:16.
• Paul was willing to give up everything else for the ultimate goal, the heavenly prize of eternal life.
3:15 bq Those who are spiritually mature (cp. 1 Cor 2:6 br; 3:1 bs) will share Paul’s perspective that eternal things are most important in life (Phil 3:12-14 bt; cp. 2 Cor 4:16-18 bu).
3:16 bv hold on to the progress we have already made: There must be no slipping or reversal; as believers, our conduct must be consistent with our spiritual understanding.
3:17 bw pattern your lives after mine: Paul’s serious pursuit of Christ and the life to which God had called him (3:7-14 bx; 4:9 by; 1 Cor 4:6 bz, 16-17 ca; 11:1 cb; 2 Thes 3:7-9 cc) contrasts markedly with that of the enemies of Christ who are described next (Phil 3:18-19 cd).
3:18 ce The identity of the enemies is not known; they might have been (1) Jews or Jewish Christians proud of their circumcision (as in 3:2 cf), whose emphasis on observant Judaism contradicted the cross of Christ; (2) pseudo-believers living a worldly, immoral life (cp. 3:19 cg); or (3) professing believers who had rejected Paul’s cross-centered view of the Good News. Christ’s crucifixion as a criminal was scandalous and offensive to many (see 1 Cor 1:23 ch; cp. Rom 9:33 ci; 1 Pet 2:8 cj).
3:19 ck Their god is their appetite may refer to their greed, their sensuality, or their self-interest (cp. Rom 16:18 cl).
• they brag about shameful things: This is best understood as a reference to immorality rather than to pride in being circumcised.
• Eternal destruction is the ultimate judgment of God for those who reject Christ and live self-centered, sinful lives (see 2 Thes 1:8-9 cm; cp. Phil 1:28 cn; Matt 7:13 co; Rom 9:22 cp; 1 Cor 1:18 cq; 2 Thes 2:10 cr; 1 Tim 6:9 cs; 2 Pet 2:3 ct, 13 cu; Jude 1:10 cv; Rev 11:18 cw).
• They are unable to see beyond this life (cp. John 12:25 cx; 1 Jn 2:15-17 cy).
3:20 cz By contrast, believers who know their home is in heaven (see Eph 2:19 da) with the Lord Jesus Christ fill their minds with thoughts of heaven (see Col 3:1-2 db; cp. 1 Cor 15:19 dc; 1 Pet 2:11 dd) and Christ’s return (see 1 Cor 1:7 de; Titus 2:13 df).
3:21 dg change them into glorious bodies: See 1 Cor 15:42-54 dh; cp. Rom 8:23 di.
• he will bring everything under his control: See 1 Cor 15:24-27 dj.
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