The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 118

but tho ldng onlls tl1cm up, and crowna imitaturs loge/her. They are to unite, OM them thoro" (Chrysostom). and nil, in imitating- him. In 1 Cor. xi. I Ver. 15.-Lot us therefore, e.e many ae be he gives tlrn grnnnd nf this nrlvicc, "As I perfeot, be thus mindod, "Perfect" here also am of Christ." Mark, here in order lo meo.na nmture, full grown, as opposed to imito.te; elsewhere ((Is Rom. xvi. 17) in ho.bee or cldldron. The word ie eo ueod (in order to avoid. He changes the singular the Greelr) in 1 Cor. xiv. 20; Eph. iv. 13; number to the plural, modestly shrinkiw, Heb. v. 14. "There ie a clifference," ea.ye from proposing himself alone as their ex"'- llongel, on ver. 12, "between the perfect and ample. But" ensample '' is still singular, the perfected: tl.Je fh·st are rcn<~Y for the because they all (Tim?thy, Epnphroditus, roce; the last are close upon tho prize." St, etc.) present the same 1ma..,.e, all imitatin" Paul exhorts all full-grown Clnistinns to Christ. Observe the cbnnge of metaphor~ imitate his perseverance; like him, to for- hitherto the Christian life has been com- @ke any claims to legal righteousness; to rared to a race; now he speaks of walking; seek that righteousness which is through literally, walking about (,rep,,,.ct-r,,v), moving the faith of Christ ; to know Christ, to win hither and thither in the claily path of life. Christ; to press ever forwardll! to obtain the Ver. 18.-For many walk, of whom I have prize. And if in anything ye be otherwise told you often, a.nd now tell yon even weep- minded, God shall reveal even this unto you, ing, that they are the enemies of the cross If only we be in earnest, pressing on- of Christ; rather, I used to tell you; the wards in the Christian race with sustained tense is imperfect. He nsed to speak thus perseverance, God will, by the manifestation of them when he was' at Philippi ; now, of his Spirit in our heart, correct nny minor during hie absence, the evil has increased, erron of doctrine or of practice. Comp. and he repeats his warning with tears. John >ti. 17, "If any man willeth to do "Paul weeps," says Chrysostom, "for those (8b..r, ...oi~7v) his will, he shall know of the at whom others laugh; so true is his sym- doctrine whether it be of God." "Other- pathy, so deep his ea.re for all men." He wise" (i-r,p.,s) seems here to mean other- seems to be speaking here, not of the Jews, wise than is right, wrongly, amiss-a meaning but of nominal Christians, who UBed their which it has not unfrequently in classical liberty for a cloke of licentiousness. Such Greek, and in our word "heterodox." Eren are enemies of the cross ; they bo.te self. this; rather, this too, 118 well llB the one thiug denial, they will not take up their cross. needful, the knowledge of Christ, which he By their evil lives they bring shame upm:: has already revealt!d. Mark the word "re- the religion of the cross. veal." Paul may teach, but living spiritual Ver. 19. -Whose end is destruction; ro.ther, knowledge is a revelation from God. This as R.V., perdition. Observe the contrast: passage shows that the word "perfect" is not the prize of the high calling, but ever- used here in n restricted sense, not of con- lasting death. Whoae god is their belly, summnted holiness ; as it implies that some 11.lld whose glory is in their shame (comp. of the "perfect" may be" otherwise minded," Rom. xvi. 18), They boe..;t of their liberty, may be involved in 1ninor errors. Good and pervert it into licence (2 Pet. ii 19). Christiana must have that righteousness Who mind earthly things; rather, they who which is through faith; they must perse- mind. The irregula.rity of the construction vere: they may err in less essential points. (he returns to the nominative) seems ex- It is a lesson of cha1·ity and humility. pressive of the apostle's indignation. Ver, 16.-Nevertheless, whereto we have Ver. 20.-For our oonversa.tion is in already attained, let us wa.lk by the same heaven. The word "our" is emphatic; the rule, let 1,,9 mind the same thing. Omit, apostle refers back to ver. 17: "Follow us, with the beat manuscripts, the words from not those enemies of the cross ; onr conver- "rule" to "thing," and translate, with sation is in heaven; they mind earthly Il.V., only, whm·eunto we have already at- things." Tho A.V. has this rnme word tained, by that same (rule) let us wall,; or, "conversation" in eh. i. 27, where the Greek J)lore literally, only, what toe ai·l'ived at, by ('11'o.\,nv«r8e) is the verb corresponding with that same walk. Let there be no falling the noun (1ro.\1revµa) which occurs here. buok; let us, at each point in our Christian The verb is UBed in the sense of a certain course, maintain 1111d walk according to llmt mode of life or conversation, 11s iu Acts =iii. degree of grace at which we 1urived. This 1, but it does not appear that tl,e noun ever explanation seems more probable than the bears that meaning. The rendering" citizen- other view, which understands the words, ship" also seems deficient in authority. In "by the same," of the rule of faith llB cl11ssical Greek the word has three meanings: opposed to the works of the Ll\w. (1) 11 form of goverllfilent; (2) political acts, Ver. 17.-Brethren, be followers together politics; (3) 11 commonweulth. The lust of me, and mark them which walk so as ye seems the most suitable here. 'fho uu- h11ve ua for an eneample; rnthor, as n.v., wo1-thy Christians mentioned in the lust  116 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPI.ANS. [err. m. 1-21.