Chapter 22.—Nature of Human Righteousness and Perfection.

For from the place in which he undertook to say these things, he thus began, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, who serve God in the Spirit,”—or, as some codices have it, “who serve God the Spirit,” or “the Spirit of God,”—“and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”235    Phil. iii. 2, 3. Here it is manifest that he is speaking against the Jews, who, observing the law carnally, and going about to establish their own righteousness, were slain by the letter, and not made alive by the Spirit, and gloried in themselves while the apostles and all the children of the promise were glorying in Christ. Then he added, “Although I may have confidence in the flesh. If any one else thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I more.”236    Phil. iii. 4. And enumerating all things which have glory according to the flesh, he ended at that point where he says, “According to the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” And when he had said that he regarded all these things as altogether loss and disadvantage and dung that he might gain Christ, he added the passage which I am treating, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, but that which is by the faith of Christ, which is from God.” He confessed that he had not yet received the perfection of this righteousness, which will not be except in that excellent knowledge of Christ, on account of which he said that all things were loss to him; and he confessed, therefore, that he was not yet perfect. “But I follow on,” said he, “if I may apprehend that in which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”237    Phil. iii. 12. “I may apprehend that in which I also am apprehended,” is much the same as, “I may know, even as I also am known.” “Brethren,” says he, “I count not myself to have apprehended: but one thing, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those which are before, I follow on according to the purpose for the reward of the supreme calling of God in Christ Jesus.”238    Phil. iii. 13, 14. The order of the words is, “But one thing I follow.” Of which one thing the Lord also is well understood to have admonished Martha, where he says, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful.”239    Luke x. 41. The apostle, wishing to apprehend this as if set in the way, said that he followed on to the reward of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. For who can delay when he would apprehend that which he declares that he is following, that he shall then have a righteousness equal to the righteousness of the holy angels, none of whom, of course, does any messenger of Satan buffet lest he should be lifted up with the greatness of his revelations? Then, admonishing those who might think themselves already perfect with the fulness of that righteousness, he says, “Let as many of us, therefore, as are perfect, be thus minded.”240    Phil. iii. 15. As if he should say, If, according to the capacity of mortal man for the little measure of this life, we are perfect, let us understand that it also belongs to that perfection that we perceive that we are not yet perfected in that angelical righteousness which we shall have in the manifestation of Christ. “And if in anything,” he said, “ye be otherwise minded, God shall also reveal even this unto you.”241    Phil. iii. 15. How, save to those that are walking and advancing in the way of the faith, until that wandering be finished and they come to the actual vision? Whence following on, he added, “Nevertheless, whereunto we have already attained, let us walk therein.”242    Phil. iii. 15. Then he concludes that they should be bewared of, concerning whom this passage treated at its beginning. “Brethren, be imitators of me, and mark them which so walk as ye have our example. For many walk, of whom I have spoken often, and now tell you even weeping, whose end is destruction,”243    Phil. iii. 16. and the rest. These are the very ones of whom, in the beginning, he had said, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers,” and what follows. Therefore all are enemies of the cross of Christ who, going about to establish their own righteousness, which is of the law,—that is, where only the letter commands, and the Spirit does not fulfil,—are not subject to the law of God. For if they who are of the law be heirs, faith is made an empty thing. “If righteousness is by the law, then Christ has died in vain: then is the offence of the cross done away.” And thus those are enemies of the cross of Christ who say that righteousness is by the law, to which it belongs to command, not to assist. But the grace of God through Jesus Christ the Lord in the Holy Spirit helpeth our infirmity.

22. Nam ex quo loco suscepit haec dicere, sic exorsus est: Videte canes, videte malos operarios, videte concisionem. Nos enim sumus circumcisio qui spiritu Deo servimus; vel sicut nonnulli codices habent, qui spiritui Deo, vel spiritui Dei servimus; et gloriamur in Christo Jesu, et non in carne fidentes. Hinc manifestum est adversus Judaeos eum agere, qui carnaliter observantes legem, et suam justitiam volentes constituere, occidebantur littera, non vivificabantur spiritu; et in se gloriabantur, cum Apostoli et omnes promissionis filii gloriarentur in Christo. Deinde subjecit: Quanquam ego habeam fiduciam in carne: si quis alius in carne putat se fiduciam habere, magis ego. Et enumerans omnia quae secundum carnem habent gloriam, ad illud terminavit, ubi ait: Secundum justitiam quae in lege est, qui fuerim sine querela. Et cum haec sibi omnino damna et detrimenta et stercora fuisse dixisset, ut Christum lucrifaceret, adjecit unde agitur : Et inveniar in illo non habens justitiam meam, quae ex lege est, sed eam quae est per fidem Christi, quae est ex Deo. Hujus ergo justitiae perfectionem, quae non erit 0605 nisi in illa eminenti scientia Christi, propter quam sibi dixit omnia damnum esse, nondum se accepisse, confessus est, et propterea nondum esse perfectum. Sequor autem, inquit, si apprehendam, in quo et apprehensus sum a Christo Jesu. Tale est, apprehendam in quo et apprehensus sum; quale est, cognoscam sicut et cognitus sum. Fratres, inquit, ego me ipsum non arbitror apprehendisse: unum autem, quae retro sunt, oblitus, in ea quae ante sunt extentus, secundum intentionem sequor ad palmam supernae vocationis Dei in Christo Jesu. Ordo verborum est, unum autem sequor. De quo uno bene intelligitur et Dominus admonuisse Martham, ubi ait: Martha, Martha, sollicita es, et turbaris circa plurima; porro unum est necessarium (Luc. X, 41, 42). Hoc iste volens apprehendere, tanquam in via constitutus, sequi se dixit ad palmam supernae vocationis Dei in Christo Jesu. Quis autem cunctetur, cum hoc quod sequi se asseverat apprehenderit, tunc habiturum eum, justitiam aequalem justitiae sanctorum Angelorum, quorum neminem utique ne magnitudine revelationem extollatur, satanae angelus colaphizat? Deinde admonens eos qui possent illius justitiae plenitudine jam se putare perfectos, Quotquot ergo, inquit, perfecti, hoc sapiamus: tanquam diceret, Si secundum hominis mortalis capacitatem pro hujus vitae modulo perfecti sumus, ad ipsam perfectionem hoc quoque pertinere intelligamus, ut angelica illa, quae in Christi manifestatione nobis erit justitia, nondum nos perfectos esse sapiamus. Et si quid aliter sapitis, inquit, hoc quoque vobis Deus revelabit. Quomodo, nisi ambulantibus et proficientibus in via rectae fidei, donec ista peregrinatio finiatur, et ad speciem veniatur? Unde consequenter adjunxit: Verumtamen, in id quod pervenimus, in eo ambulemus. Deinde concludit, ut caveantur illi, de quibus hic locus sermonis ejus sumpsit exordium: Imitatores mei, inquit, estote, fratres, et intendite eos qui sic ambulant, sicut habetis formam nostram. Multi enim ambulant, de quibus saepe dicebam vobis, nunc etiam flens dico, inimicos crucis Christi, quorum finis est interitus (Philipp. III, 2-19), et caetera. Illi ipsi sunt, de quibus incipiens dixerat, Videte canes, videte malos operarios, et sequentia. Omnes itaque sunt inimici crucis Christi, qui volentes constituere suam justitiam, quae ex lege est, id est, littera tantum jubente, non spiritu implente, justitiae Dei non sunt subjecti. Si enim qui per legem, haeredes sunt; exinanita est fides (Rom. IV, 14). Si per legem justitia, ergo Christus gratis mortuus est (Galat. II, 21), ergo evacuatum est scandalum crucis (Id. V, 11). Ac per hoc illi inimici sunt crucis ejus, qui per legem dicunt esse justitiam, ad quam jubere pertinet, non juvare. Gratia vero Dei per Jesum Christum Dominum in Spiritu sancto, adjuvat infirmitatem nostram.