God’s Job is Perfection; Our Job is Pressing On

by Edwin Crozier

What a statement Paul made in Philippians 3:12. He had not already obtained the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Neither was he already perfect.

Don’t forget Paul’s circumstance in writing. He was in prison. For all he knew, he was going to receive a death sentence. He may full well be in the final days of his life. And in that moment, he declared he was not perfect. He hadn’t become all he wanted to be in Christ or all Christ wanted him to be. He still had growing to do.

But, he pressed on. He refused to be distracted by the past. He was running a race. He wasn’t going to slow down and look backward. He wasn’t going to be overcome by past failures. Neither was he going to be distracted by past successes. He was going to keep looking ahead to the goal and pressing on.

He pressed on to make the goal and perfection his own because Christ had made Paul His own. Which calls to mind how Paul started this letter. Paul was confident that the one who started a work in him and in the Philippians would bring it to completion on the day of Christ. That is, He would bring it to perfection.

This drives home the point. Our job is not perfection. That’s God's job. Our job is pressing on. If we press on, God will perfect us. Praise the Lord!

But here’s the fantastic point. The same Paul who in Philippians 3:12 says, “I am not perfect,” said in Philippians 1:22-23 that if he died in that imprisonment, he would go be with the Lord. The path to God is not our perfection. The path to God is Jesus Christ. So, no matter what happened yesterday or today, put your eyes on the prize and press on. God will perfect you. And if you die today in Christ, have faith He will bring you into His eternal home.

Praise the Lord!