Philippians 3:12
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul admits he has not yet arrived but presses on to lay hold of what Christ laid hold of him for.
What Does Philippians 3:12 Mean?
Paul guards against any thought that he has reached the goal. He has not already attained or been made perfect, he says, but he keeps pressing on, striving to lay hold of that for which Christ first laid hold of him.
There is deep humility here. The great apostle does not claim to have arrived; he sees himself still in pursuit, still reaching. Yet his striving is full of confidence, for he was first apprehended by Christ, grasped and claimed by the Lord before he ever began to grasp. Paul runs after Christ because Christ first ran after him. This frames the whole Christian life as ongoing pursuit grounded in prior grace. We have not arrived, and that is no cause for despair; we press on, sustained by the One who already took hold of us and will not let us go.