Those who mind earthly things are backing the wrong horse, Paul says.
Again, the question is, what would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his life (Mark 8:36)? Jesus also said that "one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15).
In this verse, Paul is coming against those who mind earthly things. He is trying to sharpen our view of Christ and the promise of the resurrection, or, as Paul calls it here, the transformation of our bodies.
This is the final slam dunk of all the arguments that Paul has been making.
Beginning in chapter 2, he focused on who Christ is and what He has done, His greatness, where He is now. And also where, who and what we should focus on.
In light of this revelation, Paul shared his life pursuit and urged us to join him, while speaking against those who mind earthly things, whose god is their belly.
This focus verse, again, presents the cherry on top.
He had told us that attaining the resurrection of the dead was his life pursuit (Philippians 3:11), whatever shape that takes. Because of that, he wants us to be focused and to spend our time and energy, have our priority right and for us to desire the right thing.
That is important because we are not supposed to just be Christians and then sit on our hands frozen in a perceptual holding pattern. We are invited into the pursuit of a lifetime, which is laying hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of us (Philippians 3:12).
On top of that, we live in anticipation of the transformation of what Paul calls our humble bodies to the likeness of his glorious body.
The point is that transformation is on the way. It is inevitable. Nothing is going to change it. It is as fixed a spiritual reality as the resurrection of Jesus.
For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
And it would be by an act of his power that marks His statute as the one with total dominion in all realms.
Understand that the Christian faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus, which validates Him as Lord and the ultimate one.
Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14)
And the language in the focus verse is interesting, connecting back to something Paul mentioned earlier. He said Jesus took on the form of a servant, in an allusion to the incarnation (Philippians 2:7). He took our form. He shared in human nature.
God became flesh (John 1:14), the undying one taking on mortality, choosing to be briefly limited by the demands of the body (Hebrews 2:9).
He was hungry, thirsty, and needed sleep, etc., and in that state, He was tempted on all points yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), to be observed as the pure lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
He took on our form, took on our likeness, though still different from us, since we are not God, but He is. Similarly, this focus verse says that He would transform our bodies to be like his, our humble bodies to be like His next-level (glorious) body.
Paul had said that Jesus humbled himself to take on our form/likeness. Now, he is saying that our humble body will be transformed by him into the likeness of his glorious body in a time set by the Father (Acts 1:6-7), just as the incarnation was in a time set by the Father (Galatians 4:4).
Just as the coming of Jesus was unlike anything we have seen, the resurrection of our bodies will be unlike anything we have seen.
Jesus will transform our humble bodies into the likeness of His glorious body. There is a contrast between how Paul described our body and how He described His body. Ours is humble, His is glorious.
While Paul said he is striving towards the high calling, not so the transformation of our bodies, as he mentioned in the focus verse. That is a done deal, not a striving.
The coming resurrection is a fact of life, just as gravity. Gravity is not about what you want or don’t want, what you think of or don’t think; so is the coming resurrection.
It does not depend on you. It depends on him. And more than depending on him, as if he can change his mind, it is already determined. He will “transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.” That is the hope of the resurrection that Paul wants to be in us.
And let’s not miss the point about all things being subjected to Christ. That is the statement about absolute power and control becoming completely actualized.
Jesus is not going to increase in power or authority. After His resurrection, the disciple could not imagine anything else needed before He takes political control (Acts 1:6).
So why the delay? It is for many sons to come into glory (Hebrews 2:10), emphasis on the word MANY. We don’t know how many; He knows.
Why the delay? It is God wanting people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God wants a particular number that He alone knows before closing the curtain on this age. God Bless!
From Addiction to Freedom by Favour Oyinloye (repeat)
Nature Song
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