Philippians 3:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

NIV: though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

NASB: although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason:

CSB: although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

NLT: though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

KJV: Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

NKJV: though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

Though Paul identified with those who believe by faith, he had all of the proper Jewish credentials. There was no more qualified individual, in terms of the Old Testament and Jewish tradition, than Paul. In other words, if someone were to judge Paul's spirituality on the basis of Judaic requirements, he had the right areas covered. This section is not Paul's attempt to prove his own worth by works. On the contrary, Paul is making that point that nobody can be truly justified by anything other than faith. Even his own impressive resume, expounded in verses 5–6, is not enough.

Paul precedes his laundry list of credentials by noting that his Jewish accomplishments far surpass those of his spiritual opponents, who sought to justify themselves by the law. Yet Paul teaches that these traits are unimportant for those who seek to truly know God. He counts them as "loss" for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7). His goal was to know the power of the resurrection and sufferings of Christ (Philippians 3:9–10). He had not reached that status yet, but continued to pursue this way of life (Philippians 3:12). Further, Paul called others to imitate his way of life to please God (Philippians 3:17).

Philippians 3:1–11 warns Christians about the influence of false teachers, particularly those who add legalism on top of the gospel. Paul describes his impressive credentials, showing that he has the right to consider himself ''justified'' according to the traditional Jewish view. And yet, knowing what he does of Christ, Paul sees all of those accomplishments as garbage. Faith alone saves, and fellowship with Christ is all that truly matters.

Paul details his impressive Jewish resume. None of his critics or challengers could boast the pedigree carried by Paul. He mentions this only to emphasize how little such things mean, next to faith in Christ. Paul's language here is sharp and to the point. He then explains how a Christian's focus ought to be purely on Christ, just as a runner concentrates on their goal in order to run effectively. Rather than looking to the past, or to ourselves, we ought to look forward, to an eternity with the Lord.

In chapters 1 and 2, Paul explained how Christians should respond to hardships. Since Christ was willing to obey God, even to the point of death, we should do the same. Complaining and worry have no place in the life of a saved believer. Chapter 3 makes a bold contrast. Paul's credentials, according to Jewish tradition, were impeccable. And yet, for him, none of those accomplishments are worth anything next to fellowship with Christ. For this reason, Christ is to be the sole focus of the believer. This sets up Paul's final greetings and instructions in chapter 4.

Philippians is Paul's discussion of living the Christian life. In this letter to the church of Philippi, Paul highlights themes such as joy and glory. He also puts great emphasis on how a Christian's thinking—their attitude—affects the way they live out their faith. Paul is very thankful for the support of the Philippian church, but is also concerned about the influence of various false teachers. This letter is less theological than most of his other writings, and more practical.