Philippians 3:4-21

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:7

‘Howbeit what things were gains to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.’ The things that he has described were the things that he had treasured and relied on. They had been his life. They had meant everything to him, and he had hoped that eventually they might result in him finding eternal life. He saw them as his great assets, his ‘gains’, assiduously built up bit by bit. But then he had faced up to Jesus Christ and had recognised their folly. From then on he had seen all his gains as... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:8

‘Yes truly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ,’ Yes, truly, he had counted, and now did count, all his past achievements and struggles as loss, all that he had held dear as dross, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his LORD. And for His sake he had experienced the loss of all things, counting them as rubbish fit only for... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:9

‘And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ (or ‘the faithfulness of Christ’), the righteousness which is from God by faith,’ For in Christ he has been provided with a righteousness that surpassed any righteousness that he himself had built up, a righteousness that was total and complete, the very righteousness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 3:24-28). It was a ‘gift of... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:10

‘To know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the sharing in common of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death,’ In these words Paul’s whole desire is summed up, to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing in common of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death. In other words he wants to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) more and more in such a way as to be a continual partaker with Him of what He Himself experienced, recognising that by... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:10-21

His Knowing Of Christ Involves Participation With Him In The Power Of His Resurrection, And Equal Participation With Him in His Sufferings, By Himself Recognising That He Has Died With Christ. And His Aim Is To Participate In The Resurrection From The Dead (Philippians 3:10-21 ). In The New Testament the power of Christ’s resurrection is seen as an effective transforming power. It is through that power that in Christ God will, from start to finish, bring about the whole salvation of the whole... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:11

‘If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.’ ‘If by any means’ indicates that Paul was ready for anything as long as it resulted in his attaining the resurrection from among the dead. He did not mind what was demanded of him as long as he achieved his goal. (He had had the same desire as a Pharisee, but had then been going about it the wrong way). Some people are baffled by the word ‘attain’ used here because their minds think in terms of trying to achieve it by merit of... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:12

‘Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect, but I press on, if indeed I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus.’ These words would seem to confirm the view that the final resurrection is in mind, for Philippians 3:21 describes when it is that he and all God’s true people will become perfect, and that is at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Thus while he has certainly experienced a spiritual resurrection (John 5:24; Ephesians 2:1-4), he... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:13-14

‘Brothers, I count not myself yet to have laid hold, but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ In contrast with the false teachers Paul does not see himself as having laid hold of the totality of salvation. But what he does see himself as having done, and as continuing to do, having put out of his mind what is in the past, ‘the things... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:15

‘Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also will God reveal to you,’ In Philippians 3:12 Paul declared that he was not already ‘perfect’ (teteleiowmai - to be finished, fully complete). But now he appears to contradict himself. For here he links himself with those who are teleios (perfect, complete, mature). This apparent contradiction arises, however, because while the verb predominantly indicates perfection, it is not... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Philippians 3:16

‘Only, whereunto we have attained, by that same standard let us walk.’ He then exhorts them all that, once they have attained to spiritual maturity, and see things as he does (as the Father has revealed them to him), they must ensure that they continue to walk in accordance with what they have learned. There is to be no slacking off in their spiritual efforts. Christians must be on guard at all times against a diminution in their spiritual state, which can be aided by constant Bible Study,... read more

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