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John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:12

Not as though I had already attained ,.... Or "received"; he had received much grace out of the fulness of it in Christ; he had received the gift of righteousness, the forgiveness of his sins, and the adoption of children; he had attained to a lively hope of the incorruptible inheritance, and had received a right unto it, and had a meetness for it; but as yet he had not received the thing itself, nor was he come to the end of his race, and so had not received the crown of righteousness laid... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:13

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended ,.... That for which he was apprehended of Christ: he had not attained to perfect knowledge, was not come to the mark, had not received the prize, or laid hold on eternal life; though he had received so much grace, and such gifts, as had qualified him for an apostle; and he had been so many years in that office, and had so great a knowledge in the mystery of the Gospel, and had laboured in it more abundantly than others, and with great... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:14

I press toward the mark ,.... The allusion is to the white line, or mark, which the runners in the Olympic games made up to, and to which he that came first received the prize; and by which the apostle intends the Lord Jesus Christ, who is σκοπος , "the scope", or "mark", of all the thoughts, purposes, and counsels of God, to which they all aim, and in which they all centre; and of the covenant of grace of which he is the sum and substance, the Mediator, surety, and messenger, in whom are... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:15

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect ,.... Not absolutely, but comparatively, with respect to other believers, in a lower class of knowledge and experience; and not with respect to degrees, but parts; and regards such who were not children, but of riper age in divine things, unless the words are spoken ironically: be thus minded ; as the apostle was, to count what were gain to him, loss for Christ; to reckon all things but loss and dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:16

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained ,.... Whatever degree of knowledge of Christ, and the truths of his Gospel, is attained to, let it be retained, and not departed from: let us walk by the same rule ; either the doctrine of justification by Christ's righteousness in particular, which is a rule of judgment concerning other things; for so far as they agree or disagree with this, they are to be received or rejected; or the Scriptures of truth, which are the rule of faith and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:17

Brethren, be followers together of me ,.... Not that the apostle set up himself as the head of a party, which is what he always blamed in others; he did not assume a dominion over the faith of men, or seek to lord it over God's heritage; nor did he desire any to be followers of him, any further than he was a follower of Christ; and in what he was, whether in doctrine or practice, he desires to be followed in: and here he has a particular regard to what went before, concerning reckoning what... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:18

For many walk ,.... אחרניאית , "otherwise", as the Syriac version adds; and which truly explains the words, and gives the sense; they walked not as the apostle and his followers; they walked as men, as carnal men, 1 Corinthians 3:3 , according to the course of the world, after their ungodly lusts, Ephesians 2:2 ; or according to the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation, and not uprightly, and according to the truth of the Gospel: and there were many that walked so; the road... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:19

Whose end is destruction ,.... Everlasting destruction, the destruction of both body and soul in hell, Matthew 10:28 ; and this is the end, the reward and issue of bad principles and practices; the broad roads of sin and error lead to destruction, Matthew 7:13 ; however pleasing such ways may be to men, the end of them is eternal death; destruction and misery are in all the ways of profaneness and heresy; not only immoralities, but heresies, such as strike at the efficacy of Christ's... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:20

For our conversation is in heaven ,.... The Ethiopic version renders it, "we have our city in heaven"; and the words may be truly rendered, "our citizenship is in heaven"; that is, the city whereof we are freemen is heaven, and we behave ourselves here below, as citizens of that city above: heaven is the saints' city; here they have no continuing city, but they seek one to come, which is permanent and durable; a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, Hebrews 11:10 , as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Philippians 3:21

Who shall change our vile body ,.... Which is defiled with sin, attended with frailty, and is mortal; and being dead, is sown and laid in the grave in corruption, weakness, and dishonour: in the Greek text it is, "the body of our humility"; sin has subjected the body to weakness, mortality, and death; and death brings it into a very low estate indeed, which is very humbling and mortifying to the pride and vanity man: now this vile body, in the resurrection morn, shall be stripped of all its... read more

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