I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
Parallel translations
- WEB I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
- KJV I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
- NKJV I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- NASB I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- NLT I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul presses toward the finish line to win the prize of God's heavenly calling in Christ. The whole Christian life aims at this God-given goal.
Overview
The racing image culminates: the 'goal' is the finish line and the 'prize' is the fullness of life with Christ, the upward call of God. This calling is 'in Christ Jesus,' meaning both its origin and its reward are found in him. The prize is not earned by striving but received by grace, yet it rightly motivates wholehearted pursuit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Cor 9:24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.
- 1 Pet 5:10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
- Rev 3:21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- 2 Tim 4:7–8I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
- Rom 8:28–30And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
- 1 Th 2:12encouraging you, comforting you, and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
- 2 Pet 1:3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
- Heb 3:1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
- 1 Pet 1:3–4Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- 1 Pet 1:13Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Heb 6:1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
- 2 Cor 4:17For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
- 2 Th 2:13–14But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.
- Rom 9:23–24What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—
- Luke 16:16The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The one who, being in the form of God, emptied himself to the point of death on a cross and was exalted to the name above every name — the joy and prize of the believer.
How Philippians 3:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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