The Onward, Upward Call Philippians 3:10-14

Philippians Bible Study, Week 16

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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead. 12Not 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. 13Brothers, 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, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:10-14 (NASB)
Things to Think About
Do you really know Jesus Christ?
How can we know Jesus more?
In what ways did Paul want to know Jesus more?
What is our goal as a Christian?
What is the upward call of God?

Really Knowing Christ

Continuing with the thought in verse 8 of knowing Christ, Paul elaborates on aspects of this
knowledge in verse 10. The word that Paul uses for know (ginsk) here, and elsewhere in
his letters, is often used in the context of personal knowledge, not just intellectual knowledge.
In Philippians 1:9 Paul uses ginsk with the prefix epi which strengthens its
meaning. The NASB translates this strengthened form as real knowledge. Epiginsk is a
common word in the New Testament and can simply mean recognise or acknowledge;
however it is the word some New Testament authors use for really knowing Jesus
Christ. Matthew used the word twice in Matthew 11:27: No one knows the Son, except the
Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires
to reveal him.
Paul not only wanted to know Jesus Christ for himself, he wanted others to have a personal
and experiential knowledge of Jesus. Paul also wanted others to have a real knowledge and
discernment when it came to Gods will and living the Christian life. This was Pauls prayer
for the churches.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of
insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until
the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV)

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and
asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and
understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of
God. Colossians 1:9-10 (NIV)
Resurrection Power
Paul wanted to know and experience the power of Jesus resurrection. For Paul, the
resurrection was not just a past, historical event; it had continuing dynamic power (dunamis)
that enabled believers to live the Christian life victoriously. This divine power is available to
us through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:11, Paul wrote: . . . the
Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you . . . Romans 8:11 (NIV)
Sharing Christs Suffering
For Paul, suffering for Christ was a privilege. Suffering enabled Paul to access greater depths
of Christs grace and power (2 Cor 12:9-10; 13:4). Suffering also facilitated greater depths of
intimacy and fellowship with Christ. Earlier, Paul had told the Philippians that suffering for
Christs sake was a gift granted to them from God (Php 1:29-30).
Paul was not only willing to suffer for Christs sake, he wanted to literally participate and
share (koinonia) in Christs suffering. Paul wanted to fully identify with his Lord. He
wanted to experience both the power of the resurrection and the suffering of the cross. He
wanted to be fully conformed into Christs likeness, even into Christs death. This was in no
way a morbid desire, for Pauls hope and expectation was to fully experience for himself
resurrection from death. Paul speaks extensively about the mystery of resurrection in 1
Corinthians 15. In this resurrection, our physical bodies will become like Christs glorified
body. This will happen on the Day of Christ.
Paul saw death as the gateway to life and gain (Php 1:21-26). Even on earth he desired to
die to himself so that he could live for God (Gal 2:20 cf Gal 5:24; 6:14). (Martin 1983:150)
Pressing On
In verses 12-14, Paul again emphasised to the Philippians the progressive nature of the
Christian life. It seems that liked the Corinthians, the Philippians believed that they were
already living in the eschatological age where salvation is fully consummated and
realised.[1] To counter this belief, Paul mentions the coming Day of Christ three time in
Philippians the end time had not yet come (Php 1:6,10; 2:16).
Moreover, Paul made it clear that he had not attained his lofty goals of total identification and
fellowship with Christ, or his aim of spiritual maturity and perfection. Paul understood the
dynamic nature of the Christian life; and was intent on exerting himself so that he might

become more mature and complete in Christ. Paul uses the word agon in his letters, which
means striving, to describe the effort and exertion necessary for Spiritual growth, and
progress in faith and ministry.[2]
There is no doubt that Paul is here speaking to the antinomians. They were those who
denied that there was any law at all in the Christian life. They declared that they were within
the grace of God and that, therefore, it did not matter what they did; God would forgive. No
further discipline and no further effort were necessary. Paul is insisting that to the end of the
day the Christian life is the life of an athlete pressing onwards to a goal which is always in
front. (Barclay 2003:78)
The upward call
Very few of us have had an encounter with Jesus as Paul did on the Damascus road, or have
receive such a clear call to ministry. Paul recognised that Jesus had taken hold of him for a
purpose, a purpose that Paul had not yet fully taken hold of; but he was committed and
determined to pursue this purpose. We also, as believers, have been taken hold of by Jesus
Christ, and we have a purpose. Gods purpose for us is that we become more and more like
Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29).
Paul was not lumbered with past regrets or even past triumphs. His focus was onward and
upward. The upward call of God has been thought by some to refer to heaven which is often
spoken of as being up. However, heaven was not the focus of Pauls goal. (Some Bible
versions, including the NIV, use the word heaven in their translations of verse 14, but the
word does not appear in the Greek.) Pauls real pursuit and goal was Christ-like spiritual
maturity and perfection. This was his high and holy calling. A calling he encouraged others
to heed (Gal 4:19; Eph 4:13).
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1b-2

Endnotes
[1] The Corinthians seem to have believed that because the Holy Spirit was living within
them they already belonged primarily to the heavenly-Spirit world (cf 1 Cor 4:8), rather than
to the world of the flesh and blood (1 Cor 6:11; 12:13). As Gentiles or Hellenists they
understood the gift of the indwelling Spirit as a powerful, divine substance, a very part of the
heavenly world, and so they believed that they had already experienced the full arrival of
salvation itself, not merely a down-payment or seal in anticipation for the complete salvation
believers experience at the resurrection on the Day of Christ Paul refuted the over-realised
eschatology of the Corinthians. He insisted that they were not yet spiritual bodies belonging
to the heavenly sphere. This would only occur after the resurrection (1 Cor 15:4549). Adapted from Max Turners The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts (Peabody,
Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996) p103.

A significant difference between 1 Corinthians and Philippians is that throughout 1

Corinthians Paul corrects sexual licentiousness and immoral behaviour, which seems due to
the Greek concept of the separation of spirit and body, and antinomianism, whereas there is
no hint of sexual immorality in Pauls letter to the Philippians.
[2] Php 1:30; 1 Cor 9:24-27; Col 1:28-29; 2:1; 4:12; 1 Thess 2:2; 1 Tim 4:10; 6:12; 2 Tim
4:7. Agn can refer to contention, struggles and conflict as well as athletic activities such as
races and fights. The word agony comes from the word agn.