But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ… (Philippians 3:7-8). The first half of Philippians 3 is difficult to break up. There is a single thread that runs through it. Righteousness is one of the words Paul chooses to tie things together, even though joy and confidence are part of the glue. Since righteous surrounds our verses, let's stay with it. As Pastor Anthony reflected on yesterday, here, righteousness is a tally of all the things that gave Paul confidence in the flesh before God. Often, when we Christians use the word flesh, it has a negative connotation. We think about sinful, particularly addictive bodily behaviours. Sometimes Paul does use it that way, but here, it is used to refer to religious activity as practiced by Old Testament Israel in fulfilling the dictates of the law. Flesh describes a person who has reached the very pinnacle of moral and religious development. These acts of rightness gave access to God. This is the essence of the book of Leviticus: the things that Israel was to do so that God could dwell with her. How could a holy God live among his unholy people? The rituals at the tabernacle and the dictates of the law were the means. In a ledger, Paul has added up everything that gave him access to God. According to the Jews, his list was impressive. When he met Christ on the road to Damascus, he discovered that all these things added up to less than a big fat ZERO. All these things gave him no access to God, no confidence to come into God's presence, no joy of divine salvation. "But it does not matter," writes Paul, "because now I know Christ!" Everything that was on his ledger as an Israelite, he now considers garbage. He considers them a loss. The only thing on his ledger as a Christian is Christ Jesus. That is all he needs. Paul came to the end of all his costly striving after acceptance before God through simply believing in Christ. He no longer has a need to measure up, to make something of himself. Christ has given him all he needs. He has given everything up to gain Christ. This is the deeply personal nature of the Christian faith. We often reduce it to our conversion experience. "Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour?" we ask each other. A fine question. Yet, Paul calls us to go deeper. The personal dynamic of the Christian faith is not just in the conversion experience, but in the daily letting go of our own righteousness so that we can know Christ. On the way to Damascus, he met Christ. But now he speaks of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Glorying in Christ Jesus is not a static thing. Joy in the Lord keeps company with progress in the Lord. In the years since Damascus, he has progressed in knowledge, not simply facts, but the more intimate knowledge of 'sharing life together', on leaning ever more fully on Christ. He glories even more in Christ Jesus because he knows him more. And because he knows him more, Paul has become more consecrated to him. This is what Paul has discovered. This is why this section is as much about confidence and joy as it is about righteousness. Our own righteousness is always weak and feeble; it can never give us confidence to boldly come into God's presence. Christ takes the place of everything demanded of Israel in the book of Leviticus. The tabernacle has vanished, and Christ stands among his people and beckons us into the presence of God. With joy and confidence we may come, now and forever. How does a Christian follow Paul in consecration? Progressively, through deeper and deeper knowledge of Christ, for the more we know him the more we see his glory and the more we gladly give all to and for him. What gives you confidence before God? What are you counting on to give you good standing with him? What is the source of your joy? These are not easy questions to answer. They should be questions we continually ask ourselves.

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