Philippians 3:17-21 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“17Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you. 18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

“20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.”

Godly Living

This was the apostle Paul speaking. He was a man of God who lived a godly life who was walking by the Spirit in obedience to the Lord in daily living, and for whom sin was no longer his practice. He took the commands of God seriously, to heart, to obey them faithfully. He was so confident of his walk of faith in the Lord that he encouraged other Christians to follow his example.

So, if you hear people saying that Paul was engaged in sinful practices, based off Romans 7, please test what they say against Romans 6 & 8 and the rest of the Scriptures and the other things which Paul taught. He could not have been a man who habitually sinned against the Lord, then taught the things which he taught, and then encouraged others to follow him. For he taught that if sin is our practice, and not holiness, and not righteousness, that we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

Encouraging Christians

So, here he is encouraging the Christians to follow his godly example of what it means to be followers of Christ. And that includes carefully observing those who walk according to the pattern he and the other apostles set for them. And this was to be in contrast to the many who were living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And what does that look like? It means to be opposed to God and to His commands, but not in words only, but in life practice. For many confess Christ and yet deny him by their sinful practices.

So, what does that look like? How will we know who is living a holy life pleasing to the Lord and who is living a sinful life in disobedience to God? Honestly, that is not always that easy to identify. It depends on what outward appearances they present versus how they live in the privacy of their own homes, or in their own bedrooms, or offices, or in a corner of a room with an internet device in hand not visible to anyone else in the room. Some sins can be kept hidden while outward appearances seem righteous.

Spiritual Discernment

So, this is where spiritual discernment comes into play, not that we should ever judge anyone by outward appearances alone, especially if we are seeing this person only once and for the first time. But we should test the spirits to see which ones are of God. Observe attitudes, behaviors, speech, thinking, habits, etc. Is there any outward evidence that this person is of God who is living for the Lord, who is spreading His word to others? Or by all appearances is this a person whose mind is set on the things of the world?

Do they ever mention Jesus? Do they talk about their walk of faith in Christ to others? Are they living morally pure lives? Are they sharing the gospel with other people? Are they encouraging others to give their lives to Christ and to live holy lives pleasing to God? Do they share what the Lord is teaching them through His word each day and how they are applying that to their lives? And here I recall the passage of Scripture in Acts 4:13 BSB:

“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

There was something about these two men and how they were living and in what they were speaking, and in how they handled themselves which led others to notice that these men had been with Jesus. And that is how it should be for us, too. There should be signs and symptoms in the things which we say and do that give off the message that we have been with Jesus, not physically, but spiritually, in our times of fellowship with Him each day in His word and in how that is impacting how we live and what we say.

By Faith in Jesus Christ

By faith in Jesus Christ, we must deny self, die to sin (repent of sin) and obey God and His commands in life practice. This does not make us perfect, but sin must no longer have control over our lives to where we habitually obey the lusts of the flesh. We should be people of God who are living for the Lord, who are listening for His voice, and who are obeying His commands. We should be walking in the ways of the Lord and no longer in the ways of the sinful flesh with minds set on earthly things.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Following the Right Examples
An Original Work / September 16, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When in The Stillness

An Original Work / September 26, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When in the stillness of this moment,
Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be my desire, set me on fire,
Teach me to love always.
Help me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper Your words to me,
Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.

While we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord, in our hearts be King today.
Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning to what You say.
May we not stray from your word within us,
Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,
Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be an example of Your love,
Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,
Showing them Your great love.
Teach them to love You, follow You always,
Bearing their cross and turning from sin;
Walking in daily fellowship with You,
Making You Lord and King.