Daily Writing

Philippians 3:10

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Epistles, Philippians, Philippians (written), Writings 0 Comment

Sunday, 5 February 2017

…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Philippians 3:10

These words now continue to explain the words of “that I may gain Christ” from verse 8, that in turn, was tied to the “knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” of the same verse. By gaining Christ, he (and thus we!) can then “know Him and the power of His resurrection.” This is an immediate act of knowledge. In other words, by putting all other things behind, we come to know Christ.

However, this knowledge will be something that we can and should build upon for all of our lives. Despite this, it is the immediate act which is being referred to. There is a time in a person’s life when they come to “know” that they are separate from God, and that Christ is the answer to that separation. It is He who can and does fill the need which cannot otherwise be met. And further, knowing Christ includes, and indeed hinges upon, knowing the power of His resurrection. If Christ was not raised from the dead, then as Paul says –

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-18

Without the resurrection, everything else falls apart. There is no atonement for sin, for example. If that is true, then the death of Christ was pointless. He died as any other criminal died, and He did so bearing sin, because death is the wages of sin. Unless He came out of the grave, proving that He had no sin, then sin He had. And so knowing the power of His resurrection allows us the desire, and even the confidence, to know Him in a fully assured and wonderful way. From this point, we simply grow in our knowledge of Him. This knowledge includes “the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Once it is accepted and believed that Christ is resurrected, it then should lead us to wonder why He was resurrected. Someone who is resurrected is someone who was dead. If a person is dead and then resurrects, we have full confidence in what that resurrection implies, but we should then look back on what caused the death in the first place. What is the significance of what occurred?

In Christ’s death comes atonement for sin. Thus, we can see that He died for us. We stand justified before God because of His death, of which the resurrection is the proof. As noted above, if Jesus died in a state of sin, then He was no Christ, but rather a false Christ. But if He died without sin (proven by the resurrection), then He is the Christ and His work is sufficient for the work God promised in Him, even from the foundation of the world.

From this understanding, we then should desire to know the fellowship of His sufferings. He died for sin for us, and so we should also die to sin through Him. This isn’t simply the state of justification which we are granted by faith in Him; this is the process of sanctification where we grow to become more like Him. In this, we conform to His death – dying to sin because He died for sin.

But there is more to consider. Christ’s death wasn’t just an atonement for sin, but it was an act of selfless love. It was an act of devotion to His Father, and it was a pattern to follow. In all ways (of which we could ponder so many more), we are to join to Christ and become Christ-like. This theme literally permeates the New Testament. Of numerous passages and verses, we can go to Romans 8:17, 2 Corinthians 1:5, Colossians 1:24, and 2 Timothy 2:11. Even Peter wrote of this in 1 Peter 4:13.

Life application: When we give the gospel to someone and they accept it – that he has sin, that he deserves death because of sin, that Jesus took his place in the payment of that sin-debt, and that He rose again to prove this – we merely start that person on a journey which should then be pursued with every fiber of his being. We should not be content to say, “You are now on the highway to heaven (which is certainly true), but we should say, “You have just started on the assured highway to heaven. Use your time until you get there wisely, and get to know Christ in every detail and every way imaginable. In doing so, you will live a life far more satisfying than any other way you could live it.”

Lord God Almighty, is it enough to simply be saved and guaranteed a place in heaven because of what Jesus did? Surely what He did is enough for that guarantee, but it should never be “enough” for us while we remain here. Instead, give us the desire to know Him fully. To know the power of His resurrection, to know the fellowship of His sufferings, and to be conformed to His death. Help us to live our lives in Christ, for Christ, and with Christ in view at all times, never being merely satisfied with the final reward of heaven, but pursuing the immediate and beautiful reward of knowing Christ intimately, even as we await our promised inheritance. Amen.

 

Philippians 3:9

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Epistles, Epistles (written), Philippians, Philippians (written), Writings 0 Comment

Saturday, 4 February 2017

…and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; Philippians 3:9

Following up on his words of the previous verse where he said, “that I may gain Christ,” Paul now shows what that means. It is to “be found in Him.” In dying to the world, we live to Christ. We positionally move from Adam to Jesus. Whereas we once were fallen and destined to eternal separation from God because of both inherited and committed sin, we become alive in Christ, having both cancelled. Our sin debt dies with Him on the cross and we are granted His righteousness.

Paul explains this by saying, “not having my own righteousness.” This should be worded, “not having a righteousness of my own.” It then eliminates any other type of righteousness than the one he will identify; something which could be implied in this translation. Paul is stating clearly and unambiguously that he possesses no such righteousness “which is from the law.” This idea is explained by Paul elsewhere. In Galatians 2, he says –

“We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:15, 16

The law could not justify, or make righteous, anyone. Rather, it stood opposed to that. Only a person with inherit righteousness could satisfy the law, but other than Jesus, there is none righteous. Instead of being justified by the law, Paul states that he is found in Christ Jesus by possessing a righteousness “which is through faith in Christ.”

Faith in the work of Christ is what grants someone righteousness. This is explained in Ephesians 2:8, 9. However, Paul is showing the contrast of this to that of those who apply adherence to the law into their life and conduct. In Romans 10:3, he explains it this way –

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Christ bears inherit righteousness, and He also fulfilled the law. Through faith in Him, righteousness is imputed to us. If we reinsert the law, we seek to establish our own righteousness apart from Christ. In this, there can be no hope. Only by faith in Christ can we possess His righteousness, “the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Charles Ellicott states this concerning the final two clauses of this verse –

“This verse is notable, as describing the true righteousness; first imperfectly, as coming ‘through faith of Jesus Christ,’ a description which discloses to us only its means, and not its origin; next, completely, as ‘a righteousness coming from God on the sole condition of faith’—faith being here viewed not as the means, but as the condition, of receiving the divine gift.”

Life application: What do you suppose you could add to the work of Jesus to satisfy God’s righteous demands? Let’s see – He was born without sin. Were you? He lived under the Law of Moses perfectly. Have you? He died in fulfillment of the law. Did you? He annulled the law through its fulfillment. Did you know? He offers us salvation by grace, imputing to us His righteousness, if we simply believe. Do you? Ok then, what more can you add to these things in order to be “more righteous” before God? Think it through, and then put away your childish attempts to be “super holy” by reinserting a law which can only condemn you.

Lord God, Your word shows us that Christ was born without sin. He lived under the Law of Moses perfectly. He died in fulfillment of the law. The law was annulled when it was fulfilled, and a New Covenant was established in His shed blood, one based on faith in what He has done. How can we be so utterly foolish as to think that adhering to precepts of an annulled law could ever make us more righteous? Do we presume to know better than You? Do we presume that we can be “more righteous” than Christ the Lord? Help us to think clearly and to rest in Your grace, offered through the work of Jesus. Amen. 

 

 

Philippians 3:8

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Epistles, Epistles (written), Philippians (video), Philippians (written), Writings 0 Comment

Friday, 3 February 2017

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… Philippians 3:8

Paul’s amazing statement here is an explanation and expansion of the previous verse. Taken together they read –

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…”

The words “what things” of the previous verse was speaking of his great personal qualities of lineage and heritage, along with his special status within Israelite society. However, setting those things aside was not all that Paul considered “loss for Christ.” Rather, he continues on with “Yet indeed I also count all things loss.”

There was nothing that he had worked for or accomplished in his life that was of any value to him in relation to true satisfaction or boasting he now made in his Lord. When he met Christ, the most precious memory, and the most hoped-for goal, were alike considered as loss. His very being was converted from that which is earthly and carnal to that which is heavenly and spiritual. Nothing of this world mattered and was “loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

The word for “excellence” here is actually a verb. It indicates “the excelling knowledge.” In other words, whatever is of note is vastly outshined by knowing Christ. If one carries a dab of perfume into a perfume factory, what was considered a sweet and powerful smell will be lost in the overwhelming amount of fragrance which fills the building. If one were to have a flashlight on a path while walking in full sunshine, the light of the flashlight would not even be noticeable. If one were to be in a dry desert with but a drop of water left in the canteen, it would be forgotten if that person were to come upon a large flowing river of the purest water.

Paul is trying to describe that which cannot be fully described. The superlative nature of Christ and what He offers simply overwhelms anything that we could hold up as of value. In comparison to Him, it is nothing. For this reason, he continues with words of strength by saying, “for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.”

One would think of loss as a weakness, but when that loss is compared to what has been obtained in its place, it is the greatest Source of strength of all. No thing, and no accumulation of things – even to an exceedingly enormous amount of stuff – could ever compare to the infinite gain which is experienced in knowing Christ.

Understanding this, he then describes what all of his “gain” actually means in relation to knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. He says he counts “them as rubbish.” The word is skýbalon. It is only found here in the Bible, and it is believed to be a combination of the word “dog” and the word “throw.” In other words, all of his gain is that which is only worth throwing to the dogs, such as filthy refuse, table scraps, and the like. It is good for nothing and it simply discarded. Considering that he has called the Judaizers of verse 2 “dogs,” he is indicating that their teachings and the things they boast in are just that, refuse.

Instead of being pleased with these things and trusting in them, he has cast them away so that he “may gain Christ.” The play on words seems evident. He says the loss that he suffered from his supposed “gains” is a gain in and of itself. The treasure and honor of knowing Christ is of infinite value because it stems from the infinite Creator. Nothing else could compare to this, and so any loss is – by default – gain.

Life application: We live in this world and we can and should enjoy what this world provides, but we should never allow those things to have us. Rather, we are to have them, but only with a loose grasp of them. When the time is right, Christ will come and those things which we now possess will seem as the most useless and unimportant things imaginable. Let us not hold fast to this world as we pass through it.

Lord God, we are surrounded by our possessions which we have accumulated throughout our lives. But in the end, they are just temporary things which will all be gone at some point. And not the finest thing we possess is even a close comparison to our having and knowing Christ Jesus. If everything we had was represented by a single drop of perfume, what good would it be in the largest, most magnificent perfume factory? We would not even notice what we had thought was so wonderful. Help us to delight in the surpassing greatness of Christ, and not be consumed by the transitory world in which we live. Amen.

 

 

Philippians 3:7

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Epistles, Epistles (written), Philippians, Philippians (written), Writings 0 Comment

Thursday, 2 February 2017

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Philippians 3:7

Paul now sums up all of the confidence in the flesh of the previous two verses in one thought, beginning with “But…” The word is given to contrast those things of supposed high accolade and honor. Instead he says, “…what things were gain to me.” The word kerdos, or “gain,” in Greek is plural. Thus it says, “gains.” He lumps all of these worldly badges of honor and distinction into one, using a word which indicates profit which is “acquired through ‘faith-trading’” (HELPS Word Studies). In other words, he had put his faith in these things as that which assured him his high status in this world, and his right-standing before God in the next.

Instead though, he continues with the words, “these things I have counted loss for Christ.” He contrasts the “gains” of the first clause with zémia, or “loss.” The word signifies “damage (detriment); a mercantile term for “loss“; a “bad deal” (unsuccessful business transaction) which results in a fine (penalty, forfeiture)” (HELPS Word Studies). In other words, it is as if he first gambled on those things to secure his status, and then found that the bet was a loser. They weren’t a sure bet, or even a break-even one. Instead, they were a losing bet, and a source of loss.

The contrast of using a plural word for the supposed gains, and a singular for the actual loss is striking. All his supposed gains were realized in one great loss which was “for Christ.” He had to walk away from it all in order to come to Christ. And so come he did, with empty hands concerning each and every one of them. And not only that, but the perfect tense of the word “counted” signifies that they were loss, and they continued to be loss. There would NEVER be a time when he could use those things as a benefit. They were cast to the dust bin of the history of his life. All was Christ, and Christ was his All-in-all.

Life application: Think hard on the words of this verse. The highest honors and achievements that the greatest in Hebrew society could obtain were utterly useless in establishing a right relationship with God. If this is so, and it is, what more could you add to what Christ has done? Nothing. Diddly-doo. Trust in Christ, rest in Christ, and be content that His work alone is sufficient for your passage into the heavenly realms.

Lord God, the greatest honors and accolades of the greatest achiever in Hebrew society were set aside and counted as loss in order to obtain Christ. Lineage, education, circumcision, family affiliation, and all the rest was lumped into one mass, and then it was cast into the rubbish bin of his life… all in order to exalt Jesus Christ. If this is so with him, then what could any of us hope in that would merit Your favor from our lives? Zippo. Not a single thing. Like Saul of Tarsus, we come to You with empty hands and grateful hearts for the marvelous work of Jesus Christ. Hail that name which is above every name! Amen.

 

 

Philippians 3:6

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Epistles, Epistles (written), Philippians, Philippians (written), Writings 0 Comment

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

…concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Philippians 3:6

Paul gives a completion to the list of his points of earthly boasting in this verse. It is not that he is actually boasting in them, but that if he were to boast, it would be in these things. He notes, “…concerning zeal, persecuting the church.” There is an irony in this thought. As it says in Galatians 1:23 –

“He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Paul was definitely zealous towards those things he was passionate about. Before coming to Christ, he lived as a Pharisee. In this position, he felt that the church was the aberrant sect, and that he must do everything possible in order to stamp it out.

In Romans 10:2, he shows how Israel which had not called on Jesus was in the same position –

“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

Without understanding the Person and work of Christ, there remained a zeal within the Jewish community for the Law of Moses which established them as a people. It is natural for one to be zealous about such things. However, Christ is the end of the law for all who believe. Therefore, the zeal is misdirected. In this misdirected condition, he was zealous for persecuting the church. He notes this specifically numerous times in his other letters. For example, he says this in 1 Corinthians 15:9 –

“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

He also notes this in Galatians 1:13 & 1:23, and he hints at it in 1 Timothy 1:13. Even more, the book of Acts describes his efforts in detail concerning his persecution of the church. If he were still one who held to the law as necessary, he would be able to boast more than anyone about this matter. But he goes on. He next says, “…concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

This was the righteousness of which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:23 –

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The scribes and the Pharisees were meticulous in how they observed the law, carefully following every precept. They held so fast to the law that they felt they had merited God’s favor because of it, considering themselves blameless. However, this showed that they didn’t really understand the law as well as they may have. Within the law was the mandatory Day of Atonement which they were required to observe. The fact that this was required should have shown them that they still needed mercy. As this is so, their righteousness was still lacking. This is why Jesus said that a person’s righteousness needed to exceed that of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Paul was only righteous before the law insofar as he held to every precept externally, but he needed an internal change to grant him true righteousness. This will be realized in his coming words.

Life application: When someone does something truly harmful in the name of their religion, it is because they really believe it is the right thing to do. What they need is to be shown the truth of Jesus Christ. This is why missionaries go even into Islamic nations. They are willing to put their own lives at risk in order to show these wayward souls that the path they believe is incorrect. When we can empathize with the viewpoint of others, we can then work to correct their faulty views of what God expects of each of us.

Lord God, it is truly sad that we as a species believe that we can merit Your favor and stand righteous before You by working out deeds of the law. Even in the law itself, there was a mandatory Day of Atonement. This implied that those participants needed atonement. Therefore, there is none righteous before You. Thank God for Jesus Christ who IS our atonement. In Him, there is complete and perfection reconciliation. Thank God for Jesus Christ. Amen.