Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14, NKJV).
Pressing On
I'm figuring the Apostle Paul must have either exercised himself, or been a fan of the Olympic Games. I know he liked puns and word-plays. In his letters he uses a significant amount of sports analogies and speaks of Bema Seats of Judgment and trophy crowns (Ro 14:10; 2Co 5:10; Php 4:1). And in this passage, Paul indulges in some dancing with the Greek language with the words we translate in English as "lay hold", "laid hold" and "apprehended".
The key thought for me in these verses is this: our redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with the freedom to move forward; to forget our past life of sin, and press on toward our future destiny of eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God. Freedom to press on, like being released from prison and being given the wherewithal to make quest for a profound and noble goal.
It is no accident that humans are enchanted with the idea of quests and noble struggles, or that such things have shadowed and underpinned literature from the time scribe and parchment first met. But the only true and meaningful quest is this: to press on no matter what the cost to grasp that for which, through infinite cost, we have been grasped.
Christ has laid hold of His children, having done so by being nailed to the Cross in our place, making us free so that we can soar into the heavenlies and obtain the richness of our inheritance in Him. Like all noble quests, it is never without risk of loss, sometimes excruciatingly painful, and yet, because we are freed from our past, and our future destination is assured, and He is always with us in the present, the only thing we need to do is press on.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1, 2, NKJV).
Pressing On
I'm figuring the Apostle Paul must have either exercised himself, or been a fan of the Olympic Games. I know he liked puns and word-plays. In his letters he uses a significant amount of sports analogies and speaks of Bema Seats of Judgment and trophy crowns (Ro 14:10; 2Co 5:10; Php 4:1). And in this passage, Paul indulges in some dancing with the Greek language with the words we translate in English as "lay hold", "laid hold" and "apprehended".
The key thought for me in these verses is this: our redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with the freedom to move forward; to forget our past life of sin, and press on toward our future destiny of eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God. Freedom to press on, like being released from prison and being given the wherewithal to make quest for a profound and noble goal.
It is no accident that humans are enchanted with the idea of quests and noble struggles, or that such things have shadowed and underpinned literature from the time scribe and parchment first met. But the only true and meaningful quest is this: to press on no matter what the cost to grasp that for which, through infinite cost, we have been grasped.
Christ has laid hold of His children, having done so by being nailed to the Cross in our place, making us free so that we can soar into the heavenlies and obtain the richness of our inheritance in Him. Like all noble quests, it is never without risk of loss, sometimes excruciatingly painful, and yet, because we are freed from our past, and our future destination is assured, and He is always with us in the present, the only thing we need to do is press on.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1, 2, NKJV).
