Our position as believers is that we are “found in Him.” Our purpose is that “we may know Him.” Then we will know our progress is to “follow after” Him to our prize, “the mark.” To do this our practice should be to “walk by the same rule,” and “mind the same thing as “followers … Read more
The cost of living as a Christian is the willingness to “count all things but loss.” Beyond that then is what we gain – “the knowledge of Christ.” To know Him in this way is a priceless privilege that leads us into a deep relationship with Him that enables us to understand Him better and … Read more
All of these religious things would have exalted him before man and even in his own mind, until he had the mind of Christ. Now he had the right perspective when he compared himself with his Lord. Everything he had and all he attained was loss when he had the mind of Christ. Things of … Read more
The false teachers were examples of people we should avoid. The apostle Paul was an example to follow. He had all the credentials the false teachers said were necessary for salvation and righteousness before God. He was Jewish and could trace his ancestry back to Benjamin, so he could boast in his pedigree if he … Read more
We need to beware of those who care only for the external. The true circumcision is inward, not outward. True worship is by the Spirit of God and not religious activity. True glory is in Christ alone, not in things we might do or in things attained by self-effort. True confidence is in God Himself, … Read more
In the Christian life, faith is what counts, not our works. Faith is our response to God’s grace and this is the same in all true children of God. We have nothing to boast of in ourselves, only in God’s grace. The Judaizers thought to add their traditions to the work of Christ which would … Read more
A review of the basics is never out of order because we are influenced to a degree, by those things and people around us whether we realize it or not. There were Judaizers who came to Philippi urging the new believers to keep the traditions and practices of the Jewish religion. Some people inadvertently mislead … Read more
The word “finally” does not mean that the things he writes are sort of an add-on to the truths he has already taught. This adds a practical dimension to the teaching about having the mind of Christ. A spiritual mind can understand what is wrong as well as what is right. This mind is maintained … Read more