Philippians 3:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Apostle expresses the following by his words: I do not yet consider myself to have attained complete perfection.

He speaks as one might say of a swift runner: he has not yet reached the goal. I have not yet accomplished everything, he says.

True, elsewhere he says, "I have fought the good fight" (2 Tim 4:7). But here he says, "I do not consider myself to have attained."

Whoever reads both passages will understand the reason for both sayings. We need not always repeat the same thing.

Nor must we always explain everything, even that these words were spoken by him much earlier, while those were spoken near his death.

"I do not consider myself," he says, "to have attained." I think only of one thing: to stretch forward.

This is the meaning of his words: "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, to the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus."

See how clearly he showed by these words what moved him to stretch forward.

Whoever thinks of himself that he is already perfect and has no lack for the fullness of virtue stops striving, as one who has attained everything.

On the contrary, whoever thinks he is still far from the goal will never cease to strive toward it.

The Apostle says: I have not fallen in spirit and have not come to despair because, after completing such a course, I have not attained.

Rather, I still strive and still struggle. I have only one thing in view: how I may truly succeed.

So must we also act: we must forget good deeds and leave them behind us. A swift runner thinks not of how much of the course he has run, but of how much still remains.

The Apostle did not say, "I do not think," or, "I do not remember," but, "forgetting," in order to make us more attentive.

For we become most zealous when we apply all diligence to what has not yet been done, and consign what has been done to oblivion.

"Stretching forward," he says, means that we try to take something before we have reached it.

One who stretches forward tries to get ahead of his still-running feet with the rest of his body, extending himself forward and stretching out his hands, so as somehow to gain in the race.

But this comes from great zeal and strong desire. Thus must the one who strives strive, with such care and such zeal, and not while lying on his side.

As much as one lying on his side differs from one striving in the manner described, so much do we differ from Paul.

He died daily and daily acquired glory. There was no occasion and no time when his striving did not increase.

He wanted to seize the reward, not merely receive it, because in this way one can indeed receive it. In heaven abides He who gives the reward. In heaven the reward is prepared.

For whoever thinks he has already completed the course stops, as though he had already fulfilled everything.

What does "stretching forward" mean? It means trying to seize something before one has reached it.

It means that the runner, though his feet are running, anticipates them with the rest of his body by leaning forward. This comes from great zeal.

Therefore the Lord, guarding those who have ascended to the height of virtue from slipping into self-conceit, says: "When you have done all that was commanded you, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what we were obligated to do'" (Lk 17:10).

He does not prevent them from rejoicing that the debt has been paid. Yet He does not permit them to think highly of themselves.

For He says that a debt has been paid, not that a voluntary gift has been offered.

He tried to forget what lay behind, that is, his successes, and to stretch forward to what lay ahead, that is, to the overcoming of the difficulties before him.

We have seen with what reluctance and self-condemnation he set about recounting his struggles (2 Cor 11).

Now, he says, I have not yet attained this. 'But I press on, if perhaps I may lay hold.'

My life is still in struggles. I am still far from the goal and not yet near the rewards."

"He did not say, 'I run,' but, 'I press on,' and rightly so.

You know with what effort the one pursuing in the arena strives. He looks at no one and thrusts away all who hinder him with great intensity.

He directs mind, eyes, strength, soul, and body toward one thing. He has nothing else in view except the final goal.

If Paul, who pressed on in this way and suffered so much, still says, 'if I may lay hold,' what can we say, lying on our side?

Then, wishing to show that this is an obligation, the Apostle says: 'that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.'

With this the Apostle expressed both God's zeal in wishing to lay hold of us and our aversion from Him.

I was among those perishing, but God saved me. For He pursues us as we flee from Him, and He does so with great swiftness."

"I do not consider myself to have laid hold, but I think of only one thing, to stretch forward.

This is what his words mean: forgetting what lies behind and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal.

See how clearly he showed what moved him to stretch forward.

For one who thinks he is perfect and lacks nothing for the fullness of virtue ceases to strive, as though he had attained everything.

By contrast, one who thinks he is still far from the goal never ceases striving toward it."

"He who gives the reward dwells in heaven. See what a distance there is! It must be run.

Train your feet to step firmly. Never set foot on slippery things.

Look upward, where the reward is. The very sight of the reward strengthens resolve.

The fear of torments does not allow one to feel weariness, and it makes the long road seem short.

What is this reward? Not a palm branch, but what? The Kingdom of Heaven, eternal rest, glory with Christ, and countless blessings that cannot be expressed in words."

"Adapting himself to the customs of the arena, the Apostle says: I press toward the mark for such a reward, or prize.

What is the reward? The high calling of God. And what is this? The Kingdom of Heaven.

What is the mark? Spiritual perfection, consisting in purification from sin and passions through the struggle of self-mortification and involuntary sorrows.

For nothing unclean shall enter there. For the sake of participation in Christ's sufferings, grace overshadows the one who has participated.

He becomes like metal set aflame. To him belong the glorious resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven" (Bishop Theophan).

The Apostle wished to abide in Christ and be found in Him for this purpose. First, he wished to attain full knowledge of Him, and chiefly to know the great power and meaning of His resurrection from the dead.

Second, he wished to enter into communion with Christ in His sufferings, that is, to endure the same afflictions which Christ endured from sinners.

Third, he wished thus to die in a manner like Him, that is, to put to death the old man within himself.

For this he will, like Christ, be raised to glory. Yet the Apostle, with his characteristic humility, speaks of this only conditionally: "if by any means I may attain."

Still, he does not mean that he has already succeeded in attaining this perfect knowledge of Christ. He only strives zealously to grasp moral perfection, since, έφ’ ω, he himself has already been grasped by the Perfect One, Christ.

In general, he never fixes his attention on his own progress in Christian development. Like one running in the arena, he looks only ahead, does not turn back, and runs to receive the reward prepared for the victors.

'Brethren, I do not consider myself to have attained.' If even Paul had not yet attained and did not have complete certainty about his glorious resurrection, this is scarcely possible for those who have not accomplished even the smallest part of his virtues.

The Apostle says here: I do not yet consider myself to have attained complete perfection. I have not yet accomplished everything.

True, elsewhere he says, 'I have fought the good fight,' and the rest (see 2 Tim 4:7). But here he says, 'I do not consider myself to have attained.'

Whoever reads these two passages will understand the reason for both sayings. These words were spoken much earlier, and those near his death.

'I do not consider myself,' he says, 'to have attained.' I think only of one thing: to stretch forward.

This is the meaning of his words: 'forgetting what lies behind and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.'

See how clearly he showed by these words what moved him to stretch forward.

Whoever thinks of himself that he is already perfect and lacks nothing for the fullness of virtue ceases to strive, as though he had attained everything.

On the contrary, whoever thinks he is still far from the goal will never cease to strive toward it.

We too must always think this, even if we have done very much good. For if Paul, after countless deaths and so many afflictions, thought this of himself, much more should we.

The Apostle says: I have not lost heart or come to despair because, after completing such a course, I have not attained.

Rather, I still strive and still struggle. I have only one thing in view: how I may truly succeed.

So must we also act: we must forget good deeds and leave them behind us.

A swift runner thinks not of how much of the course he has run, but of how much still remains.

And let us think not of how many good deeds we have accomplished, but of how many still remain for us to accomplish.

For what use is what we have done, when something still remains unfinished?

The Apostle did not say, 'I do not think of it,' or, 'I do not remember.' He said, 'forgetting,' in order to make us more attentive.

For we become most zealous when we devote all diligence to what has not yet been done, and consign what has been done to oblivion.

When we stretch forward, it means that we try to take something before we have reached it.

For one who stretches forward tries to get ahead of his still-running feet by extending the rest of his body forward and stretching out his hands.

But this comes from great zeal and from intense desire. In this way one must strive.

In heaven abides He who gives the reward. In heaven the reward is prepared.

See what a distance there is: it must be run. See what a height there is: one must fly there on wings of the spirit.

Otherwise one cannot pass through that height. Train your feet to step firmly, for there are many slippery places.

If you fall, you will lose much. Yet if you do fall, rise, since even in this case it is possible to conquer.

Never step on slippery things, and you will not fall. Run on firm places, with your head toward heaven and your eyes toward heaven.

Look upward, where the reward is. The very sight of the reward strengthens resolve.

Fear of torments does not allow one to feel weariness, and the long road appears short.

What is this reward? Not a palm branch, but what? The Kingdom of Heaven, eternal rest, glory with Christ, and countless blessings that cannot be expressed in words" (Chrysostom).

Nothing need be added to this inspired speech of Chrysostom for the proper understanding of these texts.

One remark concerns the translation: "with diligence." In Greek it stands as κατα σκοπον.

Σκοπος is the marker toward which those who undertake to outrun one another had to run. They fix their eyes upon it and strain all their strength toward it, to reach it sooner than others.

"I press on toward this marker," or "according to this marker," means according to its indication and in the direction where it stands.

For "the prize," in Greek there stands επι βραβειον. Βραβειον is the same as what we now call a prize in races.

Επι indicates for the sake of what. Thus the Apostle, adapting himself to the customs of the arena, says: I press toward the marker for the sake of such and such a reward.

What is the reward? The upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. And what is this? The Kingdom of Heaven.

The Apostle strives not toward the Kingdom itself, but toward a certain marker. If he reaches it, he will receive the Kingdom of Heaven, or, according to the discourse, be counted worthy of the glorious resurrection.

What is the marker? Christian spiritual perfection, which consists in the purification of our nature from sin and the passions.

This is done by ascetic labors of self-mortification and by enduring involuntary sorrows. These make the ascetic and struggler a participant in the healing sufferings of Christ.

Whoever reaches this marker possesses the Kingdom of Heaven. For nothing unclean will enter there.

The whole divine economy of our salvation is directed toward this: to provide us with everything necessary for attaining it.

For the sake of communion in the sufferings of Christ, the grace of the Holy Spirit overshadows the one who has communed in them.

He becomes wholly penetrated and embraced by His fire, like metal made incandescent. This is the image of the pure or dispassionate man.

To him belong both the glorious resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven.