Day 2. Philippians 3:12-14

The first time I remember being exposed to this scripture was in Bangladesh two years ago. It was close to the final leg of our trip, and the (very timely) sermon at church that week was based on this scripture. I remember the pastor speaking very passionately, and although I didn’t quite absorb all of what he was speaking (I was probably hot, tired, and sick), I remember being so gripped by the passage that I looked it up promptly when I had some time alone and scoured the chapter, and even the rest of the book of Philippians to try and gather context and understand Paul’s angle.

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

After professing his own human imperfection (which is significant in itself, as a teacher), Paul debunks the myth that salvation is a one-time prayer or commitment to Christ. With those words, he’s saying that yeah, it’s true that Jesus, through his dying and resurrection has purchased me as his own, and I have faith in that, but faith cannot stand without works (which is a nice parallel to James 2, one of my other fave passages), so I have to outwardly show that I have faith and believe by sharing this gospel with others and loving my God and my neighbour as Christ commanded.

Jesus offers each of us a new identity in him, but we have to want it. We have to work towards it, and forget our old self so we can get to know our new self—straining forward towards Jesus, giving it our all to be more and more like him until we are finally with him and cannot try any more.