“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
Paul was passionate about one thing…eventually to arrive at the same place that God intended for him…and he was clear about the steps he would take to get there.
When Paul let go of the all his qualifications and achievements, his reward was pain, suffering, and struggles. Unlike some other religions, that urge conquest over their enemies in this life by whatever means possible, including force and violence…and sensual pleasures as the reward… Paul’s battle was not against enemies outside himself, but the enemy within. He discovered that he was his own worst enemy, his selfish old nature demanding to be satisfied at the expense of others….which would end in death.
As Paul gradually gained the upper hand over himself, so winning the prize at the end of the road became more real and more compelling. What was Paul’s aspiration? What was the promise towards which he strained with all his attention and effort?
Paul does not identify the prize in this letter but he gives it shape and colour in some of his other communications. However, unlike any earthly prize, that is displayed unwrapped…beckoning the contestants by its value and beauty…he discovered that this prize was wrapped in the strangest of covering…not the promise of conquest and victory in this life… but suffering…not just suffering…but the way he processed the suffering.
“…So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NLT
…not just the usual consequences of life on a fallen planet. The way to endure the suffering is the way to win the prize, which is as specific as the prize itself. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote…
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Romans 8:17 NIV
For the children of God, suffering has a specific purpose. It is a condition and a preparation for receiving the prize that awaits us in the age to come. The prize follows the purifying process of suffering and qualifies us to receive the prize.
In broad terms, Paul explains both the process and the prize…
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”
Romans 8:28-30 NLT
Did you get it?
It’s not about the suffering. It’s about the way the suffering is handled and what the suffering produces! The “all things” that life dishes up to us, are not random but specific…controlled and orchestrated by a loving God…
…and the prize? Exact replicas of Jesus! God’s glory…the weight of who God is, reproduced in us…Jesus the blueprint…His image restored!
John explained it like this…
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
1 John 3:2 NLT
That’s the prize!
Now, let’s explore the process. Peter reveals to us that there is one form of suffering that replicates the suffering of Jesus…the one temptation He suffered and overcame that qualified Him to be the atoning sacrifice for sin.
“For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
1 Peter 2:19-24 NLT
Suffering injustice without retaliation! That is the worst and most difficult temptation for any human to endure. Rebellion against God, in all its sinful expressions, is essentially the way we react to what we perceive as God’s “unfairness” towards us. It started in the Garden of Eden.
Jesus showed us the way to win this one!
“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
1 Peter 2:23 NIV
Jesus took everything that sinful humanity could throw at Him without reacting in a sinful way. He remained true to who He was…the submissive and obedient Son of God.
“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth…Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.”
Isaiah 53:3-5, 7-8 NLT
That’s the blueprint, the model, the process. Obedience wins the prize!
To be continued