Philippians 3

Can you recall from memory the main content of chapters 1 and 2? What did they cover?

Review these chapters from your studies before launching into Philippians 3.

Read Chapter 3 several times to get an overall view. Then proceed to the “WHAT DOES IT SAY?” part of your study.

In Philippians 3 and 4 you have a choice. You can continue to summarize and title the contents by paragraphs, as you have been doing in summary outline fashion. Or you can outline the chapter.

Whether you choose to do summary outlines or straight outlines, your goal is to dig in and find out what the chapter says, then record it.

The first step for either method (summary outlining or outlining) is to decide on the major divisions of the chapter. Then give each division a brief title or heading.

If you are making a summary outline, proceed to summarize the portion of the chapter included in each division. This time try to condense your summary to an average of 4 to 8 words per verse—that is, about 85 to 170 words for the chapter. Making your summary more compact will give you a clearer grasp of the chapter.

If you outline, consider each main division and, if possible, separate it into smaller subdivisions. These in turn can sometimes be further divided into subpoints.

Look over the sample outline of the first 14 verses of Chapter 3, then try making your own outline of the whole chapter on scratch paper. Your outline may be different from the sample shown, or it may incorporate parts of it. After completing your outline, write it into your book.

Sample outline of Philippians 3:1-14
A. False and true religion (1-3)
  1. False stresses fleshly works (1,2)
  2. True rests in faith (3)
B. Paul's testimony and experience (4-14)
  1. Past self-righteousness (4-6)
    a. Pride in Jewish tradition (4,5)
    b. Zeal in righteous works (6)
  2. Present confidence in Christ (7-14)
    a. Forsook all for Christ (7-9)
      (1) Christ superior to former possessions (7,8)
      (2) Christ's righteousness superior to self-righteousness (9)
    b. New goal is Christ (10-14)
      (1) To know and be identified with Christ (10,11)
      (2) To carry out God's calling (12-14)

Meditate through the chapter verse by verse and find cross references for several important verses.