Philippians 3:13
“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,”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Context
Paul, having spoken of his desire to know Christ and attain the resurrection, clarifies that he has not yet reached the goal but presses on toward it.
What Does Philippians 3:13 Mean?
Paul admits that he has not yet arrived, and he describes his life as a focused pursuit: forgetting the past and straining toward what lies ahead. This honest confession comes from a mature apostle -- he does not claim to have "apprehended" or fully grasped the goal. Such humility frees the reader from the false pressure of imagined perfection while modeling relentless forward motion. "This one thing I do" signals a focused, undivided life; Paul's energies are not scattered but concentrated on a single aim.
Two movements define his pursuit. "Forgetting those things which are behind" means refusing to be held captive by the past -- both past failures that might breed despair and past achievements that might breed complacency. He does not erase memory but refuses to let it anchor him. "Reaching forth unto those things which are before" pictures a runner stretching every muscle toward the finish, the whole body leaning into the goal. The image is of strenuous, eager effort. For the reader, this verse offers both grace and challenge: grace, because even a great saint had not arrived; challenge, because the Christian life is a forward press, not a place to settle. The past is not the measure of the future when one's eyes are fixed ahead on Christ.
In the Original Language
The verb "epekteinomai" (reaching forth) pictures an athlete stretching forward toward the finish line; "katalambanō" (apprehended) means to seize or fully grasp.
Cross References
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 3:14
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
- Hebrews 12:1
“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- Luke 9:62
Application
Refuse to be held back by past failures or successes, and press forward with focused effort toward the goal God has set before you.