Philippians 3:8 (Apostle Paul speaking), But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. “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, so I may gain Christ.
Question:
What does the apostle Paul refer to as the loss of all things?
Answer:
The loss of all that you have gained in the flesh that takes the place of Christ. (For the apostle Paul, it was his own righteousness that he gained from obeying the works of the law.)
Philippians 3:4-6 “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I have a reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has a reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
This testimony is Paul’s way of saying that he has all the qualifications of the law that would make him righteous before God. Yet none of it counted compared to gaining Christ.
Explanation:
When reading the Bible, it can be easy to mistake God’s intent for righteousness. As people of the flesh, we often misinterpret the Bible and use it to convince ourselves that we are righteous by what we do in the flesh. This deception has been detrimental to all who seek the Lord and desire to obtain true likeness and righteousness with Him.
Paul strongly confronts this idea in the churches of Galatia, asking, “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3) Paul had righteous indignation against his people for continuing to follow the written laws of God above following after the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The loss of all things is not losing the word of God; it’s losing the confidence you have gained in God through your works of the flesh.
This confidence must be replaced with confidence in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Your knowledge of God has no power without the Spirit of Christ.
It’s easy to think you have a legitimate reason to be righteous in the flesh. You may say, I don’t drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, cuss, or cheat on my spouse. I attend church, give my offerings, pray, and sing unto the Lord. I was baptized in water, filled with the Spirit, and I witness to others about Jesus. I know a lot of scripture and can speak about God on many topics. But this is all of which Paul says means nothing if you have not the Spirit of Christ.
What to do:
Paul’s love for winning Christ fueled his desire to lose what he had so selfishly gained. We must imitate him and desire to gain Christ above all we gain for ourselves through a perversion of God’s word. In doing so, you will count everything you’ve gained in the flesh as nothing but rubbish compared to the glory you share with Him in the Spirit.
Scriptural References:
Philippians 3:1–11; Book of Galatians
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