Pressing Into Christ

After having given extensive encouragement and examples regarding humility, Paul took a moment to digress into some warnings before he launched into the main point of his letter—to press on toward the goal.

The Worship of Him (1-3)

Before Paul launched into his warning about inflating a life of faith with self-confidence, he urged the church to spend a moment rejoicing (1). Rejoicing was the common theme of his letter (1:18; 2:17-18; 3:1; 4:4) and all the more important before grappling with a light rebuke from their father in the faith. 

He was going to repeat a theme they had heard over and over again. This theme he never tired of recounting. 

It was a warning concerning the circumcised people adding to their faith the pride of being more acceptable because they were circumcised. 

Paul called those who encouraged such a ritual proud and overly confident. He referred to them as “dogs” and “evildoers.” Jews called Gentiles unclean dogs. Paul was denouncing those who seek privilege with God based on some Jewish ritual as being the real dogs. 

Paul deemed the ritual of circumcision, when for the cause of being more acceptable to God, an act of mutilation (1-2). He reminded the Philippians that their circumcision was a spiritual one. The circumcision of the heart, leading them to deny being controlled by emotional impulses and instead give their hearts to expressing glory to God, was Spirit-filled worship (3).

Faith in Jesus (4-9)

Paul then gave a personal example of what pride in being circumcised looks and sounds like:

• “I am as or even more righteous than others” (4).

• “I went through the essential rituals necessary to be acceptable to God (circumcision).” 

• “I was ritualized on the eighth day, meaning I was born into this thing. I’m no proselyte.” 

• “I was raised in church (my tribe Benjamin, my nation Israel).”

• “I know the culture of the church (I’m Hebrew) and was raised in church culture (of the Hebrews)” (5).

• “I am an accomplished theologian (Pharisee).”

• “I hate and demonize those who are not of God’s people and do so with zeal.”

• “I live by the rules (under the Law)” (6).

Paul then promptly declared that what he had gained on his own merit he forfeited as the giving up of nothing for the sake of Christ (7). 

Paul even threw away what he didn't accomplish but was the result of what others had done. It was all worthless garbage to Paul. 

Rule-keeping righteousness was useless to God, so it had become useless to Paul. Paul was devoted to knowing Christ, not learning certain God-pleasing ethics born of pride. Paul sought a righteousness dependent on faith. Paul voluntarily suffered everything as a loss to know Christ. 

Then, on second thought, Paul declared all the loss he had suffered was of no value at all. His losses were nothing more than animal waste, essentially cow poop. How could losing animal waste be an act of suffering? (8)

Paul wanted nothing to do with a righteousness of his own making, coming from rule-keeping and good-ethics living. He wanted a righteousness that formed in his life as he personally put his full-faith surrender in Christ (9).

Knowing Christ (10-11)

Paul moved into the heart of his letter by declaring what he wanted more than all else, “to know Him.” Not just to know Christ in a general way, but to know Him through the “power of His Resurrection.” He was more than willing to do it by “sharing in His sufferings,” and even to “become like Him in His death” so he may “by any means possible be raised from the dead.” 

This is a loaded verse. Paul was yearning for an intimate relationship with Christ, knowing the only way to really experience Jesus' life was to wade into the same kind of suffering Jesus experienced. Paul wanted to become like Him. The words “becoming like Him” could be translated into “being conformed inwardly” (10). Paul was ready for anything, even death, if it would conform him inwardly to being like Christ. 

He wanted the same resurrection-life Jesus had experienced. Paul wanted nothing to separate him from Christ and was willing to go through whatever was necessary to really know and experience Jesus in every way. He wanted to experience the Jesus-life while still alive in his mortal body. This is love language at its deepest and most intimate level (11). 

Completed in Christ (12-16) 

Paul then revealed a secret about what his eye was focused upon—“perfection.” Not “perfect” like we think; a better word might be “complete.” Paul was seeking to be the person God had originally designed him to be, the person he was becoming for eternity (12). 

Paul forgot the person of his old identity and focused completely on who he was in Christ (13). Paul was “pressing toward the upward person,” the complete person he would be in eternity; he was “pressing” into being the person fashioned to look every bit like Christ. He had not attained it, but he was pressing with every spiritual sinew in that direction. 

He pressed into that life, that identity as a calling from Christ. Jesus was the Master of his identity and the Love of his heart. Jesus was his only pursuit (14). 

Paul commented that “all who are maturing should think this way” and hold true to what they have become in Christ. If they needed any correction, then God would be faithful to adjust their thinking about themselves (15-16).

Imitating Christ (17-19) 

Paul expressed the basic difference between Law-keeping and Jesus-following. In keeping the Law, one’s focus is on adhering to rules; in following Jesus, one’s focus is on following His example. 

Paul was clear: learning to follow Jesus begins by following the example of those who take up their cross and follow Jesus (17). 

Paul warned readers of those who refuse to take up their cross and instead follow their appetites. These are enemies of the cross; their god is doing what makes them feel momentarily satisfied. They brag about their own accomplishments, which should embarrass them. Further, they are obsessed with this material world (18-19).

Transformation in Christ (20-21) 

Paul then revealed what he ultimately was looking for in all of this following of Jesus—his ultimate citizenship, a transformed resurrection body, just like the one Jesus has. 

Paul knew Jesus could do it for He had been given the power to bring everything under God's control, even Paul’s mortal body (20-21).