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In the previous chapter we covered the three occurrences of the phrase on account of in Philippians 3:7 and 8. On account of Christ, Paul counted as loss the things that were gains to him; on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord, he counted all things to be loss; and on account of Christ Jesus the Lord, he suffered the loss of all things and counted them as refuse. This is in contrast to the three occurrences of as in verses 5 and 6: as to the law, as to zeal, and as to the righteousness which is in the law.
These three uses of on account of indicate a cause that produces an effect. On account of Christ, Paul counted as loss all religious gain and all gain from his natural birth. On account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, he counted everything as loss. Moreover, on account of Christ Jesus the Lord, he suffered the loss of all things. On account of Christ, the all-inclusive person, he forsook everything and gave up everything.
We need to be impressed with the all-inclusiveness of Christ. The Gospel of John reveals that Christ is God, that He is the Creator, that in Him is life, and that this life is the light of men (1:1-4). One day He, the Word, became flesh, full of grace and reality (v. 14). According to Colossians, Christ is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, and the One in whom all things were created and in whom they cohere (1:15-17). Christ holds together in Himself the entire universe. Hebrews 1:3 says that He upholds all things by the word of His power. For example, the planet earth is neither too close to the sun nor too far from it. If the earth were too close, it would be burned, and if it were too far, it would be frozen. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One responsible for keeping the earth in its proper position in relation to the sun. The very Christ who does this is also our life. If He can regulate the earth and the sun, then He can certainly regulate us, and He can surely regulate our relationship with our husband or wife. The Christ who upholds the universe and in whom all things cohere upholds the relationship between a husband and his wife. The reason so many marriages end in divorce is that in those marriages there are two spokes without a hub. Hallelujah, we have the all-inclusive Christ as our hub!
Colossians 1:18 goes on to say that Christ is the Firstborn from the dead. Hence, He is not only the Firstborn of all creation but also the Firstborn in resurrection. Both in the old creation and in the new creation, He is the Firstborn. Therefore, He is the Head of the church. Colossians also reveals that it pleased the Father that all His fullness would be embodied in Christ (v. 19).
Many who talk about Christ speak of Him in a light, superficial way. Christ is unlimited. We need to have the excellency of the knowledge of this unlimited Christ, who is our Lord. On account of this person, Christ Jesus the Lord, the apostle Paul suffered the loss of all things. This was the cause. The effect issuing from this cause was that Paul gained Christ. On account of Christ, he suffered the loss of all things in order that he might gain Christ.
What does it mean to gain Christ? According to the Greek, the noun form of the word gain is in Philippians 3:7, and the verbal form is in verse 8. Therefore, Darby translates verse 8 this way: “That I may have Christ as gain.” To gain Christ means to have Christ as gain. Paul seems to be saying, “In the past, so many religious things were gains to me. Also, the things I had according to my birthright were gains to me. But on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, I have forsaken all these gains so that I may obtain Christ as my gain.” This gain comes by revelation. We need to be unveiled to see Christ in the various books of the New Testament — in John, Romans, Colossians, Hebrews, and Revelation. We need to see that Christ is God over all, blessed forever (Rom. 9:5). But to see Christ is not merely for the sake of seeing Him; to see Him is for the sake of gaining Him. After seeing Christ, we need to gain Him.
Take shopping in a supermarket as an example. You may see many things in the store, but seeing them does not mean that they belong to you. In order for the items to belong to you, you need to pay the price for them. I have no doubt that we have all seen something of Christ, but now we must pay the price in order to gain what we have seen. This is the reason that Philippians 3:8 speaks of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and that at the end of this verse Paul says, “That I may gain Christ.” Seeing the things concerning Christ causes us to gain Christ. However, simply to see may not cost us anything, for seeing something does not necessarily mean that we have paid the price to gain it. Nevertheless, seeing causes us to gain. In order to gain, we must pay the price. Paul not only saw the excellency of Christ but paid the price to gain Him. On account of Christ, he suffered the loss of all things. This indicates that he paid the price. In Philippians 3 Paul seems to be saying, “I have not only counted all things as loss but suffered the loss of all things in order that I may gain Christ.” My burden in this chapter is to help you to see Christ and especially to gain Christ. To see Christ is one thing, and to gain Christ is another.
In gaining Christ we should not go window-shopping. When people go window-shopping, they look at certain items, but they do not buy them. Some brothers and sisters in the church life come to the meetings in the way of window-shopping. They enjoy listening to the messages, but they do not pay the price to gain Christ. To pay the price is to suffer the loss of all things. First, Paul counted as loss all religious gain and all gain by natural birth. Then he counted all things as loss and suffered the loss of all things. He did this in order to gain the Christ he had seen. A number of times I have spent a large amount of money to buy a particular item. After purchasing that item and bringing it home, I began to regret the price I had paid for it. However, when I considered the item and realized the excellency of it, I did not care about the price I had paid. This is why Paul said that after suffering the loss of all things, he counted them as refuse. What he paid to gain Christ was nothing but dung, dog food, trash, rubbish, refuse. He did not regret the price he had paid.
Having spent a great deal of time on Philippians 3, I believe that I have entered into Paul’s spirit in this chapter. Paul suffered the loss of all things and counted them as refuse in order that he might gain Christ. Even this is simply a gaining by revelation. If a sister buys food at the market, brings it home, and puts it into the refrigerator, she does not yet have the food in reality. No, the food must be cooked and eaten by her and her family. For example, it is not a simple process for me to take some chicken into me, for my wife must go to the market, buy the chicken, bring it home, and cook it. Then I need to eat it. The point of this illustration is that we may see something, pay the price for it, and gain it, but still not actually have that thing because we have not yet taken it into us. This is the reason that after speaking about gaining Christ, Paul says, “Be found in Him” (v. 9). To see Christ is one thing, to gain Christ is another thing, and to be found in Christ is still another thing.
Before going on to the matter of being found in Christ, I would like to emphasize more the need to gain Him. I am concerned that many of us have seen something of Christ but have not gained very much of Him. Here in Philippians 3 to gain Christ is to get Christ through revelation. In Galatians 1 Paul says that it pleased God to reveal His Son in him. Although God is pleased to reveal Christ in us, we still need to receive Christ by paying the price. This was the reason Paul had the boldness to say that he suffered the loss of all things. For Saul of Tarsus to receive God’s revelation concerning Christ was a very significant thing. Paul was a leader in the Jewish religion, he had made a name for himself, and he was very zealous. There was a great deal of gain for him in that religion. Suddenly, God intervened to trouble him and seemed to say, “Saul, what are you doing? I know that you have reached the top in religion, that you are zealous, and that you have earned a name for yourself. But I have come to show you something better. Saul, what you have is just dog food.” It was not easy for Saul to give up his position in Judaism and take another way.
I am concerned for those who merely come to the meetings, listen to messages, and read the printed materials. They may see something of Christ, but they may not pay the price to gain what they have seen. Paul received the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, and he suffered the loss of all things, thereby paying the price to gain what he saw. He paid and he gained. But this is not all; he also desired to be found in Christ.
To be found in Christ actually is to live in Christ. Angels are constantly watching us, and so are the people around us. Both observed Paul to see the way he lived. He used to be in Judaism, but now he was in Christ. He used to be zealous for the law, but now he was burning for Christ. Paul realized that he was under the observation both of angels and Judaizers. Hence, he said that he wanted to gain Christ and be found in Him. He wanted the angels, the Judaizers, and everyone around him to see that he was one who lived in Christ, that he not only gained Christ but was to be found in Christ. Paul saw Christ and paid the price for Christ in order that he might gain Christ. Moreover, he lived by Christ and in Christ. He was a man in Christ (2 Cor. 12:2). Day by day and hour by hour, Paul lived in Christ. Thus, he had the boldness to say, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). At any time Paul could be found in Christ. If we could ask Timothy or Titus, they could tell us that they always found Paul in Christ. Suppose after giving this message I go home and smoke a pipe. If you find me doing that, you will find me not in Christ but in smoking. The same will be true if I lose my temper with my wife, gossip about the saints, or criticize the meetings. In such a case I will be found not in Christ but in the act of losing my temper, gossiping, or criticizing.
This matter of being found in Christ is not mere theology; it is a matter of the practical experience of Christ. First, we need to see the revelation of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Second, we need to pay the price that we may gain Christ. Third, we need to live in Christ, remain in Christ, lodge in Christ, speak in Christ, act in Christ, and move in Christ. We need to have our being in Christ. Then whenever an angel or a saint finds us, we will be found in Christ. Our being found in Christ will surprise the demons and terrify the devil. Oh, that we may gain Christ and be found in Him! Being found in Christ is not a once-for-all matter. On the contrary, it is a daily matter, an hourly matter. If men do not know where we are, at least the angels know. Others may not be able to see us, but the angels know whether or not we are in Christ. Day by day and hour by hour, we need to be found in Christ by the angelic eyes that are watching us. Where do we live, work, and have our being? We need to be found in Christ by the angels, by our husband or wife, and by the brothers and sisters in the church. This is a serious matter.
Today it is not a matter of law, regulation, or a way of living. Rather, it is absolutely a matter of Christ. Have you seen Christ? Have you gained Christ? Are you found in Christ by both men and angels? In our daily living we need to be able to declare that for us to live is Christ.
In 3:9 Paul also says, “Not having my own righteousness.” This phrase modifies the word found. We need to be found in Christ in a condition of not having our own righteousness, which is out of the law, but having the righteousness that is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith. Paul did not have his own righteousness; he had God’s righteousness. Righteousness refers to proper and upright living, to a life that is right. Paul was found by the angels and by all who were around him in a condition of not having his upright living out of himself but out of God. This means that God was lived out of Paul. As he was in Christ, having his being in Christ, and moving, walking, and doing everything in Christ, Paul lived out God. Thus, God was expressed in his right living. His living was not his behavior; it was God Himself.
Doctrinally, it is difficult to tell whether a brother’s righteousness is his own or is the expression of God. But it is quite easy to tell by discerning the scent of his righteousness. By our sense of smell, not by our sense of sight, we can discern a pleasant scent from a disagreeable one. For example, a certain kind of love may give off an odor that makes us sick. This kind of love is not only natural, human love but fleshly love. Although it is love, it has a very foul odor. In other cases we can smell a love that is heavenly, fresh, pure, sweet, and divine. This kind of love is the expression of the love of God; it is the loving God manifested through His children. This is the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith.
The righteousness that is based on faith is conditioned by faith. It does not come by our efforts, endeavors, or struggles. It comes simply by the faith of Christ. Hence, there is no need for us to strive, struggle, or endeavor. We simply need to gain Christ, live in Him, and even rest in Him. Christ is my faith. I have been crucified with Christ, Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live I live in the faith of Christ (Gal. 2:20). My living today is conditioned by Christ’s faith. It is based on the faith of Christ, not on a faith that I myself can produce. Thus, Christ is not only my life; He is also my faith. By faith I repudiate myself and take Christ as my life. Because I have no trust in my flesh, I set it aside, take Christ by faith, and live by Him. Spontaneously, God is lived out of me, manifested through me, and expressed from within me. Such a living is a proper and upright living.
This type of upright living is not as to the law but on account of God, for it is God Himself expressed through us. Because most of today’s Christians do not see this, they are living in another realm, in another sphere. But we are in the sphere of Christ, living out God from within us. This is not a matter of behaving or struggling but of resting. We simply need to rest in Him, resting in our Lord, who is our life and our faith. In this way we live out God as our upright living. This is the righteousness out of God and based on faith. May we all be found in Christ in this condition! Day by day, angels and all who are around us need to find us in such a condition. We should be able to say, “Angels, look at the Christians in the Lord’s recovery. They are in a condition of having God lived out of them. They don’t care for behavior or conduct. They care only for taking Christ as their life. They always take Christ as life and rest in Him. Whenever you see them, you find them in Christ in a condition of having God lived out of them.” This is the proper church life with a living testimony. This is what the Lord desires today. Oh, that we may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having our own righteousness which is out of the law but having the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith. May we gain Christ and be found in Him in such a condition.
