Philippians 3 From his prison cell Paul expressed his gratitude for the support he had received from the Philippian church (2:25-30; 4:10-19), he encourages them to continue sharing the gospel and to be faithfulness in their lives (1:12-25). His key phrase in the letter is live as citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27), in this chapter he rewords it let us live up to what we have already attained, that is live up to the life Jesus has given us (3:16). He is advising his friends to faithfully represent their true citizenship and stand firm against influences that might cause them to depart from it or from and living out their faith as an authentic Christian community. 1-11 Hold fast to what we have attained - salvation and confidence in Christ Nearby in Galatia some conservative Jewish-Christians were putting pressure others to adhere to Jewish practices to be legitimately Christian and acceptable community members. For Paul this was a move backwards, which questioned their identity, the basis of their salvation and restricted their authentic embodiment of faith day to day. In his letter to the Galatians Paul explains the decision of the early church on this matter. In the Council of Jerusalem the Apostles affirmed We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God (Acts 15). The only Jewish law practices the Gentile believers needed to follow were the moral code, taught by Jesus, and avoidance of food related to pagan practices that belied their allegiance to Jesus and which would have prevented them from sharing meals with Jewish-Christians as well. As they followed this advice, over time, while the church held core aspects in common, it would become visually and culturally diverse as it expressed its shared faith in different contexts. It would be characterised by commitment to Christ first and his ways, and respect and honour of each other second (sounds like the summary of the commandments), with the added flavour of local practices and customs that were not in conflict with the Scriptures. Paul uses his life to explain what he means. You remember he was Saul of Tarsus. If anyone had reason to put confidence in the traditions of the ancestors and stick to them, he did. He lays out his credentials: His parents supplied him with standing amongst God s people: circumcision and racial identity in the tribe that gave Israel its first king. Paul supplemented these advantages by joining the lawabiding Pharisees and devoting himself so completely that he set about obliterating Christians who he believed were an aberration. When he says he is faultless he does not mean sinless, rather that all the bases had been covered to help him to stand before God on the last day (Phil 3:4-11). 1 Sharon Valentino
He then describes his change of conviction following his meeting with Jesus on the Damascus road. He discovered he was wrong to think he was on stable ground with God based on duty and lineage, and argues this sort of trust in the flesh is incompatible with faith in Christ. Standing before God on the final day, he would not be clinging to his record of obedience, but trusting in Christ s obedience, the sufficiency of his sacrifice and the power of his resurrection, and confident of his salvation being in Christ, as he looked out on his fellows he was able to accommodate their expressions of faith, that was also in harmony with Scripture and God s plans. Not wanting his friends in Philippi to go down the same track he had got stuck on, he encourages them to continue as the shining examples of faith in Christ that he had always known with Christ their benchmark and foundation. In our own time, adding morality or behaviour, giving, church tradition, longevity of membership, weekly attendance patterns, our gifts, abilities, knowledge or even the way we have been baptised on top of faith in Jesus redeeming work such a gospel, the Apostle says elsewhere, is a different gospel (Galatians 1:6-7; 2 Corinthians 11:4). Adding anything to Christ as a requirement for acceptance by God or the church modifies the Gospel because it places human criteria as the basis of acceptance. When we do this a grid emerges by which we approve or don t approve of they way newcomers find and interact with Christ, and express their faith in ways that are authentic to them and in harmony with Scripture. Many things help us to live as God s people, but they do not save us. And as a saved people we are called to live with diversity in the body of Christ as we remain united under him. Jesus through Paul says Hold fast to what you have already attained. 12-4:1 Stand firm, press on and imitate Christlikeness - live worthy of our calling Next Paul says, press on to what lies ahead, to the goal for which Christ made us his own. Throughout his letters he outlines what this looks like in one s life and as a community. Part of this is following good role models. In chapter 2 Paul recommended Timothy and Epaphroditus now he says follow in my footsteps. To Australians who like to cut down tall poppies, when we hear someone say follow in my footsteps, we might suspect they have an inflated view of themselves. Unless they have earned our respect by living out what they claim to believe. Now, if a person encourages us to follow their example, it doesn t necessarily mean they are perfectly living their beliefs, it means they are authentic in their lifestyle, genuine, always learning how to put into practice what they believe. Paul doesn t want us getting the idea that he is some spiritual hero, it s why he explains he has chosen the same path of humility as the Son of God, who did not exploit status as he walked amongst his people. He holds firm to the basis of his salvation and chooses to vigorously pursue the knowledge, experience and service of Christ like a marathon runner because on the 2 Sharon Valentino
road to Damascus, Christ took hold of him and turned him around (Acts 9:1-19; 22:3-16; 26:9-18). He doesn t renounce his past but he refuses to cling onto it. Neither does he dwell on his failures, understanding his fresh start, and that he has been brought into the plans of God, he presses on toward that day when he will present himself and his lifework to his Master with satisfaction and joy (Philippians 1:10; 2:14-18; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 5:23). Shouldn t he say Follow Jesus? Paul says in his letter to Corinth what he means in Philippians: Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) There s no doubt about it, it IS a bold thing to say. However, given that we are all meant to be following Christ, if we are genuinely making effort to do this, we ought to be able to say the same thing. If we have trouble saying it if by following us, people won t end up following in Christ s footsteps themselves, perhaps we need to check if WE ourselves are actually following him, that we know and continue to experience life in Christ. Chapter 3 really finishes in 4:1 picking up what Paul has been on about he has been telling his friends to stand firm in their faith, trusting in Christ as they had from the beginning and to be ambassadors of him in the earthly realm (3:17-20). The Philippians understood what this meant because they were natives of their region as well as being Romans by colonisation and were used to living with the dual citizenship this afforded them. They understood that Rome and their homeland held their loyalties, now they needed to understand that Christ stood above and beyond their earthly allegiances, and they were called to live worthy of his name, looking forward to the day he returned as faithful stewards, and brothers and sisters in Christ (3:20). Conclusion Paul had more reason than us to think he might find favour with God by his heritage and zeal. We too should check what we rely and rest our assurance on - our credentials or Christ s humble obedience, the sufficiency of his salvation and the power of his resurrection. Paul had reason to be proud of his achievements, and yet he acknowledges it isn t about him and he hasn t reached the goal, challenging us to live out the implications of Christ s intervention in our own lives by stretching every muscle in our body as we serve. We run our marathon, remembering that in our journey Jesus garment of humility is our best friend. As Jesus said, Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45). As we invite others to follow Jesus, we must take care not to add criteria that are of our invention or part of our human structures, not to alter the message to diverge from Christ s intent, make it more acceptable to us, or less inclusive to others. Faith in Jesus is sufficient, we 3 Sharon Valentino
hold fast to him and his words, and he is able to make himself known to others as he has to us, patiently transforming each of us by his Spirit as we cooperate. The growth into Christlikeness is helped by role models who display for us what it means to live as citizens of heaven, they help us to live up to what we have received. Paul is clear that the life of faith is one that requires transformation, change into Christlikeness more and more each day. We have situations that arise in our life each day, large and small, that challenge our convictions, our hope and our calling. That divert us from the path of Jesus in thought, word or deed. For example we ve had community situations in our news this week, that make us angry and confused and suggest we need to take a way of strength, retribution, or hate. What is this path of Christ with this? How should we respond? To find our way we must go deeper in our understanding of God s ways, wrestle and struggle in his word, in conversations with him and each other, and the Spirit within us he has given as a guide and teacher. Who reminds us "Jesus light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it - St John of Jesus Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. - St Paul to the church of Ephesus Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr During Lent we utilise discipline to focus on becoming more holy and Christ-like, of living as children of the light. Friends, life with Christ is journey of growth, and it continues ahead of us beyond Lent, let us embrace that challenge for ourselves and in our churches trusting the one who has gone ahead. May we hold firm to what we have been given, trusting in Jesus sufficiency. Let s live as citizens of heaven as we live on earth, let s be good role models and follow good role models as we live a live worthy of our calling together. Summary A key phrase in Philippians is live as citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27), he rewords it let us live up to what we have already attained (3:16). He counsels his friends to faithfully represent their true citizenship and stand firm against influences that might cause them to depart from discipleship to Jesus and authentic Christian community. First they had to stick to what they had already attained - salvation, acceptance from God and ongoing life in Christ. Paul had every reason to trust his family background, lifestyle and commitments made him acceptable to God, but he discovered it lead him in paths opposite to God s plans. So he counsels his friends, not to go back to the old system, nor rely on status or achievement for salvation. In our own time, adding morality or behaviour, traditions of worship and liturgy, longevity of attendance, our gifts or knowledge on top of faith in Jesus work as a 4 Sharon Valentino
requirement for God s acceptance similarly rejects the Gospel. We must take care we don t make replace or add to Christ in our own faith or make it unnecessarily hard for folk to find and follow Jesus for themselves. The growth into Christlikeness is picked up as Paul says join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. We are helped in our life by role models who display for us what it means to live as citizens of heaven, they help us to live up to what we have already attained. Paul is clear that the life of faith is one that requires transformation, change into Christlikeness more and more each day. A journey of growth is ahead of us, let us embrace that challenge in our churches. May we hold firm to what we have been given, trusting in Jesus sufficiency. Let s live as citizens of heaven as we live on earth, let s be good role models and follow good role models as we live a live worthy of our calling together. 5 Sharon Valentino