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whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things"
(3: 17-19 R.V.).
Let us take the last phrase first, "who mind earthly things". It would be idle to accuse
an unbeliever of doing this, as he of himself could do no other. How can an unbeliever
mind heavenly things?
Again these people against whom the Apostle is warning the church are said to
"walk"--a term used consistently of believers. One can then understand his profound
sorrow, even to tears, that such could so degenerate in their daily life. Further than this
they are said, not to be enemies of Christ, but of His cross. Now the cross stands for
specific doctrine in Paul's epistles, standing between the believer and the flesh (Gal.v.24)
and the world (Gal. 6: 14). It would have no meaning in the lives of those "dead in
trespasses and sins".
The mind is all-important here, specially in relation to the runner in the race for the
prize, which is an heavenly one. To attempt this with a mind whose bent is on earthly
things is to court disaster. Writing to the Colossian church Paul insisted:
"Set your mind on the things that are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand
of God" (Col. 3: 2 R.V.).
This the runner must continually do. If his gaze is distracted he is likely to swerve
from the track and drop out of the race. It is possible that some had succumbed to
antinominianism at Philippi that is, the throwing off of all restraints under a wrong
conception of grace and freedom. Some expositors think the Apostle is not necessarily
meaning that all this was necessarily happening at Philippi, but that Paul had knowledge
that such things were taking place elsewhere and so he warns the Philippians in advance.
It does not really much matter, as long as the warning was given and heeded by those to
whom he was writing, and by us today.
In direct contrast to all this Paul continues:
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be
conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to
subject all things unto Himself" (3: 20, 21 R.V.).
Politeuma, can be translated as "citizenship", "commonwealth", or "colony of haven"
(Moffatt). Just as Philippi was a Roman military colony directly related to the capital city
of Rome although far removed geographically, so we are citizens of a heavenly
commonwealth far removed from this earth, and are pilgrims passing through this earthly
territory to our real home in the heavenlies "far above all".
"From whence", ex hou, can refer only to politeuma and not to ouranois, heaven.
"We eagerly await a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul seldom uses the word Saviour
in connection with Christ. It may be because the term was frequently used in the heathen
world for their gods and the Roman emperors were designated as "saviours", so the term
might be misconstrued as applied to Christ. Certainly salvation is not fully complete