1) “One thing—forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
Paul, who pursued the knowledge of Christ in order to experience Him more deeply, considered his pursuit of Christ to be his only task. Thus, he pursued by forgetting the things which were behind and stretching forward to the things which were before. His pursuit was toward one aim, one goal, and that goal was Christ. He took Christ as his goal, pursuing to obtain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This prize is also Christ, that is, Christ as the enjoyment of His pursuers. Paul pursued upward, toward the heavens, to gain Christ, whom he took as the goal and prize.
1) “Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is righteous, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is well-spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things” (Phil. 4:8).
Truthfulness, honor, righteousness, purity, loveliness, and that which is well-spoken of are six praiseworthy virtues. These virtues are the expressions of God’s attributes lived out from within the pursuers of Christ, who is the embodiment of God. Paul, who pursued to experience Christ, charged the brothers to consider these things, that is, to live out these virtues and express all the attributes of God in Christ. Since he charged the brothers in this manner, he himself must obviously have been expressing God’s attributes by taking Christ as his virtues.
1) “I can do all things in Him who empowers me” (Phil. 4:13).
Paul, who experienced Christ, was empowered by Christ; hence, he was able to do all things in Christ, which is mainly to live out the various kinds of virtues which express God’s attributes mentioned in verse 8 preceding this word. This shows us that Paul experienced Christ by taking Christ as power to live out Christ as his magnificent living.
1) “I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to be in want” (Phil. 4:11-12).
In any environment and in any matter, Paul, who experienced Christ richly and abundantly, learned the secret to be content and to rejoice always. According to his speaking throughout the book of Philippians, the secret he learned was just Christ. Thus, he took Christ as the secret to experience Christ, being content and rejoicing always in any situation and in any matter.
1) “For our citizenship is in the heavens, from which also we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transfigure the body of our humiliation, conforming it to the body of His glory, according to the operation of Him who is able even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).
The life which Paul lived in the experience of Christ was one that awaited the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would come from the heavens to transfigure his body of humiliation, conforming it to the body of His glory. Thus, he took the Christ whom he experienced as his expectation.