I have not suffered in any way such as Paul has, but I can tell you this from what little suffering I have undergone as Christ’s servant, there is an aspect to it that draws you closer to Him that could not exist from any other experience. To be content with salvation from Hell is to miss the point, the purpose and the pleasure of having Jesus as your savior. Christians also face persecution for their faith, which can make life much harder for God’s people. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord--These words are added by way of amplification. Philippians 3:1-9, Scripture: Hypocrites who carefully practiced ceremonial washings so as not to become defiled, but whose hearts were already defiled by robbery and self-indulgence (Mt. Let us begin by reading Philippians 3:1-16 which will set the context for our study this morning of Philippians 3:8-11. Paul goes on in verse 8 to recount that he had indeed suffered the loss of all these things, but that he counted them as rubbish in order that he might gain Christ. And even after all this, Paul still had those who attacked his character. If you have not done so already, I implore you to yield your life to Jesus Christ today and begin a quest to know Him even as Paul knew Him. Everything a man can gain in this world is lost upon death. However, the religion of his heritage was wrong, so Paul counted his heritage as loss for the sake of Christ (vs. 7). There was no instant recognition of what Paul would become as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2 sets this passage up in the context of persecution and oppression for the sake of the gospel. There is also a reliance on Him that is deeper than could be experienced in any other way and you see Him in action through you. 23:25). Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Philippians 3:8: The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. Unless they came to a realization of their self deceit and rejected it, they had no hope. A.F.V Righteousness in Christ through faith became the central theme in all of Paul’s writings. Paul could not attain to the resurrection of the dead if he was relying on his past heritage and efforts at works of righteousness. When Paul turned away from his self-righteousness to Christ Jesus, he lost all that he had worked for in becoming a Pharisee of high standing. What difference does that make in how you live your life now? It also covers the idea that self-righteous actions make you more acceptable or pleasing to God after salvation. NASB E-Prime For the study guide, visit (14:13), Scripture: He had been born in Tarsus, which is outside of the country of Israel, but he resisted the pressures to become a hellenized Jew who would fit into the Greco-Roman world into which he was born. The same is true for every believer, and it is a gift that is offered for everyone that will believe and receive it. This is the truth that was lost in the church in the middle ages and was regained in the reformation. Paul says he lost everything! Paul’s hope of both salvation and sanctification were both tied up in Jesus’ resurrection. 7:1-5). He gave up many of His prerogatives as God to experience life as a human. It is the truth for which Jon Hus was burned at the stake and for which Martin Luther staked his life just over a hundred years later. Philippians 3:8 8 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. Wilderness Wandering (Part Five). For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ, Scripture quoted by permission. Paul goes on in verse 10 to give additional reasons as to the importance of having a righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith and not by works of the law, and why he counted all his former heritage and works as loss for the sake of Christ. We see that wealth was a major idol in his life, his high tower that he looked to for security. Philippians 3:4-9: Gaining Christ || Luke Nash. 6:19f). This starts at salvation and continues on throughout the rest of your life and into eternity. Talk with your parents about what it means to be righteous before God and how you can attain that standing. If this were not so, idolatry would not be such a major problem, but it is the most common and serious of all spiritual sins. Describe what this means in your own life. K.J.V. That is why Jesus directs us to store up our treasures in heaven instead of on earth (Mt. Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, Bible > Philippians > Chapter 3 > Verse 8, "Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ." To show his perseverance in the contempt of all outward advantages. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. There is no surpassing value in knowing Jesus Christ unless it is in the capacity of that personal relationship. All efforts of self-righteousness were then rejected and replaced by the true righteousness of faith in God’s work and promises given to us by His grace. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Paul was so successful at keeping the Law as followed by the traditions of the Pharisees that he would have been found blameless by them. The ultimate in this fellowship of suffering would be being conformed to His death. Philippians 1:2, FAQ | Contact Us | Terms of Service | Privacy, Sermon on Philippians 3:1-11 "Profit" | I Count It All As Loss, Choose Joy in Our Pursuit of Christ Part 2, Dr. Carey Vinzant - WBS - Wesley Biblical Seminary - Philippians 3:1-11, Guest Speaker: Andrew Hopper, Philippians 3:1-9, 9/2/12 - Blessing the Next Generation with the Blessings of Limitation & Anticipation - Philippians 3:7-21 - Bart Garrett, How Do I Know If I Love God? 2:8,9). To get what Philippians 3:8 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity. His statement here places emphasis on how knowing Jesus Christ is of far surpassing value to anything else that could even be imagined and done. Paul came to strong convictions on this and severely opposed those that tried to add any sort of self-righteous work to their faith in attaining salvation. Paul deals with both of these issues in Philippians 3 as he gives insight into his own background and how it was less than the righteousness that God requires and how his mindset changed so that he was able to pursue all the wonderful aspects there are to knowing Jesus and following God. His zeal was so strong for his religious convictions that he became a persecutor of the church because he viewed the followers of Jesus Christ as heretics that were a threat to Judaism. Remember: It’s easy to find preachers and teachers nowadays who promise many material and physical blessings to those who follow Christ, but our Lord told us that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33). Is there something you want him to do for you or in your life? If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). 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, Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8 ... His two expressions, ‘that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,’ are substantially identical in meaning, though they put the same truth from different sides, and with some variety of metaphor.