Philippians 3
Everything is loss next to knowing Christ
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Paul warns against teachers who said believers had to be circumcised, and lists his own proud record as a Jew and a Pharisee. He says he counts it all as loss next to knowing Christ and receiving the righteousness that comes from God through faith. He presses on toward the goal and reminds them that their citizenship is in heaven.
Where it is in the Bible: Philippians 3
All the sections at a glanceA map of the chapter, with the verses for each section.
Map of the Letter
| Section | Verses | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Everything Else Is Loss | 3:1-11 | Paul counts everything as loss next to knowing Christ |
| 2. Press On | 3:12-16 | Like a runner, Paul keeps going toward the goal |
| 3. Citizens of Heaven | 3:17-21 | Our true homeland is in heaven |
Before You Read
Where we are. This is part 3 of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. Paul is in chains, waiting for a trial that could end in his death (1:13, 1:20).
What came before. In chapter 2, Paul pointed them to Jesus, who "emptied Himself" and went to the cross, and whom God lifted up (2:7-9). Then Paul told them he is sending two trusted helpers, Timothy and Epaphroditus.
What's at stake. Some teachers were telling believers who were not Jewish that they had to be circumcised to belong to God. Paul answers with his own life story.
How to read it. Paul starts with "Finally" (3:1), but he keeps writing for two more chapters. He changes direction fast in this chapter, from joy to a sharp warning and back.
Section by Section
Section 1 of 3Everything Else Is Loss
"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord" (3:1). Paul calls them brothers, but he means all the believers, women and men. He doesn't mind repeating himself, he says. It keeps them safe.
Then comes a sudden, sharp warning. "Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!" (3:2).
Most readers think Paul means certain teachers. They said that believers who were not Jewish had to be circumcised to belong to God's people. Circumcision was the sign God gave to Abraham's family, made on the body of each baby boy (Genesis 17:10-12).
Paul uses harsh words. Calling someone a dog was an insult. "Mutilators" is a harsh play on the word circumcision. Paul was Jewish himself. He is not arguing against Jewish people. He is arguing against trusting anything besides Christ to make you right with God.
"For it is we who are the circumcision" (3:3), Paul says. Paul is Jewish, and he includes himself in this "we" together with the believers who are not Jewish. "We" means everyone who worships by God's Spirit and boasts in Christ Jesus. They put no confidence in "the flesh" (3:3). Here, the flesh means what a person can show or do on their own.
If anyone could trust in those things, Paul says, it would be him. Then he lists them. He was circumcised on the eighth day, born an Israelite, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews. As for God's law, he was a Pharisee. He was so zealous that he attacked the church. By the law's standard, he did everything right.
A Pharisee was part of a Jewish group devoted to carefully keeping God's law.
"But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ" (3:7).
More than that, Paul counts everything as loss next to "the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (3:8). He has lost all things for Christ. He calls them rubbish.
Why? He wants to be found in Christ. He doesn't want a righteousness of his own, from keeping the law. He wants "the righteousness from God on the basis of faith" (3:9). Righteousness means being right with God. God gives it through Jesus.
Paul wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. He wants to share in Christ's sufferings and become like him in his death. He hopes that somehow he will share in the resurrection from the dead.
Section 2 of 3Press On
Paul doesn't say he has already arrived. He isn't perfect yet. "But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (3:12).
Notice who moved first. Christ took hold of Paul. Now Paul reaches for Christ.
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God's heavenly calling in Christ Jesus" (3:13-14).
This is a comparison. Paul is like a runner in a race. He doesn't look back. He leans toward the finish line.
Everyone who is mature in faith should think this way, Paul says. If they see some things differently, God will make that clear to them too. In the meantime, they should live up to what they already have.
Section 3 of 3Citizens of Heaven
Paul asks them to join together in following his example. They should watch the people who live the way he and his coworkers showed them.
Then he writes with tears. Many people live "as enemies of the cross of Christ" (3:18). They are headed for ruin. "Their god is their belly" (3:19). They are proud of what should make them ashamed. They only think about earthly things.
"Their god is their belly" is a picture. It means they serve their own appetites.
Then Paul gives the other side. "But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (3:20).
Philippi was a Roman colony. Its people were proud to be Roman citizens, even far from Rome. Paul says believers belong to a greater homeland.
When Jesus comes, he will change our weak bodies to be like his glorious body. He has the power to bring everything under his rule.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Those dogs" (3:2) | A harsh insult, aimed at teachers who said believers had to be circumcised to belong to God. |
| "Confidence in the flesh" (3:3) | Trusting in your own background or good record to make you right with God. |
| "A Hebrew of Hebrews" (3:5) | Paul's family was Hebrew through and through. |
| "I consider them rubbish" (3:8) | Next to knowing Jesus, Paul's proud list is worth nothing to him. |
| "The righteousness from God on the basis of faith" (3:9) | Being right with God, given as a gift, received by trusting Jesus. |
| "I press on toward the goal" (3:14) | This is a comparison. Paul is like a runner leaning toward the finish line. |
| "Their god is their belly" (3:19) | This is a picture. They serve their own appetites. |
| "Our citizenship is in heaven" (3:20) | Believers belong to God's kingdom first, wherever they live. |
Back Then
Circumcision. Circumcision was the sign God gave to Abraham's family, made on the body of each baby boy on the eighth day (Genesis 17:10-12). Paul himself was circumcised on the eighth day (3:5).
The tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob. Israel's first king, Saul, came from this tribe (1 Samuel 9:1-2). Paul's Hebrew name was also Saul (Acts 13:9).
Pharisees. The Pharisees were a Jewish group devoted to carefully keeping God's law. (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Pharisees")
A Roman colony. Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12). Its people were Roman citizens, even far from Rome. Paul was a Roman citizen too (Acts 16:37).
Literal Reader Alert
Is Paul against Jewish people? No. Paul was Jewish, and proud of it (3:5). His warning is about one teaching: that believers who weren't Jewish had to be circumcised to belong to God. Paul's point is that Christ alone makes anyone right with God.
Why does Paul call everyone "brothers"? Back then, "brothers" could mean a whole group of men and women. In this same letter, Paul names two women who worked beside him for the gospel (4:2-3).
Does "forgetting what is behind" mean I have to forget what happened to me? No. Paul still remembers his past. He listed it a few lines earlier (3:4-6). He means he doesn't lean on his past or let it hold him back. It never means pretending harm didn't happen.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Humble | "Not that I have already obtained all this" (3:12) |
| Paul | In tears | Many live as enemies of the cross (3:18) |
| Paul | Eager | "We eagerly await a Savior" (3:20) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What are you leaning on today? Tap one.
My good record
Paul had the best record anyone could have, and he called it loss next to knowing Christ (3:7-8). Being right with God is a gift.
My mistakes
Your past doesn't get the last word. Christ "took hold of" you (3:12), and he doesn't let go because of what's behind you.
I'm tired of trying
Notice who moved first. Christ took hold of Paul before Paul reached for Christ (3:12). You are held, even when you're tired.
I don't feel at home anywhere
"Our citizenship is in heaven" (3:20). You belong to God, wherever you are.
It's really bad right now
Please tell someone you trust today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"'Press on' means try harder, and you'll make it."
What's true: Paul does work hard. He leans forward like a runner (3:13-14).
What the passage is mainly about: Paul presses on because Christ "took hold of" him first (3:12). And the righteousness he wants is "from God on the basis of faith" (3:9), not from his own effort.
Where Jesus is: Jesus already ran the whole race for us. We run because we belong to him, not to earn a place.
Good News
Paul had a list: born right, raised right, did everything right (3:5-6). He let it all go. The list wasn't worthless because it was bad. It was worthless next to Jesus.
So you don't need a list. You can be "found in Him" (3:9), right with God as a gift, through faith.
And you don't have to hold on by your own strength. Christ Jesus took hold of you first (3:12).
Christ Jesus has taken hold of you, and his righteousness is yours as a gift.
Big Idea
God gives us Christ's righteousness as a gift, and Christ, who took hold of us first, keeps us pressing on.
If this chapter brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In his sermon Two Kinds of Righteousness (1519), Luther called the righteousness that saves us "alien" righteousness. Alien means it comes from outside us. It is Christ's own righteousness, given to us through faith. This is what Paul wants in 3:9: not a righteousness of his own, but "the righteousness from God on the basis of faith" (3:9).
In Church
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Philippians 3:4-14 on the Fifth Sunday in Lent in Year C, and on a Sunday in the fall of Year A. It reads Philippians 3:17 to 4:1 on the Second Sunday in Lent in Year C.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God's heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
How did that feel?