Philippians 3:6

4 though ^aI also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I ^bmore so:

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, ^aof the tribe of Benjamin, ^ba Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, ^ca Pharisee;

6 concerning zeal, ^apersecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But ^awhat things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

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,

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Philippians 3:5

Philippians 3:7 >>

What Does Philippians 3:6 Mean?

Philippians 3:6

Does this contradict Paul's poverty of spirit in I Timothy 1:12-15? No, before conversion Paul was a great deal like Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7. He was clothed in respectability, but he knew he was guilty of many deeds and attitudes for which Jesus denounced the Pharisees. In Philippians 3, he is instead looking back on what he thought of himself then. However, as God called him, he came to see himself through God's eyes as a man struggling with sin but rescued from it through Jesus Christ, which he describes in Romans 7. He then became a man whose faith was in God's grace, and he responded with zealous work largely out of a deep sense of grateful obligation.

Paul was full of wonder and gratitude when he remembered what Christ had done and continued to do through and for him. G.K. Chesterton, an atheist who converted to Catholicism, commented regarding this circumstance, "It is the highest and holiest of paradoxes that the man who really knows he cannot pay his debt will be forever paying it."

John W. Ritenbaugh
An Unpayable Debt and Obligation

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Philippians 3:6:

Matthew 5:10

<< Philippians 3:5

Philippians 3:7 >>

Join 137,305+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Pressing Toward the Goal

What Does Philippians 3:6 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning