Pressing on the Upward Way

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Christian to press toward three goals in Christ:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Is it possible to attain to the high calling, receive the mark, or gain the prize without Christ? Let us examine what is meant by Paul to be in Christ, to press toward our high -calling, the mark and tile prize.

In Christ

What does it mean to be in Christ?

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all tings are become new:” 1 Corinthians 5: 17

When we are in Christ old things pass away. In leaving behind the old things,. We must necessarily fill the void with something new. What is it that we leave behind? What do we receive in its place that makes us new?

“Christ is to live in Him human agents and work through their faculties and act through their capabilities. Their will must be submitted to His will; they must tact with His Spirit. Then it is no more they that live, but Christ that lives in them.”

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings p.94.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

We leave behind our will, our thoughts, our actions. They are exchanged for the will and desires of Christ, When we submit our will to Christ, and act with His Spirit, we become a new creature because Christ lives in us:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk nor after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 ,”

To be in Christ means to walk by faith (the Spirit) and to crucify the flesh. ‘It is only then that we are free of the condemnation of the law.

When we have Christ living in us, what is the natural reaction in our life?

“If Christ be in us the hope of glory, we shall walk even as He walked; we shall imitate His life of sacrifice to bless others; we shall drink of the cup, and be baptized with the baptism; we shall welcome a life of devotion, trial, and self-denial, for Christ’s sake. Heaven will be cheap enough whatever sacrifice we may make to obtain it.” Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2, p.73

Why did Christ have to live a life of sacrifice? What is the walk of Christ that we must follow in? Christ was consciously pressing toward something. He had a mission.

“Think hot that I have come ‘to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.

What does Jesus mean by this? ‘How did He fulfill the law and the prophets?

Speaking of the law, Jesus said; “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” He here used the word “fulfill” in the same sense as when He declared to John the Baptist His “purpose to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15); that is, to fi11 up the measure of the law’s requirement, to give an example of perfect conformity to the will of God: ‘ Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing; p. 48

‘Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”. Heb.5:8,’9 ‘

Christ had to live a life of sacrifice, obedience and suffering because He was being made perfect. It then follows that if we are to walk as 1esus walked, and imitate His life of sacrifice, we will be made perfect through our sufferings: This is the high calling that we are to press towards -perfection of character in Christ.

Our High Calling

‘The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of continual advancement. We have an object to reach, a standard to gain, which includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated. There should be continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character. …” Counsels to Teachers. Parents and Students-p. 365.

“Every day we should make advancement. in gaining perfection of character, and this we shall certainly do if we press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.” Sons and Daughters of God p. 368.

“If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, … our lives wilt reveal whether the grace of God is dwelling within us. A change will be seen in the character; the habits, the pursuits;” Steps to Christ p. 57.

In order to serve God, we must become partakers of the afflictions of the gospel – which are the sufferings or Christ: There is a reason for the sufferings we are to go through, and we must always bear this reason in mind – we are called, “with an holly calling” Yet we are not expected to go through these afflictions in our own strength.

“By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey. ” Desire of Ages p. 24.

“Set your faces heavenward, and press toward the mark for the prize of your high calling in Christ Jesus. Run the Christian race with patience, and rise superior to every temptation, however grievous it may be, that shall come to you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God; and if you are desirous of taking the first upward step, you will find His hand stretched out to help you.” Sons and Daughters of God p. 80.

What happens when we attain to this high calling? How is the high calling related to the mark which Paul exhorts us to press toward?

The Mark

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel,” Revelation 7:2-4

Those that in Christ continually press toward the high calling will receive a mark. This mark, or seal, and the high calling are inseparable. You cannot receive the one without attaining to the other.

“John saw a Lamb on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 having His Father’s name written in their foreheads. They bore the signet of heaven, They reflected the image of God. They were full of the light and the glory of the Holy One. If we would have the image and superscription of God upon us, we must separate ourselves from all iniquity. We must forsake every evil way, and then we must trust our cases in the hands of Christ.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 p. 978

“Those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive the seal of the living God. . , . Only those who, in their attitude before God. are filling the position of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great anti-typical day of atonement, will be recognized and marked as worthy of God’s protection. .. . Let your souls answer the question, Does my character correspond to the qualifications essential that I n)ay receive a passport to the mansions Christ has prepared for those who are fitted for them? Holiness must be inwrought in our character.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 445, 446

The Apostle Paul tells us that the mark is given to us for a purpose. We have discovered so far that the mark is given to those who, by the power of Christ, obtain perfection of character. The question now presented to us is: what is the prize given to those that have the mark, or seal, of God?

The Prize

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7, 8

Our salvation is given to us through sanctification. We-are sanctified as we grow in grace, walking as Jesus walked, having fellowship with His sufferings, being conformed unto His death. This is a life-long task. Sanctification leads to the fulfillment of salvation – a crown of righteousness. And as we have seen, this incorruptible crown can only be received by those, with an incorruptible character.

Hebrews 10:35-39 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

After we have done the will of God, we will receive the promise. When we are in Christ, we will have a change of character. When we have a change of character, through the power of Christ, we receive the seal of God. To those that have the seal of God will be given a crown of righteousness.

It is my prayer that we will be of those that believe to the saving of our souls. Let us’ continue, through the grace of God, to press on the upward way.