The premise of this lesson: "You cannot begin looking at others correctly until you change the way you look at yourself."
When you read today's text, these elements should be obvious: (1) Paul gave an encouragement, a warning, and a contrast to the Philippian Christians. (2) Paul said if it was a matter of comparison, he would compare well to the Judaizing teachers. (3) Paul explained the enormous transition in his life by extolling the significance of Jesus Christ's influence on him. (4) Paul acknowledged that he recognized himself as "a work in progress." He had not yet reached his potential in Jesus Christ. (5) The Philippian Christians must allow God in Christ to establish their standards.
For both Jewish Christians and gentile Christians, Paul as a man required explanation. How did a man who was such a fierce opponent of Jesus become a person who championed Jesus being the Christ, the Jewish Messiah God promised Israel? How did a man who killed Jewish Christians become a Jewish Christian? How did a man who fought Jesus' influence in Jewish society become a man who was Jesus' apostle to the gentiles? How could a man in the "who's who" of Jewish society (Galatians 1:14) become a man who was alienated to his pre-Christian friends? How could a man who preached so fervently against Jesus preach so fervently for Jesus? How could a man be so harsh with fellow Jews and so kind to gentiles? Why would a man give up so much to be a Christian?
The focus of this lesson will be on Philippians 3:9. There are many valuable lessons in the text. This lesson is not chosen because the other lessons are inferior or not needed. It is chosen because it best explains Paul's actions. In understanding Paul's motivation for his change, we are blessed in numerous ways.
Two factors account for the enormous change in Paul's focus. (1) He realized God was at work in Jesus. Prior to being a Christian, Paul thought that Jesus was in opposition to God's purposes. When Paul understood Jesus was God's purpose, his understanding of scripture totally changed. Israel as a nation was not the culmination of God's purpose. Jesus was the culmination of God's purpose. The world could not be brought to God through Israel. The world could be brought to God through Christ. When Paul saw the fulfillment of God's saving purpose in Jesus Christ, that realization changed everything--including him! (2) When Paul realized that salvation depended on what God achieved in Jesus' death and resurrection, not on what we achieve in obedience, it redefined his understanding of righteousness. He understood that the purpose of obedience is not divine approval, but appreciation for God.
To obey to seek divine approval means salvation depends on me. In Paul's concept, "If I obey the Law, divine approval is mine." That was a very Jewish concept in the first century and a very American concept in the last half of the twentieth century. In Paul's words, it was possessing "a righteousness of my own." It is an approach to righteousness that says, "Look at me and at what I have done."
There are two problems with that approach. (1) If a person becomes so self-deceived that he or she thinks, "God owes me because of what I did," the person becomes extremely arrogant. In Paul's case, arrogant enough to kill those who disagreed with him. When that type of arrogance envelopes a person, he or she is blind. Though he or she may be pitiful, he or she never sees his or her own flaws. (2) If a person becomes filled with personal awareness of flaws in trying to be "perfect" in obedience, spiritual disaster looms. The harder he or she tries to be "perfectly" obedient, the more aware he or she becomes of his or her failure. Thus attempts to be "perfectly" obedient only intensify the person's guilt feelings. The harder he or she tries to be perfect, the greater the sense of guilt. Finally, hopelessness and despair consume that person.
Thus the person dedicated to the "righteousness of my own" condemns himself or herself to either arrogance or guilt. The solution to being a righteous person is not and cannot be found in human achievement. It is found in divine achievement.
Paul wanted the righteousness produced by confidence in God's achievement in Jesus Christ. When it came to the matter of being righteous before God, Paul did not want to depend on Paul. He wanted to depend on God! Jesus Christ was sinless. Paul was not! Jesus Christ was totally submissive to God. Paul did not even know all "the rules" to keep. Jesus Christ forgave. Paul could not. Jesus Christ showed compassion. Paul did not. If Paul depended on Paul, he was in trouble! So are we!
It was that insight into being righteous that motivated Paul to a desire to know Christ, the power that raised Jesus, fellowship with Jesus' sufferings, and being conformed to Jesus' death. He understood that is why God chose him. He must be as dedicated to understanding God's work in Christ as God was dedicated to his salvation. To Paul, understanding God's work in Jesus was an unending commitment!
It is only when we begin to grasp God's work in Jesus that we begin to understand the importance of people to God. Make it your unending commitment to understand God's work in Jesus Christ! Only then will you understand God commitment to your salvation, and His commitment to people!
For Thought and Discussion:
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 12