Loss And Gain

Philippians 3:2-7

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.

These are those who said they were Christians but demanded that to be a true chosen one of God they would have to obey the Old Testament Laws including circumcision.

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.

We are believing in and trusting in Jesus as God's Christ, who have circumcised our hearts in cutting away all that draws us away from God's Truth and realize that "the flesh counts for nothing" (Jesus, John 6:63), so physical circumcision becomes meaningless.

Though I  myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

Paul had been Saul, and he will now tell us all about his perfect pedigree according to the flesh to be counted among God's chosen:

(1) Circumcised on the eighth day,

As an eight-day-old infant, the physical cutting-away.

(2) Of the people of Israel, (3) of the Tribe of Benjamin,

Saul had been born Jewish, as when the kingdoms separated after King Solomon died and his son became the king, the Ten Tribes became Israel while Judah and Benjamin became Judah, from whence we derive the designation "Jew."

(4) A Hebrew of the Hebrews;

He was at the pinnacle of Jewishness, or Hebrewness.

(5) In regard to the Law, a Pharisee;

In accordance with the Old Testament Law, Saul was educated to be at the highest, purest level of their religion, one who memorized the Scriptures the best and most extensively, and was a teacher to others of God's Word.

(6) As for zeal, persecuting the Church;

Saul's passion for God extended to the extreme against these people of the Way who seemed to be against the Jewish Religion.

(7) As for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

According to the legal standards, Saul was the Perfect Jew, who did everything right and reached the highest level of honor and authority.

But whatever was to my profit

All the things he just listed here.

I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

All these things that profited him in the world only drew him away from the truth of Christ, and became a barrier between him and God, keeping him away from being able to believe. That's why Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, to tear down that wall of religion and give him opportunity to put his trust in Jesus Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things; I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Saul (means "great one"), now Paul (means "small one"), has lost his position and his possessions, but has gained immeasurably more.

I once put my trust in a religion, a system of doing "good works" to earn favor with God and work my way into Heaven. But it's God's Heaven, and He's the One who decides who gets to come into His home, not some collection of men. I had been looking for the Truth. It didn't matter to me whether it would be what I had always believed, or something completely different, or something in between; I just wanted to believe what was actually True, that I could trust would never change. 

I didn't know that Jesus was The Truth, but God honored my seeking (as He said He would) and let me know that Jesus took my place on the Cross; He didn't deserve any of it, I deserved it all. That's when He birthed me into His own Family, and gifted me with His Holy Spirit to dwell in me. 

I pray that you, dear Reader, also has put your trust in Jesus paying Your debt to God, and rising from the dead. That's how much God loves each of us, to send His only Son to die for us, and cause the miracle in each of our lives to be born into His own Family.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!