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Philippians 3:10
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8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss afor the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  
9 and be found in Him, not having amy own righteousness, which is from the law, but bthat which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  
10 that I may know Him and the apower of His resurrection, and bthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  
11 if, by any means, I may aattain to the resurrection from the dead.  

Pressing Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already aattained, or am already bperfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have1 apprehended; but one thing I do, aforgetting those things which are behind and breaching forward to those things which are ahead,  
14 aI press toward the goal for the prize of bthe upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  
15 Therefore let us, as many as are amature, bhave this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, cGod will reveal even this to you.  
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already1 attained, alet us walk bby the same rule, let us be of the same mind.  

Our Citizenship in Heaven

17 Brethren, ajoin in following my example, and note those who so walk, as byou have us for a pattern.  
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are athe enemies of the cross of Christ:  
Book Notes:
Robertson's Book Notes (NT)

Philippians

There is something to be said for the idea that Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians while a prisoner in Ephesus if he ever was a prisoner there. All that can be said for that view has been presented by Professor George S. Duncan in St. Paul's Ephesian Ministry (1930). But, when all is considered carefully in the light of the facts in the Acts and the Epistles, the best that one can say is that a possible case is made out with many difficulties remaining unexplained. The argument is more ingenious than convincing. It is not possible here to review the arguments pro and con that convince me that Paul was in Rome when he wrote this letter to Philippi. It is not clear whether it was written before the three that went together (Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians) or afterwards. Probably there was no great difference in time, but there was time for Epaphroditus to come to Rome, to fall sick, for the news to reach Philippi and for Epaphroditus to hear of their concern about him. The church in Philippi was Paul's joy and pride and they had helped him before as they did this time.

The Epistle is a beautiful expression of gratitude for the love and gifts of the Philippian saints. He is a prisoner of hope in Rome with possible death before him, but with the note of joy running through all that Paul says. He hopes to be set free and to see them again.

Meanwhile he tells the Philippians about the difficulties and triumphs in Rome. The Judaizers have followed Paul here and there is an echo in chapters 1; 3 of their opposition. But Paul rises to full stature in the great Christological passages in chapters 2; 3 which prepare the way for the controversy with the Gnostics over the Person of Christ in Colossians and Ephesians.

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