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In Philippians 3:1-16 Christ is presented as the goal of the believers’ pursuit. Christ must be our goal and our aim. For Christ to be the goal means that He is the highest enjoyment. Our goal is the all-inclusive Christ as the prize awarded to us; when we reach the goal, the goal will immediately become the prize. Paul’s pursuit was toward one goal, one aim — Christ. He took Christ as his goal, pursuing to obtain the prize to which God in Christ had called him upward. Since our goal is to gain Christ, we should forsake all other things and pursue nothing but Christ.
In 3:1 Paul says, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, for me it is not irksome, but for you it is safe.” The Greek word rendered “irksome” also means “wearisome, tedious, troublesome.” Paul did not find it irksome or wearisome to write the same things to the saints. Paul here charges the saints to rejoice in the Lord. To rejoice in the Lord is a safeguard, a security.
In verse 3 Paul continues, “For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.” Those who are the circumcision here are the New Testament believers, the ones genuinely circumcised by Christ’s crucifixion. They are absolutely different from the Judaizers. They serve as priests by the Spirit of God, not by the ordinances of law; they boast in Christ, not in the law; and they have no confidence in the flesh but confidence in the Spirit. In verses 2 and 3 there is a striking contrast between evil workers and believers who boast in Christ. The Judaizers did evil things and even boasted in them, whereas the true believers boast in Christ. They glory and rejoice in Him. As used here, the word boast implies not only boasting but also rejoicing and glorying. Our boasting, glorying, and rejoicing are not in our outward deeds, not in our behavior or conduct, but in Christ alone.
In 3:7 Paul says, “What things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ.” The expression what things were gains to me refers to Paul’s many outstanding qualifications, which would be considered a model of the Judaizers mentioned in verses 5 and 6: “Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless.” The things that were gains to Paul he counted as loss on account of Christ. All the different gains were counted as one loss by Paul because they all issued in one thing, that is, the loss of Christ, as indicated by on account of Christ. All the things that were once gains to Paul hindered him and held him back from participating in Christ and enjoying Him. Hence, on account of Christ all the things that previously were considered gains became a loss to Paul. Like Paul, we should not boast in our religious status; rather, we should count it as loss on account of Christ.
In verse 8 Paul goes on to say, “I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul not only counted as loss on account of Christ the things of his former religion listed in verses 5 and 6, but he also counted all other things as loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, which he treasured, Paul counted everything as refuse, dregs, rubbish, filth, that which is thrown to the dogs.
The “all things” in verse 8 must certainly include the three categories of religious things, philosophical things, and cultural things. If we would drop our religion, philosophy, and culture, we would truly abandon everything. By dropping these categories of things, we would automatically drop the worldly, material things, which are actually dominated by religion, philosophy, and culture. Although it is easy to overcome the influence of material things, it is very difficult to overcome religion, philosophy, and culture. Those who love the Lord may easily abandon material things for His sake, but it is not easy for them to lay aside their particular thought and logic. You may love the Lord and seek Him for years without dropping one bit of your personal philosophy or logic.
Paul counted the matters of religion, philosophy, and culture as loss because they were all substitutes for Christ, hooks used by Satan to keep people from Christ and from the experience of Christ. How subtle the enemy is in keeping us from the experience of Christ! To some extent at least, we still have within us certain things that are substitutes for Christ in subtle, secret ways. These substitutes mainly involve religion, philosophy, and culture. As a result, we still are not fully and thoroughly occupied by Christ. We have not yet counted all things loss on account of Christ. May the enemy’s subtlety be exposed, and may we truly count all things loss, including our own philosophy and logic, on account of Christ and the experience and enjoyment of Him!
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is derived from the excellency of His person. The Jews consider the law of God given through Moses the most excellent thing in human history; hence, they are zealous for the law. Paul participated in that zeal. But when Christ was revealed to him by God (Gal. 1:15-16), he saw that the excellency, the supereminence, the supreme preciousness, the surpassing worth, of Christ far exceeded the excellency of the law. His knowledge of Christ issued in the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Since Christ is excellent, the knowledge of Christ is also excellent. On account of this, he counted as loss not only the law and the religion founded according to the law but all things. Like Paul, we should have the knowledge of Christ in His excellency. We should count all things to be loss on account of the excellent knowledge of Christ.
In Philippians 3:7 Paul says, “On account of Christ,” but in verse 8 he goes further and says, “On account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” The addition of the words my Lord indicates that as Paul was writing, he was filled with intimate, tender feelings concerning Christ. Tender feelings concerning the preciousness of the Lord Jesus rose up within him, causing him to speak of “Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul placed great value on the excellency of the knowledge of his dear Lord Jesus Christ.
The phrase as to, which may be rendered “according to,” is used three times in verses 5 and 6, with the law, zeal, and righteousness. The phrase on account of, which may be rendered because of, is used three times in verses 7 and 8, with Christ (twice) and with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Christ stands in contrast to the law, the zeal for it, and the righteousness in it. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ and Christ Himself are in contrast to all things and to the law. On account of Christ and the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Paul gave up the law, his zeal for it, the righteousness in it, and all other things. This indicates that Christ and the excellency of the knowledge of Christ are far superior to the law and all things.
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is mentioned in verse 8, whereas the actual experience of Christ is implied in verse 10. The knowledge of Christ, however, is basic. By knowledge we actually mean a revelation, a vision, concerning Christ and His excellence. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is the excellency of Christ realized by us. If we lack the knowledge of Christ’s excellency, His excellency will not mean anything to us. Christ is unlimited; hence, we need to have the excellency of the knowledge of the unlimited Christ, that is, to have a vision of the preciousness of Christ.
When Paul was blind and in religion, he could not see Christ; he could see only the law. Thus, he had the excellency of the knowledge of the law. But after Christ was revealed to him, he began to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. He was captured by the excellency of knowing Christ, and for the sake of this knowledge, he was willing to drop all things and count them to be loss. If we have more of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, we will drop everything religious and everything natural on account of Him and on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Him.
In verse 9 we see that Paul’s earnest desire was to be found in Christ. Paul had been altogether in the Jewish religion under the law and had always been found by others in the law. But at his conversion he was transferred from the law and his former religion into Christ and became “a man in Christ” (2 Cor. 12:2). Now he expected to be found in Christ by all who observed him — the Jews, the angels, and the demons. This indicates that he aspired to have his whole being immersed in and saturated with Christ so that all who observed him might find him fully in Christ. Deep within Paul was the aspiration to be found in Christ. May we all aspire to be found in Christ. We need to pray, “Lord, my desire is to be found in You. In everything I do day by day, I want to be found in You.” Only when we are found in Christ will Christ be expressed and magnified (Phil. 1:20).
In 3:9 Paul says that he did not want to have his own righteousness, but he wanted the righteousness which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith. “Not having my own righteousness...but...the righteousness which is out of God” is the condition in which Paul desired to be found in Christ. He wanted to live not in his own righteousness but in the righteousness of God and to be found in such a transcendent condition, expressing God by living Christ, not by keeping the law.
Before Paul was saved, he had no idea that Christ could be his righteousness. The righteousness of the law is the righteousness which comes from man’s own effort to keep the law, as mentioned in verse 6. Formerly, Paul lived in that righteousness, which was according to the law. Others could invariably find him enveloped by the righteousness of the law, but now Paul’s desire was to be observed as a person living in Christ and having Christ as his righteousness.
The righteousness in which Paul wanted to be found was the righteousness “which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith.” The expression faith in Christ literally means “faith of Christ”; it implies our believing in Christ. The faith with which we believe in Christ issues from our knowing and appreciating Christ. It is Christ Himself, infused into us through our appreciation of Him, who becomes our faith — the faith in Him. Hence, it is the faith of Christ that brings us into an organic union with Him.
The righteousness which is out of God and based on faith is the righteousness that is God Himself lived out of us to be our righteousness through our faith in Christ. Such righteousness is the expression of God, who lives in us. It is based on faith because it is on the basis, or condition, of faith. Faith is the basis, the condition, for us to receive and possess the righteousness that is out of God, the highest righteousness, which is Christ (1 Cor. 1:30).
From the word of life and through the supply of the Spirit, Paul obtained faith. This faith brought him God’s infusion. Spontaneously, Paul lived God out as his daily living and could be found in Christ, having the righteousness of God. When we experientially have the supply of the Spirit (Phil. 1:19) through the word of life (2:16) issuing in the faith of Christ (3:9), we are infused with God Himself (Rom. 10:17). Then the God who has been infused into us becomes our daily living, the living which Paul describes as the righteousness of God. This is to be found in Christ under the condition of enjoying God’s infusion so that we may live Him out through the supply of the Spirit, the word of life, and the righteousness of God through faith.
If we are truly found in Christ, all other things will lose their hold on us. We will no longer be under the influence of religion, philosophy, or culture. When we are found in Him, religion, philosophy, and culture are annulled. To be found in Christ means that He is our unique expression. Because Paul could be found in Christ, Christ was his expression. In every aspect and from every angle, only Christ could be seen upon him. Paul’s aspiration was that Christ would be his only expression. He did not want to be found in such natural virtues as humility, patience, and love. These were among the things that he counted as refuse in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. Culture, human patience, natural love, and submission — all are refuse when compared to Christ. We should not aspire to be found in our own love for others or in our natural submission. Our earnest desire should be to be found only in Christ.
We all need to bow down before the Lord and pray: “Lord, have mercy on me. Cause Paul’s aspiration to become my aspiration also. O Lord, create in me the hunger and thirst to pursue after You that I may be found in You. I don’t want others to find me in anything other than You. I want to be a person wholly in You, and I want others to find me in You.” May the Lord grant us mercy that we may be found in Him.
