Philippians 3:17-4:1: The Mature Man of God, Part 2

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we

await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Phil. 3:20

Yesterday, we took a look at what it looks like to be a mature man or woman of God. We saw that in Phillipians 3:12-15, Paul points out for us how mature men and women of God realize their imperfections, run towards Christlikeness, and remember not their past. However, Paul did not stop here. In the next section of verses, which we will look at today, Paul gives two more characteristics of mature men and women of God.

Firstly, mature men of God imitate mature men of God. Paul exhorts his readers to "join in imitating" him and "keep [their] eyes on those who walk according to the example." Ultimately, mature believers imitate other mature believers. We cannot be sanctified in a vacuum; we must have others to look towards and strive for. Without the example of godliness set by others, we would scarcely know how to live. Thus, Paul tells us to imitate those who have set a good example, and to strive to be like them in their Christlikeness.

Secondly, mature men of God hope in the Gospel. In contrast to those who are enemies of the cross of Christ, Paul points out that for those of us who are truly saved, our citizenship is in heaven, and thus we hope a Savior who will come again. This is ultimately the Gospel that we hope in, that is, that we are no longer citizens of this world, but mere strangers and pilgrims in a land we don't belong to. However, our hope lies in the fact that our Savior is coming again, yet that he is not only coming, but coming to transform our lowly bodies to make us like himself, that is, apart from the presence of sin. Mature believers take great hope in this fact, as in whatever circumstance they find themselves in, they know that their ultimate end is being transformed by Christ.

In conclusion, Paul offers these words in 4:1: "stand firm thus in the Lord." In light of the fact that the Lord is going to transform us, we must stand firm in him. There is great hope found in the Gospel, but that hope is useless to us unless we actively take hold of it and stand firm amidst our trials. Thus, we find as well that mature men and women of God stand firm in light of the truths of the Gospel.

So, are you a mature believer, or do you have room to grow? Ultimately, Paul teaches us that we all have room to grow (Phil. 3:12), but we must realize that because we have room to grow, we must grow. Paul's overwhelming knowledge of his imperfections did not lead him to give up, but to strive to obtain further Christlikeness. Likewise, we ought to do so. We ought not to be discouraged by our imperfections, but encouraged by a realization of our room to grow. Amen!