Philippians 3:13, commentary and pictures

Paul himself testifies that he does not count himself to have already attained his goal or become perfect. Forgetting what lies behind means leaving past sins, failures and mistakes behind after confession and forgiveness so they need not hold one back, and also leaving past attainments behind rather than treating conversion or present growth as complete. Reaching toward what lies before means steadily pressing toward the goal for the prize of God's high calling in Christ, which is eternal life and perfection of Christian character and Christlikeness. Sanctification is therefore progressive and the work of a lifetime, growing step by step toward Christlike perfection, so no one should claim to have reached perfection or take salvation for granted. This one thing demands singleness of purpose and unceasing persevering effort in the battle for immortality, not by human strength but by looking to Christ and working together with God who works in the believer.

Paul's Circumstances and Example

Paul himself testifies that he did not count himself to have apprehended, attained his goal, or become already perfect. He did not consider himself to have reached the goal or the fullness of Christian holiness, but kept turning from what lay behind and reaching toward what lay ahead in following after to lay hold of that for which Christ had laid hold of him. A Christian is not to claim to have reached spiritual perfection or to have completed the work of growth, and Paul's modest refusal to claim perfection stands against boastful claims of sinlessness, while the purity and faithfulness of his life gave force to his exhortations. He presents perfection of Christian character as the lifelong aim and presses toward it rather than treating conversion or present growth as complete.

Amid many busy activities he kept one great purpose always before him. As a wise teacher he wrote instructive letters to the churches setting forth correct principles, traveled from place to place preaching and caring for the churches and earnestly seeking to show them their errors and help them in their difficulties, carried a heavy burden to lead the churches rightly, and worked with his hands at his trade as a tentmaker to earn his daily bread. Even with travel, preaching, church care, writing, and earning his living, he never lost sight of that one steadfast aim and fixed his attention on leaving the past behind and stretching toward what lies ahead.

That one ruling purpose that allowed nothing to divert him was to be faithful to Christ. Christ had revealed Himself to him at Damascus when he was blaspheming His name and trying to make others blaspheme it, and the name that had once filled him with contempt he now sought to serve, honor, and exalt, with exalting the cross of Calvary guiding his words and actions. His aim was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and fellowship in His sufferings, to serve Him and to win souls to the Saviour, with Jew and Gentile opposing and persecuting him but nothing turning him from his purpose. The constant sense of God's presence constrained him to keep his eye ever looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith.

As the minister sent to preach Christ and Him crucified to the Gentiles, he wrote this when weighed down with responsibilities and in a strait whether to die or to live on in the flesh for the good of others. The words were declared in vision to Paul by God, who gave him many revelations, and are recorded for the benefit of all who desire to be sincere, earnest, whole-hearted Christians obedient to all God's requirements. They state wholehearted effort and the fundamental principles of the law that declares the whole duty of man. He set aside his former claims and achievements and did not treat his former life or past achievements as the goal, but kept pressing toward what lay ahead in pursuing the knowledge of Christ and the calling God had given him.

Forgetting Things Behind

Forgetting what lies behind means that past mistakes, failures and sins need not hold a person back from moving forward. With God's help they can be left behind and risen above, as the believer turns attention from what is behind and reaches toward what lies ahead and presses on toward God's high calling in Christ. After confession of sin and looking to Christ for forgiveness, the person presses on toward the things ahead rather than remaining fixed on past failures. This calls believers to stop dwelling on past failures and on their own weakness and lack of power, and to press forward in the heavenward way, trusting that Christ has made a faithful life possible and giving themselves to Him in consecration to take every opportunity to become more useful in His service. Where past errors have been confessed and forgiven they are to be left behind and moved beyond rather than continually rehearsed, since rehearsing them weakens faith and courage and harms others, while letting the matter rest with God brings freedom and prevents further harm.

It also means leaving past attainments and progress behind and not treating conversion or present growth as complete. Those on the strait and narrow path to heaven have not yet apprehended perfection, but must keep reaching forward and pressing toward the light with the perfection of Christ ever in view, loving God supremely and neighbor as self and conforming the whole life to His teachings. Paul did not treat past achievements or his former life as the goal, but pressed forward toward the prize of God's calling in Christ in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and fellowship in His sufferings. Believers have not yet reached their full spiritual goal or perfection, but are to keep pursuing it by leaving past things behind and pressing toward what lies ahead, aiming for God's calling in Christ and continually following after to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of them. No one should take for granted that he is saved, because sanctification is the work of a lifetime, and not counting oneself to have already attained perfection but continually following after and reaching forward is a confession rightly made only when standing God's test in the refining, purifying process, when the furnace fire has consumed the dross and the true gold of a purified character appears.

Forgetting what is behind further means not keeping dark chapters of experience fresh by repetition, not taking the burden back and fretting, but trusting work in the Lord's hands and leaving it with Him so that amid constant activity the soul finds rest. It means forgetting wrongs suffered and leaving painful experiences, insults and abuse with God instead of becoming discouraged by them, as Christ met the same. Reaching to what is before in this same sense means pressing forward doing God's work with fidelity, cultivating only thoughts and feelings that produce gratitude and praise, thinking of mercy, loving-kindness and inexpressible love, storing the mind with precious promises and repeating them in communion with Him, ceasing to fret, murmur, complain and find fault, and making melody to God in the heart with joy and gratitude.

It means leaving behind what hinders progress, for the highest growth cannot be attained while burdened with worldly worries or while holding on to cherished sins. With Jesus' strength believers can grow in grace, meet greater conflicts, and gain clearer views of heavenly things, and following Christ their Pattern leads to greater wisdom and a clearer view of His loveliness. Christians must leave behind what hinders their progress and keep pressing toward the goal of their high calling, advancing step by step as the Lord draws near while they strive, each temptation overcome being a triumph, and faithfully enduring conflict and trial leading toward a better day. The Christian has not yet reached the goal but should keep pressing forward in continual progress toward God's ideal of godliness, directing effort toward what is good and pure and noble and elevated rather than toward selfish or temporary interests.

Reaching Toward Things Before

Reaching forth and pressing toward the mark is steadily pressing toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the heavenly goal and eternal life, until the race is run and the victory is gained. It is the motto of the Christian pilgrim, who does not yield to the desire to rest but moves steadily forward saying the night is far spent and the day is at hand, forgetting what lies behind and reaching toward what lies ahead. It means one ruling purpose that allows nothing to divert, even amid many busy activities as a wise teacher writing instructive letters setting forth correct principles, traveling to preach and caring for the churches and seeking to show them their errors and help their difficulties, and working with the hands at the trade of tentmaking to earn daily bread while carrying a heavy burden to lead the churches rightly. That one steadfast aim kept always before him was to be faithful to Christ, who revealed Himself at Damascus when blaspheming His name and trying to make others blaspheme it, to serve Him whose name had once filled him with contempt and to exalt the cross, to know Him and win souls to the Saviour, with Jew and Gentile opposing and persecuting but nothing turning him from his purpose, keeping the eye ever looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith under the constant sense of God's presence. The call is to consecrate wholly to God's service and press forward onward and upward in the face of hardship and difficulty without discouragement by delay, with self-denial, vigilance against evil, willingness to sacrifice and overcome obstacles, refusing worldly attractions that draw attention from the Lord Jesus, laying aside every weight and the sin that easily besets, showing to the world, to angels and to men that the hope of seeing the face of God and of eternal life is worth all the effort and sacrifice its attainment demands, given as a motto to remember in trials while relying on the Saviour's promises.

The standard and prize ahead is perfection of Christian character and Christlikeness, which includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated, being perfect in man's sphere as God is perfect in His sphere. It is the righteousness of Christ to be reached for and completeness of character in Him, pursued by continual striving and constant progress onward and upward, by patient continuance in doing good and advancing step by step, by straining day by day, laying aside every hindrance, seeking piety and moral excellence, practicing daily self-denial and doing good to others, and directing effort toward what is good, pure and noble rather than selfish or temporary interests. Paul did not claim to have attained perfection but kept pressing toward it as the lifelong aim, and believers are assured they will not be left to grope in doubt and perplexity. Pressing forward forbids unbelief and talk of weakness and discouragement, because Christ has made a complete sacrifice that the believer may stand complete in Him, and lack of faith displeases God and separates the soul from Christ; it means grieving yielding to temptation and feeble prayer and weak faith without making excuses, loving Jesus even after sinning and falling many times, telling Him all mistakes, confessing with shame and sorrow the dishonor done Him, looking to the cross and what He suffered, receiving through the Holy Spirit conviction of ingratitude and putting Christ to open shame, receiving forgiveness from Him who knows no sin, and answering His call to a higher, nobler life by moving forward toward it.

Reaching to what is before means pressing forward doing God's work with fidelity while trusting work in the Lord's hands and leaving it with Him instead of taking the burden back and fretting, so that amid constant activity the soul finds rest. It means cultivating only thoughts and feelings that produce gratitude and praise, thinking of mercy, loving-kindness and inexpressible love, storing the mind with precious promises and repeating them in communion with Him, ceasing to fret, murmur, complain and find fault, and making melody to God in the heart with joy and gratitude, continuing work without being discouraged by insult and abuse as Christ met the same. It means laying hold of God's promises by trusting Jesus whom God sent to save, believing He will manifest Himself, come and abide, through praying, believing and obeying while working together with God who works to will and act, and turning from thoughts of personal defects and despair to trust Christ's promises and continuing presence.

In its context, all who are perfect are to be thus minded, and where otherwise minded God will reveal the truth, and where they have attained they are to walk by the same rule and mind the same thing, following Paul together and marking those who walk as his example. Many who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ, putting on garments of light, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly and glory is their shame and who mind earthly things, are not to be encouraged, and the warning against them is given with weeping by One who knows the perils of God's people. Citizenship is in heaven from where the Saviour is looked for to change the vile body to be like His glorious body by His power to subdue all things, so believers are to stand fast in the Lord, walking together in truth already attained and preserving unity in the church rather than forming schisms or separating lines of work.

Progressive Growth to Perfection

Sanctification is progressive, continuing after peace with God is found and after conversion takes place, as the Christian keeps growing toward Christlike perfection and the fullness of Christ rather than treating conversion as completion or remaining spiritually sick and stagnant. Forgetting what lies behind and reaching toward what lies ahead expresses this continuing work of leaving the past and pressing toward the goal of God's calling in Christ.

It is not the work of a day but of a lifetime, carried on until the race is run, the conflict is finished, and the victory is gained. It advances step by step with patient continuance in doing good, leaving what is behind and reaching toward what is ahead one step at a time in persevering progress toward the mark for the prize of God's high calling in Christ Jesus. This is accomplished through faithful performance of the small duties of everyday life, which prepares for larger responsibilities and for doing great good in the world.

No one should take for granted that he is saved or claim to have reached spiritual perfection, for even Paul did not count himself to have apprehended or to have reached the fullness of Christian holiness. His modest refusal to claim perfection stands in contrast to boastful claims of sinlessness, while the purity and faithfulness of his life gave force to his exhortations to keep pursuing the goal Christ called him to. Even when standing God's test in the refining, purifying process, when the furnace fire has consumed the dross and the true gold of a purified character appears, the believer has not yet attained perfection but must still continually follow after, leaving past attainments behind and reaching forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This progress does not come from human strength or self-atonement but depends on looking to Christ, abiding in Him, and receiving His transforming work, with a life of faith working through love showing movement toward the goal. It requires active cooperation with God rather than passive waiting to be taken to heaven, trusting Jesus whom God sent, praying, believing and obeying, and laying hold of God's promises with belief that He will manifest Himself, come to the believer and abide with them. God supplies the efficiency yet does nothing without human cooperation, as believers work together with God who works in them to will and to act according to His good pleasure, straining every muscle and exercising every faculty in the struggle for immortality with continuous persevering effort in a warfare where there is no release.

Perfection of Christian character and completeness of character in Christ is the lifelong aim, and believers pressing toward it with letting go of what lies behind and reaching toward what lies ahead are assured they will not be left to grope in doubt and perplexity. Unbelief and talk of weakness and discouragement are forbidden, since Christ has made a complete sacrifice that the believer may stand complete in Him, and lack of faith displeases God and separates the soul from Christ. Pressing forward in the battle against sin by keeping close to Jesus means grieving yielding to temptation and feeble prayer and weak faith without making excuses, loving Jesus even after sinning and falling many times, telling Him all mistakes, confessing with shame and sorrow the dishonor done Him, looking to the cross and what He suffered, receiving through the Holy Spirit conviction of ingratitude and putting Christ to open shame, receiving forgiveness from Him who knows no sin, and answering His call to a higher, nobler life by moving forward toward it.

Single-Minded Persevering Effort

“This one thing I do” is the motto of the Christian pilgrim, who does not yield to the desire to rest but moves steadily forward saying the night is far spent and the day is at hand, forgetting what lies behind and reaching toward what lies ahead while pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It expresses one ruling purpose that allows nothing to divert, even amid many busy activities such as wise teaching, writing instructive letters to set churches right, traveling and caring for churches, and working with the hands at the trade of tentmaking to earn daily bread while bearing heavy responsibility to lead rightly. That one steadfast aim is to be faithful to Christ, who revealed Himself at Damascus when His name was blasphemed and others were compelled to blaspheme and whose name had once filled with contempt, to serve Him and to win souls to the Saviour, with Jew and Gentile opposing and persecuting yet nothing turning from the purpose. It is the posture of brave, hopeful soldiers under the banner of Christ in an unfinished conflict who must not go out expecting defeat, for according to faith it shall be done, admitting they have not already attained and are not already perfect but following after to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of them and putting every power to the tax to become all Christ designed them to become through His grace. Forgetting what lies behind and reaching toward what lies ahead therefore means refusing to let past things or present distractions turn aside from the goal, a motto to remember while facing trials and relying on the Saviour’s promises.

It expresses singleness of purpose and wholehearted devotion to God, a sincere and unwavering resolve to discern truth and obey it at whatever cost. It is the language of the heart when all compromise with sin is at an end and real piety begins, bringing divine enlightenment.

The Christian life is a battle and a march requiring active cooperation with God rather than passive waiting to be taken to heaven. Forgetting what is behind and reaching toward what is ahead means straining every muscle and exercising every faculty in the struggle for immortality, with continuous and persevering effort and steady, forward and upward striving toward higher, better, and holier thoughts, feelings, and practices. In this warfare there is no release, and victory over the temptations of Satan is maintained only by unceasing endeavor, with integrity sought with resistless energy and held with resolute fixedness of purpose, including mental struggles and unceasing spiritual warfare for which God alone can help, while God supplies the efficiency and does nothing without human cooperation. Believers are to keep attention on Jesus and not hinder others from running the race, pressing toward the goal and the prize of God’s high calling in Christ with deliberate, sustained effort and unwavering purpose to move forward.

This one purpose calls for self-denial, vigilance against evil, and willingness to sacrifice and overcome obstacles, laying aside every weight and the sin that easily besets and every hindrance. It refuses worldly attractions that draw attention from the Lord Jesus and will not be turned aside by hardship, nor remain burdened with worldly worries or holding to cherished sins, since the highest growth cannot be attained while so burdened. With Jesus’ strength there is growth in grace to meet greater conflicts and gain clearer views of heavenly things, following Christ the Pattern to greater wisdom and a clearer view of His loveliness, striving day by day and seeking piety and moral excellence in pursuit of perfection in Christ.

The hope of seeing the face of God and of eternal life is worth all the effort and sacrifice its attainment demands, to be shown to the world, to angels, and to men. This pressing brings meekness, hungering for righteousness, mercy, and purity of heart in which they see God.

Practical Application to Life

The verse is given as a motto to hold in mind amid trials while relying on the promises of the Saviour. It calls workers, ministers and missionaries vitalized by the Holy Spirit to consecrate themselves wholly to God's service and cheerfully devote their whole being to His work. That means putting all energies and all one has and is into God's work for this life and for eternity, with increasing love for Christ leading to the conversion of souls. Steadily keeping in view the heaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in that generation, believers are to press forward onward and upward in work and in spiritual life in the face of hardship and difficulty, without being discouraged by delay.

They are to stop dwelling on their own weakness and lack of power and on past failures, but to remember what God has done for them. Instead of dwelling on weakness, they are to press forward in the heavenward way and take every opportunity that can make them more useful in God's service. Consecrating themselves to Jesus and living the life He makes possible, with increasing love for Christ leading to conversion of souls, their lives are shaped by holiness as the Christian pilgrim continues to grow in spirituality, righteousness, holiness and usefulness.

They must not settle into fixed habits or settle down content with natural ways, but continually advance, improve and reform character toward a well-balanced and symmetrical character fit for service. This means constantly asking what one is and what one ought to be and do, learning daily, receiving spiritual strength, and growing in faith and knowledge of Jesus. It requires earnest thought and exercise of resolve, thought and will to represent Christ in character, putting away gloom and self-focus, improving defective traits contracted in younger years, and pursuing uprightness, faith, life in the Spirit, truth, love, newness of life and holiness. Since God-given abilities are of no value unused, willing diligent workers press onward instead of grumbling or shrinking from self-denial, constantly seeking higher attainments so as not to hinder the work when new duties and fields open.

The true penitent pressing on has not already attained perfection of Christian character but is constantly on guard against the wiles of a corrupt heart. He will be tempted to glorify self, but enduring the test is shown when the fruits of humility appear in his life under trial. Pressing on produces heavenly kindness, charity, patience and forgiveness of supposed injuries, for God calls for contrition of soul.

This forward purpose means seeking to enlighten one's own soul, raise the standard of righteousness, and help save the lost, while praying for divine guidance and fixing faith on Jesus rather than on people. Love for Jesus awakened by the greatness of His love leads believers to love one another and to forget what lies behind as they live and share their faith. Reaching for the righteousness of Christ as the prize means daily self-denial and doing good to others, continually striving to represent Christ in this life while leaving past imperfections behind. Believers are to keep their attention on Jesus and not hinder others from running the race, and to give careful attention to preserving physical strength.

In particular cases, past errors that have been confessed and forgiven are to be left behind rather than continually rehearsed. Continuing to rehearse them weakens faith and courage and harms others, while turning from thoughts of personal defects and despair to trust Christ's promises and continuing presence brings freedom. Letting the matter rest with God prevents further harm.