Philippians 3: 4b-14
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eight day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
A Thought
Paul is warning against our own legal righteousness in the flesh which is of no value. When we come to Christ it does not matter who we are, what we have or have not done, what we possess or if we possess nothing. We must all come to Christ Jesus in the same way: in faith believing with humble confession and repentance. Then we are to live our lives anew looking forward to what is ahead on our journey to be like Christ Jesus.
Our Prayer
Father thank you for sending your Son Christ Jesus to live, die, and to be resurrected so that through faith and repentance everyone can receive a right relationship with you. We pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit we can live, die, and be resurrected to be with you in our heavenly home. In Jesus’ name we ask, amen.
