Courage for Life for Men - Flipbook - Page 14
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PhiliPPians 3
reverence and fear. 13For God is working
in you, giving you the desire and the
power to do what pleases him.
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Do everything without complaining
and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize
you. Live clean, innocent lives as children
of God, shining like bright lights in a
world full of crooked and perverse people. 16Hold firmly to the word of life; then,
on the day of Christ’s return, I will be
proud that I did not run the race in vain
and that my work was not useless. 17 But I
will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it
out like a liquid offering to God,* just like
your faithful service is an offering to God.
And I want all of you to share that joy.
18
Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share
your joy.
Paul Commends Timothy
19
If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to
send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then
he can cheer me up by telling me how you
are getting along. 20I have no one else like
Timothy, who genuinely cares about your
welfare. 21All the others care only for
themselves and not for what matters to
Jesus Christ. 22But you know how Timothy
has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching
the Good News. 23I hope to send him to
you just as soon as I find out what is going
to happen to me here. 24And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will
come to see you soon.
Paul Commends Epaphroditus
Meanwhile, I thought I should send
Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true
brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier.
And he was your messenger to help me in
my need. 26I am sending him because he
has been longing to see you, and he was
very distressed that you heard he was ill.
25
And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—
and also on me, so that I would not have
one sorrow after another.
28
So I am all the more anxious to send
him back to you, for I know you will be
glad to see him, and then I will not be so
worried about you. 29 Welcome him in the
Lord’s love* and with great joy, and give
him the honor that people like him deserve. 30For he risked his life for the work
of Christ, and he was at the point of
death while doing for me what you
couldn’t do from far away.
27
The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,* rejoice in the Lord. I
never get tired of telling you these things,
and I do it to safeguard your faith.
2
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say
you must be circumcised to be saved. 3For
we who worship by the Spirit of God* are
the ones who are truly circumcised. We
rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us.
We put no confidence in human effort,
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though I could have confidence in my
own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their
own efforts, I have even more!
5
I was circumcised when I was eight
days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of
Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one!
I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6I was so zealous that I harshly
persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
7
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless
because of what Christ has done. 8Yes,
everything else is worthless when com-
2:17 Greek I will rejoice even if I am to be poured out as a liquid offering. 2:29 Greek in the Lord. 3:1 Greek brothers;
also in 3:13, 17. 3:3 Some manuscripts read worship God in spirit; one early manuscript reads worship in spirit.
belief over behavior
3:2-11
P R A Y • Father, I am grateful that nothing I’ve done—positive or negative—changes your love
or your desire to have a relationship with me.
O B S E R V E • Paul warned the Philippians against the influence of Jewish Christians who
believed God required circumcision for salvation. He made it clear that those who trust in the
work of Jesus Christ alone are genuinely saved (3:3). Paul then unpacked his own background.
Though it was impressive, he considered it worthless. Paul knew that true faith is the only
requirement for salvation.
I N T E R P R E T • Many believe they are saved simply by saying and doing the right things.
But our hope isn’t based on being good. It is grounded in the redemptive work of Christ alone.
Everyone has sinned, and we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Rom 3:23). So first we must
trust Jesus—not our works—for salvation. Then we allow God to transform our behavior and
make us more like Jesus. It doesn’t work the other way around.
A P P LY • accept the things
you cannot change: Will you
accept that salvation is a free
gift and doesn’t depend on your
works (Phil 3:3)? Journal your
response. • Embrace a life of
grace: Reflect on how you may
have modified your behavior to
be good enough for God. Will you
believe the truth that salvation
rests on Christ alone (3:9)?
As you meditate on this passage,
what other COURAGE steps do
you feel called to take?
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