Fantasy Points

“Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if anyone thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more” (Philippians 3:4).

Ever watched a Sunday afternoon of the NFL with a friend who’s playing fantasy football? Suddenly your buddy isn’t so concern about whether your team is able to knock off their arch rival. He’s consumed with the players on his fantasy team. He desperately needs his QB to pile up big numbers. His receivers must record numbers. He’s hoping his running backs run wild. Here’s the crazy thing. He doesn’t give a rat’s rear end whether their teams win. He just wants fantasy points. 

A couple of thousand years before anyone ever dreamed up such a crazy idea for watching sports, Paul had a similar problem. He thought life was all about piling up great stats. He thought the only way to win was through your own record-setting performance. The former Pharisee believed God would be so impressed with his personal production that He would easily accept him. Later the apostle discovered this doesn’t win the game. These truly are just fantasy points. “Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if anyone thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more” (v4). He learned the hard way that you don’t win the game by piling up fantasy points and looking good. You only win by accepting Jesus’ victory.

Paul writes these words from behind bars in a Roman prison. He’s there because lot of folks are upset about this message he’s spreading. The apostle has dedicated his life to spreading the Good News that you don’t have to save yourself. It’s not about our performance but Jesus’. He lived the completely perfect and obedient life we failed to live. He died the bloody and brutal death for our sin we should have died. He rose to a spectacular new life we certainly don’t deserve. It’s this Gospel that’s landed him in the slammer. 

The apostle desperately wants to warn his friends back in Philippi about a false teaching headed their way. Some spiritual con artists are duping folks into believing there’s more to following Jesus than simply trusting in what He’s done for them. According to them, Christ may get us into God’s kingdom but it’s up to us to stay there. We need to follow the rules. We need to pile up stats. We need fantasy points. Paul wants the Philippians to know this is NOT how you win with God. He should know. He tried it. Don’t make the same mistake.

In the previous verse, Paul talks about how believers “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil 3:3). We celebrate the ultimate victory Jesus won for us which we could never win on our own. In the process, he drops the phrase “confidence in the flesh.” It must be kind of a big deal because he’s going to use it two more times in verse four. A little tip when it comes to reading and studying the Bible. Anytime you see a word or phrase repeated over and over, the author is trying to make a point. Hey, this is important. God is hammering this nail for a reason. He doesn’t want us to miss the big idea.

The apostle uses two forms of the same word in these two verses when writing “confidence.” One is a verb. The other is a noun. The verb peitho means to trust firmly, rely on strongly, or be totally certain. Don’t miss the point that it can also be translated as seduce or mislead. Jesus’ enemies duped the people and “persuaded (Gr. peitho) the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus” (Mt 27:20). Meanwhile the noun pepoithesis similarly describes trust, reliance on, a strong belief in someone or something to the point of total reliance. What do you ultimately lean on? Where have you been persuaded to place your trust?

Paul lets us know there’s nobody around with more reason to have “confidence in the flesh” (v4) than he does. “Flesh” is the Greek word sarx. It refers to the physical body. Before all you “Walking Dead” fans start licking your chops, the apostle NOT talking here about trusting in human flesh. He’s describing our human nature. In other words, the apostle tells us he has a long history of totally relying on external performance. His life was completely based on what he did on the outside no matter how disgusting he was on the inside. You see, there’s no greater expert on what a waste of time placing your “confidence in the flesh” than our man Paul. He’s going to give us his religious resume and his impressive stat line in the following verses (Phil 3:5-6). 

Don’t make the same mistake. Don’t think you impress God by piling up big numbers. Don’t think you win the game through fantasy points. The only way to get the “W” is through Jesus. “Christ Jesus our Lord, in Whom we have boldness and access with confidence (Gr. pepoithesis) through our faith in Him” (Eph 3:11-12). I might think I’ve got Hall of Fame stats, but they are nothing compared to Paul’s. And points are paltry and little league when stacked up next to the Lord’s. I must totally rely on Jesus and what He’s done for me. “Such is the confidence (Gr. pepoithesis) we have through Christ toward God” (2Cor 3:4). You don’t win the game by piling up stats and looking good. You only win by accepting Jesus’ victory. Everything else is just fantasy points.