Page 9 - July 2025 - Truth & Tidings

press toward the mark for the prize of the of heavenly glory, and He will come to
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The take us to be with Himself in that place
principal lesson is that our future destiny of supreme heavenly exaltation.
should govern our present spiritual am- This is the wonderful prospect for every
bition; the reality of what we are going believer, but let us also be challenged now
to be in a coming day, when we are fully by this future prospect that lies before us.
conformed to the image of Christ, should Paul was living his life pressing toward
make us have earnest desires to be more obtaining this prize, deeply exercised
like Him now. about making spiritual progress towards
The word “press” is the same word it throughout his life as a believer. We
in the original Greek text as Paul used generally think of a prize as a reward that
in verse 6, when before conversion he we are worthy to receive, having attained
was “persecuting the Church,” when he a standard and merited the prize. But we
pressed upon the Church in such a violent readily acknowledge that this ultimate
and destructive way. Such was the great prize is only because of the riches of God’s
work of divine grace in Paul’s life; the grace and the product of His divine work
single-minded zeal and energy he had alone.
expended before salvation in zealously Philippians develops the theme of God’s
persecuting the Church now characterised work of grace in every believer: “He which
him spiritually in his singular pursuit of hath begun a good work in you will per-
this ultimate prize for every believer. The form [complete, JND] it until the day of
metaphor Paul is applying here is one Jesus Christ” (Php 1:6). His present work
that he uses in several of his epistles. The is to produce in us greater conformity to
athlete has the finishing line in sight, and His own dear Son. “For it is God which
there is no looking back at the race that has worketh in you both to will and to do
been run. He presses on down the track, of his good pleasure” (2:13). None shall
keeping focused on the finishing line and obstruct God from completing this work;
the prize that will be obtained. it will be accomplished “according to the
What is beyond that finishing line in the working whereby he is able even to sub-
race of faith for every believer will be this due all things unto himself” (3:21).
“prize of the high calling [the calling on We look forward to the prize and appre-
high, JND] of God in Christ Jesus” (v14). ciate that it is all God’s working, and that
This has the final consummation of our He ever set His purpose upon us to make
salvation in view, when we are exalted us to be like His own Son. It began when
in heavenly glory with Christ, with com- God “saved us, and called us with an holy
plete physical and moral conformity to calling, not according to our works, but
His glorious Person. We can even now be according to his own purpose and grace,
looking to Christ in this focused way as we which was given us in Christ Jesus before
think of Him as our ultimate prize. It will the world began” (2Ti 1:9). There was that
be a “calling on high” because Christ has moment when Christ laid hold upon us,
promised, “I will come again, and receive and we long for the time when our race
you unto myself; that where I am, there of faith is run, and we are brought to the
ye may be also” (Joh 14:3). He is the risen consummation of that “high calling of
Man, exalted to the very highest pinnacle God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14).

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