Philippians 3:10-21

10 that I may ¹know Him and ²the power of His resurrection and ³the fellowship of His sufferings, being ⁴conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may ⁵attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already ⁶obtained it or have already ⁷become perfect, but I press on so that I may ⁸lay hold of that for which also I ⁹was laid hold of by ¹⁰Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: ¹¹forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I ¹²press on toward the goal for the prize of the ¹³upward call of God in ¹⁴Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are ¹⁵perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a ¹⁶different attitude, ¹⁷God will reveal that also to you;

16 however, let us keep ¹⁸living by that same standard to which we have attained.

17 Brethren, ¹⁹join * in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the ²⁰pattern you have in us.

18 For ²¹many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even ²²weeping, that they are enemies of ²³the cross of Christ,

19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their ²⁴appetite, and whose ²⁵glory is in their shame, who ²⁶set their minds on earthly things.

20 For ²⁷our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly ²⁸wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

21 who will ²⁹transform the body of our humble state into ³⁰conformity with the ³¹body of His glory, ³²by the exertion of the power that He has even to ³³subject all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:10-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS 3

In this chapter the apostle cautions the Philippians against false teachers, whom he describes as evil men, and exhorts them to walk as they had him, and other faithful ministers for an example. And whereas these judaizing teachers were for drawing them off from Christ, and weakening their joy and glorying in him, he exhorts them in the first place to rejoice in Christ, Php 3:1, and to beware of them, whom he describes as dogs, as evil workers, as the concision, Php 3:2, and opposes to them the characters of real saints, who are truly what they vainly boasted of, really circumcised persons in a Gospel sense, spiritual worshippers of God, joyful believers in Christ, and such as placed no confidence in outward things, Php 3:3, This the apostle illustrates in his own case, who had as much reason for trusting in such things as any man whatever, Php 3:4, of which he gives an enumeration in several particulars, Php 3:5,6, upon which he passes his judgment, and shows of what account, and in what esteem they were with him before, and now; that formerly they were reckoned gain, but now loss, Php 3:7, and which he explains as referring to every thing short of Christ, and in comparison of the knowledge of him, and which he preferred to everything; and this he confirms by his willingness to suffer the loss of all things for him; his ends in which were, that he might win him, and be found in him, without his own righteousness, that legal one the false teachers extolled, and with the righteousness of God which faith receives, and is the only justifying one; and that he might know more of him, feel more of his power, have more fellowship with him, and conformity to him, Php 3:8-10. His view in all which was, that he might attain to that glorious and happy state of the resurrection of the dead in Christ, Php 3:11, and to prevent mistakes, and anticipate an objection that might be made to him, as if he ascribed perfection to himself in the present state, he owns he had not arrived to it: all he meant was, that it was his desire to enjoy that which Christ had laid hold on him for; in order to which he buried in oblivion what was past, looking and pressing to things before hint, even to Christ, and the glory he was called unto, which was with him, Php 3:12-14. Next follow various exhortations, as to be of the same mind with the apostle in pressing after spiritual and heavenly things, to which he exhorts those that had a greater knowledge of them than others; and who, though otherwise minded, the apostle was persuaded would have, the same revealed to them, Php 3:15, and both he exhorts, according to their different attainments, to walk by the same rule and mind the same thing, Php 3:16, and to be followers of him, and of them that walked after his example, Php 3:17, giving this as a reason, because there were men who walked otherwise, to the grief of him, to the dishonour of Christ, and to their own shame and destruction, whom he describes as sensual and earthly minded men, Php 3:18,19, and to engage them to follow him, and others, and not such persons, he draws a character of them opposite unto them; that whereas the minds of those others were carnal and earthly, their minds were spiritual and heavenly; their conversation was in heaven, and they were waiting for Christ from hence, Php 3:20, and the blessedness they expect from him then, is the resurrection of their bodies, which is illustrated by the efficient cause of it, Christ; the subject of it, their vile bodies, as in this lifts, and in the grave; the exemplar and pattern of it, the glorious body of Christ; and the means by which it will be effected, the energy and power of Christ, who is omnipotent, Php 3:21.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 9:23; John 17:3; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:8; 2 Peter 1:3
• 2. Romans 6:5
• 3. Romans 8:17
• 4. Romans 6:5; Romans 8:36; Galatians 6:17
• 5. Acts 26:7; 1 Corinthians 15:23; Revelation 20:5
• 6. 1 Corinthians 9:24; 1 Timothy 6:12, 19
• 7. 1 Corinthians 13:10
• 8. 1 Timothy 6:12, 19
• 9. Acts 9:5
• 10. Romans 8:39; Philippians 1:1; Philippians 3:3, 8
• 11. Luke 9:62
• 12. 1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 6:1
• 13. Romans 8:28; Romans 11:29; 2 Timothy 1:9
• 14. Philippians 3:3
• 15. Matthew 5:48; 1 Corinthians 2:6
• 16. Galatians 5:10
• 17. John 6:45; Ephesians 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:9
• 18. Galatians 6:16
• 19. 1 Corinthians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 4:9
• 20. 1 Peter 5:3
• 21. 2 Corinthians 11:13
• 22. Acts 20:31
• 23. Galatians 6:14
• 24. Romans 16:18; Titus 1:12
• 25. Romans 6:21; Jude 13
• 26. Romans 8:5; Colossians 3:2
• 27. Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 1:27; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 12:22
• 28. 1 Corinthians 1:7
• 29. 1 Corinthians 15:43-53
• 30. Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:4
• 31. 1 Corinthians 15:43, 49
• 32. Ephesians 1:19
• 33. 1 Corinthians 15:28

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "participation in"
• [b]. Lit "if somehow"
• [c]. Lit "if I may even"
• [d]. Or "because also"
• [e]. Or "mature"
• [f]. Lit "following in line"
• [g]. Lit "belly"
• [h]. Lit "commonwealth"
• [i]. Or "our lowly body"
• [j]. Or "His glorious body"