Philippians 3:10-14 - The Persistence of the Saints

Chad Werkhoven
Oct 8
4 min read

Christianity isn't about how you're feeling, it's about what you're pursuing.

Runner in a hoodie on a foggy day, below motivational Philippians 3:14 text on yellow. Mood is determined and focused. — Bible.com

Philippians 3:7–14 (NIV)

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Point 4 - Irresistible Grace

Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints

Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness

Hence daily
1. sins of weakness arise,
2. and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints,
  1. giving them continual cause
    1. to humble themselves before God,
    2. to flee for refuge to Christ crucified,
    3. to put the flesh to death more and more
      1. by a spirit of supplication [prayer]
      2. and by holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines],
    4. and to strain toward the goal of perfection,
  2. until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.

Summary

So often Christianity is described in terms of how it makes people feel. It gives peace during trouble, a steady certainty in the midst of chaos, a divine friend when we need one. Christian faith fills our God sized holes, provides fulfillment and is the one thing you can count on when the rest of the world has rejected you.

As wonderful and true as all of that is, the apostle Paul wanted much more than a feeling. He considered everything as a loss - garbage, even - compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Christianity for Paul was both an intellectual and experiential pursuit.

The knowledge Paul was after was far more than just a few bits of trivia about Jesus. He didn't just want to know about Christ's resurrection, he wanted to know the power of His resurrection. In other words, he wanted to know all of the theological implications the flow out of it and how its historical reality made peace possible between God and man.

Nor was he interested in the knowledge just to, as he writes elsewhere, puff him up. He wanted to participate in it in such a way that every bit of knowledge he gained would make him more and more like Christ in his death.

Dig Deeper

This final doctrine of the Canons of Dordt has come to be known as the Perseverance of the Saints, but maybe if Paul had been on the naming committee he would have tweaked it a bit. It's not that he'd argue against perseverance, but that he might better prefer the phrase Persistence of the Saints.

Certainly Paul understood the sovereign work of God necessary for our salvation - after all, it's Paul's epistles that form the backbone of our understanding of it. But neither does he promote passivity - just listlessly waiting for God to impart the knowledge and participation he craved. Paul notes twice in today's passage that he pressed on in pursuit of it.

These are aggressive words that Paul used to describe his efforts. They mean to strive after something - to go after it with every ounce of energy possible. It often gets translated as persecute to describe the way people chased down Christians. Ironically, Paul heard this word directly from Jesus on the road to Damascus: Paul, Paul, why do you persecute me - why do you chase after & pursue me?

The Christian life, then, is a rigorous pursuit of knowing Christ and participating in His sufferings. This is exactly what the Canons call you to: to strain toward the goal of perfection, until you are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gives us a righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith in Christ;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the burning desire to press on and strive toward the goal of perfection by coming to know & participate in Christ;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: