Philippians Chapter Three

Read Today's Passage

Paul fills us in here on the problems of bragging about accomplishments under the Law. He really was the Hebrew of Hebrews. He was a Pharisee, carried out the Law to the letter, did everything that was required of him... and it gained him nothing. Well, not nothing, but it did not save him. And there were those in the church that apparently believed that the Law would save them. The same is true today. So often we believe that Christians are to act a certain way because without this action we will not get into heaven. But the real est of Heaven is where our heart is with God. If it lines up with Him, if our faith is genuine and genuinely placed, our actions will reflect that and we will carry out God's commands and requests as a second nature. It is very comforting and reassuring to see that Paul, a giant of the faith, admits his own shortcomings and imperfections.

One thing that I think we take the wrong way from this passage is the line about being citizens of heaven. A lot of people ascribe this to their life by living in an "evacuation theology" which uses this type of statement to say "I will be in heaven, so there is no need to improve the earth here and now." They focus so much on the other side of eternity that they forget heaven's citizens have responsibilities here on earth. Care for the poor, feed the hungry, and more. It's all in the citizenship manual (so to speak). Have you ever found yourself reading these words about being a citizen of heaven and thought that your responsibilities on earth were lessened because of that?