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Philippians 3:12
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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.  
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< Philippians 3:11   Philippians 3:13 >>


Philippians 3:12

Not that (oux oti). To guard against a misunderstanding as in John 6:26; John 12:6; II Corinthians 1:24; Philippians 4:11, Philippians 4:17.

I have already obtained (hdh elabon). Rather, "I did already obtain," constative second aorist active indicative of lambanw, summing up all his previous experiences as a single event.

Or am already made perfect (h hdh teteleiwmai). Perfect passive indicative (state of completion) of teleiow, old verb from teleiov and that from telov (end). Paul pointedly denies that he has reached a spiritual impasse of non- development. Certainly he knew nothing of so-called sudden absolute perfection by any single experience. Paul has made great progress in Christlikeness, but the goal is still before him, not behind him.

But I press on (diwkw de). He is not discouraged, but encouraged. He keeps up the chase (real idea in diwkw, as in I Corinthians 14:1; Romans 9:30; I Timothy 6:11).

If so be that (ei kai). "I follow after." The condition (third class, ei—katalabw, second aorist active subjunctive of katalambanw) is really a sort of purpose clause or aim. There are plenty of examples in the Koin‚ of the use of ei and the subjunctive as here (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1017), "if I also may lay hold of that for which (ef w, purpose expressed by epi) I was laid hold of (katelhmfqhn, first aorist passive of the same verb katalambanw) by Christ Jesus." His conversion was the beginning, not the end of the chase.




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Philippians 3:12:

Luke 9:13
1 Corinthians 9:24
1 Corinthians 9:27
1 Corinthians 14:5
Philippians 3:11
Philippians 3:15
1 Thessalonians 1:1
Revelation 11:5

 

<< Philippians 3:11   Philippians 3:13 >>

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