Pressing on Towards the Goal
"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13Brothers, 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 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 3:12-16)
Here are some of the comments by Tyndale "Life Application Study Bible" (LASB):"3:12-14
Paul says that his goal is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him. This goal adsorbs all Paul's energy. This is a helpful example for us. We should not led anything take our eyes off our goal - knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. What is holding you back?
3:15, 16 Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we can never please God with our lives. Paul used perfect (3:12) to mean mature or complete, not flawless in every detail. Those w ho are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit's power, kn! owing that Christ will reveal and fill in any discrepancy between what we are and what we should be. Christ's provision is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven.
3:16 Christian maturity involves acting on the guidance that you have already received. We can always make excuses that we still have so much to learn. The instruction for us is to live up to what we already know and live out what we have already learned. We do not have to be sidetracked by an unending search for truth."
The 2nd stage is "Perfect Progress" in the table entitled "Three Stages of Perfection" in LASB:
"We can grow and mature spiritually as we continue to trust Christ, ;earn more about him, draw closer to him, and obey him. Our progress is changeable (in contrast to our relationship, as desceibed under "Perfect Relationship", the 1st stage) because it depends on our daily walk - at times in life we ma ture more than at other times. But we are growing toward perfection if we "press on" (Philippians 3:12). These good deeds do not perfect us; rather, as God perfects us, we do good deeds for him. See Philippians 3:1-15." The 3rd stage is "Completely Perfect".
Probably all of us have experienced pain or have inperfections in our body. These varies in the extent of affliction or inconvenience to our daily life. To me, these take the form of a bold head, shortsightness and high blood pressure, etc. Some of us suffer much worse things than me. However, in Jesus we all have hope for a perfect body when He comes and the strength to live an abundant life right now!
During my quiet time I studied the following passage:
17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 4 1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! " (Philippians 3:17-4:1)
Here are some of the comments by Tyndale "Life Application Study Bible":
3:17 Paul challenged the Phillippians to pursue Christlikeness by following Paul's own pattern or example. This did not mean, of course, that they should copy everything he did; he had just stated that he was not perfect (3:12). But as he focused his life on being like Christ, so should they. The Gospls may not yet have been in circulation, so Paul could not tell them to read the Bible to see what Christ was like. Therefore he urged them to imitate him. That Paul could tell people to follow his example is a testimony to his character. Can you do the same? What kind of follower would a new Christian become if he or she imitated you? 3:17-21
Paul criticized not only the Judaizers (see the first note on 2:2, 3), but also the self-indulgent Christians, people who claim to be Christians but don't live up to Christ's model of servanthood and self-sacrifice. These people satisfy their own desires before even thinking about the needs of others. Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to be selfish. It means taking every opportunity to serve and to become the best person you can be. 3:21 The phrase 'lowly body' does not imply any negative attitude toward the human body. However, the bodies we will receive when we are raised from the dead will be glorious, like Christ's resurrected body. Those who struggle with pain, physical limitations, or disabilities can have wonderful hope in the resurrection. For a more detailed discussion of our new bodies, see 1 Corinthians 15:35ff and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10."
The 3rd stage is "Completely Perfect":
"When Christ returns to take us into his eternal kingdom, we will be glorigfied and made completely perfect. See Philippians 3:20, 21." The overall comment for the whole table says: "All phases of perfection (1. Perfect Relationship; 2. Perfect Progress; and 3. Completely Perfect) are grounded in faith in Christ and what he has done, not what we can do for him. We cannot perfect ourselves; only God can work in and through us to 'carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus' (1:6)."
As I studied the table in LASB. I took time to extract the parts of it relating to the metaphor of "Race".
Do you still remember the 1981 Oscar best film winner "Chariots of Fire"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHT_nvaTXXk&feature=related
Love,
Jason
沒有留言:
發佈留言