Paul communicates to the Philippian believers that he, & they, are not perfect, but are perfectly perfectible in Christ.
[This discussion can be read aloud in 10 min.]
Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 76
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DAY 76/TUESDAY
Philippians 3:10-16
Perfectly Perfectible
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Philippians 3:10-16 (NIV)
*Click here to read the NIV, NLT, MSG, & ESV parallel.
Q & A
Q: What has Paul not obtained already?
A: [v.12] “All this”
Q: “All this” refers to what?
A: [v.10] Fully knowing Christ, even being resurrected one day like Him
Q: At what has Paul not already arrived?
A: [v.12] His goal
Q: What is Paul’s goal?/What does Paul “press on” to do?
A: [v.12] “Take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”
Q: Does Paul consider himself to have taken hold of his goal yet?
A: [v.13] No. He says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
Q: The “one thing” that Paul does is what?
A: [v.14] Paul presses on “toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [him] heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Q: How does Paul “press on”?
A: [v.13] By “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”
Bible Study Skill: Using Paraphrases
To help us think through Philippians 3:10-14 a little more, let’s read two paraphrases. Remember:
“Paraphrases, such as the NLT or The Message, attempt to take the original language and ask ‘What does it mean?’ They interpret. Paraphrases can be useful but should be regarded as commentary (man’s interpretation of God’s words). Paraphrases are best consulted after careful study of an actual translation.”
Jen Wilkin, Women of the Word, p.94 (2014)
Now that we’ve done a Q & A using the NIV translation, let’s consult the NLT (New Living Translation) & the MSG (The Message).
NLT:
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, 11so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Philippians 3:10-14 (NLT)
In this paraphrase, we see Paul talking about reaching perfection. In v.12, it says “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Compare that to the NIV we read above: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” So, the NLT paraphrase is concluding that Paul’s goal is perfection.
MSG:
“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”
Philippians 3:10-14 (MSG)
The Message phrases Paul’s goal as having it “all together,” having “it made.” Paul has not reached this goal, but is described as being well on his way to it.
Progressing through a Perfection Process
The most important takeaway for us is probably the idea of progression through a process. No matter which translation or paraphrase we read, Paul is expressing that he has a goal, is working to reach it, and has not yet reached it.
Paul was not perfect… yet. He was, however, anticipating a day in which he would be perfected in Christ. If Paul the church-planting, gospel-spreading, letter-writing, long-suffering super-apostle was not yet perfect as he wrote these Holy Spirit-inspired words to the Philippians, ain’t nobody perfect!
This should be received as both a relief and a challenge for us.
- Relief: God does not expect perfection from us!
- Challenge: God does expect us to pursue Christ’s perfection.
Be Perfect?
Jesus said,
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
This verse tends to freak people out. Let’s consult our paraphrases again.
NLT:
“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 (NLT)
OK. This is basically the same as the NIV. On to The Message!
MSG:
“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
Matthew 5:48 (MSG)
The Message paraphrase is implying that “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 is more like complete & mature rather than flawless.
Perfect Like Jesus
“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for Whom and through Whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He (Jesus) suffered.”
Hebrews 2:10 (NIV)
How could Jesus be made perfect? Since He is part of the Trinity as God the Son, He is & always has been & ever will be perfect… by some definitions of perfect. As we saw above, there is a flawless type of perfection but there is also a process of perfection by which someone completes something or becomes complete. Let’s look to our paraphrases again.
NLT:
“God, for Whom and through Whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”
Hebrews 2:10 (NLT)
MSG:
“It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as He leads all these people to glory.”
Hebrews 2:10 (MSG)
The NLT comments that God made Jesus a perfect leader through His suffering.
The Message dubs Jesus “the Salvation Pioneer” and, much like the NLT, says His perfection comes through His suffering as He leads.
There was a time before Jesus ever led anyone. There was also a time before He suffered on the cross for our sins. His perfection through suffering refers to Jesus completing God’s plan for His life here on earth.
I appreciate how The ESV Study Bible commentary puts it:
“The concept of making perfect is applied elsewhere in Hebrews both to Jesus Himself (5:9; 7:28) and to His work in sanctifying His followers (10:14; 12:23). In saying that Jesus was made perfect, the author is not suggesting that Jesus was sinful (cf.4:15; 7:26) but that as He lived His life, His maturity and experience deepened, yet always with full obedience to the Father. As a human being, He needed to live His life and obey God (which He did perfectly) to become the perfect sacrifice for sins.”
The ESV Study Bible (2008; 2016 text ed.)
Now, you may be thinking, “All right, I see that there are different definitions of perfect at work here. But how does this apply to Paul, to our Philippians passage, or to me?” I’m so glad you asked.
Just as Jesus was obedient in completing God’s plan for His life, we are called & commanded to be obedient to God’s plan for our lives.
Already Made Perfect; Being Made Holy
“For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)
Writer Holley Gerth admits to a longtime struggle against perfectionism — thinking you have to be perfect all the time, doing each & every task in your life without the tiniest mistake, living every moment without the slightest flaw in your behavior or your attitude.
She cites Hebrews 10:14 as the verse that helped her discover the truth about the kind of perfect God is calling us to be in Christ.
“Every time I heard those words [‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,’ (Matt. 5:48)], I thought about how I was falling short and must try harder.
But I finally decided to look a little closer at what the verse might really mean. I looked for other verses that used the word perfect. Lo and behold, look what was hiding in Hebrews: ‘By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy’ (10:14). What? I’ve already been made perfect? I thought at first my Bible might have had a typo. But it turns out it’s true. I’ve already been made perfect…
Here’s how it works. There’s only One who is perfect. To be perfect, I’d have to be Him. But wait — ‘I no longer live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal. 2:20). When I gave my life to Jesus, He gave His to me too. In God’s eyes, I’m as perfect as Christ. All that sin? It’s settled once and for all…
Does that mean we’re off the hook and can do whatever we want? Nope, that’s where the second part of the verse from Hebrews comes in. We’ve been made perfect — check — but we’re still in the process of being made holy. God’s goal in our lives is growth.”
Holley Gerth, You’re Already Amazing, p.45,46 (2012)
Sanctification: A Transformation Process
This is what Paul is expressing in Philippians 3:10-16. The theological term for it is sanctification: “transformation into the image of Christ” (The ESV Study Bible, Biblical Doctrine: An Overview – The Holy Spirit). This transformation is not instantaneous; rather, it takes the entire earthly lifetime of the believer from the moment they receive the Holy Spirit until they draw their last breath.
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)
What is behind? Imperfection, un-holiness, & incompleteness (and many other things, including slavery to sin & being spiritually dead!) before meeting & receiving Christ
What is ahead? Holy completeness in becoming the image of Christ (glorification)
Right now? Perfect standing before God in Christ (justification) and pressing on to be made holy with Christ by the Holy Spirit (sanctification)
DAY 76/TUESDAY Prayer
“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
II Corinthians 7:1 (NIV)
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
We are grateful that You do not expect us to be perfect except in our standing before You in Christ. Thank You that, in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, we are perfectly perfectible! Continue transforming us day by day into the very image of Christ.
Since we have these promises from You, Lord, we pray we will follow through in obedience and “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for” You (II Cor. 7:1).
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 76: Paul communicates to the Philippian believers that he, & they, are not perfect, but are perfectly perfectible in Christ.