Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Philippians
Chapter 3: I Press Toward the Mark
Philippians 3 turns from joy to warning, and from confidence in the flesh to confidence in Christ alone. Paul recounts his impressive religious pedigree, 'circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel... touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless,' and then sweeps it all aside: 'what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.' He counts everything 'but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.' His one passion is 'that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.' Not yet perfect, he presses on: 'forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' He warns against 'the enemies of the cross of Christ' who 'mind earthly things,' and lifts our eyes: 'our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.' This chapter shows us where true righteousness is found and where our hope is fixed.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Philippians chapter 3. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul counts all his religious gains as loss for Christ, seeks the righteousness that is of God by faith, and presses toward the prize of the high calling. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
No Confidence in the Flesh
Beware of those who trust in works and pedigree.
All Things but Loss
Paul counts every gain as loss to win Christ.
Which Is of God by Faith
Not his own righteousness, but Christ's by faith.
I Press Toward the Mark
Reaching forward to the prize of the high calling.
That I May Win Christ (Philippians 3:1-11)
Paul renounces all confidence in the flesh, counting his every advantage loss for the knowledge of Christ and the righteousness that is of God by faith.
The Righteousness Which Is of God by Faith
"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
Word Study
"loss," Greek zemia (ζημία). The word means loss, damage, forfeit, the opposite of gain or profit; it is a merchant's word, weighing what is in the debit column. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Paul keeps a ledger. On one side stand his impressive assets: the right birth, the right tribe, the right sect, a blameless legal record, a burning zeal. These were "gain," profit in the account of the flesh. But when he met Christ, he moved every one of them from the gain column to the zemia column, the loss column. It is a stunning reversal: the very things men trust to commend them to God he now counts as debit, as forfeit, "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." He goes further still: he counts them "but dung," refuse to be thrown out, "that I may win Christ." The word for winning is a profit word too; he loses everything in order to gain the one thing worth having. This is the great exchange of the gospel: our righteousness counted as loss, Christ's righteousness received as gain, so that we are "found in him, not having mine own righteousness... but that which is through the faith of Christ." Everything the flesh calls profit is loss; Christ alone is gain.
Explanation
Paul turns to warn against those who trust religious credentials — "beware of dogs... the concision" — and then lists his own impeccable pedigree: circumcised the eighth day, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, blameless under the law. And he writes it all off: "what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ... I count them but dung." Every asset of the flesh is refuse beside "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ." He trades a righteousness "of the law" for one "through the faith of Christ," longing above all "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection."
Gospel Focus
Paul begins with joy, "rejoice in the Lord," but quickly sounds a warning against those who would rob the Philippians of it: "beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision." These are the Judaizers, who insisted that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law to be saved. Paul turns their own boast on its head: "we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." True circumcision is not a cutting of the flesh but a heart that worships God in the Spirit and trusts Christ alone. Then, to expose how worthless fleshly confidence is, Paul plays their game and wins it. If anyone could boast in the flesh, he could: "circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee... touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." No pedigree was higher, no zeal hotter, no record cleaner. And then the great reversal: "but what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Everything he once trusted, he now writes off. "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord," and, more bluntly, "but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him." Here is the heart of the matter: "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." No one is saved by pedigree, effort, or law-keeping. Righteousness is not something we produce and present to God; it is something God gives, received through faith in Christ. And notice Paul's supreme desire: "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." He does not merely want Christ's benefits; he wants Christ Himself, "my Lord", to know Him, to share His resurrection power, even to share His sufferings. The goal of the gospel is not a religious résumé but the living knowledge of the risen Lord Jesus, who is God our Saviour, and to be found in Him clothed in a righteousness we could never earn.
Our Conversation Is in Heaven (Philippians 3:12-21)
Not yet perfect, Paul presses toward the prize, warns against the enemies of the cross, and fixes his hope on the Saviour who comes from heaven.
The Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
Word Study
"I press," Greek dioko (διώκω). The word means to pursue, to chase after, to run hard after something; it is used both of a runner straining for the finish and of a hunter or persecutor in pursuit. "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Paul, who once dioko'd the church as a persecutor (the same verb lies behind "persecuting the church" in verse 6), now pursues Christ with that same intensity turned heavenward. The picture is a footrace in the stadium: the runner leans forward, "reaching forth unto those things which are before," refusing to glance back at "those things which are behind," his whole body straining toward the finish line, the "mark," where the "prize" is given. It is single-minded, "this one thing I do", and strenuous; the Christian life is not a stroll but a race run in earnest. Yet the pursuit is not anxious striving to be saved, for the runner is already "apprehended of Christ Jesus," already laid hold of by grace. He runs because he has been caught, pressing on to lay hold of the One who has laid hold of him. So we run, forgetting past failures and past achievements alike, straining forward, pursuing Christ and the prize of His high calling with everything in us.
Explanation
Paul disavows any arrival — "Not as though I had already attained... but I follow after" — and pictures himself as a runner: "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark." Maturity is not thinking one has finished but straining on toward the prize. Against those "whose god is their belly" and whose mind is on earthly things, he lifts the church's eyes: "our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour," who "shall change our vile body" to be like His glorious body. The runner presses on because a glorious homeland and a transforming Saviour await.
Gospel Focus
Paul, who has just spoken so highly of knowing Christ, now guards against any thought that he has arrived: "not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after." Even the great apostle is still running. He gives us the pattern of a healthy spiritual life: "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." We forget what is behind, both past sins that would condemn us and past victories that would make us complacent, and we strain forward toward the goal. This is the settled, single-minded pursuit of Christ. Paul urges the mature to "be thus minded," and where they see things differently, to trust that "God shall reveal even this unto you," while walking together "by the same rule." Then, with tears, he warns against a very different kind of walk: "the enemies of the cross of Christ," "whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." Some professing religion live only for appetite and earthly things, and their end is "destruction." Against that downward pull Paul lifts our gaze upward: "for our conversation is in heaven", our citizenship, our true home, is above, "from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." Here again the full deity of Jesus shines: He is "the Saviour," a title Scripture gives to God alone (Isaiah 43:11), and we await His coming from heaven. And what a hope it is: He "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." The Lord Jesus, who has power to subdue all things to Himself, will transform even our lowly, dying bodies into the likeness of His own glorious, risen body. So we do not mind earthly things; we set our hope on heaven, we run the race with all our strength, and we wait for our Saviour and Lord, who will finish in glory the salvation He began.
Chapter 3 in Review
Philippians 3 sets Christ above every earthly and religious advantage. Paul warns against those who trust in the flesh, and though his own pedigree was flawless, "circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel... touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless," he counts it all "but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." He seeks "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith," longing "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection." Not yet perfect, he presses on, "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." He weeps over "the enemies of the cross," who "mind earthly things," and fixes hope on heaven, "from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ," who "shall change our vile body" into the likeness of "his glorious body."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter marks the great dividing line between two kinds of righteousness. One is "mine own righteousness, which is of the law", the record we build by pedigree, effort, and rule-keeping, and it is finally "loss" and "dung." The other is "the righteousness which is of God by faith", a gift received by trusting Christ, and it is everything. No one is saved by heritage or works; we are found in Him. And the chapter closes by naming Jesus as "the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ," the Saviour who is God, coming from heaven to raise and glorify our bodies. So we count all things loss to win Christ, we refuse confidence in the flesh, we press forward with single-minded devotion, and we set our whole hope on our Lord and Saviour, whose coming will transform us into His glorious likeness.
- True worshippers "have no confidence in the flesh" but rejoice in Christ Jesus (3:3).
- Paul counts every fleshly advantage "but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ" (3:7-8).
- Righteousness is "not... mine own... but that which is through the faith of Christ" (3:9).
- The believer presses on, "forgetting those things which are behind," toward the prize (3:13-14).
- "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (3:20).
- Christ "shall change our vile body" into the likeness of "his glorious body" (3:21).
Questions for Reflection
- What "gains" are you still trusting that you need to count as loss for Christ?
- Are you resting in your own righteousness, or in the righteousness that is of God by faith?
- Are you pressing forward, or looking back at past failures and past achievements?
- Is your citizenship truly in heaven, and are you looking for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. True circumcision and no confidence in the flesh: Philippians 3:1-6; Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 6:15. All things loss for Christ; righteousness by faith: Philippians 3:7-11; Romans 3:21-22; Romans 10:3-4. Pressing toward the prize: Philippians 3:12-16; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1-2. Our citizenship in heaven; the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Philippians 3:17-21; Isaiah 43:11; 1 John 3:2; Colossians 3:1-4. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- No confidence in the flesh; true circumcision: Philippians 3:1-6; Romans 2:28-29.
- All things loss; the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3:7-11; Romans 3:21-22.
- Pressing toward the mark: Philippians 3:12-16; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
- Our conversation in heaven; the Saviour from heaven: Philippians 3:20-21; Isaiah 43:11; 1 John 3:2.