Philippians - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

perspective of enduring faithfulness in light of everlasting reward. (G. Sapaugh)
All eleven uses of κλησισ (calling) in the N.T. have reference to the call of God to salvation. (H.A.
Kent) Paul refers to the occasion when the winner of the race is summoned to the elevated stand of
the judge and receives his prize from the umpire, the αγovoθετεσ. (H.A. Kent) The prize is entrance
into rest and, with that great company of the μεταχoι, inheritance of the kingdom. This is what he
means when he says he hopes to attain to the "out-resurrection." He hopes to earn a place among that
special class of resurrected saints who have been faithful to their Master to the final hour and will
hear Him say: "Well Done!" (J. Dillow) Here is the secret: the apostle is characterized by that same
desire that characterized Moses and David, a desire to enter into a deep, personal, intimate,
experiential knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he already loves and faithfully serves. He has
an appetite for the person of Christ. (J. Pentecost) Christians are humbled by the contrast between
what they are and what they desire to be. (R. Jamieson)
You will inevitably face momentum tests as a necessary part of life; obstacles lie astride the path of
every believer’s growth. Testing is not an exception to God’s grace; testing is an expression of
God’s grace. God either permits testing or directly sends testing, but His timing is always perfect.
Only doctrine can keep pace with God’s timing, and you accelerate your advance only by
successfully overcoming obstacles. Indeed, you must pass tests to obtain the prize of sharing God's
happiness in Gate 8 of the love complex ... When you periodically encounter challenges to your
progress, you either increase or lose momentum, depending on whether you pass or fail the test.
Distractions to spiritual momentum can become the Christian’s nemesis or one of the greatest
opportunities for scoring tactical victories in the angelic conflict ... As the believer grows, his
positive volition itself changes. Beyond simply opting to hear, accept, or apply Bible doctrine,
positive volition becomes an expression of his own spiritual autonomy. Firmly grounded in truth, his
doctrinal thinking becomes his outlook on life. He acquires a scale of values in which his
relationship with God has first priority. (R.B. Thieme, Jr.)
Christian leadership is a very demanding thing, costly in time and energy, imposing severe demands
on mind and body, requiring much to ensure the present and future welfare of the church of God and
the care of others. These things are absorbing as well as demanding and they come with the force of
inescapable priorities in the leader’s programme. It is easy, therefore, to be a leader and to forget to
be a Christian, allowing personal targets of spiritual growth to become misted over; to encourage
others to prayer and Bible reading and to let one’s own attention to these means of grace become
perfunctory or even negligible – always with the excuse of the next duty, the coming meeting, the
pressing appointment. Paul did not say, “I would love to pursue personal growth in holiness but
sadly I must be otherwise occupied.” Neither will he allow anyone else to say, “Such pursuit of
holiness is only for apostles, not for ordinary folk like me.” It is for the brethren, the whole range of
believers. (J. Stott) The mechanics of recovery from sin are fourfold: (1) name the sin to
immediately receive complete divine forgiveness and to reestablish the absolute status of spirituality,
the control of your soul by the Holy Spirit; (2) isolate the sin to stop any bitterness; (3) forget the sin
so as not to reclaim guilt; (4) keep moving in the spiritual life. (R.B. Thieme, Jr.)