A

Striving against sin.

The race set before is echoed by the joy set before Him.  Those who are

'good and faithful servants' enter into the 'joy' of their Lord.  The 'race'

and 'the joy' set before the believer and the Lord have been already referred

to in a similar context of overcoming and patiently enduring, namely Hebrews

6:15,18, 'the hope set before us'.  Hebrews 6:1 says, 'Let us go on unto

perfection'.  Hebrews 13:13,14 says, 'Let us go forth therefore unto Him

without the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we have no continuing city,

but we seek one to come'.  The reference to the reproach and the city will

establish the link with Hebrews 11.  The whole epistle is taken up with the

pursuit of this theme.  The perfecting of the believer, and the example of

the perfecting of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:10; 5:8,9; 7:28 margin), the

Captain and Perfecter of faith.  The culminating suffering and reproach in

which 'He learned obedience and was perfected' was the death of the cross.

Evangelical preaching has always maintained a foremost place in its message

for the cross of Christ.  Readers must weigh the Scriptures over, and, of

course, come to their own conclusions.  So far as we see the teaching of the

Word, the message of the cross, with the related doctrine of 'crucifixion',

is a message more for the saint than for the sinner.  The Gospel needs

emphasis on the death of Christ.  'Christ died for our sins' (1 Cor. 15:3),

the subsequent deliverance from the world and the flesh is related to the

kind of death, the death of the cross.

Turning now to the Prison Epistles we find that there are five

occurrences of the word.

A Eph. 2:16,17. Reconciliation by the cross.

Enmity slain.

B Phil. 2:8. The death of the cross.

The humiliation.

C Phil. 3:18.  Enemies of the cross.

'Earthly things'.

A  Col. 1:20.  Peace by the cross.

Enemies reconciled.

B Col. 2:14. Ordinances removed by the cross.

The triumph.

Members A, A deal with the reconciliation.  We would draw attention to the

dispensational character of this reconciliation between (1) Jew and Gentile

in the One Body, and (2) between the One Body and the heavenly powers.  The

wider reconciliation of the earlier epistles (Romans and 2 Corinthians) rests

upon the death of Christ.  The narrower, elective and fuller reconciliation

of the Epistles of the Mystery is by virtue of the cross of Christ, and the

blood of the cross.  The remaining passages, Philippians 2:8; 3:18 and

Colossians 2:14 must be considered in more detail.  The structure of the

passage where the first occurrence comes in Philippians is eloquent, and to

see it will obviate the necessity of writing much explanation.

A 1,2.

Sumpsuchos One accord (A.V.).

B 4.

Look not on own things.

C 5 -11.

Example of Christ.  The great self emptying.

D  12 -16.

Work out your own salvation.

C 17,18.

Example of Paul.  The drink offering.

A 19,20.

Isopsuchos.  Like minded (A.V.).

B 21.

All seek their own things.