Phil 3:17-21

A.) How does this passage fit together gramatically?

I want to start in verse 16, because that provides the schema that I want to overlay on this passage.

v.17: This verse serves as a spring board into his next section.

What was the point that Paul wanted to make in the previous section?

Paul wants to make sure that nobody thinks that he is perfect.

Look back at verses 7-11

Philippians 3:7–11 CSB

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

What Paul is saying here is impressive, he is saying demonstrating his utter devotion for Christ. A logical assumption from this might be that he is perfect, that he has arrived at his destination., Then we go into verse 12, where he says that he is not perfect.

Paul had to go through the same sanctification that we do. He had to overcome the same sins that we do. When he says “ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,” He understands the disappointments and failures that come in sanctification, So when he encourges us to be holy, and to turn away from sin, we should listen to him as someone who understands what he is requiring.

Now, How do we do this? How are we supposed to be able to know how to be sanctified, because it is one thing to say that we should be sanctified, it is another in figuring out how to get there. Any ideas on how we can be sanctified?

v17: Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us

In order to be sanctified, Paul gives us some guidance. he says that we should imitate him. Because we need help in being sanctified, Paul reccomends discipleship.

v18: Now, the next question that needs to be awnsered is what the heck to do with these verses? Why did Paul think that he needed to say that here. He is not just jotting down random thoughts, he is making a continous arguememnt, and, to me atleast, 18 and 19 seem like they dont really belong here, so why are they here?

Any ideas?

well, the word “ for” here indicates that Paul is intending some sort of relationship between these two verses and what came before.

I think that It is providing a point of contrast between the two people who are in the world. Paul is trying to say that there are two different kinds of people that they can imitate. There are the people like Paul, and there are the people who he describes

Philippians 3:18–19 CSB

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,

An example of this can be found in the OT.

1 Kings 12:1–11 CSB

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it, he stayed in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence. Jeroboam stayed in Egypt. But they summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: “Your father made our yoke harsh. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people left. Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?” They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him. He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to this people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” The young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’ ”

What happens next?

Rheaboam takes the advice of the young men, and this causes the kingdom of Israel to divide into Judah and Israel.

This story is not a perfect analagy, however, in the story, the elders are like Paul, they gave good advice, and the young men are like the ones that Paul describes, they gave selfish advice that led to destruction.

v19:What sort of people is Paul warning against? It is people who focus on earthly things rather than earthly things. This could be anyone. It could be your friends who are not Christians, or it could be people in the church who claim to be Christians, however, they do not act like it. You know what sort of people you should follow based on the fruit that they display.

v20: Now, Paul uses another contrast. First, he contrasted himself with the people who focus on earthly things, now he is contrasting those people with us. He is contrasting people who belong to the earth with people who belong to heaven.

Why the contrast?

One thing that this contrast helps with is reminind us why wd should keep striving. One of the things that Paul is saying is that we need to live up to reality. (Explain this, sin forgiven is sing that can be defeated) Another thing is that Paul wants our minds to ve on the ressurection. He wants us to remember that we do not live for this life. Think about how much of your life will be spent on earth. What does the fact that you live for so little time make you want to live for?

v21:

Conclusion