The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 139

righteousness of hie own, i.e. a righteousness wrought out from his own resources, of which he was the efficient cause, and to which, therefore, he could lay meritorious claim, of which he could boast. In another aspect it was a righteousness which was of the Law, i.e. which proceeded from its commands being followed. And so completely was he considered to have succeeded that, e.s he says in the sixth verse, be was found blameless. But a new light was thrown in upon this righteousness, which showed it to be utterly worthless. And be was led to abandon it for the sake of another righteous- ness which was to be found within Christ. This righteousness be laid hold of by faith. The object of bis faith was Christ, i.e. as having wrought out a. righteousness infinitely worthy and well-pleasing to God, in the possession of which he was a.t once and fully justified, obtaining eternal covenant standing before God. This is a. righteousness which is of God, i.e. of which God is the efficient ea.use, of which, therefore, he bas all the glory. It is only ours by faith, or, as it should be translated, upon faith, i.e. as made over to us it rests upon a basis of faith. 2. Glance /O'T'ward to the end. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection." The object of our justification is that we may know Christ especially in connection with bis resurrection. The resur- rection was the crowning point of his life. It showed him to be completely victorious over sin and death. It was the Father's seal upon his work on earth. The power of his resurrection is most naturally regarded as the power which it has to make us personally victorious over sin and death. The" knowing" seems to belong to the present state, inasmuch as it is followed by suffering and dying. We know the power of bis resurrection in our being quickened together with him; but this not by itself. We know it rather as the earnest of a power that will make us completely victorious over sin and death. We think of the resurrection of Christ as a power exercised from the future. It is that by which we are being moulded, up to which we a.re being drawn. 3. The/act noted that we must suffer and die be/O'l'e coming to the resurrection from the dead. "And the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead." The mere fact of our suffering does not bring us into fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. Our sufferings must have a Christian character. There was a specialty in the apostle's sufferings. He was notably a sufferer for the cause of Christ, a sufferer in place of others, in some such way as Christ was a sufferer in place of others. It is this element of vicariousness that prominence is given to in his remarkable language to the Colossians, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the a.ffi.ic- tione of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake which is the Church." But the language is not to be restricted to vicarious sufferings. Inasmuch as our ordinary sufferings are appointed by Christ, inasmuch as they are to be endured in the spirit in which Christ endured, inasmuch as Christie to be magnified in them, we also may have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. We may aspire to drink of the cup that he drnnk ot~ to be baptized with the baptism wherewith he was baptized. The apostle thinks of his sufferings as having their consummation in his death. His sufferings made him look forward to death; and the kind of sufferings made him look forward to martyrdom. And how did he contemplate his martyrdom? As a being conformed unto Christ's death. His ambition was that his death, whenever it happened, should bear the stamp of Christ's death. The process of conformation was already begun. He was becoming conformed unto Christ's death. In another place he refers to himself as '' bearing about in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus." He protested that he was dying daily. In his sufferings, in the uncertainty as to his life, he was becoming accustomed to die. And he was taking that form which was to be completed in his martyrdom. Our circumstances do not point to our needing to die a martyr's death. But inasmuch as it is Christ who appoints our dying, inasmuch as we are called to die in the spirit in which Christ died, inasmuch as we are called to magnify Christ in our dying, we also may cherish the ambition of our having the stamp of Christ's death on ours. And in our present sufferings, in the constant uncertainty of life, we should alreaJ.y be receiving its form. 'l'he apostle wished to be in the closest accord with Christ in his sufferings and death, if by any means he should attain unto the resurrection from the dead. He founds upon our Lord's language, "But they that are accounteJ. worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead." This is what is c,\l\eJ. th6 first resurrection. "B111ssed and holy is he that bath part in the first resmr~din11."  138 THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE PHILIPPI.ANS. [en. m.1-21.