Philippians 3:13 teaches that Christians should not treat their past achievements, or past failures, as the final word on who they are. Paul says he keeps letting go of what lies behind him and keeps reaching toward what lies ahead in Christ. The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Philippi, a congregation he loved and had founded on his earlier missionary journey.
Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before…
Philippians 3:13 (WEB)
What Philippians 3:13 Means
Paul begins with a confession of honesty: he does not consider himself to have fully arrived. Before this point in the letter he has listed his impressive religious credentials, and now he says none of them amount to a finished spiritual life. The word “regard” signals that this is his considered judgment about himself, not a passing humility.
The verse then describes two movements. “Forgetting the things which are behind” does not mean erasing memory or ignoring the lessons of the past. It means refusing to let old accomplishments make you complacent and refusing to let old failures keep you stuck. “Stretching forward” is a vivid image of an athlete leaning toward a finish line, body fully extended. The verse promises a direction and a posture of pursuit, not a guarantee that you will reach the goal on your own schedule.
The Context of Philippians 3:13
Philippians was written by Paul while he was imprisoned, probably in Rome or possibly in another city, and it is addressed to believers in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. The letter is warm and personal, full of thanksgiving for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. Chapter 3 contains a sharp warning against those who trust in outward religious status, and Paul answers that temptation by pointing to his own record and then calling it worthless compared with knowing Christ.
In the verses just before, Paul speaks of wanting to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and in the verses after he urges the church to keep moving forward together. Read in that setting, Philippians 3:13 is not a private pep talk about self-improvement. It is part of a shared call to pursue Christ with a single focus, and it shows why the pressing forward belongs to the whole community.
Key Phrases in Philippians 3:13
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
(WEB)
This verse describes the new creation that comes through Christ, which gives the believer a fresh start and a new identity. It supplies the theological ground for Paul’s willingness to leave the past behind in Philippians 3:13.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…
(WEB)
This verse uses the image of a race and calls believers to lay aside every hindrance and run with endurance. It echoes the athletic picture of forward striving that Paul uses in his letter to the Philippians.
A Short Prayer From Philippians 3:13
Lord, you know the failures I keep carrying and the successes I sometimes cling to when I should be moving on. Help me to release what lies behind, both the shame that weighs me down and the pride that tempts me to rest. Stir in me the same forward reach that Paul describes, so that I pursue you with my whole heart each day. Thank you that your calling is still ahead of me and that you are faithful to finish what you have begun in me. Amen.
