LET US
THEREFORE AS MANY AS ARE PERFECT
(MATURE)
HAVE THIS
ATTITUDE: hosoi oun teleioi touto phronomen (1PPAS): (Ro 15:1
- note;
1Cor 2:6;
14:20;
Col 1:28 - note;
Col 4:12 - note;
2Ti 3:17 - note;
Heb 5:14 - note;
Js 1:4;
1 Jn 2:5)
(Click John Macarthur's exposition
Reaching
for the Prize)
Edwards explains that...
All mature believers are to have
this same mindset. The therefore here also gives good support
that Phil 3:10-14 is basically speaking about being "mature." We see
here that one of the marks of being mature in the faith is that our
great goal in life is holiness, not happiness. No man can claim to be
a mature Christian if this isn't his primary goal! (Reference)
Thus in this section Paul is
exhorting those who are spiritually mature ("perfect") to hold the
same convictions as he does regarding the need to press on toward the
goal of Christlikeness. In the last half of this verse, Paul expresses
his recognition that some of the believers will not share his
attitude. The implication is that the reason they do not share his
attitude is because they are not spiritually mature.
As Steven Cole goes on to
explain...
To those who disagree with him,
Paul says, “Stay teachable and God will show you where you need to
grow” (Sermon)
Perfect
(5046)
(teleios
from telos = an end, a purpose, an aim, a goal) means
complete, mature, fully developed, full grown, brought to its
end, finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness, in good
working order.
Teleios
signifies consummate soundness, includes the idea of being whole.
Teleios does not refer to sinlessness but to spiritual
maturity. Teleios conveys the
ideas of reaching or accomplishing the goal for which we were saved
(ultimately Christ- likeness).
Wuest helps understand how this
statement can be rationalized with the statement in (Phil
3:12 - note) explaining that in
Philippians 3:12...
...Paul is speaking of a finished process and absolute spiritual
maturity beyond which there is no room for improvement, whereas in
Philippians 3:15 he is speaking of relative spiritual maturity where
there is room for development and growth. This is clear from the fact
that in the former verse (Phil
3:12) he uses a verb in the
perfect tense,
whereas in the latter, he uses a noun. Paul therefore exhorts the
Philippian saints who are spiritually mature to consider themselves so
only in a relative sense, and to remember that there is much room for
spiritual growth in their lives. The spiritual maturity spoken of here
is as we have seen, not a state of sinlessness or flawlessness, but
one of completeness, of a well rounded Christian character, a state
opposite to spiritual infancy.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
(Bolding added)
Jamieson explains that those
believers who are perfect are...
full grown (no longer “babes”) in
the Christian life (Philippians
3:3, “worshipping
God in the Spirit, and having no confidence in the flesh”) 1Co
2:6, fully established in things of God. Here, by “perfect,” he means
one fully fit for running [Bengel]; knowing and complying with the
laws of the course (see note
2 Timothy 2:5).
Though “perfect” in this sense, he was not yet “made perfect” (Greek)
in the sense intended in
Philippians 3:12,
namely, “crowned with complete victory,” and having attained absolute
perfection.
Adam Clarke writes that...
The word teleioi, perfect,
is taken here in the same sense in which it is taken 1 Corinthians
14:20 (Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil
be babes, but in your thinking
be
[present
imperative = be
continually becoming] mature [teleios = attaining to full development
as opposed to immaturity]. Be ye perfect-thoroughly instructed, deeply
experienced.
1 Corinthians 2:6:- Yet we
do speak wisdom among those who are mature (teleios) among
those who are fully instructed, adults in Christian knowledge.
Ephesians 4:13 (note)
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
Hebrews 5:14 (note):
But solid food is for the mature (teleios), who because of
practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Here
teleios means those who are thoroughly instructed and experienced in
Divine things.
Let us therefore, says the apostle,
as many as be perfect-as have entered fully into the spirit and design
of the Gospel...
Have this attitude - The
question is "what attitude" is Paul referring to? We have already
mentioned it above, but to reiterate, if we observe the
context,
we see that Paul has just referred to pursuing the prize of
Christlikeness (and all that is implied by this "race", the things he
had mentioned in the preceding passages)
Guzik writes that...
Those who are really mature will
have this mind. If they do not, Paul trusts that God will reveal the
necessity of having it. Paul has great trust in the ability of the
Lord to deal with His own people. He doesn't have the attitude that if
he doesn't convince them, they will never be convinced.
J Vernon McGee says...
In other words, have the same mind
as Paul. Get out on the racetrack with Paul and press on toward the
same goal.
MacDonald explains that the
mature ("perfect") believers at Philippi
should share Paul’s willingness to
suffer and die for Christ and to bend every effort in the quest for
likeness to the Lord Jesus. This is the mature view of the Christian
faith. Some would call it extreme, radical, or fanatical. But the
apostle states that those who are full-grown will see that this is the
only sane, logical, reasonable response to the One who shed His
life-blood for them on Calvary. (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
Have this attitude - An
exhortation to continually (present
tense) set your
mind on this. Keep on thinking this way, remaining focused on pursuing
the goal of Christlikeness and more generally having the mind Paul had
described in
Philippians 3:7-14 (notes)
where he began by explaining the things he had counted as loss for the
sake of Christ.
MacArthur adds a slightly
different aspect to the interpretation explain that Paul
could be referring to the mature
believers who were like-minded with him in this pursuit or he may also
have used “mature” here to refer sarcastically to the
Judaizers, who thought they had reached perfection.
Have...attitude (5426)
(phroneo
from phren = literally the diaphragm and thus that which
curbs or restrains. Figuratively, phren is the supposed seat of
all mental and emotional activity) refers to the basic orientation,
bent, and thought patterns of the mind, rather than to the mind or
intellect itself (that is the Greek word nous). Phroneo
includes a person’s affections and will as well as his reasoning. In
other words phroneo refers not simply to intellectual activity but
also to direction and purpose of heart. Phroneo means to think,
set one's mind or heart upon something and denotes the whole action of
the affections and will as well as the reason. It describes a process
of evaluating a situation and on the basis of our evaluation of
adopting an attitude or disposition to act.
Paul is saying
to those who are mature to continually (present
tense) give
careful consideration to what he has just stated. It is also notable
that
the word phroneo is one of
those terms which is difficult to render in English because it
includes at once thinking and willing. It expresses not merely an
activity of the intellect, but also a movement of the will and thus it is both
interest and decision at the same time.
Robertson adds
that phroneo is in the
Present
active volitive
(pertaining to volition or relating to the will, with
subjunctive approximating the sense of a command)
subjunctive... “Let us keep on
thinking this,” viz. (that is to say) that we have not yet
attained absolute perfection." (Robertson, A. Word Pictures in
the New Testament)
Matthew
Poole
writes that...
from the instance of
himself (Paul), imitating Christ, in loving condescension and
lowliness of mind,
Philippians 2:3,
2:5,
worshipping God in the spirit, and not having confidence in the flesh,
Philippians
3:3,
in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings,
Philippians 3:10,
pressing forward to absolute perfection, he here doth with himself
encourage as many rulers and ruled who were settled in the
fundamentals of Christianity, and who had made progress in holiness
("as many as are perfect"), to mind that main business of religion...“Be
thus minded;” he would have them to be so minded as he himself
was, in renouncing all carnal confidence, acknowledging their gradual
imperfection, and still to be striving and contending to a fuller
measure of holiness, till they come to be consummate in Christ.
(Matthew Poole's Commentary on the New Testament)
AND IF IN
ANYTHING YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE GOD WILL REVEAL THAT ALSO TO
YOU:
kai ei ti heteros phroneite (2PPAI) kai touto o theos humin apokalupsei
(3SFAI): (Psalms
25:8,9;
Proverbs 2:3-6;
3:5,6;
Isaiah 35:8;
Luke 11:13;
John 7:17;
James 1:5)
If
presents, not a hypothetical case but a fulfilled condition or one
that is assumed to be true. That is, it is true that some of the
Philippians had a different attitude.
And if in anything you have a
different attitude - In other words if you don't agree with what
Paul has just stated about pursuing Christlikeness.
As alluded to above MacArthur
raises the possibility that the different attitude was
in fact the attitude of some that they had arrived at perfection,
which may have also been a jab at Judaizers in the midst of the
believers (cp the context - "enemies of the cross of Christ" -
see note
Philippians 3:18).
Jameison takes this latter
view writing that those with a different attitude refer to
those...
having too high an opinion of
yourselves as to your attainment of Christian perfection. “He who
thinks that he has attained everything, hath nothing” [Chrysostom].
Probably, too, he refers to those who were tempted to think to attain
to perfection by the law (Gal 3:3): who needed the warning (Philippians
3:2), “Beware of
the concision (the circumcision),” though on account of
their former piety, Paul hopes confidently (as in Gal 5:10) that God
will reveal the path of right-mindedness to them. Paul taught
externally God “reveals” the truth internally by His Spirit (Mt 11:25;
16:17; 1Co 3:6).(Philippians
Commentary)
God will reveal - Paul is
saying if you don't agree, the only thing he can do is turn the case
over to God.
As Guzik puts it...
Paul has great trust in the ability
of the Lord to deal with His own people. He doesn’t have the attitude
that if he doesn’t convince them, they will never be convinced. (Philippians 3 Commentary
)
Ryrie paraphrases it...
If you don't agree, God
will give you light on the subject. (The
Ryrie Study Bible)
MacDonald comments that...
Paul realizes that not all
will agree with him in adopting such a dangerous philosophy. But he
expresses the confidence that if a person is really willing to know
the truth of the matter, God will reveal it to him. The reason we have
such an easy-going, complacent Christianity today is because we do not
want to know the truth; we are not willing to obey the demands of
ideal Christianity. God is willing to show the truth to those who are
willing to follow it.
Edwards explains that...
If their minds were set on anything
else, any other goal in life, God would reveal it to them. It would
seem that this revelation must come through the convicting ministry of
the Holy Spirit. It is comforting to know that when we get off the
track God will point it out to us so that we can get back on (Reference)
MacArthur explains that...
Those who refuse to heed Paul’s
message will hear that same message from God. He will correct them
through His Word, His Spirit, or through chastening. God will do
whatever it takes to make believers recognize their need to pursue the
prize of Christlikeness. He will also provide the resources they need
to do that (see note
2 Peter 1:3).
(MacArthur,
J. Philippians. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Barnes explains that God is
able to...
correct your erroneous opinions,
and disclose to you the importance of making this effort for the
prize. This is the expression of an opinion, that to those who were
sincere and true Christians, God would yet make a full revelation of
the nature of religion, or would lead them on so that they would fully
understand it. They who are acquainted with religion at all, or who
have been truly converted, God will teach and guide until they shall
have a full understanding of divine things. (Philippians 3)
Will reveal (601)
(apokalupto from
apó = from + kalúpto = cover,
conceal, English = apocalypse) literally to remove the cover from and
thus remove that which conceals something.
Apokalupto means
in essence to "take the
lid off" and thus to remove the cover and expose to open view
that which had
heretofore not been visible, known
or disclosed. The
idea is to make manifest or reveal a thing previously secret or
unknown, in this case God's will regarding spiritual maturity.
To whom would God reveal the
truth? Or asked another more general way how is the will of God
revealed to believers? Jesus alluded that one comes to know God's
will not just by hearing but by doing (obeying the truth one has
heard)...
(First the condition)
If any man is willing to do (present
tense
= not perfectly but as the general direction of one's life) His will,
(Then the promise) he shall know of the teaching, whether it is
of God, or whether I speak
from Myself. (John 7:17)
