Philippians 3
Paul counts all his religious credentials as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. He presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call. He warns against enemies of the cross and declares that our citizenship is in heaven, from which we await a Savior who will transform our bodies.
PhilippiansChapter 3 of 421 versesBerean Standard Bible
In this passage: Jesus
If God speaks to you through Philippians 3, record what He said in Doxa and come back to it.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 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.
All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.
Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.
Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.
For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
Read next
How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.Cross-references for Philippians 3
Philippians 3:10Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
“Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.””
Philippians 3:141 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.”
“And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.”
Philippians 3:20Ephesians 2:19
“Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,”
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, licensed CC BY.
Have a question about Philippians 3?
On Doxa, you can have a personal interaction about any scripture. Ask questions, explore context, and discover connections.
Real stories about these themes
Read testimonies from real people connected to what you're reading.
Explore Related Topics
If God speaks to you through Philippians 3
Doxa is where you record what God has said to you, in the words it came in, weigh it against Scripture with people you trust, and come back to it in the years that follow.
