Phil. 4:2-3 - Harmony

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.
3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

This final section of the letter pulls together his encouragements and thoughts.

Vs. 2 - “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”

“live in harmony in the Lord.” - Paul says in Rom. 12:18 “If at all possible, live in peace with each other.” Living in harmony with other believers is a common theme in letters from Paul, or Peter, or John. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) A command from the top - Love each other!
We don’t know anything about the dispute between these women. (See Note 1) Whatever the problem, it was destructive enough to be mentioned in the report delivered by Epaphroditus. That is my guess since Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippian church to Paul in Rome. He delivered the relevant news of the church to Paul.

Vs 3 - “Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. ”

“True companion” - Paul realizes he cannot resolve this from long distance, so he implores others to help. Again, no indication who the true comrade might be. It could be Epaphroditus, a trusted associate who is carrying this letter back to Philippi. It could be Clement, mentioned later in the verse (I think Clement is unlikely since Paul mentions him as an aside later in the letter. If the true companion were Clement, wouldn’t Paul have addressed him directly?). Or, it is another trusted believer, Timothy - I don’t know.

- “help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel” - Two people so committed to the gospel message should not be at odds to the degree that the church and gospel is besmirched. Focusing on their differences is diverting their attention from the task of spreading the gospel.
It is quite possible the dispute between these two workers had nothing to do with ‘doctrine’. Paul would have addressed the problem if it was about the salvation message, for example: “Salvation is through faith in Christ, and in Christ alone”. (1 Cor. 2:2) He did not hesitate to clarify that at anytime. (See also the letter to the Galatians.)

- “together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers,” - Other than his name, nothing is known about Clement mentioned here. One of the early “Church Fathers” in the late 2nd (100-199 A.D.) or early 3rd century (200-299 A.D) was named Clement. More than 40-50 years separate this letters and the church leader ‘Clement’, so most likely these are two different people.

- “whose names are in the book of life.” - The term, “Book of Life”, is only mentioned here and in Revelation. But the concept that God knows all and has it recorded is throughout the Bible. (See: Exo. 32:32; Psa. 69:28; Isa. 4:3; Eze. 13:9; Dan. 12:1; Mal. 3:16; Luke 10:20; Heb. 12:23)
God does not need to have it written down so as not to forget - He is omniscient! I believe this is for our benefit, since we forget things. It is to show us that none and nothing will be forgotten. Believers will not be left behind by accident! Non-believers will not ‘slip’ through by omission. There is a TV situation comedy, “The Good Place”, in which an error is made allowing an unrepentant sinner into the Good Place. No such errors will happen in real afterlife.

(Note 1: These names are pronounced “Euodia” = yew-OH-dee-ah, and “Syntyche” = soon-TOOK-ee. Curious minds want to know...)
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Phil. 4:1 - Stand Firm

1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

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Vs. 1 - “my beloved” - This phrase is repeated twice in this verse. Paul’s feelings toward the believers in this church are made known throughout the letter. He longs to see them.
He seriously weighs which is more important: being in heaven with Jesus, or staying here to help them grow! (Phil. 1:22-24) That is how much he cares for them - asking Jesus to let him remain so as to help the believers! Can you imagine it for yourself? They are his joy! They are his crown!

- “Stand firm in the Lord” - Remain strong! Look back to chapter 3. Look at all the encouragement he offers them. He exhorts them:
Only Christ matters!
There is more to know about Christ!
Press on!
Follow our example!

This verse is a transition in the letter from instructions and exhortations to closing thoughts and goodbyes. Some sort of disagreement has arisen between a couple of believers. He urges them to get along with each other, and asks for others to step in to heal the rift.
He offers one last encouragement in verses 4 through 13, some of the most well-known in the epistles. I would guess verses 4, 6, and 13 are memorized and quoted more than many others.

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Phil. 3:20-21 - Eagerly Waiting for Heaven

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Waiting For A Savior

Vs. 20 - “For our citizenship is in heaven” - “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“ (Col. 1:13, 14). Jesus has rescued us from Satan’s clutches. (Eph. 6:12; Acts 26:18; Rom. 5:10; 8:21) The kingdom of God is not of this world, nor made of men’s imagination, nor in the image of men. (Acts 17:29; John 18:36) Better than being a citizen of the kingdom is being a friend. (John 15:15) Better than being a friend is being a child of the king! (John 1:12; Rom. 8:16, 17; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:2, 10; 5:12).

“From which we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” - Paul is anticipating Christ’s return. Christ told the disciples He was returning to heaven, and would come back for them so they could be with Him. (John 14:2,3) We, too will join Him and the other faithful believers. No one knows when Christ will return, it may be soon. (Mark 13:28,29; Matt. 24:36; Rev. 1:3; 22:10) We are encouraged to be ready. Jesus gave us a parable, reminding us to be prepared. (Matt. 25:1-13)
The various English translations of this sentence seem a little fractured. We are not waiting from heaven. We are waiting for our Savior to come from heaven.

Vs. 21 - “who will transform the body of our humble state” - John says it clearly in his first letter: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2) Our natural body, the body of sin will die. We will be given a new uncorrupted, incorruptible body when we are resurrected to be with Him. That concept, we will have a new body which will be just like Jesus’ resurrected body, is what Paul means by “conforming with the body of His glory.”

“By the exertion of the power...” - How does He do this? All things have been given to Him, and He has plenary power over all things. (See: Heb. 2:8) Jesus voluntarily gave up the use of His power to do the will of God - to die for our sin, to save the world. He resurrected and ascended to heaven, and placed in power and authority. (See: Acts 2:33,34, 5:31; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:22) Think on this: if Jesus had not been resurrected (and witnessed by others) there would be no way to know that His sacrifice was accepted and successful! His resurrection and ascension into heaven indicates that He has the power to do what He said He would do. By His unlimited omnipotent power our old corrupt bodies will be transformed to new bodies which will be glorious like Him! Not our old bodies repaired and fixed up, but new bodies suitable for the new self He gives us!
Can I hear an “Amen!”

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End of Chapter
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Phil. 3:18-19 - Many Enemies of Christ

18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

Belligerent Pride

Vs. 18 - “For many... are enemies of the cross of Christ. ” - What a contrast from the previous verses! Rejoicing with believers in Christ versus weeping for those who are enemies of Christ. (Verses are parenthetical, in that Paul has been encouraging the church to think of “the incredible value of knowing Christ” and “living to the high standard” mentioned in previous verses, contrasting with the “dogs, and evil workers”.)

Vs. 19 - “Whose end... whose god... whose glory... who set their minds... ” The enemies of Christ: Paul leads with their ultimate end, and shows why in the next three phrases.

“ whose end is destruction” - Our souls and spirits are eternal, and there are only two (2) possible eternal options: Eternally in the presence of our Holy God, or eternal separation from Him. There are no good and pleasant descriptions of Hell. Some people who say that when we die there is just cessation of existence. So, the reasoning goes: if we don’t go to heaven, what’s the big deal?
A different scene is presented in the “great white throne” judgment in Revelation. All of creation stands before God, and those whose names are not in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into Hell where there is weeping and wailing. Part of the wailing and weeping in Hell is because people have seen the glory of God, and realize that forever they will never experience that again. Oh, the horror. (See: John 3:36; Psa. 73:15-17; Eze. 33:11; Rev. 20:11-15)

“whose god is their appetite” - We cannot serve God and our flesh at the same time. When we let our personal wants and desires drive our actions, we let love of the world control us. (Matt. 6:24; Rom. 1:15-23; Jam. 1:13-15; 1 John 5:12-15; Rev. 18:9-19) This is not a screed against being rich. It is a warning that money cannot buy salvation or eternal life with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit,

“whose glory is in their shame” - Committing sin, and proud of it! I’ve heard it said, “I would rather be playing cards and drinking in Hell than being bored in heaven.” (BTW: No, neither heaven nor hell will be like that!) This belligerent pride is what produces “Give a shout out for your abortion”, promoting “Nude Bike rides”, or “Gay Pride Days”, or advertising a “Swinging Lifestyle”. Because people are not crushed the moment they sin, they begin to believe no one - especially God - has seen, and they will get away with it. (See: Rom. 1:15-23)

“who set their minds on earthly things” - Working at ignoring God and His appeals to us. This may be in relation to riches and acquiring possessions. (See: Luke 12:15; Matt. 6:31-34; Col. 3:2; 1 John 5:12-15)

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Phil. 3:15-17 - Have This Attitude

15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

Follow My Example

Vs. 15 - “Let us... have this attitude” - Which attitude? Which of the several Paul has proffered? Here’s a sampling from this letter:

To live is Christ, to die is gain.
Live in a manner worthy of Christ.
Have the same attitude as Christ’s, putting the interests of others first.
Don’t grumble
Rejoice in the Lord.
Grasping the surpassing value of knowing Christ.
Press on!

The attitude Paul had in mind is the last one. Press on! Reach for all the others! The process of ‘working out your salvation’ will help you to surrender every facet of your life to the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

“as many as are perfect” - Maturity is the concept here. New believers need to mentored by mature Christians. As you live out your faith, you will learn and grow, making fewer mistakes as you mature. See: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Heb. 5:12-14)

“And...if you have a different attitude” - Paul is encouraging us to listen to God when He pokes our conscience. Respond to that nudge from the Holy Spirit by changing your behavior to conform to God’s will - to be transformed.

Vs. 16 - “keep living by that same standard” - Living by faith in Jesus Christ. Again, Paul says it best: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

Vs. 17 - “Join in following my example” - Interesting verse: three English words - join, follow, example - are the same Greek word. (How do they do that?) I think the sense of this verse is: “Christ held back nothing. I am living my life like that. You would do well to do the same.”

“Observe those who walk according to the pattern“ - Paul repeats this admonition. Look to the believers around you who are living for Christ, and have also followed our example. See the following quote from “The Little Book of Talent”, by Daniel Coyle, from Tip #1 (i.e.: Chap. 1): “If you were to visit a dozen talent hotbeds tomorrow, you would be struck by how much time the learners spend observing top performers. When I say ‘observing,’ I’m not talking about passively watching. I’m talking about staring—the kind of raw, unblinking, intensely absorbed gazes you see in hungry cats or newborn babies. We each live with a “windshield” of people in front of us; one of the keys to igniting your motivation is to fill your windshield with vivid images of your future self, and to stare at them every day.” (See: Note 1)
Stare - intently - at the person you want to be like. Figure out what they do that makes them so successful. Do that thing. Do you want to know how make sourdough bread? Download an tutorial from the internet. (A tutorial is one of the few blessings of the Internet...) Do you need help in knitting a complicated cable stitch for a sweater? Click on an internet lesson.
Flip back to chapter 2, verse 5, the exhortation is to have the same attitude as was Jesus Christ’s. What better model could you have? He died for you. He lives for you. He empowers you to live for Him.

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Note 1: “The Little Book of Talent”; Coyle, Daniel; 2012; Bantam Books
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Phil. 3:12-14 - Press On

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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Strive to Reach the Goal

Vs. 12 - “Not that I have already obtained it” - Look back to verse 8 - “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. Paul is saying there is so much to know, to learn about Jesus. Knowing Him as Savior is only the first step! Complete knowledge will not happen until we see Jesus face-to-face in glory.

“Or have become perfect” - Paul had not accomplished complete knowledge of Christ Jesus. Who knows if we ever will do that, even in eternity - God is so far above and beyond anything we know or can imagine. I think we get a sense of what some call “progressive sanctification”, (See note 1, below). The ultimate goal is for we believers to be exactly like Jesus, therefore acceptable to God the Father, and suitable to spend eternity in His presence. This is all done through the power and grace of Jesus. It is Christ about whom we can brag, not ourselves. Jesus gave Himself so we would become perfect (Jhn 17:23). Because the Law made nothing perfect (Heb. 7:19). By the one offering (Jesus Christ) we have been perfected - acceptable to the Lord (Heb. 10:14).

“I press on” - Run, Paul, run! See Paul run for the prize! Do not give up until you have the goal gripped in your hands. I once read a comparison of amateur versus professional athletes: “Amateurs practice a task until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.” I’ve also read that “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” We have also have heard of the “10,000” metric. That is, you can hone a skill if you are willing to do it 10,000 times (some have said 10,000 times a year!).
No half-hearted measures here. The goal - being like Jesus - is worth working toward.

“That I may lay hold of...” - Paul understood that Jesus called him to salvation. He answered the call. Now he wants to continue to grow in his faith, in order to please the one who called. (See: Acts 9:4-6) We are called to believe. “The Screwtape Letters”, by C. S. Lewis, notes that God does not coerce, He only woos. Christ ‘lays hold of us’ in that the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit. We are called to come to Him, to believe in Him, to be saved by Him, and to live our lives for Him. Living our lives worthy of the calling is what Paul means by “that I may lay hold of”

Vs. 13 - “but one thing I do” - Paul is singularly focused - “One thing I do!” Note: Paul persecuted the church of Jesus Christ. Forget about it. That’s behind him. Paul committed crimes, hunting down and in some cases condemning believers to death. He’s not worried about that! That is in the past!

“Reaching forward” - This is another way of saying “Press on!” The 100 meter dash competitors always lean forward at the finish line. Why? You need every possible millimeter to be there first! At the climax of the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” the villainess strained to reach out for the Grail where it had fallen in the crevasse. Paul wants us to strain forward for life, unlike her reaching backward to death.

Vs. 14 -“I press on” - See the fervor in Paul’s exhortation: I press on (v. 12, 14); lay hold of it (v.12); one thing I do (v. 13); reaching forward. (v. 13).
He wants to obtain it (v. 12); lay hold of it (i.e., grab hold with both hands) (v. 12).
What is he after: a goal (v. 14); a prize (v. 14); an upward call (v. 14).
Paul uses sports images and military images in this letter. It is only in U-8 soccer that winning is denigrated - participation prizes are rampant, and totally unimportant. How many times have you seen athletes weep because they lost the World Series, or the Super Bowl? They have poured their life into attaining that goal, and it eluded their grasp.
The object of a battle or a war is to win. Failure means subjugation. There were people who complained to Abraham Lincoln that U. S. Grant was a drunkard. Lincoln’s response was that he wished he had more generals who drank and won as much. Grant’s nickname was “Unconditional Surrender Grant” - because his campaigns were unrelenting. He pushed and drove the enemy until they broke. That is the attitude we need to have - an unrelenting drive to attain the maturity of pure Christian living, waiting with joy for the return of Christ, or going to be with Him.

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Note 1: Three phases of progressive sanctification: Phase 1 - “Positional” (or, instant) - when you accept and believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior you are instantly a child of God whose destiny is eternal life with Jesus (see Rom. 8:29).
Phase 2 - “Experiential” - as you live out your salvation, you grow to know more and more about Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (See: Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:14-16).
Phase 3 - “Ultimate” - when you die, or when Christ returns, you will see Him just as He is, for you will be like Him (see: Eph. 1:13-14).
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Phil. 3:7-8 - Christ is Gain

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

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For the Sake of Christ

Vs. 7 - “But... “ - Paul is not ashamed of his background. He also is fully aware those things listed in verses 5 and 6 (above) have no bearing on his salvation. It doesn’t matter that he is a Jew, a Hebrew, or a Pharisee! Christ died for Jews and non-Jews alike, for Pharisees and pagans. The advantage Paul has over the rest of us - he was immersed in Judaic history, prophecy and scripture. He understands how the sacrifices and rituals have all been fulfilled in Christ.

“those things I have counted as loss” - And that being said, he says, “It’s all been a waste of my time and energy!”

“For the sake of Christ” - Paul didn’t just decide these things were rubbish on a whim. He made a value comparison. What is worth more: Accomplishments and accolades or Salvation through Jesus Christ? What is more lasting: earning an honor or position, or freedom from sin and eternal life?

Vs. 8 - ”I count all things to be loss” - Paul is adamant. He wants you to know he has considered all the information available. He has compared all the pros and cons. All things considered, nothing is more important than...

“The surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” - The value of this knowledge is far beyond anything else. I am not referring to “knowing about” Jesus - the kind of information you get when to study the Bible as literature, or an article in Wikipedia. (I just saw a magazine, in the grocery check out line, about the historical Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity by National Geographic.) Jesus taught about the worth of the kingdom. In Luke 15:8ff, we see a woman looks desperately for a lost coin. And in Matt. 13:44ff, a man sacrifices everything he has to buy a field in which a treasure is buried. In both examples the value of the item is worth more than anything else to those people.
Jesus warned that nothing else is as important as following (knowing) Him (See: Luk. 9:60ff; Matt. 8:22ff). Paul echoes that theme in 2 Cor. 10:5, emphasizing that everything else is subservient to knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Knowing Jesus Christ is eternal life - not just a method to get to eternal life, but life itself. (John 17:3) True godliness comes through knowing Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:3)
See the emphasis Jesus placed on knowing: He knows God the Father, because the Father sent Him to us (John 7:29). Jesus knows God (John 8:55). He knows His followers (John 10:27). Conversely, the world does not know Jesus or God, so the world rejects Him (John 15:21).
You can see why being a Christian is a very personal faith. The Savior knows you and loves you. He knows all your faults, all the good things about you, all your sins. He knows, and died for you so you could be with Him. Loving and believing in Jesus is not just emotions. Our love for Him is also mental, scientific so to speak, because we have evidence of His love for us. Our faith is based on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

Paul is saying, very clearly, jettison anything standing between you and belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Don’t let honors, accolades, science, hobbies, or any other thing stop you from accepting Jesus. Nothing is worth eternity separated from God!

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