My husband died suddenly. But he ran the race with Christ right up to the finishing post. For him, it was all joy. For those who loved him, it has inevitably been bittersweet. As Paul acknowledged, we have not yet fully grasped what it means to keep on track with Christ, nor are we sufficiently like him. But we do have our eyes fixed on that eternal prize to claim our full heavenly citizenship. That is where we truly belong (v 14).

Paul urges the Christians in Philippi to keep a note of what they have already experienced and, like him, not look back (v 13). He invites them to choose some other Christlike role models. They cannot imitate him for long; his earthly life will soon be over (v 17). He emotionally warns them about false teachers among them, whom he speaks of as enemies of cross-shaped living. There are certainly bumps on the track, but we must keep pressing forward (4:1).

Paul is so eager to get to the finishing post that he is almost falling over himself. Once there, he will exist in the world with no conflict, where Christ is fully in control. His own physical body, and ours, will be transformed to be something like Jesus’ glorious resurrection body (v 21).

Grace and truth. Thank God for these biblical qualities and the way they are displayed in the life of Jesus. 

There is much in our world that is positive, which should fill us with joy and hope.¹ Yet there is much that is wrong too. Paul details some of the problems of his first-century world (vs 18,19). He could easily be writing about our own day, marred by materialism and consumed by consumerism, full of injustice and a lack of self-control, leading to ‘shame’ and brokenness (v 19). Sometimes as Christians we are loath to call these things out. We need clear, applied biblical thinking and the courage to speak prophetically when the situation demands it.  

This is not all that is necessary, however. Sometimes we speak stridently, without love in our hearts. Paul shows us a better way, for when he speaks the truth he does so with ‘tears’ (v 18). He sees the tragedy of a society rebelling against God. He knows he has the answer: the cross of Christ. At the cross, people are delivered from the penalty and power of sin and broken lives are made whole. Yet, tragically, many live as its enemies, rushing headlong to destruction (vs 18,19). Paul speaks out but he also weeps, giving us a model of how to engage with our world. 

One further thing is needed. If we are going to speak, even with love, we need to live in ways consistent with what we say. Awareness of our status as Christians helps us do this. It was a great privilege to be a Roman citizen, yet Paul knew that every Christian enjoyed an even greater privilege with which came great responsibility: we are citizens of heaven (v 20)! We are called to speak truth with grace, but we recall that Jesus embodied these qualities in the way he lived.² We most faithfully follow him when we do the same. 

How has God challenged you about the words you speak, the way you speak them and the way you live? Respond to his challenge. 

¹ Cf Phil 4:8  ² John 1:14