At the start of the new year, we focus a lot on goals we want to reach in the future. We may set goals regarding our health, work, or relationships. All of these may be good, but we need to make sure we never lose sight of what should be our primary goal. In writing about his goal to “attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11), Paul said this:
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
In these verses, Paul described three things that he was doing and that we also need to do as Christians. Let us consider them here.
Forget What Lies Behind
When one becomes a Christian, certain things must be left behind. Once we do this, we are not to go back to them, or else we become like “a dog [that] returns to its own vomit” and “a sow, after washing, [that] returns to wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:20-22). So what are the things we have left behind that must be forgotten?
- Our old lives of sin – “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). This does not mean we forget the reality of sin. If we do this, we can become overconfident and think we could never stumble. Paul warned about this attitude: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Rather, we are “no longer [to] be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). We need to make it our goal to not sin (cf. 1 John 2:1) and strive to leave our life of sin behind us.
- Evil companions – “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Because we put off the old man, there will be a difference between us and the world. Those around us should notice a change in our lives, that we no longer “run with them into the same excesses” and sins (1 Peter 4:3-4). We cannot “go out of the world” and eliminate all contact with those who are outside of the church (1 Corinthians 5:9-10), but we must guard against being influenced and corrupted by the world (1 Corinthians 15:33).
- Hopelessness – “Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Bad things happen to everyone – Christians and non-Christians. For the non-Christian, there is no lasting comfort because, ultimately, they have “no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). However, for the Christian, we know that something far better awaits us [more on this in a later point].
- Lack of direction – “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Everyone searches for meaning and wants to have a sense of purpose. Yet unless one understands that we were made by God and are here to do His will, he will always have a sense that something is missing. Without Christ, we are “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14) and are building our lives without a solid foundation (cf. Matthew 7:26-27).
Reach Forward to What Lies Ahead
After “forgetting what lies behind,” Paul did not suggest that we should be content in our current situation. We may have put some things behind us, but that is not enough. We must grow in certain areas. Consider a few of these:
- Maturity – “Therefore leaving the elementary teachings about the Christ, let us press on to maturity…” (Hebrews 6:1). Becoming more mature in Christ will also mean becoming more like Christ. Paul described this as being “crucified with Christ” so that it is “no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is about having the same “attitude…which was…in Christ Jesus” that led Him to be “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5, 8).
- Wisdom – “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-18). In this passage, Paul described how we are to make the most of our time, understand the will of the Lord, and be filled with the Spirit. All of these will cause us to increase in wisdom.
- Hope – “So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us…” (Hebrews 6:18-20). Our hope is in heaven. It is the “hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). This is the goal for which we are striving.
Press On toward the Goal
Just as Paul said he had “not…already obtained” the goal he was striving for, we have not yet reached our goal. In fact, we will not reach it until after this life is over. Therefore, we need to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” What does this mean for us?
- We need to have endurance – “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We must look to Christ and His example as we strive to finish our course in this life. At the end of his life, Paul said he had “finished the course [and] …kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Similarly, we must be “faithful until death” in order to receive “the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
- We must stay on the right path – “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). While the world follows the broad way of destruction, we must make sure we are following the way of Christ. Just a few verses after talking about the need to “press on toward the goal,” Paul encouraged the brethren in Philippi to “join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). We need to walk according to the same pattern as they did.
- We have to remember the reward – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Our inheritance in heaven is far greater than anything we could hope for in this life. Whatever we must overcome to obtain that reward will be well worth it.
As we make goals and plans for the future, let us not lose sight of what is truly and eternally important. Whatever may happen in the new year, let us continue to “press on toward the goal” of the promise of Christ beyond this life.
