Outline

«　WEEK 10　DAY 6　»

　　Phil. 3:12-13 Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before.

　　Paul had experienced and gained Christ tremendously, yet he did not account of himself to have experienced Christ in full or to have gained Him to the uttermost. He still endeavored to pursue toward the goal—the gaining of Christ to the fullest extent.

　　In Philippians 3:13 Paul speaks of “forgetting the things which are behind.” In order to gain Christ to the fullest extent, Paul not only forsook his experiences in Judaism but also would not linger in his past experiences of Christ. He forgot the past. Not to forget but to linger in our past experiences, however genuine they were, frustrates our further pursuing of Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3512)

　　Paul also tells us that he was stretching forward to the things which are before. He knew that Christ is unsearchably rich, that there is a vast territory of His riches to be possessed. He was stretching forward to gain these riches and to advance further into this territory.

　　Even though Paul was a matured saint and an experienced apostle, he tells us that he had not already obtained and had not yet been perfected… He, of course, had obtained the common salvation by the common faith (1 Tim. 1:14-16), but he was still pursuing Christ in order to gain Him to the fullest extent. Furthermore, Paul was also seeking Christ in order to have the extra portion of resurrection, the out-resurrection. In order to have this portion of resurrection, we must pursue, run the race, and finish our course triumphantly…At the time of our conversion, we were gained by Christ so that we may gain Him. Now as those who have not yet obtained and who have not yet been perfected, we are pursuing Christ.

　　Paul was pursuing toward the goal for the prize [Phil 3:14]. Christ is both the goal and the prize. The goal is the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ, and the prize is the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the victorious runners of the New Testament race. In order to reach the goal for the prize, Paul was exercised to forget the things which are behind and to stretch forward to the things which are before. This is the way to gain Christ by pursuing Him.

　　We should see the fact that God has set up a goal and prepared a prize. We need to run a good race and to pursue Christ by forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, that is, the things concerning Christ and His Body, the church. Let us all forget the things behind and pay attention to the bright future ahead of us, a future of gaining Christ and experiencing Him to the uttermost in His Body.

　　We should not be satisfied simply with Bible knowledge, not even with the knowledge of Philippians 3. We need to have the actual pursuing of Christ. The Greek word for pursue can also be translated “persecute.” Before Paul was saved, he was persecuting Christ in a negative way. After he was saved, he pursued Christ to such an extent that we may even say he persecuted Christ but in a very positive way. To persecute a person is to trouble him and refuse to let him go. Before Paul was saved, he bothered Christ and would not let Him go, persecuting Him negatively. But after he was saved and had been gained by Christ, Paul still persecuted Him, but positively, for he refused to let Christ go. We also should persecute Christ in this way in order to gain Him. We should not let Christ go; rather, we should bother Him, persecute Him, in order to gain Him. This is to pursue Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3512-3513)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 349