◄ Philippians 3 Devotional Commentary ►
Philippians 3:1
Paul calls us repeatedly to rejoice in the Lord, and does not grow tired of encouraging us to rejoice and to keep on rejoicing in Him, for he knows that there is a thief that will rob us of the peace of God, the joy of our salvation, and the eternal hope we have in our heavenly promises.
We are called upon to rejoice and to keep on rejoicing, for in so doing we will establish a Christ-focussed attitude of heart and an read more...
Philippians 3:1
Joy was much on Paul's heart as he wrote his letter to the saints in Philippi, and despite the fact that he himself was being held as a prisoner in chains, he did not allow the circumstances of his life to affect his joy in the Lord. And as he neared the end of this epistle of encouragement to his brothers in Christ, he repeatedly called each one of us to rejoice in the Lord - to be joyful in God our Saviour - to delight ourselves in Christ our Lord.
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Philippians 3:2
Living the Christian life in the way that God ordained was the highest priority on Paul's list... and in each of his epistles we read of the identifying marks of a Christian who is walking in spirit and truth. Paul shows us how to abide in Christ, submit to the Spirit of God, trust in His Word, and live the way that God intended His children to live.
The man or woman of faith who is living as God intended... is the one that read more...
Philippians 3:3
In the early Church, it was hard for Jews who were steeped in centuries of tradition to recognise that the Christian faith was not an extra bit of doctrine tagged on to the Jewish religion, but the fulfilment of God's promise to make a New Covenant with them. They did not understand that the Law of God, the Prophets of Israel, the Psalms, and the Feasts-days were all pointing to Christ, and that 'the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus' had set them free from read more...
Philippians 3:5
From the world's perspective, Paul had much to boast about: his birth and ancestry, his religious orthodoxy, and his passionate zeal. He had been born into a highly respected Jewish family, and from birth received the high honour of being a true-born Roman citizen, with all the rights, respect, privileges, and perks of the great Roman Empire.
His Jewish ancestry also awarded him great respect, and he gained exceptional approval read more...
Philippians 3:6
Before conversion, Paul was supremely confident in his Jewish heritage, his fleshly works, his religious practices, and strict adherence to the Law, which he zealously promoted. After his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road and his commission as God's apostle to the Gentiles, his eyes were opened and he vigorously expounded the terrible dangers of Judaism. Philippians 3 is a most comprehensive denouncement of this perilous belief system.
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Philippians 3:7
What a heritage the apostle Paul had before his conversion to Christ. He was a renowned scholar and a pupil of the great teacher, Gamaliel. Paul was also a highly esteemed religious leader, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and blameless concerning the Law.
He was proud of his Jewish heritage as a descendent of the tribe of Benjamin, and he was greatly respected due to his birth as a Roman citizen. Saul of Tarsus had it all as far as read more...
Philippians 3:8
I wonder what value you put in certain things: your home, your family, your relationships, your job, your reputation, your achievements, your talents, your education, your safety, your bank balance? Well, the apostle Paul considered these things and everything else that life and living has to offer, as worth nothing by comparison with the surpassing value, joy, wonder, worth, and glory of knowing Christ Jesus.
Paul lost or lacked read more...
Philippians 3:9
Before he met Jesus, Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. In other words, he was exemplary in outwardly keeping the Law of Moses, as required by the self-righteous religious mind-set. But his righteousness was a works-based self-righteousness, a righteousness that he thought would please God, but that fell far short of the standard that God required, for only the righteousness of Christ reached the perfection, goodness, and grace that was required of a read more...
Philippians 3:10
In a few brief words, Paul outlines the four most important things in life:
1. That I may know Christ.
2. That I may know the power of Christ's Resurrection.
3. That I may be a partaker in the sufferings of Christ.
4. That I may be conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.
A few short phrases outline everything necessary for a victorious Christian life.
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Philippians 3:11
Paul had the most impressive genealogy and was born into the most advantageous of families. He was taught by the most eminent of teachers, received an outstanding education, and attained significant qualifications... but it meant nothing in the eternal realm.
Paul had all the advantages that money could buy - but following his conversion on the road to Damascus, read more...
Philippians 3:12
The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to become conformed into the very image and likeness of our glorified Saviour. Paul knew that like every other believer, his sanctification was a lifelong process which would only be completed when he finally stood in the presence of Christ Jesus, his risen, ascended, glorified Lord.
Ever since his saving encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul started to press toward read more...
Philippians 3:13
As Christians, it should be our desire and single intent to love the Lord with all our being and seek, with our whole heart, to be in His perfect will. Sometimes the urgent things of life have to give way to the thing that is really important, and sometimes the good has to be set aside or renounced for the best.
It is futile to try to follow Christ based on our own merit, abilities, or achievements. It is foolish to think we are read more...
Philippians 3:14
Once a man or woman has trusted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, he embarks on a race through life to the finishing post. Once a person has been born again, they are to grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once we are justified and placed in the family of God, we are called by our Father to sanctification, which is a lifelong process in which we press on towards the goal of our heavenly calling so that we may gain read more...
Philippians 3:15
As we read through the New Testament epistles whose target audience are Christians in this dispensation of grace, we find numerous warnings against placing our confidence in the flesh. We are not only cautioned of the dangers of putting our reliance on other people, but also of trusting in ourselves and our own abilities.
We should not be stuck in the elementary teachings of the Christian faith, but should be pressing on and read more...
Philippians 3:16
Paul was an example of a mature man of God who was prepared to consider the privileges of this world as insignificant and inconsequential, by comparison with the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord. He was prepared to suffer the loss of all things, and regard everything that the world holds dear, as rubbish - in order to gain the closest, possible communion with his God and Saviour.
Paul was acutely aware that read more...
Philippians 3:17
Although we were born dead in trespasses and sins and at enmity with God, we must never forget that by grace through faith in Christ, we have been saved. As children of God, we have been called to live in newness of life, to walk in spirit and truth, and to grow in grace and Christlikeness.
The Lord Jesus is the ultimate example of a Man Who walked by faith and not by sight. He is the supreme specimen of humility, grace, truth, read more...
Philippians 3:18
We are called to a heavenly walk of holy watchfulness that is pleasing to the Lord and honours His name. However, the sinner that rejects His offer of salvation, or the worldly-minded Christian that chooses to engage in a carnal lifestyle, live as enemies of the Cross of Christ, to their own disadvantage and detriment.
Paul knew there were evil workers among the body of Christ, who placed their confidence in the flesh rather than read more...
Philippians 3:20
As believers in Christ, we are citizens of another country and subjects of our glorious King. Our loyalty is to another state and our conversation and delight should reside in heavenly places. We are simply pilgrims passing through this mortal coil, sojourning on earth for a brief life-span, and so we should not be mindful of earthly things that pass away, but we should fix our hearts on the coming king, looking for Jesus, our soon coming Lord. Heavenly citizenship read more...
Philippians 3:21
A significant part of Paul's epistles are either encouraging us to live godly lives, explaining what is expected in our Christian walk, giving examples of how to live to the glory of God, or enabling us to grow in grace through faith in the glorious gospel of Christ - where JESUS is the centre of our life and our conversation is heavenly.
In this passage, we are exhorted to have no confidence in our fleshly selves. We receive read more...