Eternal life is like a race. You enter by faith, run in sanctification and finish in glory. Sanctification is the part that requires all our effort. But knowing that God has put us in the race, strengthens us to run, and has prepared a wonderful finish in heaven, gives us every reason to press forward. When Paul wrote to the Philippian church, he urged them to continue in sanctification (1:1-11). His main concern was to keep them moving forward in their faith, serving Christ and being conformed to His image. He used his own life and the hurdles he faced as an example for the Church to follow (1:12-30). But he presented Jesus as the example of the faithful servant of God who had already reached the goal of heavens glory (2:1-12). He reminded them that it was God who gave them the desire and strength to serve Him (2:13). And as a teacher of Scripture, the apostle knew that God s Word was the key to their training and conditioning. Therefore, He provided teachers in the Church for that purpose (2:19-30). As with his salvation, Paul had no confidence in his own efforts for sanctification (3:1-7). They did not make him right with God, and they did not enable him to live for God. The apostle considered all of his once prized religious accomplishments to be worthless in light of his faith in Christ. So his goal was not to obtain or maintain eternal life by good works but to live in the eternal life the Lord had already provided through faith. That meant moving forward in sanctification with the sure hope of the completion of his salvation in glory (3:8-11). 1
In Philippians 3:12-16, the apostle speaks of the race of eternal life and his determination to press forward in sanctification as he sees the end in sight. He tells us of his motivation, his method and his maturity. Pressing Forward (3:12-16) Paul s Motivation (v. 12) In verse 11, Paul was speaking of the surpassing goal of eternal life which reached its pinnacle in the believer s resurrection from the dead. He said that he was eager, by whatever means God would end his earthly life, to reach the fullness of eternal life in resurrection. In the meantime, he made it his purpose to know Christ more fully while on earth (v. 10), realizing that he would one day know the Lord as fully as possible in resurrection glory (1 Cor. 13:12). He spoke of attaining or reaching that resurrection. Now, in verse 12, Paul says, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. He wanted the Philippian believers to understand that he, in no way, believed that being sanctified was the ultimate goal. He did not want Christians to see their service to Christ in this world as their only motivation. No believer should rest on their good works but keep doing God s will with increasing determination. 2
All followers of Christ should serve Him faithfully and consistently on earth with the goal of one day perfectly serving Him eternally in the glory of heaven. You see, that is the Lord s goal for us. He certainly wants us to be set apart from sin to serve Him here and now as His representatives on earth, but He has saved us -- or as Paul says here, laid hold of us -- with heaven in mind. So Christians must want to lay hold of the glory of heaven. That is, our motivation is to be fully conformed to the resurrected image of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29-30). He lives in eternal glory, and He desires His followers to share that glory with Him and serve Him forever (Jn. 14:3). He redeemed our spirit and gave us eternal life with the promise of one day redeeming our bodies in resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50-58). That is the end result of our salvation, and it is our motivation for pressing forward in sanctification. That is why Paul says, I press on. The phrase was used of a sprinter who gave it his all in the race from beginning to end. From the beginning of the race he sees the finish line, and he runs toward it with all he has. Realizing that our time in this world to serve Christ is brief, Paul likened it to a sprint. And Christians are to serve God in sanctification with all we have as we reach for the goal. 3
Paul s Method (vv. 13-14) Paul s describes his method of running to his Philippian brethren in verses 13 and 14. He emphasizes again that he was still running the race by saying that he did not count (i.e. consider) that he had apprehended the goal. It is the same word translated as laid hold in verse 12. The apostle in no way saw his race as over. He saw the goal, and he was still running hard toward it. His strategy was to always look straight ahead. Any sprinter knows that you cannot look back in a race. The finish line is in front of you and not behind. You are running at such a speed when sprinting that to even look to the right or left can cause you to stumble and fall. That is dangerous, and it makes finishing the race more difficult. Paul seems to emphasize the mental focus of the believer here. Just like a sprinter who must concentrate only on the finish line, a Christian must have only one thing on his or her mind. Our concentration must be on God s ultimate goal of reaching resurrection glory in His presence. Doing God s will does not bring us to heaven, but living as we should to be useful to the Lord (sanctification) is how we are to run the race. And we run with our eye on the prize. 4
To do this, you must practice forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Paul continues the running analogy when he describes himself reaching forward. Here we have the picture of the sprinter stretching toward the finish line as he nears it. He is not thinking of anything behind him as he strains with every muscle to reach the goal. What Paul means is that you cannot rely on past deeds or service in order to serve God today, and you must never let past failures become a distraction. Looking back is just not possible for a sprinter if he is going to run. As Jesus said in Luke 9:62: No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven. You cannot finish a race looking backward any more than you can plow a straight furrow looking behind you! That analogy fits the Christian s life perfectly. Paul further clarifies the believer s goal in verse 14: I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The prize he mentions is the fullness of eternal life with Christ in heaven to finally be completely conformed to the image of the Lord. It is to reach the sinless state of glory which Christ fully enjoys and has made the way for us to enjoy. One day every true believer will receive that reward. The upward call of God in Christ Jesus refers to God beckoning us onward to finish the race and receive the prize. It being upward means that it is in heaven. 5
Therefore, Paul s method (i.e. the believer s method) of running the race (i.e. living a sanctified life) is to never look behind but to always keep the goal of glory before us. We must be giving our all to serve the Lord in His power with a clear view of His reward. Paul s Maturity (vv. 15-16) Every believer who, like Paul, understands this is spiritually mature. They have not attained the perfection of glory, but they are running straight ahead in sanctification. They understand what is necessary to run and finish well. And Paul appeals to these believers to have this mind. That is, he wants us to have this mature attitude about sanctification to keep looking ahead with our eye on the prize. Those who think otherwise are those who are looking behind and not ahead. They are not forgetting the past, but are relying on past laurels and/or are distracted by their failures. They are really not running in the race at all but are complacent and distracted. But Paul is convinced that, if they are true believers, then God will reveal even this to them. This means that He will show them their lack of sanctification. It may take hardship and even the Lord s chastening hand (Heb. 12:5-11) to get them actively in the race, but He will bring them there. Of course, those who never learn were never true believers in the first place. For all true believers are in the race. They run and finish, but some just do not run as well as others. 6
Paul concludes in verse 16 by saying, Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. This is simply to say that, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity, we should all recognize the basics of the race. The word, walk, speaks of moving in a straight line rather than a mode of transportation. It seems Paul means that we should all at least be moving in the same direction. The race of eternal life is only in one direction on the course God has established. All believers should realize these basic truths about our salvation. That is, if we have true faith, then we are in the race. And if we are in the race, then we should run it in sanctification. And if we are running, then we should understand the prize. The race of eternal life is ongoing for every believer who represents Christ on earth. Our motivation for running is to attain the fullness of eternal life in resurrection glory. Our method must be that of striving for the goal in sanctification without distraction. And our maturity is seen when this is a reality in our life. Are you in the race called eternal life? You are not competing against anyone but participating with other believers. And your running does not save you. Rather, it is simply the way you live your life until you reach heaven. Therefore, God is concerned with your performance. So, are you running the race with all your effort and with a clear view of the goal? 7