Dear Friends in Christ,
It seems we hear a lot about role models these days. Mostly we hear that there aren’t enough of them, or that the ones there are really shouldn’t be. There seems to be a national sense of regret that kids today are growing up with the wrong kinds of heroes…
That may be true. But this is equally true: For the Bible believing Christian, role models are really not all that hard to come by. Scripture lists many of them. If you are familiar with Hebrews chapter 11 you know it is a veritable "Faith Hall of Fame." There we find people like Noah and Abraham and Moses and a number of others. While it must be said that none of them ever hit for a lifetime average of .400 or recorded a top 10 hit or appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine, each of them does have an awful lot to offer on the meaning of life and faith. And really, what else truly matters?
In our text for today we are presented with another Christian who certainly must be considered a role model for believers of every age. In fact, he himself says so. Let’s dedicate the next several minutes to seeing what we can learn from
PAUL: AN APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE of
Let’s begin by giving just a brief overview of our entire text, and then pulling out certain significant words and phrases…
In the verse that immediately precedes this one, Paul talks about his relationship with Jesus. He talks about how it was his desire to be so intimately connected with Christ so as to share in His sufferings and resurrection and in the process actually reach a state of spiritual perfection. Paul knew this wasn’t possible on this side of heaven. Nevertheless – out of love for his Savior – he still made it his goal… That leads us into the first verse of our text: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
In the two remaining verses of our text, Paul basically restates the same thing. He knows he has not yet taken hold of the perfection that will be his in heaven, but until that time – out of love for Christ and because of the fact he knows where he’s going to be for eternity – Paul’s single-minded desire in the present is to strenuously live his life for his Lord. "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
In these three verses, Paul says an awful lot about himself, his own personal faith and the essential nature of true Christian faith in general. Without elevating himself to the status of some super-saint, he simply talks about what it means to be a Christian and what is all involved in continuing in the faith. In view of this, it is not boastful or arrogant on his part to suggest himself as a role model for other Christians. So a few verses later Paul can legitimately tell the Philippian believers (and us): "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you."
So let’s do that. What can we learn from Paul’s example? In what way does he serve as a role model for us as Christians? Let’s take a closer look at these verses now…
I believe the first thing we can take note of is Paul’s example of clear thinking. As he expounds upon the broad subject of faith and salvation, we notice that two times Paul makes reference to Christ Jesus. I don’t think we should overlook the word order here. Let’s review for a moment…
Whereas "Jesus" is our Lord’s personal name, "Christ" is His title. "Christ" is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word "Messiah," both of which literally mean "the Anointed One." In the Old Testament, "anointment" was synonymous with "appointment." The person who was anointed was set aside for, or appointed to, a special duty from God. Jesus, the Son of God, is the "Anointed One," the Christ of God. He is the One God appointed to save mankind from the damning consequences of its collective sin. And this Jesus successfully did through living in our place the perfect life that God demands of us but that we can’t give Him, His sacrificial death for sin as our substitute, and, three days later, His glorious resurrection as proof that everything that God asked of Him was successfully completed.
Paul understood who Jesus Christ was and what He was all about. But not everyone back then did; nor does everyone today…
Some years ago a noted theologian was asked to give a lecture at the University of California on the relationship between religion and ethics. When he had concluded his remarks, a faculty member stood up and asked, "Why do I need religion? I am a good person. I treat others decently. I lead an honest and ethical life. What does religion have to offer me?" The theologian replied, "That is the difference between you and me. You are a good person. I am not."
That man clearly understood the sinful nature of man and the need for a Savior. So did Paul. He understood very well that Jesus Christ was not (as many will claim today) simply some sort of good teacher or high moral example who came to make good people better as they aspired to be more like Him. No, Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of which Paul would later say "he was chief." Paul knew he was a sinner saved by grace. Paul knew that his eternal salvation did not depend upon what he did for God, but on what God had done for him in Christ Jesus. And so, he is an example of clear thinking on the subject of salvation…
That kind of clear thinking about our salvation gives each of us great consolation. There is a word that has been coined in the Christian Church to describe the blessed assurance of our salvation. It’s called "certitude." And we have it.
This consolation of certitude has been impressed upon my family within the past few weeks because of the recent devastating earthquakes in Taiwan. Some of you may know that I have a brother who is a missionary in Taiwan. We have been reading with interest the letters that have come via e-mail from him and our other WELS missionaries in Taiwan. The destruction and loss of life has been great. There is a constant fear gripping the people because of the seemingly endless series of aftershocks. And one of the missionaries in a letter made this telling remark: "If we are honest with ourselves, we do not really know if our next breath will be our last." What do you think the consolation of certitude means to them at this time?
But really, could not the same thing be said for each of us? I don’t know that this isn’t the last sermon I’ll be preaching. How do we know that each of us will be on this earth next week at this time… or a year from now… or ten years… or fifty? We don’t. But this we do know: whenever that last breath comes, we will be in heaven. We have certitude – in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul exudes this type of clear thinking in our text. And because he has a clear understanding of the gospel message, he is also an example of clear thinking on the topic of forgiveness. Did you notice that when Paul talks about going forward in his life as a Christian he began by saying: "Forgetting what is behind…?" When we remember Paul’s past, we realize just how powerful a statement this is. Paul, you will recall, was a Christian hater and persecutor. For years he operated under the guiding principle that the only good Christian was a dead Christian – or at least imprisoned. But then you’ll remember how the Lord turned everything around for Paul on the road to Damascus. And he who once hated Christ became the greatest Christian missionary the world has ever seen.
The point: Paul had a past. He had plenty of skeletons in his closet. He never really forgot that… but God did. That’s what forgiveness is all about. "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us," says King David in Psalm 103. Consequently, when Paul looked back on his life, he didn’t focus on the magnitude of his sins. Rather he rejoiced in the greatness of his forgiveness.
This is so important and comforting for us to know because each of us also has our own past sins, our own skeletons in the closet. And one of Satan’s greatest tricks is to drag them out into our consciousness and remind us of what once was and try to make us doubt our salvation or our worthiness to be called God’s children. But our forgiveness is total. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us.
So Paul – and every Christian – can talk like this. Even though his past was never fully erased from his mind, he knew it was in the mind of God. He knew that every single last sin he ever committed (or would commit, for that matter) had been nailed to the cross with Jesus. And it moved him to a greater love for Christ, his Savior.
So, from clear thinking on salvation and forgiveness he moved to the second exemplary area we see in his life: concentration. In other words, Paul expended effort in maintaining his Christianity. There are three words in our text that make this very clear. Twice Paul talks about "pressing on" and once he talks about "straining." He also talks about a "goal" and "winning" a "prize." All of these words are from the world of athletics…
They all talk about effort, practice, focus. Paul knew that he was going to heaven because Jesus had provided it for him. He knew that eternal life was his, and that it was for that reason that "Christ Jesus took hold of me." He speaks of his confidence as a child of God, and how "God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." But he also speaks of the personal effort involved in maintaining his faith up until that time…
Therein is another lesson for us. Living the Christian life and maintaining our faith takes just as much effort and dedication and discipline as preparation for an athletic event. The Christian life means pressing on against a world and our own sinful nature that are not always very agreeable to this pursuit. Christian life means straining against the lazy tendencies of our old sinful nature which, for instance, seems to have no trouble dedicating time to watching television or reading the paper or engaging in our hobbies, but sometimes finds it hard or inconvenient to carve out 5 or 10 minutes a day for a daily devotion…
That’s the kind of thing Paul is talking about. Salvation is ours. Christ is ours. But to make Christ and our salvation a living, vibrant, life-altering presence in our lives we must expend effort incorporating Him into our lives through spending time with Him in His Word. Bible class attendance. Personal devotions. Quiet times to simply contemplate the grace of God and the love of Christ. Many of us already know the blessings that result from this…
But if we don’t, let us take Paul’s words as an encouragement to press on toward higher heights of the Christian life. These are the words of a man who certainly understood the struggles of faith, a man who "fought the good fight." But they are not the words of a man who was exhausted because of the effort. Rather, they are the words of a happy, contented, confident and grateful man. And following his example can produce the same blessed results in each of us…
And on that note we’ll close… For the Christian there still are role models. Today, we’ve considered Paul as one of them. May it be that Paul’s example of clear thinking on the subject of salvation and forgiveness assure each of us of our own salvation and forgiveness and cause us to rejoice in the consolation of our certitude…
And may it be that Paul’s effort to maintain the faith that was given to him moves us to press on and strain forward into deeper depths and higher heights in our Christian faith. Amen.