The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ
‘Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Pressing toward the Goal
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.’ Philippians 3:1-21(NLT)
Host: Welcome to Through the Word, leading you on a journey through the entire Bible, one chapter at a time. Today Kris Langham guides us through the New Testament book of Philippians. Now to Pastor Kris.
Welcome back friends! Philippians chapter 3 today, and the attack of the joy-killers. Chapter 3 is a warning against a joyless and miserable sort of Christianity. How is it that Christianity makes some people joyful, kind-hearted, and awesome to be around – and turns others into judgmental, self-righteous trolls? Chapter 3 has the answer, and the solution. Let’s start in verse 1:
“Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!” (Philippians 3:1).
Stop there. I like this command. Rejoice! Remember, Philippians is a joyful book, but it’s not about joy. Joy is just a result. The book is much more about how you think: mindset and attitude. Chapter 2 was a call to unity, by thinking of others above yourself. Humility. The Jesus attitude. And it is a joyful way to think.
So chapter 3 starts with a call to rejoice, but then a warning. There is another mindset that can steel your joy faster than the Hamburgler steels hamburgers. What is it? Verse 2:
“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh” (3:2).
Now when Paul says to watch out for dogs, he’s not talking about my little terrier, George McDuff. These are rabid dogs with sharp fangs and a vicious disease that’s ready to infect. The disease is self-righteousness.
Righteousness means doing the right thing, and standing rightly before God. Self-righteousness then means making myself right – by my works, my strength, my…self. Now the problem with self-righteousness is that it destroys all of that beautiful humility and joy you just got in chapter 2. You can’t be self-righteous and others-centered.
Try to climb your way to heaven, and you’ll step on too many friends on the way up. And you’ll look down with scorn at all the folks at the bottom. It’s a miserable Christianity, wavering between pride, guilt, and judgmentalism. And it’s a false humility – anything focused on self is not humble.
How it happens is legalism: following rules instead of following Jesus. Now the big rule these guys were about was circumcision. That’s why Paul calls them mutilators of the flesh. So in verse 3:
“For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh” (3:3).
Paul reminds us that God doesn’t want us to serve Him by following a big checklist of do’s and don’ts. Jesus said that the Father is seeking those who worship in Spirit and in truth. And the key here is where you put your confidence. Self-confidence may seem like a good idea. But remember, Goliath was self-confident. David, on the other hand, was God-confident. When it comes to being good, self-confidence won’t work. As Paul says, we put “no confidence in the flesh” (3:3). But then in verse 7:
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (3:7).
This is the great trade. Life in Christ is a massive trade-in. Many things you give up, many things you gain. I like to compare it to the game of Life. Remember that game? You’re playing Life, and all the kids are bickering and arguing and cheating – all to get fake money in a worthless game. And then your Dad walks in, and he whispers in your ear, “For every dollar in play money that you give away, I’ll give you a real dollar when the game’s over. Anything you give away in the game, I’ll match it in reality.” Suddenly everything changes. Suddenly the game is a joy! That’s following Jesus. Only the game is this life, and the reality is heaven.
Philippians is all about that big trade. In chapter 1, we traded this life for the next, “To die is gain” (1:21). In chapter 2, we traded self-centered life for the others-centered life. In chapter 3, we trade self-righteousness for Jesus-righteousness. And for Paul, the best part of that trade was knowing Jesus. Verse 8:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (3:8).
Host: Thanks for joining us for today’s quick audio guide. You can find the full audio guide for this chapter and hundreds more on the Through the Word app and website. Our apps are free and free to share, so tell your friends and take the journey together. And remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing Through the Word (Romans 10:17).
Bible quotes in NIV unless otherwise stated.
from Philippians Explained | I Can Do All Things Through Christ