Sunday, May 9, 2010
DON’T COUNT ON YOUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS
Phil. 3:4-8
It seems like in recent weeks economic disaster or the threat of economic disaster has dominated the news. Because of the volcano in Iceland, airlines were losing millions of dollars every day. And it isn’t over, as flights in Ireland and Scotland were grounded again this past week. Flooding in the northeast and then again in Tennessee left the kind of destruction that will take much time and money to repair. On top of those “natural disasters” we now have the drilling rig accident in the Gulf of Mexico. They are saying that as much as 200,000 gallons oil are pouring into the Gulf waters each day. This has the potential to affect the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in Louisiana, as well as tourism in Florida. Who knows how far the ripple effect will extend into our economy. In Greece people are rioting and killing in protest of how the economy is being handled. We are being told that the problems there could effect the economy of Europe and possible the world economy. Then, of course, the stock market plummeted a thousand points in a couple of minutes. Not only do the experts not know how to prevent it from happening again, but they aren’t even sure what happened in the first place.
All of this is big news because it affects the lives of common, ordinary people. Fishermen in Louisiana are already calculating their losses. But what if a person voluntarily counted everything he had and reckoned it as loss? Think of it in terms of accounting. Suppose you began to list everything you have and you put those things in the assets column. You list the amount you have in your checking account, anything you might have in a savings account, your retirement account, the value of any property you own, the value of your vehicles, and everything else that is yours. Then you add it all up. What would you think of a man who took that amount and moved it over to the liability column? Everything which was gain to him he now counts as loss.
Let’s think of it another way. Suppose you had a million dollars in your bank account, but you refused to spend any of it. All your friends an relatives checked it out and verified that you do indeed have this million dollars in your bank account. Nevertheless, you refuse to spend it because you count it as loss, as a liability instead of an asset. Everyone is going to think you are a little bit crazy. You are not saving it to spend later; you will not spend it now, later, or ever. To make your point clear, you withdraw your money in cash and literally burn it. Now we know you’re crazy.
Some of you know that I am illustrating the case of a man who lived almost 2,000 years ago. That man was the apostle Paul. Let’s read about him in Phil. 3:1-11…
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
As we read, Paul went on to count all his gains as dung. That is the King James translation. The Greek word refers to something that is worthless and detestable, whether it be the excrement of humans or animals, garbage, rubbish, or the dregs. As we look at this passage, we are going to deal with some important questions. What did Paul have that he counted as rubbish? And why did he count it as rubbish? What was he going to gain in its place? What made it so much better than what he had before? What made the difference?
I. Paul Is Describing an Accounting Transaction
The key to this section is verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” In a few minutes, we will be looking at “what things,” but before we do, I want you to notice carefully the language that Paul uses. There can be no doubt that he was using the common accounting terms of his day. Notice the words “gain,” “loss,” and “counted.” Even in our day those words stir up images of financial reckoning.
Up until this great change in his reckoning of what was important to him, Paul had a long list of his gains. When added up, they were quite impressive. Most anyone would have been proud to lay claim to them. Then in one calculated act, Paul deliberately moved them from the “gains” side to the “loss” side. He claimed that all his assets had now been assigned as liabilities. Notice the contrasts in verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Not only do we see the contrast between “gain” and “loss,” but also between “me” and “Christ.”
What made the change? The context of the New Testament gives us an absolutely clear answer to that question. What made the change was Paul’s relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. In biblical terms, we call it conversion. When the Lord turned Paul’s life around on the Damascus Road, this accounting change took place. What things were gain to Paul were then considered loss. What a radical change.
Let me ask you a simple question this morning? Does this kind of thing still happen? Can such a change occur in a person’s life that his whole accounting process is drastically changed? Let me put it bluntly? Does conversion still occur? Is it real? Or, is it just a psychological juggling that really changes nothing, as many psychologists would like us to believe?
Now let’s shift gears and look at the context? Remember where we are in Philippians 3. Paul is warning his beloved Philippian brothers and sisters to watch out for that group of false teachers we call the Judaizers. Their message was basically this: It isn’t enough to trust Jesus Christ. In addition, a man must be circumcised and submit to all the Jewish law in order to be made right with God. In short, they taught that it is impossible for a person to be saved unless he becomes a Jew. They taught that faith in Jesus and what He did at the cross is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Yes, you have to believe in Jesus, but you also have to become a Jew. The symbolic shorthand to communicate this concept was circumcision. Paul referred to these teachers as dogs, evil workers, and the concision (the mutilation).
So to whom should the Philippians listen -- to Paul or to these zealous Judaizers? Yes, they loved Paul and owed a great debt to him. There was no doubt about that. On the other hand, the Judaizers had the support of the Bible. They could show the Philippians what God said about circumcising a boy on the eighth day. They could point to the passages in Leviticus, where God told them not to eat certain animals that were unclean. Add to that the fact that the Judaizers were present. (They were either there when Paul wrote, or Paul knew they would be coming. Either way, they would be present while Paul was far away in a Roman prison.) Paul spoke in strong terms, but how did they know they could believe Paul over these zealous, Bible-quoting Jews who claimed to follow Jesus?
Now we begin to see the connection of these verses. While the Judaizers claimed to be the true people of God by virtue of their circumcision and obedience to the Jewish law, Paul refutes their claim in verse 3 and says the true people of God are those who “worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” The test is not in the outward forms, but in the inward spiritual realities. Then verse 4, “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks he has reason to trust in the flesh, I more.” Paul is no stranger to trusting in the flesh. As we will see in the verses that follow, Paul can identify with the Judaizers. He has been there. The things in which they are trusting are the very things in which he himself trusted.
Now we are going to look at what those things were. These are the “what things” of verse 7. Let’s look at them in verses 5 and 6.
II. What Things Were Gain I Counted Loss
Verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Now let’s go back and read verses 4-6…
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Verses 5-6 identify the “more” at the end of verse 4 and the “what things” in verse 7. What was it that gave Paul such good reason (humanly speaking) to trust in the flesh? He begins with his noble birth and heritage -- “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.” These were things over which Paul had no control. No doubt, he gave the Lord credit for such a noble birthright.
Why do you think he begins with the phrase “circumcised the eighth day”? Strictly speaking, it is slightly out of order. He was born of the stock of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin eight days before he was circumcised. I think it is because of the context. Remember that the word “circumcision” is used in verse 3. Though this is the only place it is used in the first three verses, the concept underlies everything he has written in this chapter. Circumcision was the thing that symbolized the Jewish law and the Jewish way of life. It was the outward sign of an entire way of life. Remember at circumcision was what the Judaizers demanded of every male, even those Gentiles who had become followers of Christ. Circumcision was their badge. Now Paul reminds his readers that he too was circumcised. Not only so, but he calls attention to the fact that he was circumcised on the eighth day. You will remember that a man could become a Jew later in life, as long as he was circumcised and submitted to Jewish law. Circumcision was an absolute requirement. Paul wants to remind them that he hadn’t been circumcised later in life. No, Paul fulfilled what the law said. We read about it in Gen. 17. Ishmael was circumcised when he was 13 years old, but Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day, just like the original commandment said. Paul was like Isaac. It is very likely that some of the Judaizers became Jews later and were circumcised. Not Paul; he was circumcised on the 8th day. No one could consider him a second-class Jew, because his circumcision was by the book.
Then he says he was of the stock of Israel. Other translations read: of the people of Israel (ESV, NIV), of the nation of Israel (NASV), of the race of Israel (Amplified). Literally, it is “genous” (genouV), from which we get our English word “genus.” It refers to race, offspring, family. Paul is simply emphasizing that he was an Israelite from birth. Others may become Israelites, but Paul was born an Israelite. I think we can catch the flavor of what Paul was saying by comparing it to a saying we sometimes used, “He comes out of good stock.” If you haven’t heard that little saying, it simply says that a person has a good family background. So it was with Paul.
Paul also says that he was of the tribe of Benjamin. Some commentators labor the point that Benjamin was a noble tribe among the 12. While that is true, the same could be said of Judah, Levi, Ephraim, Manasseh, and others. One could argue that Judah was much more noble than Benjamin, because our Lord Jesus was of the tribe of Judah. I don’t think Paul is saying that Benjamin was the most noble of the tribes. Rather, I believe he is pointing to the fact that he could trace his lineage back to Benjamin. Being able to trace the lineage was of great importance to the Jewish people. You will recall that there were some men who were refused the priesthood because they couldn’t prove that they were from the tribe of Levi. Apparently they were, but they didn’t have the papers to prove it. During the New Testament period, many of the Jews could not trace their family descent because the records had been lost during the Babylonian captivity or because intermarriage had blurred the lines between tribes. Paul’s Jewishness stood out in the fact that he knew he was from the tribe of Benjamin and he could prove it.
From his noble birth and heritage Paul will move to those things over which he did have control. We might see the fourth thing he mentions here -- “an Hebrew of the Hebrews” -- as a kind of transition between what he inherited and what he achieved. What does he mean that he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews? He doesn’t explain that phrase. What does he mean by that? In his brief little commentary (A Study Guide: Philippians, p. 65)) Howard Vos suggests that the name “Hebrew” in that day meant a bit more than the name “Jew.” While a Jew simply traced his descent from Jacob, to be considered a Hebrew a man had to speak Hebrew and retain Hebrew customs. It was very common in that day for Jews to be “Hellenized,” swallowed up by the Greek language and culture of that day. Not Paul. He spoke Hebrew and he had tenaciously clung to Jewish customs. Not only had Paul done this, but it is most likely that his parents and grandparents had done the same. That is why he could make this claim. By virtue of his ancestry and his own effort, he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was the cream of the crop, so to speak.
Now we come to strictly what Paul achieved by his own diligence. First of all, “as touching the law, a Pharisee.” Yes, Paul had the outward sign of circumcision, but did he zealously keep the law, as the Judaizers advocated? When Paul says he was a Pharisee, that pretty well says it all. There was no one more zealous for the law than the Pharisees. That group known as the Pharisees arose during the 400-year-period between the Old Testament and New Testament, when no prophetic word was being recorded. During this period, people began to drift away from the scriptures and value them less and less. The Pharisees rose up to remind people of the authority of God’s Word, teaching that it is essential to believe and obey what God says in His Word. Whether you realize it or not, the Pharisees had a noble beginning. The Pharisees believed the scripture, interpreted the scripture, guarded the scripture, preached the scripture, and tried to obey the scripture. In short, they were zealous for the Word of God. Unfortunately, down through the years they began to compare themselves with people around them and came to believe that their own righteousness was what would bring them salvation.
Nothing could emphasize more fully the ultimate in religion than being identified as a Pharisee. Listen to Paul from other passages of scripture. Acts 22:3, "I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day." Acts 23:6, "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." Acts 26:5, "Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." Gal 1:14, "And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." Being a Pharisee was the ultimate in the field of religion. A person could not get any higher.
Then continuing along those same lines, Paul says here in Phil. 3:6, “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church.” Not only did Paul demonstrate zeal by being a devoted Pharisee, but he went a step beyond guarding the law through right interpretation and vigorous proclamation. Now he confesses that he persecuted the church. We know the story well, don’t we? At the very time of his conversion, Paul was on his way to Damascus to round up Christians and make them pay for following Jesus, their Messiah. One of the reasons Paul’s (“Saul” at that time) conversion was so dramatic was the fact that he was so zealously persecuting the Lord’s church. When a man goes from the persecutor to the persecuted in such a short period of time, such a change by nature demands something radical. Listen to Paul’s own testimony about persecuting the church. 1 Cor. 15:9, "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Gal. 1:13, "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:" 1 Tim. 1:13, "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." While there was shame and regret afterward, while he was actually engaging in this persecution, he was a great hero of the Jewish people. He was actively opposing what they considered to be a false Messiah. Paul was absolutely devoted to his cause, even to the point of putting his opponents to death. As we read in Acts 8:3, "As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison."
Finally, Paul comes back to the law here in Phil. 3:6, “…touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Though Paul was zealous for the law in guarding it and proclaiming it, did he actually obey it? The apostle says that he was blameless with respect to the law. He is not saying that he was sinless. Such a statement would in itself violate what the law says. In other places (especially the early verses of Rom. 7), Paul makes it clear that he was in a battle with sin. Here he is talking about the general outward observance of the law. No one could find anything in him to blame. To the observer who watched his life, he was blameless. He was the model lawkeeper to all those around him. He didn’t steal. He didn’t take the name of the Lord in vain. He kept the Sabbath. With respect to the law, he was blameless.
Think for a moment about what Paul was saying. Was there a time in your life when you could say that you were blameless with respect to the Lord? Understand that Paul was saying this was what he was like before he met Christ. Do you know any non-Christian to whom you could point and say, “That man is blameless with respect to the law. I have never seen him violate the law of God in any way.” This is what makes Paul so unique.
Now let’s put it all together.
III. Why Did Paul Count All His Gains as Rubbish?
We acknowledge that it is unusual. It is radical for a person to count all of his gains as loss, to view what he has inherited and worked for as garbage. It has become crystal clear that Paul’s gains were tremendous. His gains were far more valuable than any financial sum. Paul had reputation, status, security. He had it all, and every bit of it had to do with his God. Add up all of his assets and what did they equal? Righteousness. Surely this was a righteous man by virtue of all that he inherited plus all that he had attained by devotion and effort.
Now we are ready to answer the question: Why did Paul count all his gains as garbage? He came to see that all of his gains did not equal righteousness. He had given his life to try to attain righteousness before God, and he believed he was doing well. No doubt, everyone around him was telling him that he was at the top of the heap. If a Jew wanted to point to an example of righteousness, he only had to look to Paul (Saul). If he ever had a question about his own righteousness, he answered the question by throwing himself into his work with even more devotion and zeal. Work harder.
But there came a point at which Paul understood that all his gains did not equal righteousness. We do not know exactly how that came about or where it started. We do know that when Stephen was stoned to death, Paul was the young man who stood by and held the coats of those who heaved the stones on him. What did Paul see when just before the stoning, Stephen looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God? What did he think, when he heard Stephen’s last words, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”? (See Acts 7:54-60).
What we do know is that while Paul was on his way to Damascus to round up those Christians whom he hated, Jesus appeared to him. More exactly, Jesus struck him down with a blinding light. Again, details are few. Nevertheless, the overall truth of the scriptures convince us that somewhere in that transaction with the Lord, Paul saw true righteousness. He saw the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the only righteous person who ever lived on this earth. Listen to me. When a person truly sees the righteousness of Jesus, he will count all his own claim to righteousness as garbage. His assets will become his liabilities.
What is it that keeps us from coming to the Lord? It is our own claims to righteousness. It has little to do with how bad our sins are. The key is in how we see our own righteousness. The Judaizers were teaching that a man must gain righteousness through things that he did, particularly by being circumcised and obeying the law. By implication, they were teaching that Jesus’ righteousness was not enough to make a sinful man right with God. That is a serious thing to say that the righteousness of the very Son of God who pleased the Father in everything is not enough to save us.
Listen to me carefully. Paul’s life experience was the exclamation point to this truth… (Gal. 2:16; 3:10-14)
For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified… For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul, with all his gains, looked like the most righteous man on earth, but in truth he was under the curse. Why? Because he could not live up to the law. Though other men saw him as righteous and most of the time he could convince himself that he was righteous, he could never meet the demands of God’s law. In Romans 7, he explains that while he was obeying the law outwardly, his own inward lust was exposed by the commandment, “You shall not covet.” No wonder Paul counted all his gains as garbage. They were the very things that were holding him under the curse by trying to convince him that he was a righteous man.
Conclusion
In what are you trusting for your salvation? Where is your righteousness? Are you trusting your great religious privilege? After all, you grew up in a Christian home where the Bible was read and prayers were heard. Doesn’t that make you better than 95% of the people in the world? Surely you can trust such an upbringing to save you. Get practical. Your privileges are small compared to those of Paul, who was circumcised the eighth day according to God’s law, who was of the stock of Israel, God’s people, and who was of the tribe of Benjamin. In the 9th chapter of Romans Paul grieved over his fellow-Israelites, who had great privileges but who were outside of Christ and had absolutely no hope of righteousness or salvation. Rom. 9:1-5…
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4. Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Their great privileges did not make them right with God in any way. Other scripture makes it clear that if we do not respond to our privileges by trusting Christ and Christ alone, those privileges will only make our condemnation and eternal suffering worse. To whom much is given much is required.
What are you trusting? Are you relying on your achievements? You don’t lie; you don’t cheat; you don’t cuss; you don’t drink or use drugs; you wouldn’t think of doing many of the this other people do. You go to church and read the Bible and pray. Are you willing to make that your plea when you meet the Lord Jesus on the last day? Are you comparing yourself with others, or with Jesus? When Paul compared himself with others, he could convince himself that he was right before God, but not when he beheld the righteousness of Jesus. How do you compare with Jesus? He is God’s standard. If your are trusting your own righteousness and that righteousness is the slightest bit less than the righteousness of Jesus, then you are condemned. You are lost. You have no hope. You will spend eternity in the lake of fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
But perhaps I haven’t yet come to your situation. You may compare yourself with others and conclude that you have a measure of righteousness, but you are also trusting Christ and what He did at the cross. What does that mean? Hear me. This is the very thing Paul was addressing, as he wrote to the Philippians. If you are trusting anything in yourself to make you right with God, then you aren’t trusting Christ. Jesus is exclusive. He will not loan any of His righteousness to be added to yours. If none of Paul’s righteousness was good enough to be added on to Christ’s righteousness, then surely yours and mine are not good enough.
So how do we deal with our tendency to trust our own righteousness? By the grace of God, we deal the death blow to our own righteousness. We take every scrap of self-righteousness we have and we count it as loss. We reckon it to be rubbish. Our own righteousness is not neutral. No, it is detrimental, and the best thing we can do is to give it a permanent assignment to the garbage dump. Self-righteousness always takes away from Christ’s righteousness. That’s why Paul was so definite, so radical, so harsh when dealing with those things which he thought were gain.
When it comes to applying this truth to our lives, we have only scratched the surface this morning. As we close, I want to challenge you to pray with me. Would you be willing to ask God to keep on preaching this passage to you throughout the week? Would you be willing to ask Him to make you faithful to come back to this passage and meditate on it this week?
Prayer
No comments:
Post a Comment