Have you gotten a trophy or two in your lifetime, perhaps for some sport, or maybe a blue ribbon for some achievement? Maybe hanging on your wall are diplomas, showing your academic achievements. They may not be an Academy Award, a Nobel prize, or an Olympic medal, but we’re still proud of our achievements. What would you think of someone who would throw all of their awards away? That would be a shock! The world would look at them as odd, to say the least. In our Scripture today we look at someone who had achieved a lot in his past, but now considered it all trash. There was now only one thing important in his life, and he was pursuing that with a zeal that outmatched any from his past. Let’s take a look.
As you might have guessed, the person we are looking at today is the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul wanted to stress to the new believers what is really important in their Christian walk. As Paul traveled around Greece and Asia Minor winning souls to Christ and establishing churches, there were others who would come shortly after, telling the new converts that they needed to fully follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law in order to be accepted by God. In various verses in his epistles, Paul stressed how that was not true. One did not need to keep the Law to be accepted by God. Immediately prior to today’s passage, Paul listed his impressive religious credentials. If anyone could claim righteousness by the Law, it was him. However, Paul learned, and now taught, that works do not save us. True righteousness is found only in Jesus, and that the Christian life is a forward-pressing pursuit of knowing Him more deeply.
As Paul shared, everything that he once trusted in - his Jewish heritage, meticulous law-keeping, his reputation, they were now worthless compared to Christ (vs. 7-8). This was a complete reorientation of what matters for salvation. Salvation requires abandoning confidence in our self-righteousness. We can be a member of our church since birth, been tithing since our first paycheck, be a deacon, teach Sunday School, etc., but none of these can save us. Salvation requires abandoning confidence in any works. Even good things become “loss” if they keep us from Jesus.
Scripture teaches us that the righteousness that will save us is not earned, not inherited, and not achieved, but it is imputed by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 9). This is the heart of justification. Our assurance rests not in performance, but in Christ’s finished work. What is important is knowing Jesus Christ, having a deepening relationship with Him, and knowing the power of His resurrection (vs. 10), which is the same power that enables holy living. Also the fellowship of His sufferings, which will draw us closer to Him. Paul said that his greatest desire was for the final resurrection (vs. 11), which should also be our ultimate hope and destination.
As the Apostle continued, he knew that he was still growing as a believer (vs. 12). Christians are a work in progress. We should be growing in Christ, seeking to draw closer to Jesus, and be more and more obedient to His commands, even though sometimes we fall short. No one, even the most brilliant of saints, ever gets to a point of spiritual perfection. Paul knew, though, that he was safe and secure, just like a child in their parent’s hand, because Jesus had a hold of him.
Paul made the conscious decision that he would refuse to be controlled by the past (vs. 13). He refused to rest on past achievements or be paralyzed by past failures. With God’s forgiveness, we can leave our past mistakes behind, and live for today. If He doesn’t remember our forgiven sin, then why should we? (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 1:18). Yesterday’s victories do not guarantee today’s faithfulness, nor does yesterday’s failures disqualify today’s obedience.
The Christian life is not static. Jesus has taken hold of us, and now we run, not to earn His love, but because we already have it. The finish line is ahead, and the prize is Jesus, Himself. Paul made it a point to press forward, to strain with all of his effort, to make it to the finish line and receive his eternal reward (vs. 13-14). We need to follow the path that Jesus laid out for us, and not get side-tracked. We should have a single aim - to complete the course, whatever challenges it presents. As Hebrews 12:1-2 says, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, as He guides us to the finish line.
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