Reaching for the Prize (Philippians 3:12–16) John MacArthur

Let’s open our Bibles now as we come to the  study of God’s Word to Philippians chapter 3,   Philippians chapter 3. We’re going to be  looking at a great, great portion of Scripture,   verses 12–16, I am sure in many ways the  most familiar portion in this whole epistle. I think it is obvious to any student of  the New Testament and any student of the   letters of the apostle Paul that he must have  loved athletics, as many of us do. And the   reason I say that is because he so often uses  athletic analogies, or athletic metaphors, to   illustrate spiritual truth. One of his athletic  analogies is that of a runner, running a race.   The runner to him is the picture of the Christian;  the race is the Christian life. And frequently in   his writings he alludes to this running metaphor,  this, this picture of maximum effort as the   Christian moves along toward the finish line.  That is essentially the underlying picture of   the passage before us. Look, then, at chapter 3,  verse 12, and let me read to you verses 12–16.

“Not that I have already obtained it or have  already become perfect, but I press on in   order that I may hold of that for which also  I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren,   I do not regard myself as having laid  hold of it yet; but one thing I do:   forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward  to lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for   the prize of the upward call of God in Christ  Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect,   have this attitude; and if in anything you  have a different attitude, God will reveal   that also to you; however, let us keep living by  that same standard to which we have attained.” Now obviously the heart of this passage is  the very familiar fourteenth verse, “I press   on toward the goal for the prize of the upward  call of God in Christ Jesus.” The theme here,   then, is pursuing the prize. The analogy  is that of a runner who is running to win,   in order that he might gain the prize.  The spiritual point here is the matter of   pursuing the spiritual prize. If you will, Paul  is talking about Christian effort toward growth.   Now he has just given his personal testimony  of the experience of his own conversion from  

his viewpoint, from verses 4–11. We have  studied those passages there in some detail. You’ll remember that he had lived as a Jew,  and he recites his credentials in verses 5–6:   “circumcised the eighth day, of the  nation Israel, the tribe of Benjamin,   a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church;   as to the righteousness which is the Law, found  blameless.” And as he lived as a God-fearing,   law-abiding Jew, he had learned to put his trust  in those achievements for his salvation. So he   had this profit column in which he assumed that  all of these things made him right with God.   Then on the Damascus Road he was confronted  with the living Christ. And he saw that all   of those works and all of those achievements  not only did not make him right with God,   they hindered him from being right with God.  And that he would have to abandon them all and   receive Christ. And so, in effect, in verses  4–11 he says, “When I saw the value of Christ,   and when I saw that salvation was only in  Christ, I took everything that once was   gained and counted it loss and I abandoned  it all for Christ.” And so you had then,   in verses 4–11, an insight into the heart  attitude of Paul at the time of his conversion,   when he discounted all of those things once  precious—put them all aside to embrace Christ.

In verses 8–11, then, he began to recite what  he gained in Christ. Verses 4–7, what was loss;   verses 8–11, what was gained. And what did he gain  in Christ? Remember there were five things. He   gained the knowledge of Christ, the righteousness  of Christ, the power of Christ, the fellowship of   Christ, and the glory of Christ. Frankly, a  quite amazing list of spiritual benedictions. Now, saying that “I set all of this aside,  received Christ, and in Christ I gained   all of this” might lead someone to assume  that Paul had reached spiritual perfection.   It might lead someone to assume that the  beginning for him was also the end. Or that   the start was also the finish, that having  come to Christ he was instantaneously made   perfect—nothing more to become, nothing more to  seek, nothing more to pursue, he had arrived.

It is also quite possible that the Judaizers, the  Jewish teachers who were plaguing the Philippian   church, were telling the Philippians that  spiritual perfection was available if they would   be circumcised and keep the law. It is also true  that there were heretics floating around at that   time who believed you could reach a certain level  of knowledge in which you attained perfection.   So to answer the Gnostics who thought they had  reached that level, to answer the Judaizers who   thought they had reached that level through  circumcision and law-keeping, and to answer   anybody else who might assume that because he  had the knowledge, the righteousness, the power,   the fellowship, and the glory of Christ he was  therefore perfect, he quickly in verse 12 launches   into a passage which is a total disclaimer of  any spiritual perfection. That’s his intent in   this passage. He wants us to know that he is not  perfect. He has not reached moral perfection. He   has not reached spiritual perfection, even  though he is a new creation; even though   he has a new heart and a new disposition which  desires strongly holy things; even though he has   union with Jesus Christ and a new mind—the mind  of Christ—even though he has new standing before   God and is accepted by God and entitled to heaven  and has the righteousness of Christ covering him;  

even though he has the indwelling Holy Spirit,  who is the power of God; even though he has   promised future glory and indwelling glory in that  Spirit, he has not arrived—he is not perfect. He   is still temptable. He is still the possessor  of his unredeemed flesh. He is still a sinner. Thus, any thought of perfection must be set aside  in favor of pursuing the perfection that every   believer must recognize he doesn’t have. That’s  the point. He had already been placed in Christ,   already accepted by God, already gifted  with all of these tremendous things,   and yet he was not perfect. He had not arrived. Peter understood it when Peter wrote in 2 Peter  3:18, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our   Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” He was saying the  same thing Paul is saying here. There’s a growing   process. When you’re saved, yes, you receive  the knowledge of Christ; yes, you receive the   righteousness of Christ, positionally, imputed to  your account; yes, you receive the power of Christ   in your life; yes, you receive the fellowship of  Christ in communion with Him; yes, you receive   the glory of Christ but not in perfection. And so  there must be growth. There must be the pursuit of   the goal. There must be the running of the race.  That’s his point. The pressing toward the mark.

You say, “Well why? Why should I bother?  I mean, if I’m already entitled to heaven,   and I already have these things  guaranteed to me and promised to me,   and I will someday enter into the fullness of them  in the presence of God, why bother to grow?” Well,   in one sense it’s kind of a moot point,  because if you’re a new creation in Jesus   Christ you will desire to grow. So it’s not as  if you’re going to stand there and say, “Well,   now that I’m a Christian I think I’ll have  to debate whether I want to grow or not.”   Having been born into the family of God  you are born with a hunger—in fact, in   many cases an almost insatiable hunger. There is a  built-in desire and drive and longing for growth. But apart from that there are some very important  reasons why you should grow—reasons why you should   pursue the prize and run the race. First of all,  it glorifies God. And that’s what a Christian is   supposed to do with his life is bring glory  to God. Secondly, it verifies regeneration.   It makes demonstrable the fact that you are truly  changed because you’re in the progress of making   it visible that your life is being changed.  Thirdly, it adorns the truth. It lets you   literally wear the truth of God so others can see  it. Fourthly, it grants you assurance. When there   is spiritual progress in your life there is the  sense that you belong to God, because you can see   His work and your calling and election become  sure. Not only that, it preserves you from the  

sorrows and the tragedies of spiritual weakness,  which are not enjoyable to any believer any time. Furthermore, pursuing the prize, running the  race, seeking the goal protects the cause   of Christ from reproach, because when you  live a godly life and you pursue the goal,   your life is consistent with the character of  Christ and the character He upholds in Scripture,   and thus you’re not a reproach to Him.  Seventh, when you pursue the prize and run   the race and grow spiritually it produces joy  and usefulness in your life, and thus you can   minister capably to the church. And finally,  it enhances your witness to the lost world. There are myriad reasons why, then, to run the  race, pursuing the prize. So Paul, like a runner   in a race, is doing just that. This is not a new  picture for him, as I mentioned a few moments ago.   In 1 Corinthians 9, in verse 24, he says, “Do you  not know that those who run in a race all run,   but only one receives the prize? Run in such a  way that you may win. And everyone who competes   in the games exercises self-control in all things.  They then do it to receive a perishable wreath,   but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such  a way, as not without aim.” And then he says,   in verse 27, “I buffet my body and make it my  slave.” He says, “I do everything I can not to be   disqualified, to run the race with maximum effort  and maximum conformity to the rules. I don’t run  

half-heartedly. I run all out. I don’t violate  the rules. I don’t take spiritual steroids,   whatever you want to say. I stay within the rules.  I compete as I’m supposed to. But I run the race.” Now let me add another footnote here. The apostle  Paul is trying to show the readers in Philippi   that because he is a Christian does not mean  he has attained perfection. But beyond that,   I believe he is trying to teach all of us and  all generations that perfection in this life   is a goal, not an achievement. It is something  you pursue but never reach. I think this attacks   effectively the false doctrine of perfectionism.  I don’t know if you’re familiar with that. If   you’ve come from a Methodist background or a  Wesleyan background or a Nazarene background,   you perhaps remember them teaching  perfectionism—or, as it was called,   “total sanctification” or “complete  sanctification”—that is, that a believer   in this life, on this earth, before death, can  reach a place of spiritual, moral perfection.   They teach that. They do not teach that that  is a result of progress. They teach that as   a result of a momentary, instantaneous, second  work of grace—like salvation—you are momentarily,   instantaneously made sinless. And,  in fact, some have gone so far as to  

say it encompasses the eradication of  the sin nature. That’s perfectionism.   It basically goes back to Pelagianism, to  Arminianism; was crystallized in more modern   times by John Wesley and became a very important  part of Wesleyan tradition, Wesleyan theology. The apostle Paul deals a devastating blow to  this doctrine of perfectionism. By the way,   the only way Wesley could make it fly was to say  that there’s a difference between willful sin   and making mistakes, because anyone who claimed  sinless perfection would have a very difficult   time convincing the people who were close to them  that it was really true. And so they came up with   a dichotomous definition and said that those are  mistakes that are unwilling—they don’t count;   they’re not the willing sins that  are the result of the sin nature. So Paul, I believe, deals a death blow to that  particular perfectionist theory. He denies it and   he calls for a pursuit of a prize that can only  be fully realized in heaven. And by the way, in   this passage he confesses that he hadn’t reached  it, he hadn’t attained it, he hadn’t acquired it,   he hadn’t arrived at perfection—and this is thirty  years after his conversion. And if the singularly   unique apostle Paul—perhaps the most committed,  dedicated Christian who ever lived—after thirty  

years had not achieved perfection, who  in the world are any of us to claim such? Now verse 12 launches his thought, “Not that  I have already obtained it or have already   become perfect, but I press on in order that  I may lay hold of that for which also I was   laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” There is an  instantaneous disclaimer. Paul is saying,   “I have knowledge in Christ—the  righteousness, power, fellowship,   glory of Christ. I have all the great  benedictions that God can give in Christ,   but I have not attained moral, spiritual  perfection in my own life.” That’s the   disclaimer. And then he goes on in verses  13-16 to talk about how we must pursue that. Now the basic thrust of the passage,  then, is a call to pursue the prize.   It’s a call to pursue the goal, the  prize, which is spiritual perfection.   We are to give our whole life to this.  That’s what he’s saying in verse 14:   “I press toward that.” The word “press”  meaning “I pursue, I chase it, I run after it.” Now, in this passage we have six principles  for pursuing the prize, and I want to share   them with you. Six necessary elements if we are  to effectively pursue the prize. Number one:  

an awareness of the need to pursue a better  condition. Please note I didn’t say a better   position. Your position in Christ is fixed by  God’s grace through Christ. But your condition   must be improved. You are not what you should  be. You are not what you can be. You are not   what you will be someday when you see the Lord.  So there must be beginningly an awareness of   the need to pursue a better condition. And, you  see, perfectionists don’t do this. Anybody who   thinks they’ve reached spiritual perfection has no  awareness of pursuing a better condition. You know   what the people in perfectionism do? They get to  the point where they think they’ve arrived at the   level of spiritual perfection, therefore there’s  nothing left to pursue. So they become content   with their condition. And worse than that, they  spend the rest of their life instead of pursuing   a better condition, defending themselves  as perfect to people who aren’t convinced.

It all starts with a dissatisfaction. Please note  verse 12. “Not that I have already obtained it or   have already become perfect.” And that’s where  he starts—an awareness that he hasn’t arrived.   Paul the apostle, thirty years after his  conversion, is saying, “I’m not what I   ought to be. I’m not what I ought to be. I can  stand here and echo that testimony after all   the years of walking with the Lord and all the  years of ministry—I am not what I ought to be. I   haven’t arrived. I’m not spiritually perfect.  I’m not morally perfect. I haven’t reached   Christlikeness. I have not reached God’s perfect  standard. I am not what I ought to be. I am   still in process. There is still a pursuit in my  life, as there is in the life of every believer.” And as F. B. Myer said, “Self-dissatisfaction  lies at the root of our noblest achievements.”   Whatever we achieve spiritually begins  with dissatisfaction. I am not pleased   with where I am in my spiritual life. I am  not content with my spiritual condition.   If you are content, you have reached a  very dangerous point. It is a point at   which you will find yourself insensitive  to sin and defending yourself when you   ought to be admitting your weakness  and pursuing spiritual strength.

So spiritual growth, this whole pursuing, starts  with a recognition that you’re not where you   ought to be. It’s a runner at the beginning  of the race saying the whole idea is to get   to the end of this thing. “I’m not there. I’ve  got to run this course.” So Paul saw it right.   He knew what he had in Christ. But he knew  also that he wasn’t perfect. So he says—notice   the first two words in verse 12—“not that.”  That’s an instant disclaimer to correct any   erroneous impression that may have  come from his words when he recited   everything he had in Christ. He says,  “Not that I have already obtained it.”   The word here means “to receive, to grasp,  to seize, to acquire, to attain, to obtain.” “I don’t have it,” is what he’s saying. “I  don’t have it yet.” What is “it”? Keep reading,   “Or have already become perfect.” That’s  what it is: “I haven’t become perfect.   I have not already”—perfect passive with  continuing present results—“become perfect,   become complete, become morally, spiritually  like Christ.” He uses the word “already” twice.   And he’s emphasizing that now. That’s  what “already” means—“Now I haven’t   attained. I haven’t attained it yet.  It’s still future. I’m not yet perfect.” You say, “Paul, but you have the knowledge of  Christ.” Yes, but in 1 Corinthians 13 he says,   “Now we know in”—what?—“in part, then someday  shall we be known as we are known.” “But, Paul,  

don’t you have the complete righteousness  of Christ?” “Yes, put to my account I do,   because I put my faith in Christ,  but practically,” 2 Corinthians 7:1,   “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness  of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear   of God.” And he includes himself with the  sinful Corinthians as one who needs to   perfect his flesh. Yes, he had righteousness,  but not perfect, practical outworking of that. You say, “But Paul, don’t you have the perfect  power of Christ?” “Yes, I have the power of   Christ, but I don’t have it so perfectly in my  life that I never sin and never fail. And that’s   why God, 2 Corinthians 12, has put a thorn in  my flesh and allowed me to be debilitated to   keep my ego in check, because if I didn’t have  this my ego would run away with me because of my   many revelations. So I do not yet know in my flesh  how to perfectly work with the power of Christ.” “Well, Paul, don’t you have the fellowship  of Christ?” “Yes, but it isn’t a perfect   fellowship. I don’t even know how to pray  as I ought to pray, so the Spirit has to   make intercession for me with groanings which  cannot be uttered, because of my ignorance.   So how can my fellowship be perfect if I can’t  understand the things that the Lord understands?” “But Paul, don’t you have the glory of Christ?”  “Yes, in me is the indwelling Spirit but I   am waiting”—verse 20 of Philippians 3—“I am  waiting for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,  

who will transform the body of our humble  state into conformity with the body of His   glory. I haven’t yet attained that  full glory. That’s yet to come.” So he says, “Look, I have all these things, but  not in perfection in my own life. I must grow. I   must pursue the prize.” Beloved, that’s where it  starts, with an awareness that you’re not there,   an awareness that you haven’t arrived, that you’ve  got a lot to learn and a lot to perfect in your   life, and a lot to yield over to the power of the  Spirit of God, and a lot more to know than you   already know. And if you have gotten to the place  where you feel satisfied, that’s a very dangerous   place to be, very dangerous. If you’ve had enough  prayer and enough church and enough teaching of   the Word of God and enough of the Bible and  enough of Christian fellowship to satisfy you,   you are in a very dangerous condition. For  if not theological perfectionism, you have   arrived at a sort of pragmatic perfectionism  where you’re as perfect as you care to be,   and that assumes that you’re as perfect as God  cares you to be when the truth is, if you’re not   pursuing the prize with all your might, you’re  misjudging your present condition. Awareness of   the need to pursue a better condition is where  all spiritual progress starts. You start out   of blessed discontent, blessed dissatisfaction,  a recognition you’re not what you ought to be.

Number two principle: If you’re going to pursue  the prize effectively, you must give maximum   effort to pursue that better condition. First  to know you need it, secondly to pursue it.   There must be maximum effort to pursue that better  condition. Look at verse 12 again: So he says, “I   press on in order that I may lay hold of that for  which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”   “I press on,” diōkō, “I run, I follow after,  I pursue, I chase.” It’s used of a sprinter,   and the word means aggressive, energetic endeavor.  He says, “I’m running after this thing with all   my might.” There’s no quietism here. There’s  no “crucify yourself,” “let go and let God”   kind of theology here. This is the straining of  every spiritual muscle. This is running to win,   1 Corinthians 9. This is pursuing the prize with  all your might. This is fighting the good fight,   1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7. This is  running the race to win, Hebrews 12:1-2,   “laying aside every weight and the sin that does  so easily beset us . . . and looking unto Jesus,   the author and finisher of our faith,  who is the one before us.” Paul’s saying,   “I run; I pursue; I chase; I  haven’t arrived”—maximum effort.

And beloved, that’s what it takes. It  takes maximum effort, using the means   of grace provided to you by God, to pursue  spiritual perfection. You say, “Well, what’s   he after?” Now follow—marvelous—verse 12, “I am  pursuing in order that I may lay hold of.” Oh,   he’s after a prize; he’s after something specific.  That’s right. He wants to get a hold of something.   The verb means “to seize” or “grasp.” “I’m after  something.” “What are you running after, Paul?” Well here it is: “I’m after that for which also  I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” Now that is   a fascinating statement. You see what he’s saying?  He’s saying, “I’m pursuing the prize so that I may   lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by  Christ Jesus.” “What do you mean by that, Paul?”   “I mean that I’m pursuing the very thing that was  the reason Christ pursued me.” Did you get that?   In other words, “My goal in life is consistent  with Christ’s goal for my salvation. He saved me   for a purpose. That purpose of His in saving me  has become my purpose in my spiritual progress.”   You see? That’s a very, very significant truth.  “The reason Christ redeemed me has become the goal   of my life. My will is now His will. I want for me  what He wanted for me and saved me to accomplish.” You say, “What was it? What is it?” Look  at Romans 8, Romans chapter 8, verse 28,  

“And we know that God causes all things to  work together for good to those who love God,   to those who are called according to His purpose,”  talking about Christians. Now follow this:   “For whom He foreknew”—or “chose”; that’s all  believers—“He also predestined to become conformed   to the image of”—whom?—“His Son.” Now why were you  saved? Why did God choose you and then save you?   In order to make you like—what?—His Son. What’s  the goal of your Christian life then? It’s the   same thing for which you were saved. He saved  you to make you like His Son, and that purpose   for which He saves you becomes the purpose for  which you live. You see? That’s what we’re all   about. We’re all in a lifelong pursuit of Christ’s  likeness. And you may think that you have arrived   at some point of spiritual perfection, but I think  if you put yourself against Christ you’re going to   be a little more realistic. Christ’s likeness is  the goal. Christ’s likeness is the issue here.   And it is that for which we were redeemed: that  we might be made like His Son. That’s the point.

Beloved, is that a marvelous truth? In  fact, in 2 Thessalonians 2:14 it says   we’ve been saved in order to “gain the glory  of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What a statement.   So Paul says, “Look, I make a maximum effort;  I make a maximum effort. I am pursuing with all   my might that very thing for which Christ  pursued me.” Why did Christ pursue Paul,   slam him into the dirt on the Damascus Road, and  redeem him? In order to make him like Christ. He   says that goal of Christ has become my goal,  my goal. Is that a worthy goal, would you say?   Does it require a life’s commitment? Is it worthy  of that? Of course, of course. So he says, “I run.   I run to win. I run with all my might. I pursue  hard after this goal for which I was saved.” What is necessary, then, in pursuing the prize?  Number one is the awareness that there is a   better condition. Number two is the maximum  effort required in moving toward that better   condition. It demands all of me—all I have to  give to run to win, to box, to hit my opponent.

Third principle: In pursuing the prize it is  required that there be focused concentration to   pursue that better condition. Not only maximum  effort but focused concentration. Any athlete   knows that when you’re running in a race, you have  to fix your eyes on something ahead of you. You   cannot watch your feet, or you’ll fall on your  face. You cannot watch the people around you,   or you will trip or somebody will pass you  on the other side. Your focus is straight   forward on the goal that is ahead. And that  is precisely what he is saying here. In making   maximum effort there’s a concentration  point beyond you upon which you focus. Look what he says in verse 13 about that.  “Brethren”—and by the way, that’s a term   of affection. I believe he uses it here as a  gentle term of intimacy to move the hearts of   the Philippians toward him, because they’ve been  moved toward the Judaizers who have been battling   the church. And so in an expression of warmth, he  tugs their hearts a little bit his way. “Brethren,   I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it  yet.” That’s a third time he’s said that. You say,   “Why is he so repetitious?” Because there’s a  polemic nature to this passage. That is to say,   it carries an argument directed at people who  are teaching error, so he wants to make his point   abundantly clear because a lot is at stake in this  particular polemic. So he basically says it again,  

another disclaimer, “I do not regard myself as  having laid hold of it yet.” “And I don’t care   whether those Judaizers claim to have it or  not. It’s not possible. It leads me again to   believe that the Judaizers were claiming they  had reached perfection through law-keeping and   circumcision. But he is saying, “I do not think,  I do not believe that I have laid hold of it yet.” By the way, the word for “lay hold”  here is a compound verb, very strong,   with a prepositional prefix meaning “I  haven’t fully, wholly, completely, totally,   perfectly attained to it.” And he says the same  thing again. And then this: “But one thing,” and   then the editors have added “I do” because it’s  implied. But all he says in a staccato, brief,   impassioned, abrupt way is, “But one thing,  one thing I do.” Boy, there is the key, folks:   “One thing I do.” The man was so focused. The  man had an unbelievable level of concentration.

This is necessary for being a great athlete,  I believe. It is those totally focused people   who succeed in athletics. It is those totally  focused people who succeed in life. You know,   the world, the world is full of people who  are clever at much and successful at nothing,   because they never can focus their life. They’re  like the guy who jumped on his horse and rode off   madly in all directions—a lot of energy and a  lot of fury and a lot of action, no progress.   They’re not focused. That’s why the  psalmist prayed, “Lord, unite my heart;   give me one thing.” That’s why James warned about  a double-minded man who is “unstable in all his   ways,” and he’s blown all over the place.  Here was a man with a focused concentration.   And the focus of his life was “one thing,”  “one thing”—this “one thing.” What was it,   Paul? It was pursuing the prize, verse 14,  this “one thing”: “I press on toward the   goal for the prize.” “That’s the one thing  in my life.” That’s what makes a great man.

I’ve told you before—my grandfather said to  me, “Just do one thing right in your life,   and you’ll be way ahead of most people.”  That’s right—just one thing. Don’t criticize   that one-dimensional person who is eminently  successful at what they do. In the spiritual   dimension it is equally true. When  your life has one driving compulsion,   and that is to be like Christ,  you’re moving in the right direction. Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher,  wrote a book with an interesting title. The   title of it, Purity of Heart Is to Will  One Thing. “Purity of heart,” he said,   “is to will one thing.” And of course, the  powerful motif of that book just booms in   every chapter is that Christians are only  pure when they renounce all other things   and pursue one thing. And what is it? The  truth of God. As you pursue the truth of God,   you narrow to one thing. Purity  of heart is to will one thing.   He has a prayer in the book in which he prays,  “So may Thou give to the intellect wisdom to   comprehend that one thing. To the heart, sincerity  to receive this understanding. To the will,   purity that wills one thing. In prosperity, may  Thou grant perseverance to will one thing. Amid   distractions, collectedness to will one thing. In  suffering, patience to will one thing.” One thing.

Now, such focused concentration is the  result of a negative and a positive. Notice   the negative in verse 13. In order to will  that one thing Paul says, “Forgetting what   lies behind.” That’s the negative. And then he  says, “And reaching forward to what lies ahead.”   That’s the positive. Willing one thing means,  number one—negative—you eliminate the past.   Don’t look back. We’ve all watched a runner look  back over one shoulder and get passed on the other   side. Don’t look back. It is irrelevant. Nothing  happening back there is relevant. You’ve heard   runners being interviewed, and they say, “Did you  feel the pressure of the persons coming up?” “No,   I run my own race. It is not relevant  to me what is going on around me. It   is only relevant that I make the maximum  effort. I worry only about my own effort.” Don’t look back. Make a break with the  past. This is such good advice. Oh my,   so important. Perfectionists? Ha,  they’re always looking at the past,   reminding everybody of their past achievements.  Legalists always looking at the past. It’s the   basis on which they have their present “spiritual  status.” The Judaizers in Galatia wanted to dig   up the past and push it off on the Galatian  church. And Paul says, “Don’t you dare let   them entangle you in the yoke of bondage  from which you’ve already been liberated.” Now what does he mean by the past? He  means the past—forgetting those things  

that are behind. What things? Everything. Now  follow this, OK? Good things and bad things   (achievements, virtuous deeds, great  accomplishments, spiritual ministries)   as well as bad things (sins, iniquities,  failures, disasters)—all of it. You say,   “Forget it all?” That’s right. Why? Because  it has nothing to do with the future. Did you   understand that? It has nothing to do with what  you’re doing right now, absolutely nothing to   do with it. You cannot live on past victories.  You cannot celebrate your value by your past. You should never be debilitated by your past  sins, iniquities, and burdens of guilt. And   yet most people are so much distracted by the past  that they never get around to running the future.   From a positive standpoint: “Well, you know,  I used to teach and I used to study the Bible,   and I used to be in a Bible study, and I had,  I remember when I led a guy to the Lord.” It’s   all back there. And you can’t move forward that  way. You’re anchored to the past. Or it’s all,   “You know, my life was so bad, and I was so  wretched, and I was so immoral. How can God   ever forgive me?” And they’re all hung up on the  guilt of the past. Forget it all; forget it all.

The clearest vision is given to the one  who forgets the past. You hear people   in the church say, “Well, it’s just not like  it used to be. I remember the good old days,   and we were all involved doing this, and we were  all involved doing that, and we were doing this,   and it was like this, and this is how it was. And  it was all so great.” It’s absolutely irrelevant.   It means absolutely nothing to the moment except  it’ll paralyze you. I mean, the runner doesn’t   go to the blocks in a sprint and sit there and  getting ready for the race say to the guys around   him, “You know, I just want you to know I’ve  won a lot of races in the past. Boy, I’ve run   fast in the past. I remember when I ran fast over  here, and I remember when I ran-” Who cares, man?   Get in the blocks. This is another race. We’re  really not interested in that. It doesn’t matter   because if you don’t look good today, you’re  not going to win, that’s all. Forget that stuff. And they don’t want to hear some guy get  in the blocks and say, “Oh, you know,   I have so many sins in my past, and oh, last night  I ate a hot fudge sundae. I know it will weigh me   down. I’ll never be able to run this race. I  will never be able to succeed. I know I’m not   going to win. And then I got the worst lane in the  draw, and this is not going to work out.” I mean,   shut up and run the race. Nobody’s interested  in all of that stuff out of your past. Nobody’s   interested. I’ll tell you right now, nobody’s  interested in what you did in the past. Nobody’s  

interested in what I did in the past. What God is  interested in is what are we going to do now and   where we’re going in the future? Churches are full  of people who are holding all kinds of grudges,   bitternesses, perspectives, and junk from  the past; and they’re paralyzed by it.   The recollection of what you were in your former,  unconverted state shouldn’t paralyze you and   it shouldn’t discourage you. Disappointments  and temptations of the past must not depress   you. Put your hand to the plow. Don’t  look back, and move—pursue the prize. And that takes us to the positive in verse  13, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching   forward to what lies ahead.” “Let’s go; let’s  move.” The word here, “reaching forward”—I   love it—epekteinomai, ekteines. It means  “to stretch a muscle to its limit.” Epek   is double prepositions added to it. It means  “to”—I don’t know what—“stretch, stretch.”   “Out after” would be ek “out,” ep “after”—“out  after.” I mean, your extreme effort is in view   here. This is a runner stretching every muscle  to reach what is in front of him, the prize.   Focused concentration—nothing with the past—just  looking at the goal, moving as fast as possible.

Ask yourself a question, Do you have that kind  of focused concentration? What are you focused   on? Even as a minister of Jesus Christ, my goal  in life is not to build a big church. My goal in   life is not to succeed in the church. My goal  in life is not to develop programs. My focused   goal in life must be to be like Jesus Christ.  And in the pursuit of being like Jesus Christ,   out of that’s going to flow an impactful life.  That’s the pursuit. That’s the “one thing I do.”   That’s the “one thing” Paul did. Perfection  in Christ—the only goal, the only legitimate   perspective. Paul said it. We want to “present  every man perfect in Christ.” We want men to   come to “the fullness of the stature of Christ,”  Ephesians 4. We want Christ to be fully formed in   you, Galatians. And I have birth pains until I see  it happen.” So what he said to the Corinthians,   he says, “Be perfect; that’s my prayer.” What’s  Epaphras doing? He’s praying for your perfection   “in all the will of God,” Colossians 4:12.  That’s the issue. This “one thing I do.” So what does it take to effectively pursue the  prize and grow spiritually? One: recognition of   the need for a better condition. Two: maximum  effort in pursuit of that better condition.   Three: focused concentration on the  one goal of that better condition.

Number four principle: spiritual motivation to  pursue that better condition—spiritual motivation.   We’ve already alluded to this, and Paul is very  repetitious. Notice verse 14, the heart of the   passage: “I press,” or “I pursue”—continuous  effort; present, active, indicative verb. “I   continually pursue toward.” Marvelous word, kata.  Means “down”; it means “to bear down on.” “I   continuously bear down on”—what?—“the goal.” “I  continuously bear down on the goal.” What’s the   goal? What did we say it was? To be—what?—like  Christ. The same thing He saved you for is what   you pursue. So you bear down on that goal with  that focused concentration, that maximum effort. Why do you do that? Why do you bear down  on that? I’ll tell you why. Look at it,   verse 14. Here’s the motive, “For the prize.”  You say, “Well, isn’t that a little crass?”   No. You do it for the prize. You want  to win the prize. Run to win. You say,   “Well that’s wonderful.” So you bear down on  the goal for the sake of “the prize.” That’s   right. What’s the goal? What did we say the  goal was? To be—what?—like Christ. What’s   “the prize”? To be made like Christ. That’s  why he says, “You bear down on the prize,  

which is the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  What’s going to happen when that “upward call”   comes? You’re going to be like—what?—like Christ.  The goal is “the prize”; “the prize” is the goal. So Paul says, “Look, the goal  of my life is to be like Christ,   and that’s also the reward of my race.” You say,  “You going to reach that goal in this life?” “No,   but it’s still the goal, it’s still the goal.  But someday I will be like Christ.” That’s “the   prize” that God gives to the one who runs  the race. The goal is to be like Christ,   perfection in Christ. “The  prize” is to be like Christ,   perfection in Christ. Someday “we’ll be like Him,  for we shall see Him as He is,” 1 John 3 says. What motivates me? What motivates you? “The  upward call.” We have to live in the light of   the Rapture, don’t we? We have to live in the  light of being called out of this world into   presence of God, and at that particular point  we will be given glory. We will be given an   eternal reward. We will be made like Christ. And  if God is so gracious to be willing to give us   that prize, how committed should we be to run  the race? I mean, look at it, folks—wretched,   wicked, vile, godless sinners on our way to  hell. God in sovereign grace picks us out,   chooses us for salvation, in order that He might  eternally make us like His own Son. What grace!   That is “the prize!” I don’t know about you,  but that motivates me to run toward the goal.

Paul saw it at the end of his life when  he wrote his last letter and he said,   “I have finished the course and I’m waiting  for the crown of righteousness which the Lord,   the righteous judge, will award to me on that  day.” What is “the crown of righteousness”?   It’s the crown which is righteousness. What  kind of righteousness? Perfection. I’m waiting   for perfection, which God’s going to give  me the day I see Him. That’s “the prize.”   So pursuing “the prize” means realizing  your need, means making a maximum effort.   It means focused concentration, and it means being  motivated by the greatness of “the prize” itself. Number five—this, too, is a very important  principle. In pursuing the prize we must   recognize divine resources to pursue that better  condition. I’m so grateful for this verse. It   gets overlooked a lot, verse 15, but it’s very  important to me. Verse 15, “Let us therefore,   as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and  if in anything you have a different attitude,   God will reveal that also to you.” Now follow  this thought here, very important. You say,   “Why would Paul throw that word ‘perfect’ in  there? That just confuses the clarity of the   text.” I’ll tell you why. I think it’s sarcastic.  And again I think, in this polemic against the   Judaizers, he’s dealing with the fact that the  Judaizers were talking that they were, talking   to the Philippians as if they were perfect,  saying, “You know, we’ve reached perfection.”   So there’s a sort of sarcasm in there that bites  a little bit at the claims of the Judaizers.

But he says, “As many of us who are the truly  perfect need to have this attitude.” He feels   that, and every pastor would. “My prayer for  you is that you’d have that attitude. That if   you’re a true Christian, your desire would be to  pursue “the prize.” That you’d see your own need,   that you’d make maximum effort, that you’d have  focused concentration, that you’d be motivated   by the great prize, and that you would pursue  with all your might that prize.” By the way,   that phrase “have this attitude” literally  in the Greek means “to think this way,” or   “be intent on this,” or “set one’s mind  on this.” On what? Pursuing “the prize.” But Paul’s not stupid. So look what else  he says. “But if in anything you have a   different attitude.” Do you think that’s a  remote possibility? Sure. The church is full   of people who aren’t interested in pursuing “the  prize.” They’re interested in looking at the past.   They’re content with where they are. And so they  want to spend the rest of their life justifying   the level of their attainment and convincing  everybody around them that they’re really very   spiritual. Instead of recognizing their need,  instead of making a maximum effort with focused   concentration and motivation, they just are  content with where they are, and they want to   spend their life justifying where they are. Or  they’re so hung up on the past they can’t move.

Paul says, “Look, if in any of this stuff you have  a different attitude, you don’t see the importance   of pursuing in this way, or you believe you’ve  already arrived. Wherever you would like to be   you’ve settled there. Or some of you even believe  that now that you’re saved you can live any old   wretched way you want, like those described in  verses 17–21, who were supposedly Christians,   whose end was destruction, and their God was  appetite. If you think anything other than what   I’ve said about pursuing the prize, and you  won’t listen to me”—look what he says—“then   God will reveal that also to you.” He simply  says, “I have to leave you to God. If you’re   ever going to get the message, and you won’t get  it from me, then you’ll have to get it from God.” Every pastor does that. I’ve done that. I do that.  “Lord, I’ve poured out my heart. I’ve said all I   can say, and I know there are people who continue  to live non-committed lives, and all I can say is,   ‘Lord, I can’t do it. You’re going to have to do  it. You’re going to have to reveal Yourself.’”   The word “reveal” is apokaluptō, “to unveil.”  “You’re going to have to open their minds and   unveil reality to them.” And you know how the  Lord usually does it? Through—what?—trials,   suffering, chastening, things  like that. Through some special   circumstance of life that plunges us  instantly back to spiritual reality.

So Paul says, “Look, you’ll have to recognize  that in this pursuing the prize you’re dependent   on divine resources.” And for all of us, for  all of us, there will be those times when we   won’t have this attitude, and the Lord will have  to discipline us to move us along, right? Sure,   all of us. So that’s what he says. Paul—I  know this for me, and I know this for you,   that there are times when we have a  different attitude and only God can move us.   And so he’s saying, “I want God to  do that. I want God to bring into   your life whatever it takes to move you  on the path of pursuing ‘the prize.’” What does it take? It takes recognition of  need, effort, concentration, motivation,   and divine help for those times when  we fail to have that right attitude. And lastly, there is one more element in pursuing  the prize. Let’s call it conformity necessary   to pursue that better condition, conformity  necessary to pursue that better condition. We’re   really talking about consistency, which might be  a better word. It doesn’t happen by intermittent   effort. It demands a consistency. Look at verse  16, “However”—that really means “nevertheless,”   or better, “one more thing.” It’s often used at  the end of a paragraph to express a final thought.   “One more thing, by the way, let us keep  living by that same to which we have attained.”

In other words, “Look, keep moving along the  path that has brought you to where you are   in your spiritual progress.” That’s the idea.  You’ll be interested to know that the verb here   is translated “keep living.” It actually means “to  follow in line, to line up.” It’s what it means.   So what he is saying is, “Spiritually stay in  line and keep moving from where you have arrived,   by the same standard or principle that got  you were you are. Fall in step.” It’s used of   armies marching in battle order—“stay in  line, stay in step, be consistent, keep   moving. Wherever you are spiritually, by the same  principles that got you there, keep moving ahead.” Consistency, conformity, “Live up to  the level of your present understanding.   And by the principles that brought you  there, keep moving ahead, stay in line,   hold the principle tightly, and move down  the track. Stay in your lane, if you will,   and move as fast as you can from where you  are. Whatever strength and energy got you   where you are, use it to move ahead.” If we were  talking about the runner metaphor, we would say,   “You’ve run this far in your lane with  great effort. It’s gotten you so far,   keep that same effort up in that same lane  until you hit the finish.” Pursuing “the prize.”

Now, what are the ingredients  that help us do that?   Four of them. One is the Word. “As newborn  babes desire the pure milk of the Word that   you may grow”—constantly in the Word, constantly  in the Word will keep you consistent. It’ll keep   you on track. It’ll keep you moving.  It’ll keep you pursuing “the prize.” Number two is prayer, prayer. Paul,  in writing to the Thessalonians,   illustrates this point when he says,  “We night and day keep praying most   earnestly that we may see your face  and complete what is lacking in your   faith.” “We’re praying that your faith will  be complete. Stay in the Word, be in prayer.” Third principle: Follow an example. Look at  verse 17, the following verse in our text:   “Brethren, join in following my example,  and observe those who walk according to   the pattern you have in us.” Find somebody  to pattern your life after. Get a discipler,   a spiritual mentor who can help  you pursue the prize consistently.

It takes the Word, it takes prayer, it  takes a model to follow, and one more thing:   It takes trials. First Peter 5:10, “After you have  suffered a while . . . the Lord make you perfect.”   James 1, “Trials have their perfect work.” So in the pursuit of “the prize”: the  Word; prayer; following a spiritual model;   you move along, and God brings enough trials into  your life to perfect you, to knock the dross off,   so that you’re pure. Paul says, “Look,  in Christ I have much. I have great gain,   but I have no perfection in terms of my practical  living. That I must pursue with all my might.” Why do you do it, Paul? “To gain ‘the prize.’”  How hard do you do it? “With maximum effort.”   How focused are you, Paul? “I concentrate on  nothing else.” How dependent on God are you?   “When I fail, I trust that He will reveal to me  my failure and move me out.” What’s the secret,   Paul? “Consistent time in the  Word, consistent time in prayer,   consistently following an example, and God  bringing the sufficient trials to shape my life.” Ask yourself the question, Are you pursuing  “the prize”? Are you growing? Or are you   standing in one spot looking backwards  and spending most of your time defending  

yourself? Or are you willing to say, “I’m  not what I ought to be, but I’m moving”? A lot of people have died climbing the Alps,  falling off of precipices. At the foot of one   of the many mountains that has been attempted a  number of times is a little grave. It’s the grave   of a man who tried to climb to the pinnacle and  fell off a precipice to his death. The tombstone   there is very simple. It gives his name and then  it says, “He died climbing.” That really should be   the epitaph of the tomb of every Christian,  “He died climbing.” Let’s pray together. Would you in your heart just pray silently  before the Lord and perhaps refresh your   commitment to pursue “the prize,” to climb,  to run the race? If you don’t know the Lord   Jesus Christ as personal Savior, at this very  moment would you say, “I want to start the   race”? Would you receive Jesus Christ into your  life? If He’s already there but you’ve obviously   reached a point of spiritual satisfaction, you  think you know enough, you’ve heard enough,   you’ve done enough, and now it’s just about  time for you to stop the process of pursuit,   would you ask God to forgive you and  to move you along toward “the prize”?

Father, we pray to that end that You would  save some today and that You would call to a   fresh commitment all of us to run the race,  focused, motivated, with maximum effort,   dependent on Your resources for those down  times, consistent in the Word and prayer,   following a pattern that we might  be like Christ, as much like Him   as we can be, who will someday be like Him  in Your presence, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. You've been listening to John MacArthur,  Bible teacher with Grace to You. For free   access to all of John's lessons and a listing  of study Bibles and books available for sale,   visit Grace to You's website at gty.org.  John MacArthur and Grace to You reserve   all copyright protection under applicable  law. Our copyright policy is available at   gty.org and it includes instructions for and  limitations on duplicating this digital file.