Author: Jim Cantelon

Key Verse: Philippians 3:13 & 14 “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goals for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul had powerful motivation. It was rooted in his belief in Jesus, and its energy was derived from his hope of “the upward call of God.” Paul was a man with a dream, a man who was going somewhere — and he knew who was taking him there. But Paul was also methodical. He very effectively contributed to the upward call by determined effort. Here is how he analyzes his contribution:

1. He forgets the past. If anyone had reason for regretting his past, it was Paul; especially as it related to his earlier treatment of Christians. Paul’s behaviour is recorded in the Book of Acts, “Then Saul, still breathing threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord…”(Acts 9:1). But he chose to forget his past, not because he was callous, but because he had truly repented and knew he’d been forgiven.
2. He dreams a dream (“reaching forward to those things which are ahead”). He chooses to pursue the far horizon, to stretch his mind and challenge his heart. He rejects complacency and embraces vision.
3. He keeps on going (“I press on…”). He had every reason to quit. As we’ve already seen in 2 Corinthians, he had undergone more aggravation, persecution, hassle, and life-threatening situations than all of us put together. He was a doer and no quitter.

He forgets, he dreams, and he keeps on plugging. Why? Because he valued the upward call more than life itself. What’s more, he trusted Jesus — “for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2Tim.1:12).

Key Verse: Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”

At first reading in the context, it looks a bit like over-kill. Paul was concerned about petty personal quarrels which were disrupting the Philippian church (2:1-4). He certainly needed to give a fatherly word of correction. Instead, he breaks forth into one of the most eloquent and powerful bursts of theological poetry in all of written work. Why? Maybe because, in Paul’s thinking, attitude was vital to Christianity. It wasn’t enough just to think correctly about Jesus, you also had to think the way He thought. And Jesus thought in a radical way — He thought in terms of downward mobility. Jesus was disturbingly and refreshingly self-forgetful.

A discussion of the theological implications of this passage is far beyond the scope of this little commentary. I wish only to make a few brief observations. First of all, verse 6 speaks of Jesus in His pre-incarnate state: “being in the form of God.” or, as the NIV translates, “being in very nature God.” Greek thought saw “form” in two ways: 1. shape and appearance, as when a shadow takes the form of a monster on a child’s bedroom wall; 2. the expression of what really is essentially and substantially divine — He shared the divine nature. Secondly, in verse 7, Jesus “made Himself nothing” (NIV), that is, He unilaterally limited or emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives. Only power has the power of self-limitation. In Jesus’ case, He limited himself to the point of death as a human on a wooden cross (v.8). He became, literally, a “slave” (v.7).

Remember the context. Paul is addressing pettiness in the Philippian church. He is challenging his readers to rise above feuds and jealousies. The inference is that a desire for the upper hand, for ascendency, is at the root of these squabbles. Paul is saying, “rise above littleness and drive to serve rather than command.” Follow Jesus’ example. Be downwardly mobile!

Key Verse: Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment…”

There is a remarkable observation made by Paul in Romans 10:2. He is talking about his fellow Israelites when he says, “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” They were zealous but poorly informed; this sounds like a lot of present-day Christians. We’re not talking about baby Christians here, but about Christians who’ve been believers for years but insist on staying in the playpen. Worship for them is feeding enthusiasm instead of feeding faith — swelling the heart and starving the mind.

Paul is alluding to the same phenomenon here. In this case, he’s praying for the Philippians, that their love for God will grow in terms of more knowledge. He wants them to learn more about Jesus, more about righteousness, and more about purity (vv.9-11), in order to strengthen their ability to discern not just what is good but what is best (“excellent” v.10).

The apostle Paul emphasized the same point when he said “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). To grow in grace means to grow in understanding and appreciation of what the grace of Christ is and its implications, not only in terms of personal faith, but evangelism. And, as is obvious, to grow in grace requires growth in knowledge. The heart may start the engine, but it is the mind that determines the car’s direction and supervises its maintenance.

The more we know about God, the smarter we become. That’s why Paul links knowledge with discernment. The heart may do the loving, but the mind tells the heart why God should be loved.

Key Verse: Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Jesus didn’t come to make people nice: He came to make them new. Mind you, people who are new in Christ also tend to be nice, but niceness is no antidote for the galloping disease of sin. Only new life will do.

Why? Because we are in a “struggle…agains the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (v.12 NIV). We are in a fight “against the devil’s schemes.” In other words, we are under attack.

But then, so is the devil under attack. Any believers who put on “the whole armour of God” is someone who not only is well defended but is also powerfully offensive to evil. He is no longer victim, but victor. The devil flees.

Little wonder! The devil doesn’t have a chance against believers who have “put on” God’s armour and “stand firm” in “truth…righteousness…readiness…faith…salvation…the word of God…alert[ness]…”, and who “keep on praying” (vv. 13-18 NIV).

“Standing in truth” means you don’t lie, nor do you live a lie. It also means Jesus lives in you. “Righteousness” means you choose to do what’s right regardless off the cost. “Readiness” means fitness — you are in good spiritual shape. “Faith” means you are trusting, obeying, and acting on the basis of your hope that “God is, and is a awarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11). “Salvation” means you are “in Christ.” The “word of God” is your basis for living, and “alertness” means you have your eyes open — you are no fool — and you “keep on praying.”

Such armour! The devil knows when he is defeated.

Key Verse: Ephesians 5:5 “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” (NIV)

An idolater is a worshipper of idols. He is someone who by his action denies the great foundation statement of faith from Israel, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” The Bible, especially the Old Testament, was written in a world that worshipped a multitude of gods — its message was radical and offensive: there is one God alone, and only Him shall you serve. The contemporary idolater, however, though he may agree intellectually with the Bible’s message, chooses at the same time to “worship” other “gods.” His loyalties are divided.

These days, we hear sinful choices referred to as “compulsive behaviour.” The psychologists look back into a person’ history and blame neurotic behaviour on childhood sexual abuse, deprivation, or any other negative influence which caused some kind of twist in character. We cast the compulsive sinner as victim. It’s as though his history has determined his destiny.

I suppose, to a certain extent, it’s true that heredity and environment have a great deal to do with how our lives are shaped. Nevertheless, the Bible is very clear in its insistence that ultimately you and I are responsible for our choices, whether compulsive or not.

If immorality, impurity, or greediness consistently colour our living, we are setting up false gods in our live. We can point the finger of blame anywhere we want, but from God’s perspective there’s only one direction to point when apportioning blame. If we insist on worshipping other gods, God will abandon us to their care.

Key Verse: Ephesians 4: 11-13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son fo God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the statures of the fullness of Christ…”

Jesus takes the Church seriously. He has given the Church all it needs to reach maturity. First of all, He has given Himself to the Church. But then, He has given various ministering gifts for the purpose of nourishing and cultivating the Church as it grows, “to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV).

An “apostle” is a “sent one” or missionary — sent out from an established congregation to pioneer in an unreached area. The mission establishes a new congregation, trains leaders, and works him or herself out of a job. Then it is time to move on and pioneer somewhere else.

A “prophet” is someone who “forth-tells” the Word of God (as contrasted to “foretells”). Although there may be an occasional foretelling, the general function of the prophet is to speak the Word of God to a specific context, correcting, sometime rebuking, but always bringing encouragement and hope.

“Evangelists” are full-time spreaders of “good news.” Their whole focus is broadcasting the seed of the Word Indiscriminately to as wide an audience as possible. Like the apostle, evangelists tend to be on the move.

“Pastors and teachers” are nurturers. They shepherd and feed the flock of believers. They tend to hurts, comfort the sorrows, and live day to day in close contact with their charges. They are the carers.

But all these ministries have one goal in mind for the Church: maturity and effective service. They do their job and those who make up the Church are “no longer infants” (v.14).

Key Verse: Ephesians 3:12 “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence .” (NIV)

What is the difference between “in Him” and “through faith in Him”? “In Him” means there is a highway to God — whether we accept its reality or not makes no difference: there is access to God. “Through faith in Him” means that God can be approached by one means only — the access route is that highway. You’ve got to get on the road, and you’ve got to trust that it leads to God.

And there is something else of great importance about “in Him.” God’s justice demands that sin by penalized by eternal death. But now there’s a window of opportunity for anyone who receives the penalty by proxy. Jesus has died in place of all who will allow His blood to atone for their sins. Jesus has provided satisfaction for the justice of God the Father. God can now be approached because the penalty for sin has already been paid. Those who believe in Christ need die only once. Unless Jesus returns soon, you and I will die physically. But we won’t die spiritually — we have already died spiritually in Christ, so there is no penalty to suffer. God won’t penalize us twice. We are free, and we are confident. We have been redeemed and made alive. Once we were enemies with God. Now we are children of God — all because of faith in Jesus.

Key Verse: Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Redemption means not only that we have been bought back, set free, and made new — it also means that we belong to the Redeemer. He paid the price, so we’re His. We are the product of God’s plan, His workmanship. And the means of “working” us into shape was the atonement provided by Christ on Calvary. We’re new creations with a new purpose: “good works.” What’s more, the process — redemption by Christ, new creation in Christ, new purpose in Christ — is something an omniscient (all-knowing) God included in His sovereign plan (“God prepared beforehand”). God’s initiative and grace flood the closed system we call “the universe” — all we have to do is trust and obey. And it’s wise to do it now. There is coming a day when everyone, sang and sinner alike, will be called to account.

When the account is settled, there will be no one in Heaven boasting about his own or someone else’s good works. Rather, all the redeemed host will have one common response: they will prostrate themselves before the throne of God and say something like, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:11).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians.2:8, 9). We put our trust in our Redeemer, not in ourselves. We walk in the sunshine of His love — not because we have earned it, but merely because we have accepted it. It is a gift from God.

Key Verse: Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sing, according to the riches of His grace…”

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the word “redeem” this way: 1. Buy back, recover by expenditure or effort or by stipulated payment 2. Perform (promise) 3. Purchase the freedom of (another, oneself), save (one’s life) by ransom 4. Save, rescue, reclaim (of God or Christ), deliver from sin and damnation. 5. Make amends for, compensate, counterbalance, save from a defect (“the eyes redeem the face from ugliness”).

Key words in this definition are, “buy back,” “purchase the freedom of,” and “save.” These words imply that someone or something has been sold, enslaved, and earmarked for destruction. And a further implication is that the selling, enslaving, and destroying has occurred in a closed system where that someone or something has fallen short of some declared purpose or standard. Who has fallen short here? And whose standard has been transgressed?

Paul says the fallen ones are the Ephesian believers (and all believers of all time), including himself and his co-workers. And the standard marker is none other than God Himself. From God’s point of view, righteous and holy as He is, man is totally filthy in his sin and fit only for destruction. His justice demands a penalty for man’s sin — and that penalty is death. But, in His grace, “He has blessed us…in Christ” (v.3). Christ’s blood has been shed to atone for our sin; He has forgiven us and has indwell us with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our heavenly inheritance (v.14). We have been bought back, set free, and made new. We have been redeemed.

Key Verse: Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”.

Freedom and unfreedom ultimately betray themselves by their fruit. If, in the name of freedom, we “indulge the sinful nature” (5:13), the product will eventually manifest itself: “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissections, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (5:19-21). On the other hand, if we “love our neighbours as ourselves” (5:14), we’ll see, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (5:22,23).

The “law” will condemn us for “indulging the sinful nature”, but there is no law that can condemn us as we “love our neighbour”. Freedom means no laws. The only context where no laws apply is that in which we seek the highest good for God, neighbour, and self — this is love.

Loving is hard work. It has very little to do with how we feel. It has everything to do with what we choose. Love, on the bottom line, is a decision. That’s why Jesus said we’re to “love our enemies”. This is not an impossible demand. It would be impossible if He said we’re to “like” our enemies. “Like is a feeling; love is a choice.

So choosing to do what’s right and good, day in and day out, can be exhausting. Or we see so few results from our good choices that we “lose heart”.

Paul says, “Be patient. Don’t lose heart.” There’s coming a day when “we shall reap”. If not here, in space and time, we’ll reap there — in the kingdom of Heaven. God is no man’s debtor.

Keep at it!