March 24, 2025 -- Philippians 3:8-11 -- Untitled

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Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:8-11 ESV
 
One of the reasons that reading little snippets of the Bible leads to difficulty is found here in our passage today. Taken all by itself, it sounds like Paul (and by extension we as Christians) have to do all the work. He is working to know Christ. He is counting all other things in life as rubbish. He is striving for the righteousness of God that is not his own. (Righteousness is making God’s way one’s own way. Righteousness is the desire and the ability to keep God’s law.) If that is your take-away today, welcome to exhaustion and frustration. But that is not what he is saying.
 
The broader context emphasizes first the fact that we are “partakers of grace” (Phil. 1:7). We are righteous because the work of Jesus Christ, His perfect and willing obedience to the Father has been credited to you and me when He was punished in our place for our sins. More than this, “it is God Who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). God, knowing the depths of our sins, the history of our every wicked deed, has provided salvation full and free in Jesus Christ. We rest in Him. We find our righteousness in Him.
 
Here is where the Sovereignty of God comes into play. He has fully, perfectly and finally, covered all our sins. We can not be more loved, more truly His beloved son or daughter than we are now. He has done all that is necessary. Now our part is response. We, as people who are utterly loved by God and totally set free from our sins, desire to walk in the freedom of Christ’s reconciling love. We realize we are by our out-of-alignment human nature inclined to walk right back into the sinfulness that is so familiar to us. So, God has done 100% of the work for us and our salvation. In view of that, Paul desires to contribute 100% of his effort to implement that salvation into every part of his being. He is already saved. But he knows he still sins. He is already alive in Christ. But he knows he will readily return to dead works of his sinful past. So, as he writes to the Philippians, he is preaching to his own soul, to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.
 
This is the confusion many have in the Christian life. They believe having been saved, things in this new life should be easier. Sin should look, well, less attractive. Temptations should like a cartoon arrow fast-full speed whistling right at us but smashing to a stop six centimeters away from us, as if we had an invisible force field shield of faith all around us. What Paul is teaching the Philippians, and all subsequent readers, is that God has done it. We are alive in Christ. Now, walk in the newness of life that is yours. Deliberately walk away from the sinful patterns. They are habits you used to automatically go towards, so they are hard patterns to break. Look to the example of Christ, see how fellow Christians, whom you admire, walk with God, and exercise this new body of faith and this new mind which is yours in Christ according to the pattern you see in Christ and His people. It is hard work. But you are not yet used to this new resurrection body. You are not used to having both the Spirit-fueled desire and the Spirit-filled ability to fight sin, so you do not instinctively call on the help that is available to you. Learn to ask God for the help He is so ready to give you.
 
God, our Gracious and Perfect Father, the Giver of every good gift, has designed suffering as well as resurrection power to be granted to you so that you will exercise this newness of life. As you try it out, you’ll be amazed how this new life in Christ suits you. The Spirit will help you learn how each part of your new life works and moves and can react in faith and power against sin. You’ll fail. Yep. So, confess it. You will choose wrongly. You know it. And the Spirit will redirect you so that, in resurrection power, you will with fear and trembling work out the gift of salvation already granted to you.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the righteousness that is mine in Christ Jesus, my Lord. I confess this new life in Christ is still so new to me. Some aspects are still so foreign to me. I am easily led astray by the lying whispers of the devil who calls me back to more familiar habits and pitfalls. Holy Spirit, as is promised in the Word, grant me the will and the commensurate ability to work out God’s purposes for me so that in every part of my life Christ is glorified. The more I exercise my new mind and new body let it, as it was designed to do, more naturally and readily move at the impulses of Your love. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/gVyWpfEY0Kc?si=lDujoX7elUWWXdde Take My Life and Let It Be
nb: the music starts at 1:33
 

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