Philippians - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

eferring to the USG).
WHO Philippians 3:16 plh.n eivj o] evfqa,samen tw/| auvtw/| stoicei/n
VUL
Philippians 3:16 verumtamen ad quod pervenimus ut idem sapiamus et in eadem
permaneamus regula
LWB Philp. 3:17 You yourselves try to become co-imitators of me [follow Paul’s selfdisciplined
example], brethren, and keep your eyes open [search] for those [pastors] who
are conducting themselves in this manner [advancing in the spiritual life], just as you have
us [Paul, Timothy & Epaphroditus] as an example;
KW Philp. 3:17 Become imitators of me, brethren, and observe attentively those who conduct
themselves in a manner which reflects the example which you have in us,
KJV
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye
have us for an ensample.
TRANSLATION HIGHLIGHTS
Paul now commands (Imperative mood) the Philippian believers to follow his example in the
spiritual life (Latin: imitators) and to keep their eyes open (Iterative Present tense) for those
pastors and teachers that are advancing in the spiritual life just like he is. Does that mean we are
supposed to go church-hopping, checking out all the pastors in town? No, Paul is not referring to
a shopping spree. He knows that as each of us grows, we may pass from one pastor to another,
either because we have changed geographical location, or because the church we are in is
deficient in some doctrines. Some pastors are good at teaching new believers, but they have not
been trained to instruct mature believers in advanced doctrine. Other pastors are good at teaching
advanced doctrine, but are frustrated when trying to teach new believers. Most of us sit under
more than one pastor or teacher during our lifetime. Paul is urging us to pay close attention
(Latin: observe) to the pastor we submit to; in other words, make sure he is the right pastor for us
at a given time.
If you are like me, I started out in a church where the basics were taught, but after a couple
years, I needed to move on for intermediate training. After a few more years, I was hungry for
more doctrine and I found an even more qualified instructor to take me to the next stage. Each
one of my pastors was a good man, faithful servants all, but each one had a special niche or
congregation they were designed to minister to. In my experience, rarely do you find a single
pastor who is able to teach kindergarten through graduate school. And since you can only grow
to the point of your own pastor’s level of maturity, you must be careful to choose wisely – not
settling for the church down the street if the teaching of the Word is watered-down. As Paul
mentions elsewhere, our goal is to move from babes in Christ to wise men. If you have found a
church where you can grow from childhood to ultra-supergrace, you have found a rare and quite
excellent place to be. Stay there! If this doesn’t describe your current situation, “scope out” the