Paul begins Philippians 3 by listing the things that once gave him confidence. His ancestry was right. His religious credentials were impressive. His commitment was unquestionable. If belonging to God could be secured through heritage, achievement, discipline, or reputation, Paul had built an impressive résumé. Then he met Jesus.

Suddenly, the things Paul had once counted as spiritual assets could no longer carry the weight he had placed upon them. “Whatever I gained, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7 CEB) Paul isn’t saying that his heritage was evil or that faithful obedience doesn’t matter. He’s recognizing something much deeper: none of those things can give him what only Christ can give.

So Paul’s desire is simplified: “I want to know Christ” (v. 10). Not simply know about Christ. Not accumulate more religious accomplishments. Not prove that he deserves a place among God’s people. Paul wants to know Christ—to share in the life of the crucified and risen Jesus so completely that Christ reshapes the direction of his entire life.

That connects Philippians 3 directly with what we read yesterday. In Philippians 2, Paul showed us the pattern of Jesus: self-giving humility, obedience, the cross, and then exaltation. Now Paul describes his own life according to that same pattern. Knowing Christ means sharing not only in the power of his resurrection but also in the fellowship of his sufferings.

That sounds like surrender. And Paul is quick to admit that this work is still underway. “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own” (v. 12 NRSVue). Paul hasn’t arrived.

Sanctification doesn’t mean reaching some point where we no longer need grace. Growing in holiness means becoming increasingly responsive to the grace that continues forming us into the likeness of Christ. There is always more of our lives to surrender, more love to learn, more Christlikeness to embody, and more faithfulness ahead of us.

So Paul presses on. But notice why. He presses on “because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (v. 12). Paul isn't running after Christ hoping that, if he works hard enough, Jesus will finally accept him. Christ has already taken hold of Paul.

Grace comes first. Everything that follows—obedience, holiness, perseverance, mission—is Paul’s response to the Christ who has already claimed him.

That changes how we hear Paul’s famous words about forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead. He isn’t telling us to pretend the past never happened. Our past contains wounds that need healing, sins that require repentance, relationships that may need reconciliation, and lessons we should remember.

Paul’s point is that the past no longer gets to determine the direction of the race. Neither our failures nor our accomplishments should become the place where we settle. Christ has taken hold of us, and Christ is leading us somewhere.

Paul eventually names that hope in terms the Philippians would have understood well: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (v. 20). Philippi was a Roman colony. Roman citizens living there carried the identity and allegiance of Rome into another place. Paul takes that familiar reality and redirects it toward Jesus.

Our deepest allegiance belongs to Christ. We belong to the kingdom of God, and we live that citizenship here and now while waiting for Jesus to complete the work of resurrection and new creation. That means pressing forward isn’t only about our private spiritual growth. Christ is forming a people whose lives already begin to reflect the kingdom that is coming.

We forgive because Christ is King. We serve because Christ is King. We pursue holiness because Christ is King. We love our neighbors because Christ is King. We refuse to make our achievements, appetites, politics, possessions, reputation, heritage, or anything else our ultimate allegiance because Christ is King. And when we stumble along the way, we get up and continue—not because our grip on Christ is perfect, but because Christ has already taken hold of us.

The Christian life is not a desperate race to earn the prize. It is a grace-filled response to Jesus Christ, who has already called us his own and continues drawing us toward resurrection life.

So we keep going. There is more of Christ to know. There is more grace to receive. There is more holiness to live. And the One calling us forward is the same One who has already taken hold of us.

Identify one accomplishment, failure, identity, possession, or source of status that has been carrying too much weight in how you understand yourself. Name it honestly before God, then pray Philippians 3:12 today: “I press on… because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”