This One Thing

Scripture:

Phil. 3:12   Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Observation:

The Roman world was always reaching out to obtain finite goals. Paul had discovered that knowing Christ was an infinite goal, one which would always have a new horizon every day, for God in Christ stretches out to the eternal. Therefore, he could not boast in having reached the goal, for he had come to realize that there would always be more. He continually pressed on to know Christ as his own, because he saw the sacrificial work of Christ as that which made all of life possible. 

Paul reaffirmed that he had not yet made Christ his own, but he recognized that he had to be singularly focused. Everything in the world, in all of life, paled in comparison to “this one thing.” Paul wasn’t trying to “make it” to heaven, or even be reunited with loved ones, but he was straining toward the one thing — which was to know Christ. He had lost everything else in life because this goal was before him, and he strenuously pursued that goal. His human striving was important, but only as it was caught up in God’s grace. 

Flemming tells us, “Paul has not deleted the past from his memory. Rather he has completely reevaluated it in light of his surpassing knowledge of Christ (v 8; Fowl 2005, 161–62). Consequently, the things he once valued and pursued are no longer his focus of attention; he leaves them behind and treats them as filth in view of the goal ahead.” (NBBC) Interestingly the word “forgetting” is present tense, but also on-going. He lives in an on-going intentional state of focus, not allowing the things of the past to distract him from the present goal. This includes successes and failures, things good and things bad: Paul is never satisfied and none of these can keep him from his continual pursuit of a deeper relationship with God. 

On a daily basis Paul pressed on toward the prize which can be literally expressed as “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Flemming, NBBC) The spiritual journey always leads upward, toward communion with Christ. Therefore, the calling isn’t to reach heaven, or to eternal life, but to Christ himself. “Being found ‘in Christ,’ fully and finally, is the supreme reward for which Paul has counted everything else as loss.” (Flemming, NBBC) The goal for Paul’s present and future was to know Christ and become like him. This was his one thing.  

Application:

What is the one thing that drives us today? I doubt there would be very many who would say that it is to know Christ. Looking at our schedules we could probably determine that there are many things — and there is no one thing. This includes those who declare that they are followers of Christ. Paul knew that life would always be a distraction for those who were in Christ, and yet, he placed before the church in Philippi the goal of being in and knowing Christ. 

Nearly 25 years ago now I was invited to come to the United States for a conference on compassionate ministries. I was serving as the director for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries in the former Soviet Union at the time. The economies of the countries where we served had collapsed and people were desperate for food and medical care. There was very little to offer while we struggled through the failure of the infrastructure that had once sustained millions of people. What we did discover was the joy and hope that people found in Christ. Even when we had nothing else to offer, new life in Christ brought real change. When I got to the meeting in the United States discussed the things we need to do to make social changes for people in society. This is vitally important because as God’s people we participate in the active work of the kingdom of God now. However, I told the group that we weren’t in a position to be able to make social change at the moment because things had become so bad. I shared with them the joy that people had in simply getting to know Christ. 

Flemming quotes Gordon Fee in his commentary, “the thoroughgoing loss of hope in contemporary Western culture is that we are now trying to make the present eternal.” (Fee,1995, 350) Somewhere we have to strike a balance between our current engagement with the present while remaining focused on the one thing. However, as we remain focused on the one thing, we will be filled with the mind of Christ and that will shape our current engagement. The problem is when engagement with the world takes a primary role over the one thing of knowing Christ. Anything, whether it is good or bad, which takes over the place of the one thing of knowing Christ in our lives becomes an idol. 

Paul knew that this was deeply radical thinking and that it would be a challenge for the church in Philippi. This is a huge challenge for us today as we consider how we live our lives. When we come to the end of our days will those around us be able to say that the one thing that was the most important in our life was to know Christ and be transformed into his image? This is what we were made for, and in Jesus we find completion. We cannot allow the culture of the day to become a distraction from pressing on toward the goal. 

Intentional effort is required in this journey toward knowing Christ. We must turn off the distractions and lean into our relationship with Him. This requires prayer, study of the word, and fasting. Only in this way will we be prepared to engage our world with the mind of Christ, and this becomes transformative. 

This one thing. 

Prayer:

Lord, I want to know You. Amen.