Keep on Keeping on!

“Only let us hold true to what we have attained” (Philippians 3:16).

It’s always good to know you’re headed in the right direction. Just ask any long distance runner. Too many 10Ks, marathons, and triathlons have been lost when the leader took a wrong turn. Without somebody keeping them on the course, racers throw away everything they’ve worked hard to achieve. Here in Philippians 3, Paul reassures his friends back in Macedonia they are headed in the right direction. “Only let us hold true to what we have attained” (v16). The race is far from over but so much progress has been made. Leaving the race course now will ruin all they’ve gained. The apostle wants us to know there’s huge blessing in our faithful obedience to the Lord. Stay on course. Keep on keeping on!

Paul should know. Back when he was known as Saul, he busted his tail to run the race of life. He ran hard and set a brutal pace. There was just one problem. He was running the wrong race! He was racing the wrong course! The man from Tarsus totally devoted himself to running the race of religion and accomplishment (Phil 3:4-6). But somewhere along the route on the road outside of Damascus, he ran into Jesus (Acts 9:1-9). The resurrected Messiah got him headed in the right direction for the first time. Instead of the race of religion and self-salvation, Paul began running toward a relationship with the One who had already won (Phil 3:7-14). He hasn’t crossed the finish line yet but he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone who will listen is headed in the right direction. 

The apostle encourages us to “hold true” and stay on course (v16). A closer look at the original language peels back some powerful truth. He uses the Greek verb stoicheo, which actually means to walk, advance in a line, or conduct oneself in conformity to a presumed standard. The term is often used to describe how troops march in formation as they head into battle. Don’t make the mistake of picturing our walk with Jesus like some sort of death march. It’s anything BUT! Instead, think of moving through life with direction and purpose. The word also carries the idea of living prosperously and things turning out well. That happens when we allow God to steer us as we do what He says. Here are a couple of good examples. Jesus’ kid brother James encouraged Paul to swing by the temple and show other Jews that “you yourself also walk orderly (Gr. stoicheo), keeping the law” (Acts 21:24). The apostle wrote to the church in Rome how we should “follow (Gr. stoicheo) in the footsteps of the faith” of obedient Abraham (Rom 4:12). The Message really nails this idea of running in the right direction once we set our sites on Christ. “Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it” (v16 The Message). Hold the line. Stay on course. Keep on keeping on!

One of the big reasons not to get off track is so that we will not forfeit all that’s been gained. When Paul describes “that we have attained” (v16), he’s NOT talking about any sort of self-salvation. He’s made it blatantly obvious is giant neon letters that his efforts to earn a gold medal from God resulted in him running the wrong race on the wrong course. The only victory we have is the one Jesus won for us. He ran the perfect race we failed to run. He died the death for our sin of disobedience and rebellion. He rose to a spectacular new life we don’t deserve. The sinless Son of God crossed the finish line for you and me and shouted, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). What He won for us can never be taken away from us.

So what is Paul talking about? What’s all this stuff “that we have attained” (v16)? He’s describing whatever progress and life change God has done in our lives to this point. The $25 theological term for that is sanctification. It simply describes how God reshapes us into the image of His Son throughout our lives. Let’s be clear about a couple of things when it comes to the sanctification process. One, it’s a lifelong, difficult, and sometimes frustrating road. Take it from Paul, the dude who wrote most of the New Testament (Rom 7:15-20)! I can’t speak for everybody but it’s often two steps forward and one step back. And if I’m honest, it’s one step forward and three steps back! The other big idea is the good news that God promises finish the work He started in you and me (Phil 1:6). 

I throw away much of what God has accomplished in my life when I sprint off course. I try to run the race I think it should be run. My disobedience to His rules for life can cause me to forfeit all that’s been gained. Please understand me. Once Jesus has truly gotten His hands on you, there’s nothing that can pry you out (Rom 8:38-39). Zip. Zilch. Zero. But we disqualify ourselves from much of His blessing by trying to do things our way. You see, Jesus has an incredible and overflowing life for us (Jn 10:10). If we really want to enjoy all the goodness God has for us and dive into the deep end of His abundant life, we need to continue following His commands. Our obedience to God and His Word puts us into the position of experience His blessing. Matt Chandler likes to say that we put ourselves under the waterfall of His grace. I don’t know about you, but that sure sounds like an awesome place to be! 

The race may be long but there are folks like Paul all along the way to let us know we’re headed in the right direction. When we do, we run deeper into our relationship with Jesus. That happens as we follow His guidelines for life and stay on the course. Or as the New Living Translation puts this verse, “But we must be sure to obey the truth we have already learned” (v16 NLT). There’s huge blessing in our faithful obedience to the Lord. Stay on course. Keep on keeping on!

A Playoff Attitude

“Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” (Philippians 3:15).

Did you ever wonder why teams want key veterans on the roster heading into the playoffs? Why in the wide world of sports do clubs make sure they include at least a couple of older players who may be past their prime for the postseason push? These guys may not be as fast as the young guys, but they’ve been there, done that. They know what it takes. They bring an attitude and a hunger that can light a championship fire. These mature players have a playoff attitude. Here in Philippians 3, Paul talks about the importance of seasoned veterans in the body of Christ. They model what commitment to Christ looks like to other believers. They bring a playoff attitude. Paul knows it’s ultimately up to God to show younger followers what it means to pursue more of Jesus.

The apostle looks back on his earlier career and realizes how he squandered his younger years chasing stuff that really doesn’t matter in the long run (Phil 3:4-6). He was like a top draft pick that was only concerned with piling up stats and signing big contracts. It wasn’t until Jesus knocked him off his high horse just outside of Damascus that the light bulb came on (Acts 9:1-9). Once the former Pharisee met the risen Christ, he wanted more of the risen Christ. That’s all that mattered. That’s all he needed. That’s all he wanted. Everything else was just a steaming pile (Phil 3:6-7). Not my words, but Paul’s! He began to devote his entire life to chasing the championship (Phil 3:8-11). But here’s the crazy thing. Jesus already won it for him (Phil 3:12-14). And He’s already won it for you and me. The real victory is a deepening relationship with Jesus.  

Even though he writes to the Philippian church from a prison cell in Rome, picture Paul talking to the team in the locker room before the first game of the playoffs. “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will revel that also to you” (v15). He looks around at the faces of his teammates and knows he’s talking to two different kinds of players. There are seasoned veterans as well as talented but inexperienced players. What a great reminder that every group of believers has a wide range of maturity. We’re not a one-size-fits-all bunch. We need all fresh followers as well as silver haired saints. And it’s reassuring to know it’s okay to be immature. As Max Lucado likes to say, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” That goes for the Philippians. It goes for you and me.

Paul first talks to the vets. He includes himself as one of the older players on the team. “Let those of us who are mature think this way” (v15). In describing himself as “mature,” he uses the Greek word teleios, which means can mean perfect but in this context describes being complete, whole, or full-grown. The apostle certainly isn’t talking about perfection here. He just made it clear that he’s a long way from being “already perfect (Gr. teleios)” (Phil 3:12). Relative perfection. NOT absolute perfection. On this side of eternity, the only One who fits that description is our sinless Savior! But in terms of spiritual maturity, some of us are farther down the path than our teammates. We’ve played a few more seasons. 

The veteran players on Christ’s club should “think this way” (v15). The original language uses the verb phroneo, which could probably be better translated as to have a particular attitude. Check out the various ways other versions bring this idea into English:

“take such a view of things” (NIV)

“have this attitude” (NASB) 

“have this mind” (NKJV)

“be of the same mind” (NRS)

“agree on these things” (NLT)

“have this mind and hold these convictions” (AMP)

The emphasis is on your attitude. He focuses on our mindset. Flip back to chapter 2. Remember how we’re to “have this mind (Gr. phroneo) among yourselves, which is also yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). And just little later in this same letter, he talks about how the enemies of the cross have their “minds set (Gr. phroneo) on earthly things” (Phil 3:19). Paul says more spiritually mature believers should have an attitude that is “this way” (v15)? What way? Thanks for asking. They’re to continue to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). Veteran followers of Jesus should model a playoff attitude when it comes to walking with the Lord. And there’s something interesting about the grammar here too. You can easily read this as “let us keep on thinking this way.” I need to remember that this playoff attitude isn’t just a one time thing. 

An interesting point about these seasoned saints is how their relationship with Jesus changes them. The result isn’t cockiness but humility. Don’t believe me? Just check out Paul’s growth through the years. At one point, he calls himself  “the least of the apostles” (1Cor 15:9). A few years later, he sees himself as “the least of the saints” (Eph 3:8). And later, he tells his boy Tim how “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost” (1Tim 1:15). Apparently the road to spiritual maturity isn’t the ability to do handle life more on your own but a deeper and greater dependence on Jesus. Veteran believers model a playoff attitude of humility and a daily desperation on Christ.

Paul realizes that while seasoned saints can influence their younger teammates, it’s ultimately up to God to disclose the importance of a relationship with Jesus. Now he talks to the young bucks in the locker room. “And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” (v15). For those who don’t have a playoff attitude of following Christ, he trusts God will make it obvious to them. You can’t make anybody a Christian by bringing them to church any more than you can make them a Buick by parking them in the garage. Changing hearts and minds is God’s job and His alone. God is the One who reveals. God is the One who changes attitudes. He certainly uses you and me to speak His truth into the lives of those around us. Are you firmly and gently sharing His Gospel with the folks He’s placed in your life? He’s certainly called each one of us to do that. But we need to remember He’s responsible for the results.

The paraphrase called The Message really pulls this entire idea together in a very cool way. “So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less that total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!” (v15 The Message). Veteran believers continue to stay totally focused on the goal. The Lord has an overflowing and abundant life just waiting for us to explore (Jn 10:10). He gives us the perfect game plan for getting our hands on this victorious life if we do what He says. Stick with His game plan. Follow the assignments He’s given us. Seasoned followers lead by example. Meanwhile, we trust God to change the mindset of the younger teammates to see what’s really important. It’s all about having a playoff attitude. 

The Chase for the Championship

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

For pro football players, it’s all about the Lombardi Trophy. In baseball, the goal is raising the World Series banner. NBA players will do anything to win a ring. The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize in hockey. Winning the championship and taking home the trophy drives professional athletes to unthinkable sacrifice and effort. But Paul makes it clear there’s real only one award that matters. “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v14). The apostle is obviously a first century sports fan. He’s like an athlete going for broke to win it all. However this isn’t about taking home a trophy. Paul pushes hard to get his hands on everything God has for him in Jesus. It’s all about the chase for the championship.

Earlier in his life, the apostle devoted himself to filling his trophy case (Phil 3:4-6). His goal was to impress God by piling up accomplishments on his religious resume. Boy, did he ever. There was just one little problem. Once he met the resurrected Jesus, the former Pharisee realized he was totally wasting his time. It was like trying to win the Super Bowl playing fantasy football. Everything he’d done wasn’t even going to get him into the playoffs, much less a championship. Only after God saved Paul did he come to understand Christ had already won the title for him. It wasn’t about piling up stats or winning awards. It was all about trusting in what Jesus had done for us. Once he realized all that God has done for him, the apostle chased after the championship Christ had already won for him.

Paul is devoted to “press on toward the goal for the prize” (v14). “Press on” is the Greek verb dioko. It describes running after, chasing, or hunting something down. It carries the idea of aggression and relentlessness. Earlier in his career as a terrorist, the man formerly known as Saul was “persecuting (Gr. dioko) the church” (Phil 3:6). Once Jesus got ahold of him and put him on God’s team, Paul was going to “press on (Gr. dioko)” for a deeper intimacy with his Savior (Phil 3:12). He’s in hot pursuit of the ultimate prize. If we’re comparing our journey with Jesus with a sports season, realizing God has made us part of kingdom is like making the playoffs. But just getting to the postseason isn’t enough. That’s just the first step his road to the title. The hunt is just beginning. Just like in sports, the intensity ratchets up during the playoffs. Teams devote themselves totally to winning the title 24/7 in the postseason. Former NFL coach George Allen used to say, “The future is now!” If you think there’s a difference in effort in the playoffs, that’s nothing compared to Paul’s commitment to know more of Jesus.

The apostle is focused on the “goal” (v14). The Greek word here is skopos. It means a distant object one is trying to reach, something which all activity is directed, or the aim. This is actually an athletic term for the finish line. That’s not surprising. Several times in his letters, Paul reads like a sportswriter covering first century sports (Rom 11:11; 1Cor 9:24-27; Gal 5:7; Phil 1:27-30; 2:16-18; 2Tim 2:5; 4:7; 1Th 2:19). Picture a scene from your favorite sport during crunch time. A ball carrier stretching toward the pylon. A basketball player focused on the hoop. A golfer locked in on the cup. We’re talking total focus. Blinders. Tunnel vision.

His eyes are on the “prize” (Gr. brabeion). Once again, Paul sounds like he’s writing for ESPN or Deadspin instead of to a church in Macedonia. This describes the award which goes to the winner of the competition. It comes from the word for umpire or referee who awards the prize. This is doing everything within the rules to win. No cheating. No PEDs. You win fair and square. In a letter to Corinth, he writes, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize (Gr. brabeion)?” (1Cor 9:24). He’s talking about winning a medal in the Olympics. Lifting the Stanley Cup. Raising the World Series pennant. The apostle has his eyes on the prize of knowing Jesus. Nothing else matters.

Paul compares knowing Jesus as win at all costs. It reminds me of some great quotes throughout the years. Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt would say, “Second place is just the first loser.” But is there a better quote on victory than the words of Ricky Bobby? “If you ain’t first,  you’re last!” Well, if winning means more of Christ, the apostle would be the first to agree.

For a follower of Jesus, the ultimate championship is “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v14). In other words, God calls us to Himself through His Son. It’s Jesus who lived the perfect life on our behalf. In sports terms, He’s undefeated and unscored on. Every game isn’t just a no-hitter, it’s a perfect game. He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He’s got the title in His hands and invites us to share in His victory. Jesus is the Goal. Jesus is the Prize. I love how Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 14. “I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back” (v14 The Message). Eyes on the prize, baby. This is the chase for the ultimate championship!

Objects in Mirror

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

My rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield. I’m not saying I should ignore that handy dandy little reflective gizmo. But I become a horrible driver the moment I become more concerned about what’s behind me than what’s in front of me. That’s when folks in front of me probably start need to check their own mirrors. From a spiritual sense, Paul says a key to his journey with Jesus came when he ripped his rearview and never looked at it again. “Brother, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (v13). He realizes there’s SO much more to be experienced in his relationship with Christ and he needs to stop worrying about what’s off his back bumper. His rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield.

The apostle writes to his friends in Philippi from a jail cell in Rome (Phil 1:1314). He got tossed in the slammer for telling fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah they’ve been waiting for and that God is now inviting non-Jews into His kingdom. He had devoted himself to telling everyone who will listen about the crazy good grace we have in the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. Jesus has done for us what we could never ever dream of doing for ourselves. He followed all of God’s rules and regs because we couldn’t. He took the full brunt of God’s punishment for our disobedience in our place. He walked out of the cemetery after being dead for three days just to prove He is the Son of God and that all His promises are true. 

As a result, Paul wants his readers to avoid the same potholes he hit. He spent much of his life piling up accomplishments and awards in order to impress God with his religious resume (Phil 3:4-6). But once he met the risen Christ, he suddenly realized all of his achievements weren’t worth a hill of beans (Phil 3:7-8). It’s who Jesus is and what He’s done that really matters. Religion no. Relationship yes. From that point on, the apostle puts the hammer down to tell others about Jesus and does everything possible to truly know his Savior as his closest Friend. Maybe you’ve made the same mistake as our buddy Paul. You’ve tried to dazzle God with your own religious resume. I’ve got some very bad news for you. No matter what you’ve done, it’s never going to be good enough. You can’t go to church enough. You can’t read your Bible enough. You can’t be good. You can’t save yourself. But I’ve also got some VERY Good News. Jesus and His accomplishments are available to you. Toss your trophies in the trash. Trust in what who He is. Trust in what He’s done for you. Take it from Paul. Stop driving with your eyes fixed on the rearview mirror of your so-called goodness. You’re going to get yourself killed.

The apostle tells his Philippian friends that his journey is far from over. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own” (v13). First of all, he doesn’t set himself above his fellow Christ followers. He refers to them with a Greek term (Gr. adelphos) which is easily translated as “brothers and sisters.” No arrogance here. Not a hint of “Do this because I’m in charge.” He’s writing to his spiritual siblings. When it comes to knowing Jesus, Paul is just their brother from another mother. This doesn’t mean we don’t have spiritual fathers and children. The Bible is chock-full of them. Those are incredibly important relationships. However most of our connections with fellow believers are as brother and sister. 

The man from Tarsus tells the Philippians that he’s not there yet. “I do not consider that I have made it my own” (v13). Paul drops a verb (Gr. katalambano) in the original text which means to grasp completely, seize firmly, or take full possession of something. Looking back at the previous verse, he’s giving it all he has even though what he wants is still just out of reach. “But I press on to make it my own (Gr. katalambano), because Christ Jesus has made me His own (Gr. katalambano)” (Phil 3:12). Our Savior has His kung fu grip on us. We can be sure of that. Because of that, I make it my mission in life to grasp Jesus completely. We’re getting closer but we’re not there yet. You could say this is the first century version of the classic rock song “Radar Love” by Golden Earring. 

No more speed, I’m almost there.

Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care.

Last car to pass, here I go!

And the line of cars drove down real slow.

What’s up ahead has Paul’s total attention. He’s not worried that the objects in mirror are closer than they appear. He’s not headed in that direction. He’s speeding toward Jesus. He knows his rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield.

Because I haven’t reached my final destination, the apostle gives me important yet very simple driving instructions. Here’s the “one thing I do” (v13). The Greek literally just reads “but one” (v13). Have a singular focus. Don’t worry about anything else. Your driver’s ed instructor may tell you to keep an eye on your gauges and frequently check your mirrors. That’s certainly important when I’m driving up the interstate. Not on the ultimate road trip toward Jesus. There’s just one thing that matters. There’s a lone focus. “One thing” (v13). If I have more on my list than a single item, I’m doing it wrong. Here’s a little secret. When Jesus is your “one thing,” you don’t have to worry about anything else. No more frantic plate-spinning like some sort of crazy act from “America’s Got Talent.” When Jesus is your “one thing,” He takes care of everything else. When I’ve got my eyes locked on Christ, He watches my gauges.

Just in case something in my mirror has caught my attention, Paul reminds me to not pay it any mind. “Forgetting what lies behind” (v13). He uses a verb, epilanthanomai, which means to neglect, overlook, no longer caring for, or even keep secret. My favorite translation is probably to overlook something. Matt writes about the time he and his buddies road in a boat across the lake and overlooked bringing lunch along. “When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten (Gr. epilanthanomai) to bring any bread” (Mt 16:5). Over in Luke, Jesus tells His posse about the value of even the most insignificant of birds and how “not one of them is forgotten (Gr. epilanthanomai) before God” (Lk 12:6). The writer of Hebrews warns, “Do not neglect (Gr. epilanthanomai) to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). Don’t miss out on rolling out the red carpet for strangers who might be angels. Hmm, does that make them “strangels”? No, I didn’t think so.

But there IS one thing we should ALWAYS overlook. And that, dear friends, is “what lies behind” (v13). Stop living in the past. The rearview mirror of life features two distinct distractions. The first is our glory days. Bruce Springsteen sang all about it. “Glory days, well they pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye.” Don’t believe the Boss and me? Just ask Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico? He was so obsessed with his memories of being a backup quarterback in high school that he couldn’t function as an adult. Maybe he could throw a football over those mountains back in the day, but who gives a hot hoot about that now? Two thousand years before, Paul piled up the awards when he was younger and couldn’t put them down (Phil 3:4-6). He was like the dude who keeps wearing his high school letter jacket years after graduation. Talk about faded glory. On top of that, you look like a dork. Take off the jacket and ignore what’s behind.

The other distraction in life’s rearview is regret. There’s not a person you’ll meet who’s past isn’t loaded with pain. You can’t forget the time you were the victim of a hit-and-run. Someone plowed right over you and left you bleeding on the side of the road. You’re still wearing the tire tracks of your spouse’s betrayal. Bulldozed by a bad boss. A so-called friend left you swinging in the breeze. The hurt seems fresh. But the greatest treatment for my wounds is forgiveness. I can’t do it on my own but that’s where Christ does what He does best. At His lowest moment of betrayal and pain, He pleaded with His Dad, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). For most of us, one glance back makes it clear that our pain is self-inflicted. My mirror is full of bad decisions I wish I could take back. Relationships I’ve ruined. Lies I’ve told. Time I’ve wasted. Kids I’ve ignored. Dreams I’ve let die. I simply want to make a u-turn and try to fix it. But since I’m not driving Doc Brown’s DeLorean powered by a flux capacitor, that’s not possible. Don’t think Paul had big problems with his past? Before Jesus got ahold of him, he’s job was terrorizing and killing Christ’s followers. Or in his words, “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church” (Phil 3:6). If the Lord can forgive the rap sheet like that, He can certainly handle the regret in your rearview.

Now that we know what NOT to do, the apostle tells us he’s “straining forward to what lies ahead” (v13). The key here is the Greek verb eketeinomai, which describes reaching out toward the goal, stretching way out for something, or giving everything you’ve got to get your hands on something. It literally means “stretch out.” This is no casual reach where you give up easily. Picture a sprinter leaning forward and overextending themselves at the tape. Paul is a lot like Scottie from Star Trek. He’s giving it everything he’s got, Captain! We’re talking intense effort and determined purpose. For the man from Tarsus, he’s absolutely consumed with experiencing more of Christ. More of His love. More of His mercy. More of His grace. He hasn’t gotten there yet. But he’s floored the accelerator to get there as fast as he can. Jesus told one prospective follower not to be worried one bit about what’s off the back bumper. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62). Paul has ripped the mirror off. He’s only concerned about one thing: exploring and experiencing more of his relationship with Jesus. He’s figured out that when it comes to following Christ, his rearview mirror makes a terrible windshield.

In Hot Pursuit

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own” (Philippians 3:12).

“Who are those guys?!?” No matter what Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tried to do, they couldn’t shake the posse on their tail. It’s one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. Lawman Joe Lefors and a native American tracker named Lord Baltimore are in hot pursuit. They’re relentless. They’re aggressive. Nothing will stop them. A few centuries before Paul Newman and Robert Redford made the the Hole and the Wall Gang a household name, a man named Paul spent his life in hot pursuit. In his younger days, his name was Saul and he hunted down Jesus’ followers to arrest and kill them. After his conversion, he used that same intensity to chase after Jesus Himself to experience a deeper relationship with Him. Funny thing. The apostle puts the pedal to the metal to chase after the Savior who hunted him down in the first place. Paul is in hot pursuit because he’s been hotly pursued.

Let’s step back and get a little perspective to what’s happening here. A quick check of the calendar tells us it’s around 61-62 AD. The Apostle Paul is in Caesar’s Supermax in Rome waiting for the emperor to hear his appeal. He fires off a letter to some of his favorite people on the planet, a group of believers in the Macedonian seaport of Philippi. Paul and his travel team first visited the city about ten years back. They brought the amazing message of Jesus to Philippi and things got crazy. God used the man from Tarsus and his crew to turn the joint upside down. It would be very easy for these Philippian friends to put Paul on a pedestal. And why not? The dude sure seems to have his stuff together. Is there any doubt he has everything figured out? In the words of the great theologian Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!” The apostle lets these disciples know in no uncertain terms that the only thing he’s really figured out is he’s desperate for more of Jesus. He’s anything but cocky. He’s far from finished. He’s simply a beggar who’s been shown where to find the Bread. 

Paul has just written how he wasted a lot of his life piling up accomplishments and awards for his religious resume (Phil 3:4-6). It turns out God wasn’t going to be impressed one stinking bit by his credentials. No matter how many trophies he put on the shelf or how many plaques he hung on the wall, it wasn’t going to be enough. As a matter of fact, they were no better than a big steaming pile compared to a personal relationship with Jesus (Phil 3:7-8). As a result, the apostle chucks it all in order to know Jesus and truly experience all that He has accomplished on his behalf. It’s not about Paul’s feeble attempt at self-salvation through his own goodness but Jesus’ complete and total perfection (Phil 3:9). The apostle puts the hammer down and races after Christ, “the power of His resurrection” (Phil 3:10), and the “resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:11). He’s not there yet. Not even close. But he’s headed in the right direction in a very big hurry. He’s in hot pursuit of Jesus and His resurrection.

You’d think if Jesus tapped you on the shoulder as the primo apostle to non-Jews around the world, you’d have things all buttoned up and nailed down. Not our man Paul. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect” (v12). The deeper he gets in his relationship with Christ, the more he realizes he’s just in the kiddie pool. He doesn’t have it all figured out. As a matter of fact, a quick look at Paul’s life in Scripture reveals how his humility and desperation grow through the years. In one of his letters to the Corinthian church written around 55 AD, he describes himself as the “least of the apostles” (1Cor 15:9). A few years later (probably 61 AD), he demotes himself to the Ephesians as the “least of all the saints” (Eph 3:8). And just a couple of years later (circa 63 AD), Paul puts himself at the back of a very long line. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1Tim 1:15). 

Let’s review Paul’s journey. First, he’s least of the apostles. Then least of of the saints. Finally, chief of sinners. I don’t know about you, but shouldn’t he be moving in the opposite direction? But it actually makes perfect sense. The more he grows in his relationship with Jesus, the more he realizes his desperation. The more it becomes glaringly apparent he has not “already obtained this” (v12). The more is crystal clear he’s not “already perfect” (v12). Becoming more spiritually mature is actually acknowledging our absolute and utter need for more of Jesus each and every moment of each and every day. How about you? Do you think you’ve got it figured out? Do you believe you’ve got your stuff in one bag with a handy twist tie? Just stop it. Stop trying to fool people into thinking you’ve got it all together! If Paul didn’t, who in the heck do you think you are?!? For Pete’s sake, the dude wrote most of the New Testament. People don’t need you to stand there with an “S” on your chest and your cape blowing in the wind for Jesus. They need to know you struggle just like they do. The only difference is an eternity changing relationship with the resurrected Rabbi from Nazareth.

The more he understands his own great need, Paul wastes no time hightailing after it. “I press on to make it my own” (v12). He uses a Greek verb (Gr. dioko) that means to run after, pursue, or chase after something. This is no casual stroll down the primrose path. This is an all out sprint. The term paints a picture of relentlessness, intensity, singular focus, and aggression. It’s such a power-packed word that a couple of Gospel writers use it when talking about the intense persecution (Mt 23:34; Jn 5:16). Earlier in his life, Paul was in hot pursuit of Jesus and His followers. In fact, when the risen Christ blindsided the apostle formerly known as Saul outside Damascus, He asked him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting (Gr. dioko) Me?” (Acts 9:4). The former Pharisee pulled no punches in his hunting down of Christ’s disciples. “I persecuted (Gr. dioko) this Way to the death” (Acts 22:4). But after his initial encounter with Jesus, everything changed. Paul is still intensely chasing, but now it’s after more of Christ, more of His grace, more of His mercy, more of His love. He’s in hot pursuit.

The apostle’s relentless quest is all “because Christ Jesus has made me His own” (v12). Paul belongs to the Lord because our Savior hunted him down first. An English poet by the name of Francis Thompson wrote a little called “The Hound of Heaven.” It’s all about God’s unrelenting hunt to find and save the lost. He unleashes His pack of bloodhounds to chase you and me down. There’s no escaping Him. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Jesus caught up with Paul just before he took the exit for Damascus. Christ got a grip on him and never let him go. Has our Savior made you His own? If so, take a tip from the apostle. Paul is in hot pursuit because he’s been hotly pursued. Has Christ not caught up with you? If not, you may want to take a peek over your shoulder. The Hound of Heaven is hot pursuit.

By Any Means Necessary

“that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11)

It all comes down to this single moment. The game is on the line. It’s do or die. You must make the play. You’ll do whatever it takes. Like a ball carrier willing to sacrifice his body in a all out dive over the defender into the end zone in the Super Bowl. Like baserunner flying round third for a bang-bang play at the plate in the World Series. You MUST do it! By any means necessary. That’s the picture Paul paints here in Philippians 3, “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Somehow he’s got to grab the brass ring of eternal life. Someway he’s got to make his escape from the rotting corpses. He’ll do whatever it takes. By any means necessary.

From the slammer in Rome, the apostle is writing a letter of encouragement to his friends back in Philippi. Just a few years back, Paul and his posse rolled into the Macedonian seaport carrying the Good News of Jesus into Europe for the very first time (Acts 16:12-40). God used the man from Tarsus to plant a church out of an unlikely bunch. A transplanted fashionista from Thyatira. A formerly demon-possessed young woman liberated from human trafficking. A tough-as-nails prison guard and his family. This goofy bunch of believers has a special place in Paul’s heart. So after sending letters to churches with serious issues in places like Ephesus and Colossae, he grabs his pen one more time. This time it drips with joy as well as ink. He reminds them how he wasted much of his life trying to impress God with his religious resume (Phil 3:4-6). It was only when he met the resurrected Jesus face-to-face that he realized all his own accomplishments and awards were no more than a big steaming pile (Phil 3:7-8). He had one goal. He had one target. A deep and intimate relationship with the One who came to his rescue. And nothing was going to get in his way.

Paul picks right up where he left off in verse 10. Once he dies and becomes like Jesus in His death, he knows his own resurrection will follow. He’s putting everything on the line in order that he “may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Phil 3:10). A personal relationship with the Son of God logically leads to access to His explosive resurrection power. That means we also become teammates in Jesus’ pain, suffering, and death. But the apostle circles back once again to the glorious end game, “the resurrection from the dead” (v11). He’ll lay it all on the line to get it. By any means necessary.

A closer look at the original language reveals a couple of curious things. Paul drops a tiny Greek word (Gr. pos) from which the ESV translators give us “by any means possible” (v11). It means somehow, in some way, after all, or by some means. If there’s any sliver of hope, the apostle will “attain” what he’s after. This is the verb katantao, which can be translated to come to, arrive, or reach, finish a journey. Cross the goal line. Touch home plate. The apostle is will sell out to make it happen. Picture a running back sacrificing his body to dive for the score.

At first you might read this verse and scratch your head. There sure seems to be a boatload of doubt in Paul’s mind about arriving at his goal of resurrection. Is he hedging his bets? Is he unsure of what will eventually happen? Is he apprehensive about how this will all end? Relax. Robertson tells us this is not so much an expression of doubt, but of humility. There’s no question in Paul’s mind he’ll walk out of the graveyard just like every other believer. He simply knows he’s done nothing in his own efforts to make it happen. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?

Our author will use every club in his bag in order to get ahold of “the resurrection from the dead” (v11). MacArthur points out Paul uses a phrase that literally means a “resurrection out from the corpses.” He’s emphasizing the rising up and escape of believers out of the sea of lifeless bodies. Ewww! Sounds gross, doesn’t it? Seems like a scene from the “Walking Dead” or “World War Z.” Well, it should. There’s nothing the apostle won’t do to put death in his rearview mirror. And he’s going to do everything he can to share the Gospel of Jesus with everyone who will listen so that they can join him in his escape to resurrection.

Here’s the crazy thing. On one hand, Paul says he’ll take extreme measures to get his hands on resurrection. But that only happens through a relationship with Jesus (Phil 3:10). We only attain His resurrection because He’s attained it for us. We can’t do it. There’s no way. We CANNOT save ourselves. We can’t make ourselves good enough. We can’t build up enough brownie points. We can’t win enough awards. What we can do is place our trust in the One who has. Jesus attained the perfect live I failed to live. He died the bloody death I should have died. He rose to the jaw-dropping resurrection life I don’t deserve. I believe in what He did on my behalf. I have to. There’s no way I can attain it on my own. You see, Christ was willing to do whatever it took to “attain the resurrection from the dead” (v11) for you and me. The night before His murder, the Son asked the Father if there was any other way this could go down. Jesus determines to do whatever His Dad decides (Lk 22:42). By any means necessary.

Knowing Jesus

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Philippians 3:10).

How can you really know a Person who hasn’t walked the earth for more than 2,000 years? Is it really possible to have the mythical “personal relationship with Christ” so many of His followers claim is possible? You’re telling me I can have an intimate friendship with Somebody I can’t see, can’t hear, and can’t touch. What are you smoking?!? But Paul says this relationship with Jesus is not only possible but something each of His followers can experience. He should know. The man from Tarsus didn’t really begin his friendship with the Lord until AFTER Christ was crucified, dead, and buried. The apostle tells us his personal desire is truly growing in His knowing of Jesus through three key ideas. Knowing and actually experiencing His resurrection power. Knowing and actually sharing His suffering. Knowing and actually sharing in His death. Intimacy with the risen Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth is really and truly available to you and me. Once we come to a personal relationship with Jesus through His resurrection, His suffering, and His death, everything else is just background noise. 

If anybody should know, it’s our man Paul. This former Pharisee spent the early days of his career as one of the best and brightest in Judaism (Phil 3:5-6). Top of his class. A five-star recruit. First round draft pick. He was so aggressive and rabid in his defense of his religion that he devoted himself to ruthlessly wiping any mention of Jesus and his followers from the planet. But a funny thing happened on his way to kill more Christians in Damascus. Jesus happened. The RESURRECTED Jesus happened! Christ divinely blindsided the man known as Saul and transformed the number one enemy of His church into His number one spokesman (Acts 9:1-22). It’s not everyday you end up becoming best friends with your mugger, but that’s how Paul’s relationship with Jesus began. I guess you could say the apostle never saw this friendship coming.

Paul tells his friends back in Philippi how he soon realized that his once impressive religious resume is now worthless (Phil 3:7). He goes so far as to say all of his credentials, awards, and accomplishments are really nothing more than a big steaming pile compared to his relationship with Jesus (Phil 3:8). If you think that’s disgusting and shouldn’t be in the Bible, take it up with Paul. He goes on to talk about trusting in what Christ has done for us that we could never do for ourselves (Phil 3:9). We lean on His perfectly obedient life. We lean on His death for our sin. We lean on His spectacular resurrection. 

But our relationship with Jesus is much more than flipping back through the pages of history and remembering a few facts (spectacular facts, but facts nonetheless). Following Christ is not just the past. It’s the present. It’s for the future. The apostle has made it his life’s goal “that I may know Him” (v10). He’s not looking to simply gather data about the Son of God through a Google search and a trip to the library. Knowing ABOUT Him is never a bad idea. But truly knowing Christ is at the top of his priorities each and every day. Remember, this dude met the risen Jesus face-to-face on an expressway outside Damascus. Yet he’s absolutely consumed with the desire for a deeper relationship and intimate friendship with his Savior. He’s not satisfied with a one-and-done encounter. And he says we shouldn’t be either. 

For us to truly dive into the deep end of our friendship with Jesus, Paul says we should start with “the power of His resurrection” (v10). Imagine the kind of supernatural energy it took to bring our Savior back to life. The Greek word translated “power” is dunamis, which means might, strength, or force. It doesn’t describe some sort of minimum strength capability. This term ripples with explosive power. Back when Alfred Nobel invented his explosive blasting powder, he went to this very same ancient word for the brand name dynamite. You may want to step back. The resurrection of Jesus is HIGHLY VOLATILE! The radical Rabbi/Carpenter gave the world a teaser trailer of what was to come when He called His old buddy Lazarus out of grave (Jn 11:43-44). Just before calling her brother back from the dead, Christ tells Laz’ sister Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25). 

Paul tells the Romans how God didn’t used TNT to blast Jesus out of the grave, but His Holy Spirit. “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom 8:11). The very same Spirit who brought the Son out of the graveyard lives in every follower of Jesus. Any Marvel fans out there? The Spirit-powered resurrection makes the infamous infinity stones look like a worthless gravel. It makes nuke plant look like a half-dead D battery. To steal a line from one of our great hymns of the faith, Jesus’ resurrection” (v10) gives me strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. God gives this very same power He used to raise His Son from the dead to you and me. His resurrection is so powerful it allows us to replace religion with a relationship. Once we experience a friendship with Jesus and “the power of His resurrection” (v10), we ought to come with a warning label. 

I’m not going to lie. I would be happy for Paul to slam on the breaks right here. I’m stoked about whole resurrection power deal but would rather pass on what comes next if you don’t mind. Suffering? No thank you. Death? I’ll politely decline. But as a friend once told me, we can’t get to Resurrection Sunday with joining Jesus at Calvary on Friday. Paul knows that a personal relationship with our Savior means the privilege being able to “share in His sufferings” (v10). If you’ve spent any time around traditional church folks, you’ve heard them talk about koinonia. That’s Christianese for hanging out in the church basement after a pot luck supper of casseroles. For many of us, that’s as close to true suffering as we’ll ever get. 

However the original Greek meaning of koinonia describes a close mutual relationship or partnership. Think of being teammates. We’re on Jesus’ team because of His suffering. By personally experiencing unspeakable and unimaginable pain on our behalf, Christ provides you and me with supernatural comfort as we suffer (Heb 2:18; 4:15; 12:2-4). Because He experience the full extent of pain, we can expect to experience some of it as His followers (1Pet 2:21-24). And it’s in our suffering that we truly become teammates with the Lord. Our relationship with Jesus means not only growing in our knowing about His resurrection power but growing in our knowing of His suffering too. But our suffering with Jesus means being comforted by Jesus. “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2Cor 1:5). While I would rather politely decline this pain-filled invitation, it’s the surefire source of an intimate friendship with the resurrected Son of God.

The apostle doesn’t stop there. We truly experience a deep relationship with Jesus by “becoming like Him in His death” (v10). Again, I wasn’t crazy about the whole suffering part. I’m even less excited about the dying deal. But Paul tells us this is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to knowing Christ. The Savior didn’t die a meaningless death on a cross. Hundreds of thousands of other victims suffered this torturous death at the hands of the Roman Empire. But Jesus’ crucifixion was different. He died for you. He died for me. And there was nothing we did to deserve this incredible act of love. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). The cross didn’t just drip with His blood but His amazing grace as well. We become like the Lord in His death when we do for others what they can’t do for themselves. We become like Him in His death when do for them what they don’t deserve. We become like Him in His death when we serve others. That’s why the Bible is full of the encouragement to die to self (Mt 10:38; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:23; Jn 12:25; Gal 2:20; 5:16). We become like Christ in His death when we stop concerning ourselves with ourselves. We grow in our relationship with Jesus when we get our serve on. 

We can truly experience a dynamic intimacy with Jesus even though He headed home to heaven 2,000 years ago. Take it from Paul. It starts with understanding and unleashing the explosive resurrection power of God’s Spirit living inside you and me. We also grow in our relationship when we suffer alongside Him. Christ is right there with us, comforting us every step of the way. We really dive into the deep end of knowledge of Jesus when we die to ourselves and serve others. You see, it IS possible to have a personal relationship with our Savior. Once we do, everything else is just background noise.

The Right Tool for the Job

“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” (Philippians 3:9).

Let’s get this on the table from the start. I am NOT a craftsman. I’m no handy man. Never was. Never will be. Do I have a toolbox in the garage? Absolutely. But it’s more of a curious container of mysterious objects for strange uses. With my confession on the table, we move forward. There’s an old adage, “A good craftsman never blames his tools.” A master carpenter uses the right tool for the right job. Here in Philippians 3:9, Paul admits he’s spent years using the wrong tool. He’s been using God’s law to save himself. Picture trying to paint your house with a hammer. Attempting saw a 2x4 using screwdriver. The law of God is a GREAT tool. It’s just the wrong device for the project. The apostle doesn’t blame his tools. Instead he lets us know there’s only one instrument for the job. Or should we say one Person. Jesus. We trust in the work He’s already done instead of trying to do it ourselves. Since that’s the case, I’ll stop rummaging through my toolbox.

Paul’s point is warn his friends back in Philippi about some spiritual snake oil being sold all around the Mediterranean rim. A team of religious hucksters are peddling a message that says Jesus may get us into God’s kingdom but it’s up to us to stay there. They’re spreading a counterfeit gospel of rule-following and ritual in order please God. The apostle lets us know that obedience to God’s law not only doesn’t save us, it also doesn’t keep us saved. He knows from personal experience. Take it from somebody who knows. The former Pharisee makes it clear God’s law is a great tool, but it’s the wrong tool for the job.  

The apostle starts at the end of the project. When it’s all said and done, he wants to “be found in Him” (v9). The ESV translates Greek word eurisko as “found.” It means to discover, locate, come across, or prove to be. The term includes an element of surprise! If the word looks familiar, it’s where we get our exclamation, “Eureka!” That’s apparently what the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes would yell out whenever he made a discovery. Matthew writes how Joe’s girlfriend Mary “was found (Gr. eurisko) to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18). Surprise! Jesus uses it when encouraging folks listening to His Sermon on the Mount. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find (Gr. eurisko); knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7). When we continually keep searching for God’s kingdom, we’ll find it. Eureka! Earlier in this letter, Paul drops lyrics to a first century worship tune which sings about our Savior “being found (Gr. eurisko) in human form” (Phil 2:8). Who saw THAT coming?!? 

We’re talking about the stunning discovery of being “in Him” (v9). Smart guys in ties call this union with Christ. When Jesus saves us, we suddenly obtain that He’s done for us that we could never do on our own. We’re suddenly and surprisingly “in Him” (v9). Great Googly Moogly! Think about that for just a second. We go from rebels and terrorists against God’s kingdom (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21) to sitting right next to Jesus in the heavenly throne room (Col 3:1). That’s why they call it AMAZING grace! We didn’t do a dang thing to earn it or deserve God’s goodness. Suddenly, we’re “in Him” (v9). If ever there’s a surprise worthy of OMG, this is it!!!

Paul backs up to describe the tool that didn’t work. He eventually discovered he couldn’t save himself. Being found in Jesus means “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law” (v9). Better than anyone, the man from Tarsus knew trying to build an impressive religious resume is a total waste of time (Phil 3:4-6). His personal performance is nothing more than a big steaming pile compared to a relationship with Jesus (Phil 3:7-8). I can’t save my self by following the rules. It’s like drowning in the ocean and trying to throw myself a life preserver. I. Can’t. Do. It. 

God didn’t set forth His law as a handy dandy do-it-yourself manual. His law is meant to prove once and for all we CANNOT do it on our own. His law crushes me. His law destroys me. It exposes my inability, my ineptitude, my futility, and my desperation. The law of God isn’t the cure, it’s the diagnostic device. Think of it as a spiritual MRI. A divine CT scan. A supernatural x-ray. It only reveals my disease of sin and disobedience. These awesome machines can’t save you no matter how many times you use them. Lots of us give it the old college try and attempt self-salvation through obedience. Good luck with that. According to Jesus’ kid brother James, violating even the most minuscule of rules means violating all of them (James 2:10)! God graciously gives us His law to diagnose our rebellion. “For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). Diagnostic devices don’t heal. That’s not what they’re designed to do. The law is an awesome tool. But we must use it for the right job. Our diagnosis.

The right tool for the job of salvation is the Gospel. The real cure is the Good News. The only therapy that truly works “comes through faith in Christ” (v9). Would you like a phrase to keep in you hip pocket that makes you sound super smart? This is what theologians call imputed or alien righteousness. No, this isn’t something that happens when you’re abducted by extraterrestrials and subjected to some sort of weird experiments aboard their interstellar spaceship. No, this is a close encounter of the Jesus kind. The Son of God came to earth to do for you and me what we could never dream of doing for ourselves. Jesus obeyed all of God’s rules. He never broke the law. No sins of commission. No sins of omission. He lived the perfect life of obedience to God’s law we’ve completely failed to live. He died the brutal death for our sin and disobedience we should have died. He rose to a jaw dropping new life we certainly don’t deserve. He’s the sinless and spotless Lamb of God who makes us perfectly clean (Jn 1:29). 

Just in case you missed the big idea, Paul repeats his point. There’s only one way to get our hands on what Jesus has done for us. It’s “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (v9). We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t pile up enough brownie points. We only receive God’s righteousness by trusting in the life Jesus lived for us. The apostle says putting our faith in our Savior puts an end to the rules. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Paul sums up this idea of Jesus’ substitution on our behalf in one of his letters to the Corinthian church. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor 5:21). There are a lot of pronouns there. You can’t tell the players without a scorecard. Read it this way. “For our sake God the Father made His Son Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God.” A guy named Luther liked to call this the Great Exchange! Jesus takes our filth and gives us His perfection. As a result of this totally lopsided trade, actually become God’s righteousness. Christ does for us what we can’t. 

So stop trying making your salvation a DIY project. You can’t follow all the rules. You can’t do enough good stuff. Going to church is the wrong tool. Reading your Bible everyday is the wrong tool. Being a great parent and spouse is the wrong tool. Even putting together an impressive religious resume won’t get it done. You don’t paint your house with a hammer. You can’t saw a 2x4 using screwdriver. The law of God is a GREAT tool. It’s just the wrong tool for the project. There’s only one that works. Trusting in Jesus.

A Big Steaming Pile

“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” (Philippians 3:8).

I treasured my collection of music. We’re talking rock from the 70s and 80s. Couldn’t get enough of it. Bought everything I could find from the Beatles, Eagles, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Styx, and anybody else who appeared on the Midnight Special. This timeless music would be around forever! There was just one little problem. I bought it all on 8-track tapes. What? Never heard of this fabulous method of recording and playback? Consider yourself blessed a thousand times over. Just about the time I was at the peak of assembling my musical stash, 8-track PLAYERS disappeared. Poof. Thanks to the invention of CDs, my entire collection was worthless. I had no way of rocking the house once my 8-track deck went to the big electronic dumpster in the sky. I thought this was a great investment in my entertainment future. Big mistake. My treasured collection of 8-track gold was nothing more than a big steaming pile.

What in the world do my misguided musical purchases have to do with Paul’s letter to the Philippian church? I’m so very glad you asked. The apostle goes out of his way to let his readers know he made a massive mistake. Earlier in his life, he invested in things he truly believed mattered over the long haul. He built an incredibly impressive religious resume! The former Pharisee had quite a pile of accomplishments and awards. That all changed the day the resurrected Jesus supernaturally mugged him outside Damascus. Suddenly Paul realized his credentials and achievements were a lot like my 8-track collection. A. Big. Steaming. Pile. 

The apostle desperately wants his Philippian friends to not make the same mistake. Following Jesus is about a deepening and growing relationship with our Savior. It is NOT about trying to earn God’s favor by filling up the trophy case. It’s NOT about turning our lives into one big self-salvation project. That’s exactly the spiritual snake oil a team of false teachers was spreading among local churches at the time. They were duping folks into believing a counterfeit gospel that Jesus may get you into God’s kingdom but it’s up to us to stay in. According to these knuckleheads, that happens when we follow a long and complicated list of religious rules and regulations. From his prison cell in Rome, Paul pleads with the people not to fall for this garbage. 

His warning is also for you and me, 2,000 years later. There are plenty of these goobers still around today peddling not-so-good news. We trust in Jesus and what He’s done. Christ lived the perfect life I’ve failed to live. He died the death for my sin I should have died. He rose to new life I certainly don’t deserve. I depend on His spotless resume, not mine. But my trust in Him doesn’t stop there. I deepen my relationship with Jesus through my obedience to Him. He’s not just my Savior but my Lord. He’s not just my Rescuer but my Leader. I follow out of my overflowing gratitude not because He’s given me some sort of divine to-do list. Our relationship grows through my obedience. That’s when I truly understand the mind-blowing value of knowing Jesus compared to everything else. Compared to Him, it’s all a big steaming pile.

“I count everything as loss” (v8), says Paul. He picks up on the image of the profit-and-loss statement he started in the previous verse. Once Christ became part of the equation, He flipped the ledger of his life on its head. Profits became losses. Losses became profits. The apostle continues and says when all the calculations were complete, he suddenly realized everything in his life outside of his relationship with Jesus was a big fat zero. The word “count” in the ESV is the Greek verb hegomai, which is actually an accounting term. It means to figure, calculate, or reckon. Whether you use a computer, calculator, abacus, or number two pencil, you’ll get the same result. There’s not one single thing that measures up to a relationship with the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. Nothing.

That doesn’t mean God doesn’t shower us with some awesome blessings. Family. Friends. A home. A job. But when we stack them up next to Jesus, they’re worthless. That’s because God’s greatest blessing to us is God Himself. It’s about the Giver and not about His gifts. He wants us to see His gracious fingerprints on everything in our lives. Everything from a beautiful sunrise to a great ribeye is a gift from the ultimate Giver. They’re to be enjoyed. But don’t make the mistake of worshiping His blessings. They pale in comparison to Christ. Nothing measures up to a relationship with Jesus. 

Just how valuable is this friendship? According to Paul, it’s of “surpassing worth” (v8). He drops a cool word in the original language (Gr. hupercho) which literally means have something that’s over the top! The value of a friendship with Jesus is far and away better than anything else in our lives. It doesn’t mean the other stuff is worthless. Quite the contrary. The apostle is simply raising the price of his relationship with Christ. In comparison to all of the other things he values highly, what he has in Jesus makes them seem pointless. His relationship with Jesus is over the top! 

“Knowing Christ Jesus” (v8) is not knowing ABOUT Him. We’re not to simply acquire facts about the Son of God. It’s never a bad idea to gather important info about the people you love. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Likes. Dislikes. Where are they from? What do they do? But those facts allow you to dive deeper into the relationship (otherwise, you’re just some sort of weird, creepy stalker). Paul calls us to something so much better than a fact-finding mission or a Google search on our Savior. It’s the difference between reading someone’s autobiography and actually becoming their friend. Let’s get to know Jesus personally and intimately and not just build a dossier of intel. 

You might think this idea of a personal friendship with God is something your weird, Bible-thumping neighbors made up. Interestingly, the Bible is full of the importance of the privilege of this relationship. Seven hundred years before Jesus, God spoke through Isaiah about our desperate need for a relationship with His Son. “By His knowledge shall the Righteous One, My Servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities” (Is 53:11). One hundred years after that, Yahweh used His spokesman Jeremiah to warn folks to stop bragging about what they have done and start bragging about a relationship with God. “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jer 9:23-24).

That theme keeps rolling in the New Testament. Rocky, the crew chief of the apostles, prayed that we each have a relationship with the heavenly Father and His Son which puts us under the waterfall of God’s goodness. “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord” (2Pet 1:3). The Apostle John wanted the world to know his best Friend came on His mission not just to rescue us from our sin but to open the door for a relationship. “The Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ” (1Jn 5:20). Jesus and talked to His Dad about how a relational connection with them is THE definition of everlasting and abundant life. “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3). Yeah, a personal friendship with God through Jesus is kind of a big deal. 

Jesus is a total game changer for Paul. “I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish” (v8). Christ caused him to reevaluate everything in his life. When he did, a funny thing happened. The apostle realized everything else is “rubbish” (v8). Here’s the deal. Bible translators don’t know what to do with the word in the original Greek text. It’s skubalon. Some other versions say “garbage” (NLT) or “refuse” (YLT). Here’s a place where the good ol’ King Jimmy nails it: “dung.” It’s the only time the term shows up in Scripture. We’re talking manure. Feces. Poop. You might roll your nose at the though of such a disgusting term being in the Bible. But it’s important to use strong words when talking about strong ideas. What Paul thought was priceless eventually turned out to be a big steaming pile compared to a relationship with Jesus. Kind of like my 8-track collection.

Profit and Loss

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

In business, all that matters is the bottom line. For CEOs, CFOs, presidents, the board of directors, and stockholders, it’s all about the Benjamins. Profit and loss. You might think all this talk of capitalism and cash sounds crass when it comes to following Christ. But Paul goes all Fortune 500 to describe his relationship with Jesus. “But whatever gain I had, I coined as loss for the sake of Christ” (v7). That’s because His grace is a game changer. Our Savior transforms our portfolio. Suddenly all of the items we considered assets junk compared to Jesus. 

All this talk of profit-and-loss statements really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if you’ve been reading along in the apostle’s letter to his friends back in Philippi. He just got through sharing his religious resume (Phil 3:5-6). The man from Tarsus has some impressive qualifications. Top of his class. One of Israel’s up-and-comers. Number one draft pick. He was so devoted to Judaism he hunted and murdered followers of that radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. But the dude we once knew as Saul soon realized his resume was big steaming pile when he met Jesus face to face. Everything he’d spent his life accumulating was suddenly worthless. His profits instantaneously shifted over the loss column. Yeah, Christ has a huge impact on our bottom line.

Paul starts his evaluation of his P&L statement with earnings. “But whatever gain I had” (v7). He uses an accounting term (Gr. kerdos), which means profit, advantage, or earnings. There is a strong sense of working hard to obtain something. All those bullet points on his resume came with a cost. The former Pharisee busted his tail to pile them up. Hours of study. Years of obedience. He had hoped to pile up enough profit to buy himself into God’s kingdom. He dedicated his life to legalism and self-salvation. Let’s face it, if anybody could pull this off, it was this young Hebrew superstar. But there’s just one little problem. You can’t do it. Not then. Not now. Not ever. Not through church attendance. Not by reading your Bible. Not by devoting your life to Habitat for Humanity. Not by helping old ladies across the street. Most of us have spent a lot of time and effort believing we can pile up enough profits by being a good person that God would have to accept us. Not so much.

The entrepreneurial tentmaker from Tarsus continues the assessment of his financial statement. Suddenly all of the profits “I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (v7). Here’s another business term, “counted” (Gr. hegeomai). It describes how an accounted sharpens their pencil and really looks closely at the ledger. The term means to figure, reckon, consider, be of the opinion, regard, or hold a view. Jesus’ kid brother James writes, “Count (Gr. hegeomai) it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-3). Paul has gone down the list of the profit column. Like a top CPA, he’s looked hard at each item listed. He’s done the cost-benefit analysis. The apostle has run the numbers and they suddenly don’t add up.

We’re shocked to see the bottom line is a “loss for the sake of Christ” (v7). Paul goes back to his business vocab once again with the word “loss” (Gr. zemia). This means disadvantage, damage, forfeiture, or a worse situation than before. It also carries the undeniable implication of hardship or suffering. Back during his cruise from hell for his hearing in Rome, the apostle tried to tell the captain and crew of the ship of the suffering they were facing. “I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss (Gr. zemia), not only of cargo and the ship, but also our lives” (Acts 27:10). We might believe with every fiber of our being we know what we’re doing. But without a relationship with Jesus, we’re going to crash on the rocks and lose everything. Paul makes it clear all I work to gain as a blessing will actually turn out to be a hardship when it comes to following Jesus. It’s going to hurt when God pulls all the stuff I’ve thought was of value out of my hands. It hurts because I have to them go and have to lay them down.

Christ made the point of false profit to His posse over and over again. “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:33). It’s not about our stuff. It’s all about following Jesus. The Lord even went so far as to say it was a complete waste of time to be rich enough to own the planet and everything on it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Mt 16:26). It’s all Monopoly money compared to what’s really valuable. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all he has and buys the field” (Mt 13:44-45). That’s something that even Moses realized almost 1,400 years before Jesus showed up. “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Heb 11:25).

So just what does Jesus use to turn our profit-and-loss statement upside down? What incredible blessing does He give us? Money? Power? A big house? How ‘bout Creflo Dollar’s jet? I’m not saying God won’t financially bless you or me. But that’s not what leverages our ledger. Jesus is the blessing! He is the the reward! What Christ gives is SO much better that anything we can grab on our own! Himself!! His grace is a game changer. Our Savior transforms our portfolio. Suddenly all of the items we considered assets junk compared to Jesus.