Charles Ellicott Commentary Philippians 3:17

"Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample." — Philippians 3:17 (ASV)

Followers together of me.—The word is peculiar. It signifies unite in following me. In accordance with the characteristic spirit of the whole Epistle, St. Paul offers his example as a help not only to righteousness but to unity. For the simple phrase “followers of me,” see 1 Corinthians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:9.

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, a passage dealing with the right restraints of Christian liberty, we have the ground on which the exhortation is based, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. In that consciousness, knowing the unique power of example, both for teaching and for encouragement, St. Paul will not allow even humility to prevent him from bringing it to bear on them. Yet even then we note how gladly he escapes from “followers of me” to the “having us for an example.”

On verses 17-21:

In these verses St. Paul turns from the party of Pharisaic perfection to the opposite party of Antinomian profligacy, claiming, no doubt, to walk in the way of Christian liberty that he preached. The coexistence of these two parties was, it may be remarked, a feature of the Gnosticism already beginning to show itself in the Church.

He deals with this perversion of liberty into licentiousness in exactly the same spirit as in Romans 6, but with greater brevity; with less argument and more grave condemnation. It stands, indeed, he says, self-condemned, by the very fact of our present citizenship in heaven, and our growth towards the future perfection of likeness to Christ in glory.