Philippians 3:15-16 15Therefore, as many of us are mature, let us think this. And if anyone thinks differently, God will also reveal this to you. 16Only let us reach to hold on to it.
Paul now applies what he has written in this chapter to the readers and calls them to join him with pressing on to gain Christ. He addresses two different groups in verse 15 and the whole church in verse 16. The word for mature (teleioi) is the same for perfect in verse 12. Choosing this translation avoids the danger of spiritual elitism some people see in the word “perfect.” This does not contradict what Paul wrote in verse 12. Rather, it shows the grow process involved as we come to know Christ more and more over time. It is a “maturing” process that ultimately leads to us becoming who were created to be. It is the “yet and not yet” type of situation (called realized eschatology).
If we have faith in Christ as perfect people in the sense that we are partakers of the new life promised to those who believe. But we are not yet perfected because there is always more of Christ’s love we can learn and experience. Love is not something one grabs like a book and then we have it. It is more like reading endless books in the library, with so much more to discover. Maturity here could be defined as someone who has changed allegiance from self and worldly living to Christ. It is essentially the entirely sanctified life given over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The type of thinking Paul calls for is what he has just described. It is the change of thinking evidenced in a change of direction of one’s life. It requires a new focus. No longer do we seek our own righteousness in religious pride and arrogance, nor do we live to follow the deceived desires of the flesh. We forget all of those parts of our old life and we shift our focus to the new life found in Jesus Christ.
The second group Paul addresses are those who think differently. Perhaps they have not grow in their understanding of the gospel to this point. They may be like the Corinthians whom Paul calls immature infants because they were still stuck in the old ways of thinking and living like the world (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). They believed in Christ but had not committed themselves totally as living sacrifices, consecrating themselves to God so that God may sanctify them fully. Some old time theologians called these types of people “carnal Christians,” meaning that they still were controlled by the flesh and self even though they believed in Jesus as their Savior. These type of people need to mature, grow up in the faith, and give their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength to the supremacy of Christ. God will reveal this deep spiritual need to those who earnestly seek his will and purpose. This is God’s plan for humanity, why we have been created, and what our purpose int his world is. Everything else of life falls into place when this becomes our first priority.
And then in verse 16, Paul addresses the whole church. The image returns to running a race seen in verses 13-14. All believers need to strain with all their obedient faith to reach for this goal. It will take all of who we are. This is not a matter of works righteousness but a matter of total faith. We stretch forward like a runner reaching for the goal line. We reach out like a child desperate to hole on to a parent’s hand. Our highest goal is to know the love of Christ, reach for this as if our lives depend on it, because our eternity does.
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