May 11, 2025 -- Philippians 3:16 -- Hold True

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Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Philippians 3:16 ESV

In the original language to hold true means to walk in rows. That sounds weird until you realize it is military imagery. Soldiers walk together in rows. They guard one another. They hold one another accountable as each one is alert, scanning for any signs of the enemy. The enemy can be lurking nearby, ready to attack guerilla warfare style, so soldiers, together, keep their eyes open. They rely on one another, guarding each other from surprise attacks. Their greater confidence is always in the Captain of Salvation, Jesus, Who has made Paul, and all of us, His own. God has appointed us for life. God has given to us our Warrior-King, Jesus, the Captain of Salvation. This Captain will not lose even one of those entrusted to His care by the Father (John 6:39).

Soldiers fight a common enemy. They have been trained hard to know the tactics of the enemy. Think of how the devil works. He misquotes scripture so that most of what he says is true, but there is a twist in it which makes the soldier question the goodness of God. Or makes the soldier question if maybe God is withholding something good and pleasurable from him. Soldiers who stand together can defend one another, pointing out the Devil’s wicked schemes. One soldier who may be enticed by a lie will be quickly awakened from the spell of the Devil by another soldier who is not tempted in the same way.

Soldiers hold the ground they have already won in battle. They stand row upon row, in rank, following the orders of the captain of salvation and do not yield what has already been taken. This is the point that Paul made earlier he presses on. He sees the goal, which is the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, and he refuses to back down. He is in prison for his faith. He would not compromise his faith. To the eyes of the world it might seem like a defeat, a warrior in the enemy’s prison. But Paul is standing firm in the faith and look what is happening: “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:13). What a glorious testimony. What assurance. He is spending time under arrest and by the grace of God fellow soldiers are with him: Timothy and Epaphroditus. Under those circumstances Paul will not let himself be defeated, nor will he lose hope, even under these dire circumstances. The enemy can not break him.

The fruit of righteousness, named in Philippians 1:11, is modeled here as well. As Paul stands true for Jesus, he is not compromising. He will not let himself get twisted by his circumstances. Epaphroditus nearly died for the work of the gospel (2:30). Timothy must soon depart in order to give the Philippians an update. But the three soldiers of the cross of Jesus Christ did not despair. They did not give up on our precious faith. The fruit of righteousness matured within them as they faced tremendous hardship in the strength of Jesus Christ. Again, it is critical that you see the verses 12-16 together. Jesus has made Paul His own. Because these men belong to Jesus, He, the Captain of Salvation, knows them, guards them, using their gifts and skills for His holy purposes. The Captain of Salvation, having rescued them from the clutches of the enemy will not let them fall away. He, the Father, Who began a good work in these men (1:6) by the accomplished work of Jesus, will guard these men, giving them the help of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of righteousness enables believers to remain confident in God’s good purposes, even in the hardest and darkest days of battle. The fierce dedication of the Warrior-King inspires the men to dedicated allegiance to Him and a willingness to die for Him. The Warrior-King will guard His people in life, in battle, and through the final battle of death and bring them triumphant, into the presence of God, our glorious and great Father.

O LORD GOD, of infinite mercy, we beseech thee to look in compassion upon Christ’s church now involved in war. Pardon our offenses, our pride and arrogance, our self-sufficiency and forgetfulness of thee. Give wisdom to our counsellors, skill to our officers, courage and endurance to our sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and all who guard our shores. Look in mercy on those immediately exposed to peril, to conflict, sickness, and death. Be with the dying; give to them true repentance and unfeigned trust in thee; and in the day of judgment, good Lord, deliver them. Finally, we beseech thee to remove in they good providence all causes and occasions of war; to dispose our hearts and the hearts of our enemies to moderation; and of they great goodness to restore peace among the nations; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

“A PRAYER IN TIME OF WAR” Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces, page 31, 1950. Where this prayer has Christ’s church, the original wording was “our nation”

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