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right spirit, God will reveal these things to such. We are to be `strivers
together' for the faith, but not strivers with one another (Phil. 1:27; 2:3).
The apostle has, by his exhortation, thrown the believer back upon the
example both of the Lord and of himself, he now proceeds to enforce the need
for observing this example both positively, `be followers together of me' and
negatively, `and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample'
(Phil. 3:17). The words of verses 18 and 19 are a parenthesis, the whole
passage being constructed as follows:
Examples
A
17.
Positive
Be followers together of me ... us for an
ensample.
B
17.
Negative
Mark them which walk.
B
18,19.
Negative
Their end -- destruction.
A
20,21.
Positive
Our citizenship is in heaven ... we shall be.
changed.
Five things are enumerated by the apostle when speaking of those whose
example was to be avoided.
(1)
They were enemies of the cross of Christ (see Heb. 6:6; 10:29) .
(2)
Their end was destruction (or `Perdition' as Heb. 10:39).
(3)
Their god was their belly (as Esau, Heb. 12:16).
(4)
Their glory was in their shame.
(5)
They minded earthly things.
It is impossible to believe that a church of so high a spiritual
standard as that of the Philippians could need a solemn warning not to follow
a worldly crowd, yet at first sight such a list as that given above does not
seem of possible application to a believer.
Let us examine them a little more closely, and start with the last
named `who mind earthly things'. It will be conceded after a moment's
thought, that the unsaved man of the world has no option, he can mind nothing
else.
Philippians 3:15 -19 is a section complete in itself, and the word
phroneo `mind' occurs in it as follows:
A
3:15. As many as would be perfect (one thing, to hen verse 13) be thus
minded.
B
3:15. Otherwise (heteros) minded.
A
3:16. Whereto ... outstripped others ... mind the same thing (to auto).
B
3:19. Who mind earthly things (ta epigeia).
It will be seen that those who mind earthly things are in
correspondence with those who think differently from the apostle in his
single -eyed effort to attain the prize. `Earthly things' therefore need not