Understanding Philippians 3:12-14 in Depth: Press On Toward the Goal

Context of Philippians 3:12-14

To fully grasp Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-14, it helps to see how they grow out of his personal story and the urgent message he’s sharing with the Philippians.

Paul is writing to a church facing both external pressure and internal division, some of whom were being influenced by teachers who insisted on following Jewish laws like circumcision to be truly saved. Earlier in the chapter, he lists his own impressive religious credentials - being circumcised on the eighth day, a pure-blooded Israelite, a zealous Pharisee - but then says he counts all of that as loss, even garbage, compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7-8). He is not bragging. He is demonstrating that if anyone could rely on religious achievements, it would be him. However, he has released them all to trust solely in Christ’s work, not his own.

This sets the stage for verse 12: because Christ has fully claimed him, Paul doesn’t live stuck in past regrets or proud of past successes - he moves forward with purpose, like a runner focused only on the finish line.

The Already-Not-Yet Journey of Faith

This passage captures the heart of what theologians call 'inaugurated eschatology' - the idea that God’s kingdom has already begun in Christ, but its fullness is still ahead, creating a 'now and not yet' tension in the Christian life.

Paul uses the Greek word *teleios* (perfect, mature) in verse 12 not to mean sinless perfection, but full spiritual maturity - which he says he hasn’t reached. Instead, he’s being *teleioō*, a verb meaning 'being made complete,' a process that’s underway but not finished. He is not failing by not being perfect. Instead, he demonstrates faithfulness by pressing forward. This avoids both perfectionism (the idea we must be flawless now) and complacency (settling into spiritual inertia).

The phrase 'forgetting what lies behind' includes both past failures *and* past successes - Paul earlier counted his religious achievements as loss (3:7). He uses the vivid verb *epekteinomai* (straining forward), like a runner stretching every muscle toward the finish line. This isn’t about earning salvation, but responding to the fact that 'Christ Jesus has made me his own' (3:12) - a divine claim that launches us into pursuit, not the other way around.

This 'already-not-yet' tension echoes throughout the New Testament. Believers are already declared righteous in Christ (Romans 5:1), yet still being transformed (2 Corinthians 3:18). We already have eternal life (John 5:24), but not yet the resurrection body (Philippians 3:21).

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Christian life, then, is not a one-time event but a daily race shaped by grace. This forward focus prepares us to consider how Paul calls the Philippians to live together in unity and imitation of his example - holding fast to what they’ve already received.

Pressing On: The Christian Life as a Forward-Moving Journey

Building on Paul’s picture of faith as a race, we see that following Jesus isn’t about arriving but advancing - living each day in response to the future God is pulling us toward.

For the Philippians, this was both comforting and challenging. They were not expected to have everything figured out, but they were called to keep moving forward, similar to Paul. Unlike the false teachers promoting a faith based on past religious markers, Paul points them to a living, ongoing relationship with Christ.

The Christian life is not about perfection now, but progress fueled by grace.

This idea of pressing on reflects the heart of the gospel: we are saved by grace through faith, not by checking off rules or clinging to past successes or regrets. We follow a Savior who promises transformation over time (Philippians 3:21), not instant perfection. And because our citizenship is already in heaven (Philippians 3:20), we live now with purpose, discipline, and hope - like runners training for a race they know they can win because Christ has already secured the prize.

The Upward Call: Living Toward the Prize of Resurrection

Paul’s 'upward call of God in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:14) is not a vague spiritual ideal but a concrete hope rooted in the resurrection - a future transformation that shapes how we live today.

This 'upward call' directly connects to Philippians 3:20-21, where Paul declares, 'Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.' This is the prize: not escape from the world, but bodily resurrection and eternal life in a renewed creation.

This hope echoes throughout Scripture. In Romans 8:29-30, Paul outlines God’s eternal plan: 'For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.' The 'glorified' end point is the prize Paul runs toward - the final transformation that begins now but culminates in resurrection.

The image of a prize also appears in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, where Paul says, 'Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.' The prize here is not salvation by works, but the full realization of what God has begun - a reward for faithful endurance.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

For believers today, this means living with disciplined hope: not chasing perfection, but growing in holiness because we know what’s coming. Church communities should encourage one another not by measuring spiritual success by past achievements or current performance, but by pointing to the future prize - helping each other run with endurance. This shared hope can transform how we handle conflict, celebrate growth, and support those who are struggling - because the race isn’t over, and the finish line is glorious.

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