The Bible text comes from Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi (3: 13-14). It is the first community in Europe where Paul proclaimed the gospel. Paul is in prison and in his letter he addresses the church in Philippi. The letter as a whole is a clear call to the church of Philippi to persevere in their faith. He does not want to beat around the bush, but wants to put his message on the cutting edge. After all, it is about the salvation and redemption of that church. They need encouragement and not condemnation. Paul uses a beautiful comparison for this by pointing to the feeling of competition.
Philippi as a logistics transport center
The church in Philippi was the first Christian church to arise in Europe through the work of the apostle Paul. How the church came into being is described, among other things, in the book of Acts of the New Testament. Philippii was located in Macedonia, which is now modern Greece. The city was in a strategic location for trade. At that time it functioned as a logistics transport center for trade from all over Europe and the East. It was therefore a logistical place to allow the Gospel to travel further into Europe.
New Bible translation
- Brothers and sisters, I do not imagine that I have achieved it yet, but one thing is certain: I forget what is behind and focus on what is ahead. 14 I am going straight toward my goal: the heavenly prize to which God calls me through Christ Jesus.
Revised Staten Translation
13 Brethren, I do not think that I have grasped it,
14 but I do one thing: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I press toward the goal, the prize of the call of God which is from above , in Christ Jesus.
Dutch Bible Society 1951
13 Brethren, I do not consider that I have already laid hold on it, 14 but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the calling God who is from above in Christ Jesus.
Willibrord translation
13 No, brothers and sisters, I do not imagine that I have it yet. Only this: forgetting what lies behind and focusing on what lies ahead, 14 I press toward the goal: the prize of the heavenly calling that God has extended to me in Christ Jesus.
Paul
It is striking that the translations show few differences. It is clear that Paul wants to say that he is not proud. He doesn’t want to come across as know-it-all. Paul is also not there yet. Paul uses an example of an athlete. Believing is like running a race with the finish line (the white) in mind. In the sports world it is also about achieving the highest prize. To reach out or be busy trying to achieve something. In Greek it is literally ‘the white’, the mark at the end, the final finish line.
Every inch
We see another beautiful example in nature. In the animal world, a cheetah stretches out completely during the hunt. Every centimeter of its body is used to be faster than its prey. Top athletes do everything they can to achieve that prize. Like a striker chasing to get the ball over the goal line. Just like a skater wants to be the first to reach the finish line. As a human being you can often experience that you do a lot of work, go out of your way for others, or that you get the feeling that you are not appreciated. You feel like you are giving every inch of your life for yourself or for the other person and getting nothing in return. If you have that feeling, Paul wants to make it clear that you are not doing every inch for yourself, but for the kingdom of God.
Paul’s dedication to the church of Philippians
Paul is not only giving a commission to the Christians of Philipi. Paul’s words are still relevant today. In practicing the Christian faith, we must be concerned with using every inch of our lives to serve God. Don’t think that we have already achieved it because then we become lazy. Play the game keeping in mind that every inch of the ‘playing field’ is God’s kingdom. In this way Paul wants to convey the gospel of Jesus to the church of Philipi.