{"id":2028,"date":"2022-09-25T12:46:15","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T17:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/?p=2028"},"modified":"2022-09-25T12:46:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-25T17:46:15","slug":"the-christians-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/25\/the-christians-goal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christian\u2019s Goal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.<\/strong>\u201d
Philippians 3:14 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paul, the Apostle, lived as a mighty example\nof a Christ-like life. He had once tried serving a religion, but when he met\nJesus, he understood the uselessness of it (see Philippians 3:1-10).             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Paul was not perfect, he understood\nthat the goal of his life was to follow Jesus \u2013 wherever that may lead him\n(remember, he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi\nfrom prison!). \u201cNot as though I had already attained, either were already\nperfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am\napprehended of Christ Jesus<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 3:12).\nPaul understood something very important that Christians today should\nunderstand, too. \u201cWe love him,\nbecause he first loved us<\/strong>\u201d (1 John 4:19).\nJohn wrote, understanding that without God loving us first, we could never love\nHim. Do you remember how God revealed His love to us? \u201cHerein is love, not that we loved God, but\nthat he loved us, and sent his Son to be<\/em> the propitiation for our sins<\/strong>\u201d\n(1 John 4:10). God sent His only Son, Jesus, to be the \u201cpropitiation for our sins.<\/strong>\u201d This\nmeans that Jesus became the atoning sacrifice that God demanded for my sin,\ntaking away my penalty of death \u2013 for Jesus died for me. Because of that, Paul\ndeclared, \u201cI am apprehended of Christ Jesus.<\/strong>\u201d When Paul relinquished his\nwill, trusting Christ, Paul had been saved. He then belonged to Jesus. However,\nliving here on earth, he still lived in his physical body, in a world of sin.\nNevertheless, Paul understood that by following after the things of Christ, he\nwas becoming more like Christ. Because of that, Paul wanted to \u201capprehend<\/strong>\u201d\na Christ-like life. Moreover, one day Paul would be in heaven with Jesus,\nperfect in every way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul used a race to help understand something\none cannot physically see. The Christian life is a spiritual one, and you\ncannot see the spirit. However, one can see the results of living a Christ-like\nlife, and that is what Paul wanted Christians to understand. Just as in a race,\none must focus the eyes upon the goal, the finish line, without looking back. \u201c13.\nBrethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this<\/em> one thing I\ndo<\/em>, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those\nthings which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high\ncalling of God in Christ Jesus<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 3:13-14).\nEach Christian is to strive to know God by understanding and living a\nChrist-like life.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can a Christian who lives in this world\npossibly reach for and live a Christ-like life? Remember back to what Paul\nalready told them in Philippians 2:5: \u201cLet this mind be in you, which was\nalso in Christ Jesus.<\/strong>\u201d No one can do it unless that Christian has the mind\nof Christ. Being like Jesus must be the goal in a Christian\u2019s life. \u201cLet us\ntherefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be\notherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 3:15). Perfect<\/strong>\nmeans \u201cfull-grown in the knowledge of the\ntruth in comparison to the babes in Christ<\/em>.\u201d Another way to understand it is\nthat there are mature Christians who know and understand God\u2019s Word. Be thus minded<\/strong> means \u201cto think or sense mentally one and the same\nthing; as in \u2018the same mind be in you as in Christ.\u2019<\/em>\u201d Paul was setting\nhimself up as an example of one who had learned to have the mind of Christ. The\nChristians were to follow his example, and any other who lived the same \u2013 and\nGod would reveal the right Christian lifestyle example to follow. \u201c16.\nNevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,\nlet us mind the same thing. 17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark\nthem which walk so as ye have us for an ensample<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 3:16-17). Paul lived his Christian life\nbecoming more like Christ. He was a great example to follow. Part of their\nChristian duty was to recognize fellow Christians who were striving to become\nmore Christ-like, because they could be examples as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Paul parenthetically gave an\nimportant warning. \u201c18. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and\nnow tell you even weeping, that they are<\/em> the enemies of the cross of\nChrist: 19. Whose end is<\/em> destruction, whose God is their<\/em> belly,\nand whose<\/em> glory is<\/em> in their shame, who mind earthly things.)<\/strong>\u201d\n(Philippians 3:18-19). There are many who do not strive to be Christ-like, and\ninstead become enemies of the cross. They were to recognize true followers of\nChrist, following them, and remember the enemies Paul warned them to avoid \u2013\nthose who mind earthly things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul reminded them of something important. \u201cFor\nour conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the\nLord Jesus Christ<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 3:20).\nAlthough we live here on this earth now, Paul wanted them to remember that a\nChristian\u2019s home (the word conversation<\/strong> means \u201ccitizenship<\/em>\u201d) is\n(and one day will forever be) in heaven with Jesus. We are to look for Jesus,\nthe Saviour, who will return for us one day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nyou have the mind of Christ, which enables you to press toward the mark for the\nprize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul, the Apostle, lived as a mighty example of a Christ-like life. He had once tried serving a religion, but when he met Jesus, he understood the uselessness of it (see Philippians 3:1-10).             Although Paul was not perfect, he understood that the goal of his life was to follow Jesus \u2013 wherever that may lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[318],"tags":[996,461,995,362,80,262,373,994,997,442,355],"class_list":["post-2028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-picture-with-verse-and-blog","tag-apprehended","tag-christ","tag-conversation","tag-heaven","tag-jesus","tag-love","tag-mark","tag-mind","tag-prize","tag-return","tag-warning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2030,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028\/revisions\/2030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}