Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Philippians 3:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Paul does not claim spiritual arrival. He gathers his effort into a forward-reaching pursuit, leaving former status gains and past achievements unable to define his present direction.
Read It With
- Philippians 3:13–14
Forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward, and pressing toward the goal are parts of one athletic image.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Verse 12 denied that Paul had already attained resurrection completion. Verse 13 restates that humility and begins the athletic image completed by pressing toward the goal in verse 14.
Read Philippians 3:13–14 together
Why these verses belong together: Paul's forward reach and pressing toward the goal are one athletic image.
Verse 13. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Verse 14. 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Follow the Context
- Paul says plainly that he has not attained the goal or been perfected.
- He pursues because Christ Jesus has already taken hold of him.
- He refuses to let what lies behind control the pursuit ahead.
- He presses toward God's call in Christ.
- The mature share this mindset, remain teachable, and live faithfully by what they already understand.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Philippians 3:13 does not command people to erase memory, deny harm, or abandon every past responsibility.
The verse does not turn Christian maturity into generic self-optimization.
What Remains True
Mature Christian pursuit remains humble about unfinished growth and oriented toward God's future in Christ.
How It Can Shape Life
- Refuse both complacency about past achievement and paralysis under past failure; keep pursuing the Christ-defined goal Paul names.
Teach It Back
Explain why Philippians 3:13 cannot be separated from verses 12 and 14. What is Paul reaching toward?
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Philippians 3:12–16 — Keep Pursuing the Goal Christ Has SetSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The KJV wording and immediate English context for Philippians 3:12–16.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Philippians 3; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and punctuation used as the base text for this passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Phil.txt, Philippians 3, verses within Philippians 3:12–16.
Open the Philippians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Philippians with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Material English translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants identified for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Philippians 3, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Philippians 3:12–16.
Open NET Philippians 3 ↗A major interpretive source
Philippians: A Commentary
Paul A. Holloway
Fortress Press, Hermeneia, 2017
Supports: Passage structure, historical setting, Greek analysis, and interpretive alternatives tested against the primary text.
Exact location: Paul A. Holloway, Philippians: A Commentary (Hermeneia), pp. 171–177.
Open the book record ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: A cross-check of the Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for words surfaced to readers.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Greek lexical records, Philippians 3, verses within Philippians 3:12–16.
Open source ↗