Maturity
Philippians 3v15-17
15th September 2023
If you've been reading this set of studies, you will be very familiar with these beautiful and challenging words:
Philippians 3v10-14
I want to know him [Christ] and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing
I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
We might be tempted to think that's all very well for Paul but it's not for us. We might feel that he's really holy and we're just ordinary, he's an apostle whereas we just go to church most weeks and try to be nice and to hold on to God. But Paul says:
Philippians 3v15a
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.
Do you consider yourself a mature Christian? How long have you known the Lord? Of course, all English Christians have learnt to sound humble, and say something like, "No, I'm far from mature. I'm a work in progress". But if you've known God for many years, you should be reasonably mature. And if you're reasonably mature, Paul says, then you should agree with what he's been saying. You should be willing to give all you have to know him [Christ] and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. You and I have no get-out clause. Mature Christians should have worked out that:
The man who has Christ and nothing else has infinitely more than the man what has everything else but doesn't have Christ
How can we find real peace without focussing on Jesus? How can we understand about God and Man, Good and Evil, Wisdom and Foolishness, if we don't prioritize reading His written word - the Bible. How can we live lives that are honourable in His sight if we don't turn away from our sin? How can we affect the society around us if we don't embrace His resurrection power? How can we become Christlike, and show the world how wonderful He is, if we will not die to selfishness and embrace suffering in His Name?
When Paul says that all who are mature should take the same view of things, he's not exactly giving us a definition of mature Christianity, but it's not a bad beginning of a definition. If we don't put Jesus Christ, our relationship with Him and our becoming like Him first, we can never be mature Christians. But who wants to remain a baby all his life?
It's important for us to notice the paradox in Paul's words. He says "all who are mature" should agree with what he's been saying. The Greek word translated "mature" is teleioi, which means perfect. But he said in verse 12, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect". Paul's saying, isn't he? that a mature Christian is a Christian who knows he's not mature, and is determined to pursue perfection, even though he will only be perfect after his death.
A mature Christian accepts that he's not sinless, his understanding is incomplete, and his discipleship leaves much to be desired. It's only an immature Christian who thinks he's got life sorted out. Paul continues:
Philippians 3v15b
And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear
to you.
If you're not a mature Christian, if you've only been saved a few years, then Paul understands that you may not fully understand the overriding importance of your relationship with Jesus Christ. You might still think of God as a nice addition to your old life, when really He's the whole of your new life. If that's how you think, Paul says, God Himself will teach you, showing you that you've been mistaken, helping you to put Christ first. Paul doesn't have to insist that everybody agree with him. He trusts that God is faithful and will teach them Himself. This speaks of the grace of God to imperfect people. It also shows the great patience of the mature Christian leader. Then Paul says:
Philippians 3v16
Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
We may not all agree about everything, with each other or even with the Apostle Paul, but Paul urges each of us to at least live in accordance with what we have learnt so far about God and His ways. Even if we're not as far advanced in the Christian life as Paul, let us move forward. At the very least, let us never go backwards. Paul says:
Philippians 3v17
Join together in following my example, brothers, and take note of those
who live according to the pattern we gave you.
There is no false modesty here. Paul knows who he is, how far he has come, and how far he still has to go. He urges us to imitate his faith, his way of life, his surrender to Jesus Christ, and his determination to press on. May we do so! This is what God deserves, it's good for us, and it's good for everybody around us.
Next week: enemies of the cross