Press On Toward the Goal
Philippians 3:12-21
God has not completed your salvation, so press on.
#salvation
#God
Published December 21st, 2016
Main point summary
Arc
Notes
notes
Main point summary
Your salvation is not yet complete, so press on in order to avoid destruction and gain glory.
Arc
editing
NT
Philippians 3:12-4:1
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esv
Οὐχ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον
Not that I have already l obtained this
ἢ ἤδη τετελείωμαι,
or m am already perfect,
alternative
διώκω δὲ
but I press on
εἰ καὶ καταλάβω,
to make it my own,
conditional
ἐφʼ ᾧ καὶ κατελήμφθην ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ [Ἰησοῦ].
because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
ground
concessive
ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι•
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.
ἓν δέ,
But one thing I do:
τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος
n forgetting what lies behind
τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος,
and straining forward to what lies ahead,
series
κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
I press on toward the goal for o the prize of the upward p call of God in Christ Jesus.
actionmanner
ideaexplanation
Ὅσοι οὖν τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν•
Let those of us who are q mature think this way,
καὶ εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε,
and if in anything r you think otherwise,
καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψει•
s God will reveal that also to you.
πλὴν εἰς ὃ ἐφθάσαμεν, τῷ αὐτῷ στοιχεῖν.
Only t let us hold true to what we have attained.
progression
Συμμιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί,
Brothers, u join in imitating me,
καὶ σκοπεῖτε τοὺς οὕτως περιπατοῦντας
and keep your eyes on those who walk
καθὼς ἔχετε τύπον ἡμᾶς.
v according to the example you have in us.
comparison
πολλοὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦσιν
For w many,
οὓς πολλάκις ἔλεγον ὑμῖν,
of whom I have often told you
νῦν δὲ καὶ κλαίων λέγω,
and now tell you x even with tears,
generalspecific
τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια,
y Their end is destruction,
ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία
z their god is their belly,
καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν,
and a they glory in their shame,
οἱ τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες.
with b minds set on earthly things.
ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει,
But c our citizenship is in heaven,
ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,
and d from it we e await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ
who will transform f our lowly body g to be like his glorious body,
κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα.
h by the power that enables him even i to subject all things to himself.
inference
Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, οὕτως στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.
Therefore, my brothers, 1 whom I love and j long for, k my joy and l crown, m stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
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discourse
Notes
This passage can be broken into 2 parts: How Paul thinks about his salvation Exhortation for us to think the same way Paul does not consider his salvation complete. Although Paul is sure of God's faithfulness to complete the work he began (Philippians 1:6), he knows that it is not yet complete. Therefore, he must press on toward the goal. Paul then exhorts the Philippians to think this way and to imitate others who think this way. Paul gives two reasons for this: (1) the alternative to thinking this way is destruction, and (2) the result of this kind of thinking this way is glory.
Comments
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