Philippians Student Commentary
Philippians 3:7–14
Knowing Christ and Pressing Toward the Goal
How to Use This Commentary
Go as deep as you’re ready to go.
Start by reading Philippians 3:7–14 in your Bible. Then choose how deeply you want to explore the passage.
The Big Idea
Knowing Jesus is worth more than anything else we could gain. Because Christ has already made us His own, we can leave the past behind, keep growing, and press forward toward the future God has promised.
Philippians 3:7–14 at a Glance
VALUE: Nothing we gain or accomplish compares with knowing Jesus.
KNOW: Christianity is more than knowing about Jesus. Paul wants to know Christ Himself.
TRUST: Our standing with God rests in Christ, not our spiritual performance.
GROW: None of us has arrived. Following Jesus means continuing to grow.
PRESS ON: Christ has already taken hold of us, so we keep moving toward the future He has promised.
Let’s Understand the Passage
Now let’s slow down and follow Paul’s movement from what he once valued to the goal he now pursues.
What Is Worth Everything to You?
Everybody has things they value.
Maybe it’s making the team.
Getting into the right college.
Having a certain group of friends.
Being successful.
Getting more followers.
Having people notice what you’re good at.
None of those things are automatically wrong.
But Philippians 3 asks a bigger question:
What is valuable enough to become the center of your life?
In the previous verses, Paul gave us his spiritual résumé.
He had heritage.
Religious knowledge.
Commitment.
Zeal.
Outward obedience.
Paul once considered those things his greatest advantages.
Then he encountered Jesus.
And Jesus completely changed the way Paul measured what mattered.
1. Jesus Changed Paul’s Scorecard
Philippians 3:7–8
Paul had just listed everything that once made him feel spiritually successful.
Then he says something surprising.
The things he once considered gain, he now considers loss because of Christ.
Paul isn’t saying everything he had ever accomplished was automatically evil.
He’s saying those things could never compare with what he had found in Jesus.
MEETING JESUS CHANGED PAUL’S DEFINITION OF WHAT WAS TRULY VALUABLE.
Think about a scoreboard.
The numbers tell you who is winning.
Before Christ, Paul’s scoreboard was filled with religious accomplishments.
After meeting Jesus, Paul realized he had been using the wrong scoreboard.
His greatest treasure wasn’t his accomplishments.
It was Christ.
2. Nothing Compares With Knowing Jesus
Philippians 3:8
Paul says everything else is loss compared with the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.
That’s a huge statement.
Paul isn’t simply saying:
“Jesus is important to me.”
He’s saying:
Nothing compares with knowing Jesus.
Christianity isn’t simply knowing facts about Jesus.
It’s possible to know Bible stories, memorize verses, answer questions at youth group, and still miss what Paul is talking about.
Paul wants to know Christ.
He belongs to Jesus.
He trusts Jesus.
He follows Jesus.
And he wants his entire life to become more deeply centered on Jesus.
The greatest gift of Christianity isn’t simply a better life. The greatest gift is Christ Himself.
3. Your Standing With God Doesn’t Rest on Your Performance
Philippians 3:9
Paul once tried to build a righteousness of his own through religious performance.
In other words, he wanted his own obedience to prove that he was right with God.
Now Paul understands something completely different.
The righteousness he needs comes through faith in Christ.
The Gospel
WE AREN’T ACCEPTED BY GOD BECAUSE WE FINALLY PERFORM WELL ENOUGH.
OUR CONFIDENCE RESTS IN WHAT JESUS HAS DONE.
That means your confidence before God doesn’t have to rise and fall with how well you think you’re doing.
Your standing before God isn’t built on your ability to create an impressive spiritual record.
It rests in Christ.
4. Paul’s Goal Is Still to Know Christ
Philippians 3:10–11
Paul had already followed Jesus for years.
He had preached the gospel.
Planted churches.
Suffered for his faith.
Helped other people follow Christ.
Yet Paul’s goal is still incredibly simple:
I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST.
Paul wants to know the power of Christ’s resurrection.
He also understands that following Jesus can include suffering.
Paul isn’t saying suffering is good by itself or that Christians should go looking for ways to suffer.
He’s saying that even when following Jesus becomes costly, he still wants his life identified with Christ.
Paul’s entire life—his joy, obedience, suffering, and future—is centered on Jesus.
And his hope reaches beyond suffering and even beyond death.
Paul belongs to the risen Christ, so death will not have the final word.
5. You Haven’t Arrived Yet
Philippians 3:12
Paul has followed Jesus for years.
But listen to what he says next:
He hasn’t arrived.
He hasn’t reached perfection.
He still needs to grow.
That’s an important picture of spiritual maturity.
Mature Christians aren’t people who think they have nothing left to learn. They understand how much they still need Jesus.
Spiritual maturity should make us more teachable—not less.
Keep learning.
Keep repenting.
Keep growing.
Keep pursuing Jesus.
6. Press On Because Jesus Has Taken Hold of You
Philippians 3:12
Paul says he presses on.
He’s pursuing Christ.
He’s growing.
He’s moving forward.
But don’t miss why.
Paul presses on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of him.
PAUL ISN’T RUNNING TOWARD JESUS HOPING JESUS WILL ACCEPT HIM.
HE’S RUNNING BECAUSE JESUS HAS ALREADY MADE HIM HIS OWN.
That’s grace.
And grace doesn’t make Paul stop pursuing Jesus.
Grace gives him a reason to keep going.
The same is true for us.
We don’t pray, read Scripture, fight sin, serve others, and pursue holiness because we’re desperately trying to convince Jesus to love us.
We pursue Jesus because He first pursued us.
Grace doesn’t remove the pursuit. Grace gives us a reason to keep pursuing.
7. Don’t Let the Past Control Your Direction
Philippians 3:13
Paul describes the Christian life using the picture of a runner.
Imagine trying to run a race while constantly looking backward.
You’d have a hard time moving toward the finish line.
So Paul says he forgets what is behind and reaches forward to what is ahead.
That doesn’t mean Paul somehow erased his past from his memory.
He just spent several verses talking about it.
It means his past no longer controls the direction of his life.
Past success doesn’t give you permission to stop growing.
Past failure doesn’t mean Jesus is finished with you.
Maybe you’re proud of what you accomplished yesterday.
Keep moving.
Maybe you’re embarrassed by something you did yesterday.
Confess it, receive God’s grace, learn from it, and keep moving.
Your past can teach you.
It can humble you.
It can remind you of God’s grace.
But it doesn’t have to control where you’re going.
8. Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
Philippians 3:13–14
Paul keeps using the picture of a runner.
A runner has a finish line.
There’s direction.
There’s a goal.
Paul says he is pressing toward the goal for the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE ISN’T WANDERING AIMLESSLY.
WE ARE MOVING TOWARD THE FUTURE GOD HAS PROMISED IN CHRIST.
Some days your spiritual growth may feel exciting.
Other days it may feel slow.
Some days you may see real progress.
Other days you may become painfully aware of how much growing you still have to do.
Keep going.
Keep following.
Keep becoming more like Jesus.
Keep your eyes on where Christ is leading you.
Don’t Miss This
Christianity Is More Than Trying Harder
If we’re not careful, we can read Paul’s words about pressing on and turn Christianity into:
“Try harder.”
“Do better.”
“Never mess up.”
But look at the order of Paul’s message:
Christ is worth more than everything Paul once trusted.
Paul receives righteousness through faith.
Christ has taken hold of Paul.
Then Paul presses forward.
Grace comes first. Then growth.
Jesus takes hold of us.
Then we spend our lives pursuing Him.
We aren’t trying to earn Jesus.
We are learning to live like people who have found our greatest treasure in Jesus.
Make It Personal
Paul knew what he valued, where his righteousness came from, and where his life was headed. Now think about what those truths mean for your own walk with Jesus.
Put the Whole Passage Together
Philippians 3:7–14 gives us a picture of a Christian who refuses to stand still.
Paul has found something worth more than everything he once trusted.
He has Christ.
And because he belongs to Christ, his life now has a new direction.
Knowing Christ is worth more than everything else.
Our righteousness comes through faith in Christ, not our performance.
Following Jesus means wanting to know Him more deeply.
We haven’t arrived, so we keep growing.
Our past doesn’t have to control our direction.
We press forward because Christ has already made us His own.
KNOW CHRIST.
KEEP GROWING.
PRESS FORWARD.
Live It Out
Take Your Next Step
Following Jesus isn’t about having everything figured out. Paul didn’t think he had arrived, and neither should we.
Ask yourself:
VALUE: Is something becoming more important to me than knowing Christ?
PAST: Is a past success or failure keeping me from moving forward?
GROWTH: Where is Jesus calling me to take another step?
You don’t have to take every step today. Ask Jesus to show you your next faithful step—and take it. Then keep pressing forward.
Think About It
1. What things are you most tempted to believe you need in order to be happy, secure, important, or successful?
2. What do you think Paul means when he says knowing Christ is worth more than everything else?
3. What’s the difference between knowing facts about Jesus and actually knowing and following Him?
4. Is there something from your past—a success or a failure—that makes it difficult for you to keep moving forward?
5. What is one area of your life where you need to keep growing and pressing forward with Jesus?
Remember This
Nothing compares with knowing Jesus. Your standing with God rests in Christ, not your performance. You haven’t arrived yet, and your past doesn’t have to control where you’re going. Christ has already made you His own—so know Him, keep growing, and keep pressing forward.
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