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Philippians 3

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Rejoice and Beware of False Teachers 1–3

1
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe. ​
2
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision: ​
3
for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh: ​

Paul Counts His Pedigree as Loss 4–11

4
though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh: if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more: ​
5
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; ​
6
as touching zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. ​
7
Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. ​
8
Yea verily, 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, ​
9
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith: ​
10
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; ​
11
if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. ​

Straining Toward Spiritual Maturity 12–16

12
Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. ​
13
Brethren, 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, ​
14
I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ​
15
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: ​
16
only, whereunto we have attained, by that same rule let us walk.

Imitate Paul; Focus on Heaven 17–21

17
Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample. ​
18
For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ​
19
whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. ​
20
For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ​
21
who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Philippians 3

Verse 1

rejoice in the Lord — Chairo, 'rejoice', is the command Paul repeats in 4:4, 'Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice'. 'Grievous' is okneros, rendered 'slothful' in Matt 25:26 and Rom 12:11, so 'irksome' here. 'Safe' is asphales, firm or secure, the word of Heb 6:19, 'an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast'.

Verse 2

the concision — Katatome, a cutting down or mutilation, occurs only here. It is set against 'circumcision' (peritome) in v.3. 'Beware' (blepo, to look out for) is repeated three times, over 'dogs' (cf. Isa 56:10, 'dumb dogs'), 'evil workers' (cf. 2 Cor 11:13, 'deceitful workers') and this. Compare Gal 5:12.

Verse 3

we are the circumcision — The sign was meant for the heart from the first: 'the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart… to love the LORD thy God' (Deut 30:6); see Col 2:11, 'the circumcision made without hands'. Its marks are to 'worship God in the spirit' (latreuo), to 'rejoice' (kauchaomai, boast, as in Gal 6:14) in Christ, and to have 'no confidence in the flesh'.

Verse 4

confidence in the flesh — Pepoithesis, trust, shares its root with 'trust' (peitho) in the same verse; 'flesh' here is what birth and record give a man (vv.5–6). Paul claims more than any rival: 'Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I' (2 Cor 11:22). The list that follows is the 'whereof'.

Verse 5

circumcised the eighth day — The day set for Abraham's household (Gen 17:12) and by the law (Lev 12:3), so he was born into the covenant. 'Stock of Israel' and 'tribe of Benjamin' (as Rom 11:1) give his birth; 'as touching the law, a Pharisee' is his own course, which he repeats in Acts 23:6, 'a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee'.

Verse 6

persecuting the church — Dioko, 'to pursue', is the verb of 'follow after' (v.12) and 'press' (v.14): the pursuit that harmed the church is the pursuit of Christ later. His zeal is that of Gal 1:13–14. 'Blameless' (amemptos) is said of Zacharias and Elisabeth in Luke 1:6, 'walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless'.

Verse 7

gain… loss — The words are a ledger: kerdos, profit, against zemia, the damage or loss of ship and cargo in Acts 27:10, 21. What Paul listed in vv.5–6 stood on the credit side; he 'counted' (hegeomai, to reckon, in the perfect tense) them loss 'for Christ'. Christ's own pairing of gain and loss is in Matt 16:26.

Verse 8

dung — Skybalon, refuse or rubbish, occurs only here. 'Win' (kerdaino) is the verb of the noun 'gain' in v.7, and 'suffered the loss' (zemioo) is the verb paired with it in Matt 16:26, 'gain the whole world, and lose his own soul'. 'Excellency' is hyperecho, surpassing, the word of 4:7, 'the peace of God, which passeth all understanding'.

Verse 9

not having mine own righteousness — Two righteousnesses are set against each other: 'mine own… which is of the law', and 'the righteousness which is of God by faith'. 'In him' is where it is held, as in 2 Cor 5:21, 'that we might be made the righteousness of God in him'. By the first measure Paul had been 'blameless' (v.6), and he counted that loss.

Verse 10

being made conformable unto his death — Symmorphizo, to share the form of, occurs only here; its adjective symmorphos is 'fashioned like unto' in v.21 and 'conformed to the image of his Son' in Rom 8:29. 'Fellowship' is koinonia, a sharing. The sharing of suffering leads to glory: 'if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together' (Rom 8:17).

Verse 11

the resurrection of the dead — Exanastasis, 'resurrection out from', occurs only here; v.10 has the usual anastasis. 'If by any means' is the language of earnest pursuit, spelled out in vv.12–14, with Christ's promise behind it (cf. 1:6). 'Attain' is katantao, to arrive, as in Eph 4:13, 'Till we all come in the unity of the faith'.

Verse 12

apprehend… apprehended — Katalambano, 'to lay hold of', is used twice: Paul pursues (dioko, as in v.6) that for which Christ first took hold of him. 'Perfect' is teleioo, to bring to completion; the finished state is what he disclaims, while 'perfect' in v.15 is teleios, mature. The same lay-hold verb is in 1 Cor 9:24, 'So run, that ye may obtain'.

Verse 13

reaching forth — Epekteinomai, 'to stretch out toward', occurs only here, and pictures the runner leaning toward the line. 'I count not myself' uses logizomai, the reckoning-word of Gal 3:6, 'accounted to him for righteousness'. 'This one thing I do' is explained by the two participles, 'forgetting' (epilanthanomai) and 'reaching forth'.

Verse 14

the prize of the high calling — Brabeion, the prize at the end of a race, occurs only here and 1 Cor 9:24, 'they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize'. 'Mark' (skopos), the goal fixed on, is found only here. 'High' is ano, 'above', the word of Col 3:1, 'seek those things which are above', and Gal 4:26.

Verse 15

as many as be perfect — Teleios, complete or full-grown, is used of the mature (1 Cor 2:6, 'wisdom among them that are perfect'; Heb 5:14, 'them that are of full age'), so Paul does not contradict v.12, where he is not 'already perfect'. 'Minded' is phroneo, to set the mind, used twice here. 'God shall reveal even this unto you' (apokalypto).

Verse 17

followers together of me — Symmimetes, fellow-imitators, occurs only here, and Paul asks the same of the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:16). 'Mark' is skopeo, to keep the eye on, the verb of 'considering thyself' in Gal 6:1. 'Ensample' is typos, a pattern, as in 1 Pet 5:3, 'ensamples to the flock'. The pattern is set against those who 'walk' otherwise (v.18).

Verse 18

the enemies of the cross of Christ — Echthros, 'enemy', is the word of Rom 5:10, 'when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God'. Paul tells it 'even weeping' (klaio). The cross is the offence of Gal 5:11 and the cause of the persecution that false teachers avoid in Gal 6:12; those who walk as its enemies stand against the pattern of v.17.

Verse 19

whose God is their belly — Koilia, the belly, stands for appetite as master, as in Rom 16:18, 'they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly'. 'Mind' is phroneo, the verb of v.15, here with 'earthly things' as its object. Their 'end' (telos) is 'destruction' (apoleia), and their 'glory' is in what shames them.

Verse 20

our conversation is in heaven — Politeuma, found only here, is a commonwealth or citizenship; 'conversation' is the KJV's old word for manner of life. Philippi was a 'colony' (Acts 16:12), and the believers' citizenship is above: 'fellowcitizens with the saints' (Eph 2:19). 'Look for' is apekdechomai, to wait eagerly, as in Rom 8:23 and Heb 9:28.

Verse 21

fashioned like unto his glorious body — Symmorphos is the adjective behind 'conformable' in v.10: sharing his death leads to sharing his body. 'Vile' is tapeinosis, lowliness or humiliation (Acts 8:33, 'In his humiliation'), so 'the body of our humiliation'. The power is that by which he will 'subdue all things unto himself' (hypotasso; cf. 1 Cor 15:27).