It is crucial for us to see that the basic and governing principle of the Christian life is that we gain Christ. As many as are full grown, let us walk according to this rule, this elementary principle. Perhaps path is a better word than rule in verse 16. If we use this word, the verse will read “by the same path let us walk.” This understanding is also based on the various meanings of the Greek word: to range in line, to march in military rank, to keep step, to conform to virtue and piety. Paul’s use of this Greek word indicates that by the same path we should walk according to the elementary principle.
In 3:7-16 Paul uses many unusual terms and expressions. In verse 7 he says that certain “things were gains,” and he speaks of having counted such things loss on account of Christ. In no other book does Paul use these terms. In verse 8 he speaks of “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus,” a new and extraordinary expression. In this verse he says that he counts certain things to be refuse in order to gain Christ. The term “refuse” and the expression “gain Christ” are also unusual. In verse 9 Paul goes on to speak of being “found in Him” and in verse 10 of knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. Verse 10 also uses the extraordinary expression “conformed to His death.” In verse 11 we find a unique term for resurrection—“the out-resurrection from among the dead.” The unique expressions in verse 12 include “not that I have already obtained,” “already perfected,” “I pursue,” “lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of.” In verse 13 Paul says, “forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before,” and in verse 14, “I pursue toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The expressions in these verses are also new and even extraordinary. In verse 15 Paul declares, “Let us therefore, as many as are full grown, have this mind.” The phrase this mind is unique. Can you find such an expression in any of Paul’s other Epistles? By “this mind” Paul means a mind focused on pursuing Christ, a mind centered on enjoying Christ and gaining Him. In verse 15 Paul goes on to speak of being otherwise minded, and in verse 16 he uses the phrase only this. Both are new terms used here for the first time.
As we have pointed out, in verse 16 Paul speaks of walking by the same rule. We have also seen that the Greek word for walk in this verse means to walk according to the elementary principles. The governing principle of our Christian life should be the pursuing after the enjoyment of Christ and the experience of Christ. This principle will preserve us in the proper oneness. In the past we have said that the genuine ground of oneness keeps us in the real oneness. This is true, and we continue to proclaim this teaching today. However, the ground of unique oneness may be considered somewhat as an outward matter. Along with this, we need something inward to govern us and preserve us in the oneness. This inward matter is what Paul describes as “this mind”; it is also the unique path for our Christian walk. Both the unique mind and the unique path are related to pursuing Christ. Pursuing Christ in order to experience Him and enjoy Him should be the basic and elementary principle of our Christian life.
How wonderful it would be if all Christians had this mind and walked in this path! The reason for the confusion and the divisions among Christians today is that so few are willing to walk according to this basic principle. Here in Philippians Paul did not deal with the problem of the church. His burden was to point out that our need is to pursue Christ. I believe that as Paul was writing this Epistle, he exhausted the vocabulary available to him to express his burden concerning the Christian walk. As Christians, we need to walk in a particular lane—the lane, the path, of pursuing Christ. We should care for “only this,” this “one thing,” not so many different doctrines and practices. But today believers are distracted by things such as prophecy, head covering, foot washing, the mode of baptism and the kind of water used, the type of bread used at the Lord’s table, and even the size of the cup used to contain the wine or grape juice. How poor is such a situation! If, by contrast, we would see that God has set up a goal for us and has prepared a prize for us, and if we would have the mind to pursue Christ, the world would be turned to the Lord, and the Lord Jesus would have a way to come back soon.
Today’s Christianity is without impact, power, and authority because it has been cut into pieces and made subject to confusion. What is the remedy for such a degraded situation? The remedy, found in the Lord’s recovery, consists simply in pursuing our wonderful Christ. If we would all set our mind on pursuing Christ, there would be no problems.
Only Christ can enable believers of different nationalities and cultures to be truly one. Let us all pursue Christ to such an extent that we are willing to count as loss even our national philosophy and characteristics on account of Him. We should not allow these things to remain as rocks hidden deep within us, occupying a place which belongs to Christ. As we have pointed out elsewhere, our national characteristics are used by the enemy, Satan, as substitutes for Christ. The enemy uses them to keep Christ from having adequate ground in our being. May the Lord have mercy on us that we would have a mind to pursue Christ to the uttermost and to walk according to the elementary principle of the Christian life! This principle is that we pursue Christ, forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the goal established by God that we may obtain the prize He has prepared for us.