But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:13b-14, ESV)I've heard many preachers use this passage to teach that Christians need to forget about their past sins, (which they usually politely call "mistakes" or "failures") in order to develop a "healthier, more victorious" self-esteem. "Just forget about it," they say. "You're not that person anymore. You're better than that!" Instead of lifting up the sufficiency of Christ's sinless life, atoning death, victorious resurrection and exalted intercession for us, these preachers lift up the supposed inherent goodness of the believer for themselves.
Now, I agree that we shouldn't be morbidly consumed by guilt, since Christ has freely and thoroughly forgiven us. However, I find several problems with the positive-self-image movement that disregards and suppresses the memory of past sin.
First, this interpretation is inconsistent with Paul's own practice as recorded in Scripture. Paul saw himself honestly and humbly in light of his past sins, of which he did not hesitate to remind his readers:
"For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. " (1 Cor. 15:9)Note how this sober memory of the past, coupled with a deep knowledge of the continued presence of his sinful nature, led Paul to describe himself --in words inspired by the Holy Spirit:
- "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Tim. 1:15)
- "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given..." (Eph. 3:8)
- "...though I am nothing." (2 Cor. 12:11)
- "Wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24)
It's more than a bit of a stretch to say that the author of these texts wrote Philippians 2:13-14 in order that Christians would deny the reality and seriousness of their past sins.
Further, this interpretation fosters self-reliance and self-righteousness instead of biblical humility and dependance upon Christ. Rather than cry out "God be merciful to me, a sinner," the new attitude of prayer becomes "God, I thank you that I am not like other men." (Luke 18:9-14) Instead of esteeming others more highly than ourselves, we insist that others esteem us as highly as we do! Having no need to pray for spiritual strength, we fill our small prayers with presumptuous requests for more physical blessings, because we think we deserve them! God is undoubtedly displeased with such un-Christlike character.
Finally, this is clearly not what the passage teaches in context. Paul has just listed his greatest personal assets, the reasons that he could be most exalted in his own eyes and in the eyes of others. But because these things draw attention to himself and promote self-righteousness, and are therefore hindrances to him knowing Christ fully, he considers them as the foulest of garbage! His greatest personal assets are now his greatest liabilities! "You want me to brag about my old, external law-keeping? Never! I have absolutely no righteousness but Christ, who is gloriously perfect for me! You think I was zealous? My fleshly zeal may have put others to shame, but now it shames me most! By my zeal I sought the death of the saints, but by Christ's zealous love He sought to make me a saint by His own death!"
So in our text, Paul wasn't choosing to forget an old, negative self-image; He was choosing to forget about himself in order to pursue Christ! Rather than a "think better of yourself" message, he's preaching a "think less of yourself and more of Christ" message. To forget about who we naturally are and what we are still capable of is foolish and idolatrously arrogant, and it belittles God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is glorious not because it makes us feel good about ourselves in ourselves, but precisely because we look our wretchedness square in the face, call it what it is, and then see that the Lord of glory lovingly took on flesh, weakness, torture, death, and the very wrath of God, to make us as perfectly acceptable to the Father as He is.
If we keep looking to the risen Lord revealed in Scripture, the more deeply we feel the despicableness of our sin, the more fully we will rejoice in the glorious liberty of Christ! Our imaginary greatness stands in opposition to the true greatness of Christ for us. We cannot cling to both. (Matt. 16:25)
