Philippians 3:19

3:12-21 This simple dependence and earnestness of soul, were not mentioned as if the apostle had gained the prize, or were already made perfect in the Saviour's likeness. He forgot the things which were behind, so as not to be content with past labours or present measures of grace. He reached forth, stretched himself forward towards his point; expressions showing great concern to become more and more like unto Christ. He who runs a race, must never stop short of the end, but press forward as fast as he can; so those who have heaven in their view, must still press forward to it, in holy desires and hopes, and constant endeavours. Eternal life is the gift of God, but it is in Christ Jesus; through his hand it must come to us, as it is procured for us by him. There is no getting to heaven as our home, but by Christ as our Way. True believers, in seeking this assurance, as well as to glorify him, will seek more nearly to resemble his sufferings and death, by dying to sin, and by crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts. In these things there is a great difference among real Christians, but all know something of them. Believers make Christ all in all, and set their hearts upon another world. If they differ from one another, and are not of the same judgment in lesser matters, yet they must not judge one another; while they all meet now in Christ, and hope to meet shortly in heaven.

Let them join in all the great things in which they are agreed, and wait for further light as to lesser things wherein they differ. The enemies of the cross of Christ mind nothing but their sensual appetites. Sin is the sinner's shame, especially when gloried in. The way of those who mind earthly things, may seem pleasant, but death and hell are at the end of it. If we choose their way, we shall share their end. The life of a Christian is in heaven, where his Head and his home are, and where he hopes to be shortly; he sets his affections upon things above; and where his heart is, there will his conversation be. There is glory kept for the bodies of the saints, in which they will appear at the resurrection. Then the body will be made glorious; not only raised again to life, but raised to great advantage. Observe the power by which this change will be wrought. May we be always prepared for the coming of our Judge; looking to have our vile bodies changed by his Almighty power, and applying to him daily to new-create our souls unto holiness; to deliver us from our enemies, and to employ our bodies and souls as instruments of righteousness in his service.

Belly Romans 16:18. So the Cyclops in Euripides: "My flocks which I sacrifice to no one but myself, and not to the gods, and to this my belly the greatest of the gods: for to eat and drink each day, and to give one's self no trouble, this is the god for wise men" ("Cyclops," 334-338). Glory That which they esteem glory. Earthly things (τὰ ἐπίγεια) See on 2 Corinthians 5:1. Compare Colossians 3:2.

Php 3:19 . Ὧν , whose ) The nominative is implied; comp. οἷ , which presently after occurs and is dependent on περιπατοῦσιν , walk .— τὸ τέλος , the end ) This statement is put before the others, that what follows may be read with the greater horror. It will be seen in the end. [ The end, to which the plans of every man tend, shows truly what is his condition .—V. g.]— ἀπώλεια , destruction ) The antithesis is σωτῆρα , Saviour , Php 3:20 .— ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία , whose god is their belly ) Romans 16:18 . The antithesis is Κύριον , Lord , Php 3:20 ; and τὸ σῶμα , body , Php 3:21 , as 1 Corinthians 6:13 . Their belly is sleek, our body is wasted; the fashion [ σχῆμα out of υετασχηματίσει ] of both will be changed.— ἡ δόξα , glory ) The previous, God , and glory , here are set down as parallel; and therefore δόξα , glory , in this passage denotes a god , or glorying concerning a god. Hosea 4:7 , LXX., τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀτιμίαν θησομαι , “I will turn their glory to dishonour.”— αἰσχύνη , shame ) It corresponds to the Hebrew word בשת , for example, Habakkuk 2:10 . Comp. respecting this prophet, the note at Colossians 2:23 ; likewise ערוה below, ἡ κοιλία , belly. But at the same time the word alludes to ah idol, to which בשת , αἰσχύνη , , corresponds. The LXX. have sometimes αἰσχύνη , , for ערוה , ; therefore in this passage Paul seems to denote τὴν κατατομὴν , concision, to indicate, that the now was not , but a subject for . So the and are closely allied.

They worship that of which they ought to be ashamed, and they will be miserably ashamed of it at the proper time, although even now they want frankness.[48]— ΟἹ ΤᾺ ἘΠΊΓΕΙΑ ΦΡΟΝΟῦΝΤΕς , who mind earthly things ) The antithesis is at the beginning of the following verse. [48] Beng. seems to mean, Even now they deprive themselves of that Gospel freedom which they who place no trust in carnal ordinances enjoy.—ED.

Verse 19. - Whose end is destruction ; rather, as R.V., perdition. Observe the contrast: not the prize of the high calling, but everlasting death . Whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame (comp. Romans 16:18 ). They boast of their liberty, and pervert it into licence' ( 2 Peter 2:19 ). Who mind earthly things ; rather, they who mind. The irregularity of the construction (he returns to the nominative) seems expressive of the apostle's indignation. Philippians 3:19

19. destruction—everlasting at Christ's coming. Php 1:28, "perdition"; the opposite word is "Saviour" (Php 3:20). end—fixed doom. whose god is their belly—(Ro 16:18); hereafter to be destroyed by God (1Co 6:13). In contrast to our "body" (Php 3:21), which our God, the Lord Jesus, shall "fashion like unto His glorious body." Their belly is now pampered, our body now wasted; then the respective states of both shall be reversed. glory is in their shame—As "glory" is often used in the Old Testament for God (Ps 106:20), so here it answers to "whose God," in the parallel clause; and "shame" is the Old Testament term contemptuously given to an idol (Jud 6:32, Margin). Ho 4:7 seems to be referred to by Paul (compare Ro 1:32). There seems no allusion to circumcision, as no longer glorious, but a shame to them (Php 3:2). The reference of the immediate context is to sensuality, and carnality in general. mind earthly things—(Ro 8:5). In contrast to Php 3:20; Col 3:2.

(19) Whose end is destruction. . . . —The intense severity of this verse is only paralleled by such passages as 2Timothy 2:1-5 ; 2Peter 2:12-22 ; Jude 1:4 ; Jude 1:8 ; Jude 1:12-13 . All express the burning indignation of a true servant of Christ against those who “turn the grace of God into lasciviousness,” and “after escaping the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, are again entangled therein and overcome.” Whose God is their belly.—A stronger reiteration of Romans 16:18, “They serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” Note the emphasis laid on “feasting and rioting” in 2Peter 2:13; Jude 1:12. Whose glory is in their shame.—As the preceding clause refers chiefly to self-indulgence, so this to impurity. Comp. Ephesians 5:12, “It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” “To glory in their shame”—to boast, as a mark of spirituality, the unbridled license which is to all pure spirits a shame—is the hopeless condition of the reprobate, who “not only do these things, but have pleasure in those who do them” (Romans 1:32). Who mind earthly things.—This last phrase, which in itself might seem hardly strong enough for a climax to a passage so terribly emphatic, may perhaps be designed to bring out by contrast the glorious passage which follows.

Php 3:19 . ἀπώλεια . Paul regards the two issues of human life as σωτηρία and ἀπώλεια ( 1 Corinthians 1:18 , 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ). The latter, is a common word for “destruction”. There is much in the Epistles to support the statement of Hltzm[3]. ( N.T. Th. , ii., p. 50): “To be dead and to remain dead eternally, that is to him (Paul) the most dreadful of all thoughts”. (Similarly Kabisch, Eschatol. d. Paul. , pp. 85, 134.)— ἡ κοιλία . Most comm. compare Eupolis, Κολακ . 4, κοιλιοδαίμων , a “devotee of the belly”. κ . is probably used as a general term to include all that belongs most essentially to the bodily, fleshly life of man and therefore inevitably perishes. Istorum venter nitet: nostrum corpus atteritur: utrumque schema commutabitur (Beng.). Hort ( Judaistic Christianity , p. 115 ff.) supposes that we have here the same development of Judaism which is attacked in Colossians 2:20-23 . But this type of life was by no means confined to Jews.— ἡ δ . ἐν τ . αἰσχ . “Who boast of what is really a disgrace to them.” Wetst. aptly quotes Polyb., 15, 23, ἐφʼ οἷς ἐχρῆν αἰσχύνεσθαι καθʼ ὑπερβολήν , ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς καλοῖς σεμνύνεσθαι καὶ μεγαλαυχεῖν . Cf. Proverbs 26:11 , ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν , καὶ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις . (So also Sir 4:21 .) This was apparently a current proverb. The limiting of αἰσχ . here to sensual sins is doubtful.— οἱ τ . ἐπίγ . φρον .

It seems reasonable to explain the nominative as a resumption of the opening words of the sentence, summing up tersely the character in view. Cf. Mark 12:38-40 . τὰ ἐπίγ . are opposed to τὰ ἔμπροσθεν or τὰ ἄνω . Curiously parallel is the Homeric phrase ( Odyss. , 21, 85), νήπιοι ἀγροιῶται ἐφημέρια φρονέοντες . [3] tzm. Holtzmann.