The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 116

world, my nil, nil thin~s tol(ethor (comp. his workA, hut hy th~ perfect obedience o.nrl Rom. viii. 32). Ho Inst his 1111 for Christ, the precious dcrilh of Christ, and grrmterl for tho snke of possossing Christ: with unto nll who a.re found in Christ. It comes Christ God will frooly give him 1111 things from God, the one only Giver of nil go0d (re! 1rdvra ng11in). And do count them but thing.,; it is obtained through faith o.s the dung, the.t I me.y win Christ. %1<6/3aAo. ( also instrument or means; and it is given on in Ecclus. xxvii. 4); dung, or perh11ps refuse, tho.t faith-on condition, tho.t is, of a. livin~ clog,;' meo.t; comp. Mott. xv, 26, 27. There faith abiding in the eoul. Thus St. Paul tho Jowe wore the cliildren, the Gentiles ale.tea incidentnlly, but simply and forcibly, dogs. St. Pe.u] here, o.e in ver. 2, reverses the great doctrine of justification by faith. the terms of tho comparison ; the legal Ver. 10.-That I may know him (rov privileges of the Jew nre but o.s crumbs -yvwv,:u o.Jr6v). For the grammatical con- thrown to doge in comparison with the rich struction, see Winer, sect. xliv. b. For the blessings of the gospel. Comp. aleo Matt. sense, comp. John xvii. 3, where Dr. West- xvi. 26, where our Lord uses the so.me verbs, cott notes, "In such a conneetion, knom- to lose nnd to gain; the whole world is but leclge expresses the apprehension of the truth loee, the Saviour so.ye, compared with the by the whole nature of man. It is not an never-dying soul. The lose of one's all in o.cquaintance with facts as external. nor an this world (St. Po.ul echoes the sacred words) intellectual conviction of their reality, bnt is a.e nothing; nil things put together a.re o.n appropriation of them (eo to speak) a.a ,m but as dung, compared with the one thing influencing power into the very being of which St. Paul so longed to gain, Christ him who knO'IJJ& them." r,-yv~<11<ELv differs himself-bis presence in the soul, spiritual from elBEva,: elaEva, is "to know," -yt-yvr:: . . union with the Lord. "To gain Christ is ITKEtV is "to recognize" or '' to become ac- to lay fast bold upon him, to receive him quainted with." We must be found in inwardly into our bosoms, a.nd so to ma.ke Christ in order to know him; we must bo.ve him ours a.nd ourselves his, tho.t we may be that righteousness which is through the Joined to him a.a our Heo.d, espoused to him faith of Chr;st, for we can know him only a.e our Husband, incorporated into him a.a by being made like unto him. Comp. 1 our Nourishment, engra.fted in him ae our John iii. 2, "When he shall appear, we shall Stock, a.nd laid upon him ne a. eure Foun- be like him ; for we shall see him as he dation" (Bishop Ha.11, • Christ Mystical,' eh. is;" and now those who see him by faith vi., quoted by Bishop Ellicott). are in their measure being transformed in to Ver. 9.-And be found in him ; now, at the same image. For the knowledge here the last day, a.lwo.ye. In Christ; a member, spoken of is a. personal knowledge, gaineJ, tba.t is, of his body, a. living bra.nch of the no~ by hearing or reading, but by direct true Vine. Not having mine own righteous- personal communion with the Lortl ; it is ness, which is of the Law; rather, e.s R.V., not theoretical, but experimental. " Qui t1ot having a righteousness of mine own, etien non expertus fuerit, non intelli,:iJ;" (Anselm, that which is of the Law. Not a.ny righteous- quoted by Meyer). And the power of his ness of my own, such a.a that described in rellUl'l'ection. The resurrection of Christ var. 6, the righteousness which consists in we.a a glorious manifestation of Divine p,>we1 n.nd results from conformity to o.n external (Rom. i. 4). That resurrection is now a la.w, Dut perhaps the words are best power in the spiritual life of Christians: it rendered, e.s in the margin of R.V., "Not stimulates the spiritual resurrection, the having as my righteousness tho.t which is resurrection from the deo.th of sin unto the of the La.w." St. Pa.ul wa.s blameless e.s life of rig-bteousness (comp. Rom. vi. 4; regards that righteousness which lies in Col. ii. 12). It is the centre of our most legal observances : in tbo.t he puts no con- cherished hopes, the evidence of our im- fidence, he seeks a better righteousness. mortality, the earnest of the resurrection of But tha.t which is through the faith of the body. And the fellowship of his suffer- Christ; rather, as R.V., through faith in ings. This cln.use and the last a.re bound Christ. There is no article, o.nd the geni- together under one article, 11ccording to the tive ie objective. Through faith. God is host 1110.uuscripts. There is a very cl?~.° tho Giver, the Sourco of righteousness; it is connection between them (comp. Rom. vm given through faith us the means, on con- I 7; 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12). To know the quicken- dHion of fo.ith. The righteousness whioh is ing power of his resurrection, we must share of God by fe.ith. Greek," upon fnitb," bo.secl his sufferings. The Christian, meditating upon faith, or on condition of faith. St. in loving thought on the sufferings of Chri~t, Paul speaks of" having" this righteousness. is led to foe I ever e. deeper, a more awful Then it is his; yet it is not o.ny righteousness sympathy with the suffering Saviour. And of his own, "Not by works of righteous- if, when we e.re called to suffer, we take it ness which wo ho.ve dono;" but I\ 1·ighteous- patiently, looking unto Jesus, then our ni1ss of God given to lliw, n1Briled 1 µot by 11u~erings nre unitrd with bis suffl'rings, rmr.rrriANa.  114 'l'HE EPISTLE 'I'() TH~ PHILIPPIANS. LcH. m. l-21.