Philippians 3:12—4:1

12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken 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 for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you.  16 Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let’s walk by the same rule. Let’s be of the same mind.  

17 Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.  18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,  19 whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.  20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;  21 who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.

1Therefore, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. 

Commentary

The ancient Greek world loved its athletics contests. There were regular Games in many cities, much as we enjoy sporting competitions in football or cricket or baseball. Corinth and Ephesus hosted Games from across the Empire, and of course, the Olympic Games were held every four years in Athens. 

Paul must have been familiar with these contests as he refers to them often in his letters. He uses examples from boxing, running, wrestling, prize-giving among others, to illustrate theological points in many of his letters. 

I don't imagine that Paul was a great sportsman – Jews generally weren’t, and academics less so. But like many preachers, he knows that if you use a sporting example in your sermon, you’ll engage much of the congregation. (Even if they’re mostly lost on me. I know I’m odd. If only preachers knew more about poetry! Then I’d listen eagerly!!!)

In the first three verses of our reading today, Paul uses the image of a runner, striving, pressing on, not giving up, putting in that last bit of energy, to get to the finishing line and win the prize. 

Is that how we see our Christian life? Or would a more accurate metaphor for the way we live out our faith be perhaps one of these: An endurance test? A yawn before sleep? An insurance policy? A social gathering? A useful social club? A guilt-driven duty? …

Paul encourages the Philippians to “be of the same mind” (v16). That is not an admission that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as though truth didn’t matter – rather it is a reminder that the seeking for the prize of the high calling is the only prize worth receiving, and we all need to get to that point.

There’s a curious irony in v17, where Paul suggests we should copy him. We might reasonably respond: “What? And finish up in prison?” 

For Paul, that wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to followers of Jesus. A far worse outcome would be that we stopped imitating Paul’s devotion, and became a bit careless about our faith. Or that we started living and thinking as though this world really was our real home, that fame and fortune and a following on social media actually mattered. In that case, he suggests, we would finish up living as “enemies of the cross of Christ”. I suspect that Paul would find very little in common between Christianity and Instagram.

Such people, he says are those whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things (v19).

Lots of Christian commentators on this verse talk about gluttony and the Epicureans whose motto, they think, was “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”. But this seriously misunderstands the Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who actually taught: “Eat plain bread and vegetables, drink plain water and be merry, for tomorrow you die.” Whilst some of his followers may have adopted a more indulgent approach to feasting and drinking, I still don’t think this is what Paul has in mind here 

Paul was writing to a Roman colony (see more on this idea in a moment!) in a Greek city-state. Greek philosophy and culture were widely understood and certainly Paul was well acquainted with them. The Greek philosophers had developed the idea that the essence of the human soul was to be found in three areas of the human body:

The HEAD: the centre of thoughts, mind (nous) and reason (logos).

The CHEST: the centre of virtues, and right feelings; the source of courage and the best passions such as nobility and honour.

The BELLY: the centre of the lower appetites and desires, such as money, sex, food and entertainment pleasure.

None of these was necessarily bad, but they believed that proper human flourishing required that these three parts of the person be in balance with each other. Each was useful in its own place, but none must be allowed to dominate. They all needed to be kept in a harmonious balance. Wisdom was not merely the ability to think well in the sense of being clever or intelligent – the province of the Head. Philosophy (philos: love + sophia: wisdom) is, literally, the Love of Wisdom. 

Paul is teaching the Philippians that they need to seek godly wisdom, too – and not allow any of these three to get out of balance. The Jews had let the chest get out of balance, by being too nationalistic. The Greeks had let the head get out of balance by seeking too much reason and logic in earthly things. The Romans sometimes let the belly get out of balance by enjoying too much of the good life.

Christians, says Paul, need to seek out the wisdom of God by pressing on toward the prize of knowing Jesus Christ. Why should we do this? Well, that’s easy: because Jesus Christ is where we locate our True Home. He says: For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippi was a Roman colony in Greece – well, Macedonia, really (but that’s still a hot political question 2000 years later for Macedonians!).

To ensure the continuation of the Empire, Rome established colonies all over the known world. Once a man had completed his service in the Roman army (21 years) he would be given a grant of land as a small farm, in a town or district set up as a Roman colony, where he would establish his family in his own villa rustica. His neighbours and many of the local merchants would include similarly-pensioned Romans like himself. 

These towns/centres (Philippi was one) were fiercely patriotic, passionately Roman. They operated on Roman law, enjoyed Roman customs and enjoyed Roman political protection. If you read the story of Paul in Philippi in Acts 16:16-40, with this little piece of Roman social history in mind, you will understand it much better.

So Paul writes to the Philippians, who totally understood what citizenship of a foreign country meant, that their citizenship was in heaven. Their Emperor was in heaven, not in Rome. They were looking forward to the next visit (parousia) of the Emperor from heaven, as the locals might look forward to a visit from Caesar (also known as a parousia). Their rule of law and cultural practice was according to heavenly standards and patterns, not defined by Roman law. Their patterns of life at every point imaginable, MUST be lived not according to local patterns but to that of their Home Country.

So Paul concludes, in our last verse (actually v1 of Chapter 4): This is how you should stand firm in your Christian citizenship in the Lord. They (and we) are to get the balance right between all those daily practical matters, their future planning, and their spiritual priorities.

Although it’s been already quite a long reflection, I can’t leave without pointing to the phrase: my joy and crown. In Greek there are two words for crown: diadema and stephanos.

Diadema is used for a crown that a king or queen would wear – hence our use of the word diadem for a precious stone. A stephanos is the green wreath that an athlete strives for in a race or a competition. 

This completes the metaphor that Paul was using earlier, of “pressing on to win the prize”. A stephanos might also be given to an honoured guest at an important banquet. Perhaps both are in Paul’s mind here. The Philippians are the laurel wreath that he has been striving to win for God, but they and he are also the honoured guests at the heavenly banquet.

However, we cannot help but remember as we read this, that wonderful scene in the very courts of heaven in Revelation 4. The elders bow low before the throne of the Most High God and lay their crowns down before his throne. No doubt they do so because they recognise that in the very presence of the Lamb of God, there is no crown more glorious than his. 

We could hardly do better than to finish our reflection with the words (and the tune in our heads, since we are no longer allowed to sing it in church) of one of Charles Wesley’s greatest hymns, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. Its theme comes straight from this chapter:

 Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be:
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory,
'til in heav'n we take our place,
'til we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Group or Individual Questions for Reflection

1.    Discuss how the Head, Chest and Belly (in Greek terms) play their part in your life.

2.    How well are they in balance?

3.    Which of these would you actually like to improve in either their quality or sense of balance with the others?

4.    Discuss how much your life is lived both in awareness, and practice of your citizenship of heaven.

5.    Can you see room for movement and change in these patterns?

6.    How do you balance your need for responsible planning for the future and your living by heavenly standards?

Passage for Memory:

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the calling to be more Godly in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14.

Prayer Time 

1.    Ask for courage and stickability to stay on course in your Christian faith.

2.    Give thanks for the examples you have in your life around you of those who have been faithful – list these as you think about them, from within your family, your circle of friends and acquaintances, your church, famous or well-known people whom you don’t know personally, but who have been an inspiration to you.

3.    Pray for the courage to think about and to practice your heavenly citizenship.