Hi all,
What if a verse you had believed for years doesn't say what you've thought it says?
It would mean you are basing your expectations from God on something God doesn't cooperate with because He never meant to communicate what you understood it to mean. It would explain why you've felt powerless in your efforts (because He isn't in it because it isn't what He said).
The verse:"...this one thing I do; forgetting the past and reaching forward to things ahead..." Philippians 3:14b
In the Greek, the verse doesn't say to forget the past. It says to "neglect, overlook, no longer care for" the past.
"...this one thing I do; neglecting, overlooking, no longer caring for the past, and reaching forward to things ahead..."
That changes things doesn't it? He isn't forgetting, he is neglecting and no longer caring for his past life.
Many have read English translations and think Paul completely forgot his past and they should do likewise. The conflict arises because we cannot forget the past; God left the past in our memories. We are in conflict wondering how God can forget our past while we struggle with the memories, guilt and condemnation? The simple answer:The verse doesn't say to forget, it says to no longer care for, to overlook and neglect your past.
Here is the word study on 'forget':Greek word is 'epilanthanomai'. Epi-lanthano-mai is made of 'epi' which means 'upon' or 'set upon' and 'lanthano' which means 'to escape notice'.
Paul plays a word game using opposites revolving around the word 'epi' which means 'upon' or 'to set upon'. He says he sets himself upon the task of overlooking and no longer caring for his past, while setting himself fully upon reaching forward to things in Christ ahead of him.
This one thing I do; Neglecting, overlooking, no longer caring for my past (epi-lanthan) and reaching forward (epi-kteino) to things ahead..."
In other words, he is saying he reaches forward to the things in Christ with the same intensity that he lets his past escape notice, neglects, and no longer cares for.
Paul did not forget his past; I Corinthians 15:6-10
"...He was seen by more than 500 people at once, the greater part of which are still alive, though some have died...and last of all He was seen by me, as one born out of due time, for I am the least of the apostles and not worthy of being an apostle, for I persecuted the (ekklesia/family gathering) of God. But by God's grace I am what I am."
We can see Paul didn't forget his past, but he overlooked it in favor of realizing 'by God's grace I am what I am.' The phrase 'born out of due time' is 1 Greek word; ektroma. First use was in the Roman Senate when a bill would be introduced in committee for consideration. If that proposed bill was rejected, it was said to have suffered an ektroma - an abortion. The bill was aborted. Later it was used to describe an abortion or miscarriage in pregnancy.
It was also used in that time to signify a premature birth, untimely, thus, born out of due time. Paul knew and remembered well the depths of his past sin, stating here he felt like his life was a miscarriage, or one that should have been aborted. He was emphasizing that he was in fact born, but felt out of place because so many others had been around for the ministry of Jesus, and he missed His ministry AND His resurrection. Over 500 at once saw the risen Lord, but not Paul, so he felt like he was born at the wrong time, out of step with the others, and worse, he persecuted the body of Christ.
How many Christians feel like Paul - looking back they realize they had opportunities to know the Lord, but didn't. Or they knew the Lord, then fell back into sin, and then returned to Him, carrying guilt from their time of wandering in the world. How many feel like their lives should have been aborted, that they weren't really wanted, or grew up in a home they didn't really feel like they belonged to? How many can't forget their past and need to know how to retain the lessons without the hurt involved.
We can learn from Paul's example. He was very transparent when he shared he felt like his life was an ektroma - a survived abortion we might say. In Galatians 1:15-16 Paul concluded:"But it pleased God that I was a live birth (separated me from my mother's womb), and called me by His grace so He could reveal His Son, in me to preach the gospel..."
At some point Paul had to come to the end of himself, the end of his arguments about why the Lord couldn't love him, save him, call him, and just conclude:'By God's grace I am what I am' and 'it pleased God that I was born alive' (not an ektroma). In Ephesians 3:8 he said:"And to me who is less than the least of all saints, grace has been given..." His past was ever-present. There was none of today's psycho-babble saying you just forget the past - no - Paul remembered his past, remembered from what he had been saved, remembered the extreme grace he had been given. THAT is the solution. Not to try to 'get over' the past, but see it in light of Christ's light, and come to the end of ourselves, falling into and resting in His unfathomable grace and love.
Even to his son in the faith, Timothy, in his first letter Paul writes:"...Christ came into this world (bringing the preexistence of Christ and therefore His foreknowledge of Paul's life into the subject) to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." This he wrote within 2-4 years of his death, not when he was young in the Lord. Paul was very much aware of and remembering his past. I Timothy 1:15
Perhaps this has been a new thought for some, that scripture teaches us in Paul's life we aren't to forget the past, but to learn from it, no longer care for it, and be aware of it so we may continuously be aware of His grace. In the verse after he wrote that he is the foremost sinner, he said this:"The reason mercy was shown me is that the Lord might display His longsuffering as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life."
If (when) we struggle with our past, let us remember Paul's life. The Lord purposely showed great longsuffering with the persecutor of the body of Christ as a pattern, an example for those of us who would later come to know the Lord. The grace you've received in life is a pattern to those who know you. If you can be saved, so can they. Consider also that when Paul was called before Festus (procurator/treasurer) in Acts 24 and Herod Agrippa II in Acts 26, he did not preach to them nor try to teach them anything. He merely gave his testimony to each. Our testimony is exactly why we have been forgiven and enabled to remember the sin from which we were delivered.
Stop looking over your shoulder, stop keeping the past alive - remember it yes, but remember with equal importance the grace you have received.
If Paul can be saved, so can we. If Paul could continue in his life and ministry while remembering his past, so we can we.
Next week, how do we become whole from our past and all the guilt, condemnation and injury from those days? Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
What if a verse you had believed for years doesn't say what you've thought it says?
It would mean you are basing your expectations from God on something God doesn't cooperate with because He never meant to communicate what you understood it to mean. It would explain why you've felt powerless in your efforts (because He isn't in it because it isn't what He said).
The verse:"...this one thing I do; forgetting the past and reaching forward to things ahead..." Philippians 3:14b
In the Greek, the verse doesn't say to forget the past. It says to "neglect, overlook, no longer care for" the past.
"...this one thing I do; neglecting, overlooking, no longer caring for the past, and reaching forward to things ahead..."
That changes things doesn't it? He isn't forgetting, he is neglecting and no longer caring for his past life.
Many have read English translations and think Paul completely forgot his past and they should do likewise. The conflict arises because we cannot forget the past; God left the past in our memories. We are in conflict wondering how God can forget our past while we struggle with the memories, guilt and condemnation? The simple answer:The verse doesn't say to forget, it says to no longer care for, to overlook and neglect your past.
Here is the word study on 'forget':Greek word is 'epilanthanomai'. Epi-lanthano-mai is made of 'epi' which means 'upon' or 'set upon' and 'lanthano' which means 'to escape notice'.
Paul plays a word game using opposites revolving around the word 'epi' which means 'upon' or 'to set upon'. He says he sets himself upon the task of overlooking and no longer caring for his past, while setting himself fully upon reaching forward to things in Christ ahead of him.
This one thing I do; Neglecting, overlooking, no longer caring for my past (epi-lanthan) and reaching forward (epi-kteino) to things ahead..."
In other words, he is saying he reaches forward to the things in Christ with the same intensity that he lets his past escape notice, neglects, and no longer cares for.
Paul did not forget his past; I Corinthians 15:6-10
"...He was seen by more than 500 people at once, the greater part of which are still alive, though some have died...and last of all He was seen by me, as one born out of due time, for I am the least of the apostles and not worthy of being an apostle, for I persecuted the (ekklesia/family gathering) of God. But by God's grace I am what I am."
We can see Paul didn't forget his past, but he overlooked it in favor of realizing 'by God's grace I am what I am.' The phrase 'born out of due time' is 1 Greek word; ektroma. First use was in the Roman Senate when a bill would be introduced in committee for consideration. If that proposed bill was rejected, it was said to have suffered an ektroma - an abortion. The bill was aborted. Later it was used to describe an abortion or miscarriage in pregnancy.
It was also used in that time to signify a premature birth, untimely, thus, born out of due time. Paul knew and remembered well the depths of his past sin, stating here he felt like his life was a miscarriage, or one that should have been aborted. He was emphasizing that he was in fact born, but felt out of place because so many others had been around for the ministry of Jesus, and he missed His ministry AND His resurrection. Over 500 at once saw the risen Lord, but not Paul, so he felt like he was born at the wrong time, out of step with the others, and worse, he persecuted the body of Christ.
How many Christians feel like Paul - looking back they realize they had opportunities to know the Lord, but didn't. Or they knew the Lord, then fell back into sin, and then returned to Him, carrying guilt from their time of wandering in the world. How many feel like their lives should have been aborted, that they weren't really wanted, or grew up in a home they didn't really feel like they belonged to? How many can't forget their past and need to know how to retain the lessons without the hurt involved.
We can learn from Paul's example. He was very transparent when he shared he felt like his life was an ektroma - a survived abortion we might say. In Galatians 1:15-16 Paul concluded:"But it pleased God that I was a live birth (separated me from my mother's womb), and called me by His grace so He could reveal His Son, in me to preach the gospel..."
At some point Paul had to come to the end of himself, the end of his arguments about why the Lord couldn't love him, save him, call him, and just conclude:'By God's grace I am what I am' and 'it pleased God that I was born alive' (not an ektroma). In Ephesians 3:8 he said:"And to me who is less than the least of all saints, grace has been given..." His past was ever-present. There was none of today's psycho-babble saying you just forget the past - no - Paul remembered his past, remembered from what he had been saved, remembered the extreme grace he had been given. THAT is the solution. Not to try to 'get over' the past, but see it in light of Christ's light, and come to the end of ourselves, falling into and resting in His unfathomable grace and love.
Even to his son in the faith, Timothy, in his first letter Paul writes:"...Christ came into this world (bringing the preexistence of Christ and therefore His foreknowledge of Paul's life into the subject) to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." This he wrote within 2-4 years of his death, not when he was young in the Lord. Paul was very much aware of and remembering his past. I Timothy 1:15
Perhaps this has been a new thought for some, that scripture teaches us in Paul's life we aren't to forget the past, but to learn from it, no longer care for it, and be aware of it so we may continuously be aware of His grace. In the verse after he wrote that he is the foremost sinner, he said this:"The reason mercy was shown me is that the Lord might display His longsuffering as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life."
If (when) we struggle with our past, let us remember Paul's life. The Lord purposely showed great longsuffering with the persecutor of the body of Christ as a pattern, an example for those of us who would later come to know the Lord. The grace you've received in life is a pattern to those who know you. If you can be saved, so can they. Consider also that when Paul was called before Festus (procurator/treasurer) in Acts 24 and Herod Agrippa II in Acts 26, he did not preach to them nor try to teach them anything. He merely gave his testimony to each. Our testimony is exactly why we have been forgiven and enabled to remember the sin from which we were delivered.
Stop looking over your shoulder, stop keeping the past alive - remember it yes, but remember with equal importance the grace you have received.
If Paul can be saved, so can we. If Paul could continue in his life and ministry while remembering his past, so we can we.
Next week, how do we become whole from our past and all the guilt, condemnation and injury from those days? Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
RSS Feed