Philippians 3:12-16
It’s possible to misunderstand spiritual longing.
When Paul writes about knowing Christ deeply — in resurrection power, in suffering, in the hope of glory — someone might assume he has already arrived. Surely a man who speaks that way has reached some higher spiritual plane.
Paul anticipates that thought and immediately corrects it.
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect…”
In other words: I’m not finished.
This is striking coming from the Apostle Paul. If anyone could have claimed spiritual maturity, it was him. Yet instead of exaggerating his growth, he denies arrival. He refuses both pride and complacency.
Christian maturity is not arriving. It is pressing on.
Paul explains why he presses forward: “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” His pursuit is rooted in grace. He does not run to earn Christ’s acceptance. He runs because Christ has already taken hold of him.
The order matters.
Christ’s grip comes first.
Our pursuit follows.
Grace does not cancel effort — it creates it. We press on not to belong to Christ, but because we already do.
Paul then gives us the controlling image of the passage: a runner in a race.
“One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…”
Forgetting does not mean erasing memory. It means refusing to let the past define or distract the present pursuit. That includes past failures — and past successes. Some believers are paralyzed by regret. Others are stalled by nostalgia. Paul leaves both behind.
You cannot run forward while looking backward.
He reaches forward with intention, straining toward the goal. And what is the goal? Not merely a reward. Not merely relief. The prize is Christ Himself — fully known, fully enjoyed, fully embraced.
Paul is not running for something Christ gives.
He is running toward Christ.
Then Paul says something almost ironic: “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude.” The truly mature are those who know they are not finished. Immature believers settle. Mature believers press on.
And Paul adds something steady and comforting: if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal that too. Growth is ultimately God’s work. But that does not make us passive. “Let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.” In other words: obey what you already know.
You don’t need new revelation to obey old truth.
This passage helps us recalibrate what faithfulness looks like. Pressing on does not always look impressive. It often looks like ordinary obedience. It may not feel dramatic. Progress may seem slow. But direction matters more than speed.
The Christian life is not defined by what lies behind us, but by who lies ahead of us — Christ Himself.
We may not be where we once were.
We may not yet be where we long to be.
But by God’s grace, He is not finished with His people.
The question is not, “Have I arrived?”
The question is, “Am I still pressing on?”
