Thoughts on Philippians 3

Today’s reading: Ezekiel 33; Philippians 3

We need to be careful and intentional about where, and to whom, we are looking for an example of how to live our lives.

At the end of Philippians 3 Paul says:

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven…”

There are a few things that stood out to me in this as I was reading it this morning, probably because of what I’ve been thinking/writing about the last few days in terms of our interactions and integration with the culture around us.

The first thing that stood out to me is that Paul calls us to be intentional about where we are setting our eyes. If this was the default, there would be no reason for Paul to admonish his readers as to where to fix their eyes, meaning if we are not currently being proactive and intentional in terms of who we are looking to for an example in life, we are very likely already on the wrong trajectory. The fact of the matter is, the majority of the example we see as we look around us is not a godly example. As Jesus put it, “The gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” So when we go through life, determining how we should live and operate based on the examples we see around us, chances are good that the vast majority of that example is of a life on the road to destruction.

The second thing that stood out to me is the nature of the bad examples. We can all probably imagine pretty easily the kind of people we would point to as bad examples. “Look at him, that’s what happens when you aren’t responsible and can’t hold down a job.” “Look at her, that’s what happens when you get addicted to drugs.” “Look at them, that’s what happens when you’re unfaithful to your spouse.” But these really don’t seem to be the kind of bad examples Paul is concerned with in this passage.

The people Paul describes as being bad examples are the ones he is talking about “even with tears.” Why does he talk about them with tears? Because they walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. These are not enemies of Christ in terms of being people persecuting the church, but in terms of being people who are living for this world, “with minds set on earthly things.” These are the friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, parents, etc. who may very well be genuine and wonderful people, but who don’t know the Lord and are therefore living for this world, and not for Him.

This is why Paul’s warning is so important. Who do we learn to live well from if not these people? When our parents worked hard to raise us well, provided for us, prepared us for adulthood, and continue to love and support us, isn’t that exactly the kind of example we should be following? When our neighbors are kind, sociable, and always ready to help and support, isn’t that a great influence in our lives? Shouldn’t we be pointing our children to that example? The problem is that, while these may be kind, genuine, loving people, if their citizenship is not in heaven, theirs is not an example we should be blindly following. Our priority, as followers of Christ, is not how to most effectively live a worldly life, but is how to most effectively live for the Lord. In some areas, there may be significant overlap in what that looks like, but in other areas, these will be highly divergent, and to follow the example we see around us might lead us to worldly success, but it won’t lead us to godliness.

So we have to be both careful and intentional about who we are looking to as an example in life. The example we should look to in parenting is not the family with the most well-adjusted and successful children, but the family with the children who most love the Lord and seek to follow Him faithfully. The example we should look to in business is not the man or woman with the most successful businesses or the highest paycheck, but the man or woman who has successfully led their business with integrity and godliness. The example we should look to in finances is not the person with the largest 401k or most impressive portfolio, but the person who is most generous and faithful in stewarding their money. Even within the Christian sphere, the example we should look to in learning the Bible is not necessarily the person who knows the most about the Bible, or who has memorized the most verses, but the person who has been most transformed by it.

As citizens of heaven, our criteria for who/what constitute examples worth following is different than the same criteria for those living for this world. This is why we cannot afford to let our eyes drift aimlessly to the majority of the people around us when we look for examples of how to live, but instead need to specifically and carefully look for those who are most emulating Christ, and seek to hold them as our example for how we conduct ourselves this side of heaven.