Knowing Christ | Saturday: Live What You Have Received
SATURDAY | October 31, 2026
Knowing Christ | Room to Grow | Philippians 3:7-16
Mature believers remain teachable and walk faithfully in the truth Christ has already shown them.
Philippians 3:15-16
Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
English Standard Version
Devotional
Paul has denied that he is already perfect, yet he now speaks of those who are mature. Both statements are true. There is real growth that Christians can and should attain in this life, even though final perfection remains ahead. We do not have to choose between pretending we have arrived and claiming that maturity is impossible. Christ gives genuine growth, and the growing believer recognizes the need to keep going.
What does Paul mean by thinking this way? Look back across the passage we have considered this week. Christ is worth more than everything Paul formerly counted as gain. His righteousness comes from God through faith. He desires to know Christ, share his sufferings, and attain the resurrection. He presses on because Christ has made him his own. That whole pattern of thought, with its resulting pursuit, belongs to Christian maturity.
This gives us a searching measure for ourselves and for our church. We can possess considerable knowledge and still use it to defend pride. We can have powerful feelings during worship and remain unwilling to obey a clear command. Neither accurate answers nor strong emotions should be dismissed, but neither can replace Christlikeness. Knowing Christ changes how we evaluate our lives and how we respond when his Word confronts us.
Paul also trusts God to expose what still needs correction. That confidence should make us teachable. We do not have to protect the illusion that every judgment we presently hold is mature. God is kind to show his children where their thinking does not agree with his Word. His correction may reach us through Scripture, preaching, or a faithful brother who sees a blind spot we have overlooked. Our task is to receive truth humbly rather than defend ourselves automatically.
Verse 16 gives a clear responsibility while that growth continues: hold true to what we have attained. We must keep walking according to the truth we have already received. Waiting for greater understanding cannot become an excuse for neglecting plain obedience. You may not understand everything about sanctification, but you know you should confess sin. You may have much to learn about the church, but you know you should love the members Christ has joined to you.
This also shapes how we help one another. In Philippians 3:17, Paul directs believers to godly examples, and 1 Corinthians 11:1 makes the standard clear: imitate him as he imitates Christ. The point is never that a pastor or another mature believer becomes the final measure. Christ remains the measure. We learn from people whose dependence, repentance, and obedience help us see what following him looks like in ordinary life.
As we prepare to gather on the Lord’s Day, consider whether we are coming ready to receive what the Lord teaches us. Familiarity with sermons can produce the habit of evaluating what everyone else needs to hear. Maturity makes us willing to be addressed ourselves. We come needing the Word, grateful for fellow believers, and ready to serve. We should expect the truths we confess together to govern the way we treat one another when we leave.
If this week has exposed that you have only known about Christ, turn from your sin and trust him. His righteousness is sufficient for everyone who believes. If you belong to him, do not let the distance still ahead make you stop. Hold true to what you have received. Put one clear truth into practice today, ask God to correct what you do not yet see, and keep pressing on. There is room to grow because we have not yet become fully like our Savior.
Questions for Reflection and Application
How does Paul distinguish genuine maturity from having already reached perfection?
Which truth from this week have you understood but not yet put into practice?
How do you respond when Scripture or a faithful believer exposes a blind spot?
How will you prepare to receive the Word and serve the church tomorrow?
Journal
Review the week and name the truth that most directly confronted you. Write one action you will take, one person whose faithful example you can learn from, and a prayer for tomorrow’s gathering.
Meditate and Memorize
Related Scriptures
Philippians 3:7-17
Philippians 2:5-8
1 Corinthians 11:1
James 1:22-25
Memory verse - Philippians 3:16
Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Prayer
Father, make me teachable. Show me where my thinking and conduct resist your Word, and help me obey the truth I already know. Grow Twelve 5 Church in the likeness of your Son. As we gather tomorrow, give us humble hearts, attentive ears, and willing hands to serve one another. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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