Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Philippians Kapitel 3

Philippians 3:1. Finally,—Rejoice— Some have apprehended here a contrast with ch. Philippians 2:25; Php 2:28 where the Apostle tells them he had sent Epaphroditus, that they might rejoice at his coming: as if he had said, "And now I add, that while you are rejoicing in him, I would have you rejoice in the Lord, discerning the interposition of Christ, in his being preserved and restored to you." In this connection, it might have made the conclusion of the second chapter: it however seems more naturally to introduce what follows, thus: "As for what remains, my brethren, let me exhort you, whatever may become of me, or of yourselves, so far as any worldly interest or prospect is concerned, that ye rejoice in the protection and care of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the promises and hopes given us by him. I have already insisted upon them with pleasure, (ch. Philippians 1:5-6; Philippians 1:10-11; Philippians 1:20, &c. ch. Philippians 2:5; Philippians 2:11.) and to write the same things to you, on such a topic, is not grievous to me, while it is both safe and necessary for you." Some think that the words, writing the same things, intimate that St. Paul had written a former Epistle to them, which is now lost; others suppose that they refer to what he had said to them formerly; and that he only gives some hints at these larger conversations in the following verses.

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Philippians 3:2. Beware of dogs,— This may very possibly be an allusion to Isaiah 56:10-12. Comp. Philippians 3:19. Titus 1:11-12.Romans 16:18; Romans 16:18. Galatians 6:12-13. The Jews used to call the Gentiles dogs, and perhaps St. Paul, directed by the Spirit of God, may use this language, when speaking of their proud bigots, by way of just retaliation. Comp. Revelation 22:15. We read of a custom at Rome, to chain their dogs at the doors of their houses, and to put an inscription over them; "Beware of this dog," to which some think these words refer: but it is more natural to interpret St. Paul's expression from the comparisons used in the Old Testament, rather than from any proverbial speeches among the heathens. Evil-workers does not so much mean those who lived wickedly, as those who worked fraudulently and deceitfully. By the concision is meant either the excision (see the introduction to the chapter), or "those who rend and divide the church;" see Romans 16:17-18. They gloried in being the περιτομην, the circumcision; which name and character St. Paul will not allow them; but claims it for Christians, in the next word, and calls them the κατατομην, or concision; expressing his contempt of their pretences, and censure of their practices. See 2 Corinthians 11:13.

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Philippians 3:3. We are the circumcision,— That is, "We have that which was signified by circumcision;" for that is not circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but circumcision is that of the heart; in the spirit, and not in the letter. Romans 2:28-29. See also Colossians 2:11. Instead of, we rejoice in Christ Jesus, the Greek should be rendered, we glory, or boast in Christ Jesus, whom St. Paul considered as the spirit of the law, in contradistinction to the letter of it. So shall the sum of what he says is this: "We are the true circumcision, who worship God in and by Jesus Christ, and have our whole dependance upon him; and to this it was the design of the law to lead men." See Galatians 3:24.Romans 10:4; Romans 10:4.

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Philippians 3:4. If any other man thinketh, &c.— It can scarcely be supposed, that there were absolutely none who could pretend to the same grounds of confidence in the flesh, which St. Paul here mentions. His expression, therefore, is to be limited to such as he had in view. If there was but one person in Philippi, who was endeavouring to seduce them, no doubt he here speaks of him; but if there were more, he may be thought to aim at the principal man among them, for he seems here to speak only of a single person. His meaning therefore is, "If the person who attempts to draw you into Judaism, thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I am able to go beyond him in all his pretences." It is usual with the Apostle to speak in such a covert delicate way of this kind of men. See 1 Corinthians 3:10. 2Co 7:11; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 2 Corinthians 12:16-21.

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Philippians 3:5. Circumcised the eighth day,— Under circumcision when eight days old. Piscator and Homberg. It evidently appears, that the Jews did not only lay a great stress on the rite of circumcision, but on the time of performingit; that is, exactly on the eighth day. This consideration, and the particulars enumerated by St. Paul, must be understood as plain evidences, that the Apostle had more reason to trust in the flesh, than the person upon whom he reflects; and therefore it seems highly probable, that this person was only a proselyte, and not a Jew by birth. We may collect the same from the phrase, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; by which he seems to mean, that he was not a Hellenist Jew, as probably the person who endeavoured to seduce them was. Comp. Acts 6:1, where the Hellenists are contra-distinguished from the Hebrews. See also Rom 11:1. 2 Corinthians 11:22.Acts 23:6; Acts 23:6.

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Philippians 3:6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church;— All that the Apostle can mean here is, that if a zeal for the law were, as the Jews thought it, a ground of confidence, he could lay claim to it with abundant propriety; since his zeal had been so great for it, as to lead him to persecute the Christians, because he thought they dishonoured it. The righteousness which is in the law, both here and in Php 3:9 refers to the conformity which he lived in to the ritual or ceremonial part of the Mosaic la

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Philippians 3:7. Those I counted loss for Christ.— That is, "I threw them away, as mariners do their goods, on which they before set a value, lest they should endanger their lives:" in which sensethe word ζημια is used, Acts 27:21. We may observe, that St. Paul in this and the following verses carries on an agreeable allegory; in which all the metaphors are taken from traders or merchants. The first metaphors that he uses are profit and loss. The next lies in the words cast away; and the last in the word arrive or attain.

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Philippians 3:8. I count all things but loss— I have thrown away all things:—"Have willingly parted with all my advantages and expectations from the law; that I might gain or secure Christ." It is not by any means improbable, that a sentence of excommunication might have been pronounced against St. Paul, or at least that his goods might have been confiscated; as we know other believing Hebrews, though probably no one of them so obnoxious to their brethren as himself, were actually treated. (See Hebrews 10:33-34.) And if this were the case, it gives great force to the words, For whom I have suffered, &c.

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Philippians 3:9. And be found in him,— "Though not only reputation and power, ease and plenty, but even life itself, should be sacrificed to this view, I am happy enough if I may but be found in him, vitally united to him by a true faith and love, and so taken into his favour and under his protection."

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Philippians 3:10. And the power of his resurrection,— The resurrection of Christ is one of the strongest confirmations of our holy religion; and therefore yields the greatest encouragement to the hopes and expectations of genuine Christians. Hence God is said to have begotten them again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3. Some may perhaps imagine that St. Paul had not here a due regard to order in placing his words, because he speaks of Christ's resurrection first, and then of his sufferings; but his reason for this probably was, because a lively hope, effected by the consideration of Christ's resurrection, was absolutely necessary to make men willing to be conformed to him in his suffer

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Philippians 3:11. If by any means I might attain, &c.— "That any way, as it shall please him, I may arrive safe at my desired haven, the resurrection of the just." Dr. Heylin renders it, In order to attain to the resurrection of the dead; that is, says he, the resurrection of the just; for the resurrection of sinners is the second death.

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Philippians 3:12. Not as though I had already, &c.— "This I say not as if I had already attained to all that I wish to be, or were already perfected: for I am truly sensible how far I am from that consummate perfection of character, as well as of state, which the gospel teaches me to aspire after: but I pursue it, if by any means I may but reach that height of excellence for which also I am apprehended by Christ Jesus, whose condescending hand graciously laid hold on me in my mad career, inso extraordinary a manner as you have often heard, and has introduced me into that blessed race in which I am now engaged." The Apostle here begins a new allegory; nor is it unusual with the most correct writers to pass from one allegory to another: but our version confounds these two allegories by translating both the word καταντησω, Php 3:11 and the word ελαβον, in the present verse, by the same word attained: St. Paul here compares himself to a racer, and borrows many terms from the Olympic games, as in several other places of his Epistles. The words rendered apprehend and apprehended are used in the same agonistical sense, 1 Corinthians 9:24. His design is to shew, that he considered not himself as havingalready gained the victory, or obtained the prize which is the reward of it,—which the Jewish converts seem to have fancied of themselves; but that he was running and striving, and usingall proper methods to qualifyhimself throughDivine grace for it. Candidates in the Grecian games, especially when they first presented themselves, were often introduced by some person of established reputation, who at the same time that he spoke as honourably as might be of his friend, urged him to acquit himself with the utmost vigour and resolution;—and it is probable that the latter clause of this verse may allude to that circumstance. See the note on Philippians 3:15.

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Philippians 3:15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, &c.— "Such is the situation of my own mind, and the ardour of desire with which I am pressing after farther attainments in the Divine life. Let as many of us therefore as are perfect in any degree, and initiated, if I may so express it, into the holy mysteries of our religion, into the deep things of God, who have known him that is from the beginning (1 John 2:13-14.), attend to this as our great business and aim; and if any of you are otherwise affected, if any be unhappily fallen into a remiss and indolent frame, God shall reveal even this unto you, if you sincerely and earnestly ask him. I hope that he will, andI pray that he may give you such views of the crown of glory, the prize of our high calling, as may animate your most vigorous pursuit of it." In Php 3:12 the Apostle speaks of himself as not already perfected; which is said in opposition to the Jews, and the converts from among them, who flattered themselves, that barely by being under the law they were made perfect. Hence he speaks in such a manner to the Galatians, ch. Php 3:3 when they were seduced by the Judaizers; Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? In which place by the flesh he particularly adverts to the ceremonial law. This notion of the Jews naturally led them into security, and such carelessness of life, as the Apostle judged to be most dangerous. In opposition to them he sets forth his own great solicitude and diligence in the use of all proper means, considering himself as not having yet obtained the prize. This clears the seeming inconsistency between the 12th and the present verse. The perfection spoken of in the 12th verse relates to the reward;—with respect to which our Saviour himself says, the third day I shall be perfected, Luke 13:32. And thus the spirits of just men are not made perfect till the other world, Hebrews 12:23.—We may justly observe, that when an expression of this kind is used to intimate that the greatest adepts in Christianity should be labouring after higher improvements, it must strongly imply the obligations on those in a lower class, to press forward. See Hebrews 5:13-14. 1 Corinthians 2:6.

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Philippians 3:17. Be followers together of me,— Here the reason very plainly appears, why he said so much of himself in the foregoing verses; and we may observe, that as he was apprehensive of the danger his Philippians were in from these Judaizers, he labours effectually to discredit them; and shews from the difference there was between his conversation and theirs, how much reason they had to follow and be directed by him rather than them. Comp. 1 Corinthians 4:16-17. However, to take off the seeming ostentation of his discourse, he joins others with himself, as examples to them.

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Philippians 3:18. They are the enemies of the cross— That is, "enemies to the doctrine of salvation by a dependance upon Christ crucified:" for while they directed men to seek salvation by observing the ceremonial law, they took them off from depending solely on Christ crucified, and so made the death of Christ insignificant and useless. See Galatians 2:21; Galatians 5:3-4. Some however rather understand this as referring to their immoral temper, afterwards described; the end and design of the cross being to attract our hearts from earth to heaven, they were enemies to it, as being unwilling to comply with that end and design. It is to be feared, that many converts from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews, answered this character; and if they did, it was entirely to the Apostle's purpose to reprove them.

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Philippians 3:19. Whose end is destruction,— See 2 Corinthians 11:15. It has been thought that the Apostle has an eye here to what he had observed of these men before, ch. Php 1:28 and so he may be understood as if he had said, "These men reckon upon your destruction, but they will certainly meet with their own." The next clause implies, that however they pretended to act for the service and honour of God, they were seeking solely their own profit, and prostituting all things for the promoting of a temporary interest. Thus they made a god of themselves, or of their own belly. See Rom 16:18. 1 Timothy 6:5.Titus 1:11; Titus 1:11. St. Paul's aim and behaviour were directly opposite; who did all things for the edification of the churches, without seeking his own temporal advantage, as he often declares in his epistles, and that with a tacit reflection upon these men for their behaviour. By shame and earthly things the Apostle refers to their glorying in the indulgence of those earthly and sensual passions and pursuits which are a shame to the rational mind.

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Philippians 3:20. For our conversation is in heaven;— They who have occasion to make use of this text, commonly attempt to mend our translation, asserting that the word πολιτευμα should not be rendered conversation, but citizenship. Thus Beza, the common French translation, and that printed at Mons, have rendered it. Diodati agrees with ours, but puts citizenship in the margin. The Vulgate, Syriac, Low Dutch, and Castalio render it as we do; and after all that the critics have said upon this matter, our own rendering seems preferable to the other. It must be confessed that the word, being derived from πολις, a city, is often used to signify such actions as relate to the administration and government of it; but nothing is more common, than for words in time to be used in a laxer and more general sense than their etymology will account for. This is clearly the case in the verb πολιτευεσθαι, which in like manner related at first to a civil administration, but was afterwards used to signify any manner of living and conversing: so it is used by St. Paul, ch. Php 1:27 and so Act 23:1 and in this sense it is also applied by the classics. Now the rendering in our translation appears best for these reasons, 1. As it stands here in opposition to the foregoing character, and especially the last part of it,—who mind earthly things. It is most agreeable therefore to understand him to describe his own character, as one who minded heavenly things, or whose conversation was about them. 2. This is confirmed by the parallel place, Colossians 3:1-2. For our conversation is in heaven, will be the same as, we seek or mind the things above. 3. This suits best with his design, as he is recommending himself to them as an example of walking, or of conversation, Philippians 3:17. Be ye followers together of me, and mark, or observe with attention, those who walk so, as you have us for an example; and in this 20th verse he gives a reason why they should follow his example,—because it was through grace a very good one; for our conversation, that is our walking, is in heaven; and that this 20th verse is clearly connected with the 17th, appears by the conjunction γαρ, or for, at the beginning of it; the 18th and 19th verses being to be read in a parenthesis. 4. This conversation in heaven comprehends briefly all that he had said of himself, Philippians 3:10-14, and as in those verses he makes not the least allusion to a citizenship, but his whole discourse is concerning the manner of his life and conversation: it is but reasonable to understand him as speaking of that alone in this verse.

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