The Apostle Paul: Philippians 3:7-11

Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11

Aside from Christ, in my opinion one of the most influential people in the Bible was the Apostle Paul. Paul’s ministry was to the Church. The Church began on the day of Pentecost and Paul was the specific agent to expound on the church age. There is something quite different about Paul vs. the other Apostles. If only we knew what exactly occurred in those 3 years in Arabia following his conversion on the road to Damascus! It’s ironic how even though the original Twelve walked with Jesus and worked with Him for a large portion of their lives, it is evident that Paul was unique in comparison to the apostles. You would think that with all the time Peter spent with Jesus, that Peter would be instructing Paul…but the opposite was true…in fact, on occasion Paul had to rebuke Peter (Galatians 2-11-14). Also, Peter indicates that Paul’s writings are difficult to understand 2 Peter 3:16.

“All the Apostles (except Paul) accompanied the Lord and followed Him to the cloud (Acts 1:9). Paul sees Him on the other side of the cloud, and that it is this which characterizes his entire ministry.”                                                                        
-Miles Stanford

“Paul received all his teaching from Heaven, from the Lord Jesus Christ in Glory, rather than from Jesus on earth in His Pre- Cross connections. Paul’s Gospel is the Gospel of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ, and of God as the one who raised Him from among the dead and is now working on resurrection ground only."       

-William R. Newell

Whatever were gains to me.  Prior to that conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul was a disciplined Pharisee and religious leader. From an earthly standpoint Paul had the potential to boast much confidence in the flesh Philippians 3:4 regarding his achievements and yet sacrificed his worldly stature for Christ.  My dad once told me “Unfortunately, due to an earthly perspective, countless believers in the United States depend more on their 401ks, job status, and government entitlements than on the Lord”. This is a false sense of security.

“And they of the Church, and they of the world, journeyed closely, hand and heart. And none but the Master, who knoweth all, could discern the two apart.” 

-L.E. Maxwell

“If ever I become so one with the world, so tolerant of its spirit and atmosphere that I reprove it no more, incur not its hatred, rouse not its enmity to Christ – if the world can find in me no cause to hate me and cast me from its company – than I have betrayed Christ and crucified Him afresh in the house of His friends. On intimate terms with this world that nailed Him to the tree? Perish the thought!”

-L.E. Maxwell

I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  Even with Paul’s incredible ministry and insurmountable influence on the Church (even 2000 years later), ministry was not Paul’s primary goal. His primary and ultimate goal was to know Christ and his ministry was the result and made possible because of the initial goal and yearning to know Christ. Paul’s great influence was only possible because of his commitment to know Christ.

“You are not called upon to commit yourself to a need or to a task or to a field. You are called upon to commit yourself to God.”                                    
-Major Ian Thomas

“Paul was not motivated by the flesh but by faith in Christ. Thus, it is faith in Christ and not works (legal obedience) that releases divine power to live out the Christian life."
-David M. Levy

I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law. The Law beneficial: Paul acknowledged that the law serves a purpose and has practical and moral implications for people. So then, the Law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Romans 7:12. We would not know what sin was if it weren’t for the law Romans 7:7. Therefore, the Law is a tutor to lead us to Christ. Galatians 3:24. The Law definitely has practical benefits but also is a method used to exemplify our helplessness. God is absolutely perfect and holy and therefore cannot even look upon the slightest imperfection. As we match ourselves up with God, the law reveals our utter inadequacy. The Law not beneficial: Where the Law becomes an issue is when we depend on it instead of the Blood of Christ. Not only do these pathetic attempts not work, but they also imply a lack of faith in depending on Christ’s Blood only.

“The reason God hates your ‘good works’ is that you offer them to Him instead of resting on the all- glorious work of His Son for you at the Cross.”                                                  -William R. Newell.

“Victory, sanctification, revival, the fulness of the Spirit – these cannot be purchased at such a price, for the price has already been paid. To add anything is to repudiate the adequacy of the death of Christ.”                                           
-Major Ian Thomas.

but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Since we were identified with Christ, He was identified with our sin so that we could be identified with His righteousness. Paul was willing to give up the self-righteousness he had when he was a Pharisee to gain the righteousness of Christ. By his identification with Christ he could share in the divine righteousness.  Like Paul, we need nothing more, only to reckon and affirm what God tells us is fact. By realization of these truths much pleading turns to praise!

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21. “Christ is made to be what we were, that we might become in Him, what He is!” 

-William R. Newell

“Every great scheme to save man has failed on just one point: its success depended on man’s righteousness, when in reality there is no righteousness in man. This fact makes Christianity different from every other religion the world has ever seen.”

-Alva J. McClain

I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. As united with Christ, Paul knew he had been crucified with Christ Galatians 2:20. The Christian life is not an imitation of Christ (our flesh would never let us get away with that) but it is a participation with Christ. Paul’s passion was to know Christ and have fellowship with Him. The only way Paul could have the fellowship he desired with his Lord was through the Cross. The only avenue we can enter in and have fellowship is the same way, through the Cross. The Cross which was once a symbol of suffering and death is seen as a symbol of peace and acceptance. Paul did not feel the pain of the Cross because his perspective was on Heavenly things (Ephesians 2:6). The Cross is what eliminated self and enabled Him to draw nearer to Christ, therefore he delighted in the Cross. By acknowledging his identification in Christ’s resurrection enabled the very life of Christ to work through him and make his ministry so productive. When Christ lived on this earth He showed us God in His life; Paul in yielding to a conformity and identification with Christ, shows Christ in his life. Christ who by being very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a Cross! Philippians 2:6-8. Christ’s submissive nature, humility and oneness with the Father that is evident during His time on earth is the example and model Paul lived by.

“We who follow the Crucified are not here to make a pleasant thing of life; we are called to suffering for the sake of a suffering, sinful world. The Lord forgive us our shameful evasions and hesitations. His brow was crowned with thorns; do we seek rose-buds for our crowning? His hands were pierced with nails; are our hands ringed with jewels? His feet were bare and bound; do our feet walk delicately? What do we know of travail? Of tears that scald before they fall? Of heart break? Of being scorned? God forgive us our love of ease. God forgive us that so often we turn our faces from a life that is even remotely like His. Forgive us that we all but worship comfort, possessions and treasure on earth. Far, far from our prayers too often is any thought of prayer for a love which will lead us to give one whom we love to follow our Lord to Gethsemane to Calvary – perhaps because we have never been there ourselves."

– Amy Carmichael

Plead Less and Claim More!

I have many great childhood memories. Some of my best memories involve the various pets and critters we had growing up. One particular critter I remember having as a child was a lizard. This lizard was a master escape artist. It seemed no matter what we would do, this lizard would figure out some way to get out of his terrarium.  Often it would get out and startle my mom when she would find it somewhere in the house! Because of his ability to escape so well, my dad named this lizard “Houdini”.

Harry Houdini was a famed escape artist in the beginning of the 20^th century and known for many sensational acts. Interestingly, Houdini developed the ability to hold a key, wire or piece of metal in his throat. He did this by tying a piece of potato to a string, swallowing in and holding it in his throat until he no longer needed the string to keep it there. This is where he would hide what he needed to pick the lock in his escape acts. Sadly, the famed escape artist died at a young age due to a ruptured appendix (I always wondered if this intestinal rupture was possibly related to all the pieces of metal he likely swallowed while practicing this maneuver!)

In the start of his career, Harry Houdini gained fame by traveling around the country and issuing a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free in short order. Always he kept his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He coughed up a piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For thirty minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after laboring for two hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all!

How often do we work so hard for victory and freedom in our Christian lives? The door to freedom and victory isn’t locked. When Christ died on the cross, the door was swung open wide. We died with Him. Not only have we been crucified, died and buried with Christ, but we also have been raised up with Him in the heavenlies Eph 2:6. Without knowing these truths and grasping them, we are trying and struggling to be someone we already are or to open a door that is not locked. By recognizing these truths, siding with God against ourselves and putting no confidence in the flesh Philippians 3:3 we can enable Christ’s life to live through us. All believers know we are justified by faith, but many think sanctification is developed by their own merit. It’s like someone trying to move an enormous mound of dirt with a teaspoon when there is a giant bulldozer right next to them or when invited to a huge Thanksgiving dinner, to scrounge on the floor like a dog looking for scraps. “Satan’s great device is to drive earnest souls back to beseeching God for what God says has already been done.” - William R. Newell. There is a reason God went to the extent He did, because nothing we ever could do measured up, it was condemned. Are we still trying to offer up the best we have, the best of what He condemned? How can we fully admit we are in complete dependence on Christ for our initial salvation/justification but then somehow offer our filthy rags Isaiah 64:6 for sanctification? “Victory, sanctification, revival, the fulness of the Spirit – these cannot be purchased at such a price, for the price has already been paid! To add anything is to repudiate the adequacy of the death of Christ.” – Major Ian Thomas

Plead less and claim more!

                                       Flesh vs. Spirit

Last Sunday my family and I had the pleasure of hearing the testimony of a courageous man of God. His testimony was specifically focused on his duty as a Marine and the 3 tours he served in Iraq. Throughout his descriptions of the outer war he was involved in, he also often touched on the inner war of flesh vs. spirit that he was involved in concurrently. This inspired me to do a study on the flesh vs. spirit.

                                             Body of Death

The Apostle Paul talks about flesh vs. spirit. In Romans 6, Paul explains how we are positioned in Christ and dead to sin. But in the end of Romans 7, he admits that the old nature is still present along with the new nature “waging war”. I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? Romans 7:23-24. Body of death was an actual disturbing Roman method of torture/execution. (The Romans were well known for their creative yet disturbing methods of execution.)  If someone murdered someone, the murdered body would be shackled hand and foot to the murderers' body, and for the rest of their short life they would be forced to drag a dead, decaying body with them until it eventually killed them as well. Unfortunately, we all still have a body of death attached to us, even after we are saved; it's along for the ride. Our old nature is a dead decaying body; no good can come from it. Unfortunately, often well-meaning Christians think they can whip that dead, decaying body into shape. Our independent and self-sufficient minds think there must be some good left in this stinky, decaying, dead body and we attempt to give it CPR and beat it into submission. However, since the time we believed, we were identified and united with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Therefore, our old nature died back at the Cross and as Christ was resurrected a new life, His life was formed in us. Just like initial salvation (position) sanctification (condition) cannot be bought; to suggest this is to neglect to acknowledge the full adequacy of Christ’s death.

                         Independence/Self sufficiency

Independence and self-sufficiency are the ultimate hindrances to the Christian life. It is deeply and naturally rooted into our being. I have had conversations about God with non-believers. Most are receptive to a god, a distant creator who from afar looks on as we go about are lives independently. They might even be okay with you mentioning Jesus…a good teacher, a mentor, or a good example on how to live. But don't dare mention Jesus Christ… "them fighting words"…and boxing gloves are being put on. The entire idea of Jesus Christ implies dependence, inadequacy or insufficiency which is a major blow to the ego, and it is totally contrary to our Adamic, fleshly nature. 

Esau was the first born, the chosen one. He was a tough, independent man's man. Jacob was a weak momma's boy. Esau had no time for a birthright that would leave him dependent and not self-sufficient. God cannot work with a man like that, so he had to use Jacob.  "God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker." - Watchman Nee. We began to have victory when we acknowledge the facts (position) and view ourselves as God views us (In Christ). "For God's way of deliverance is altogether different from man's way. Man's way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God's way is to REMOVE the sinner." - Watchman Nee.  My old man was crucified with Christ. Romans 6.6. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2.20  “Why does so much sincere consecration amount to nothing? Most well-meaning Christians seek to consecrate to God that which He has totally and forever rejected. Not yet understanding their position of sanctification as new creations in Christ, they consecrate self to God in the hope that the Old Man will become spiritual and thus useable in His service." - Miles Stanford.

                                  Fellowship of the Cross

Where do we go from here? Jesus tells us If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me Luke 9:23. This requires a daily recognition of the facts, the fact of our union with Christ’s death. It requires depending, consenting and siding with God when He tells us In me dwelleth no good thing Romans 7:18 and consider self/flesh as only fit for crucifixion. Even so consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11. Choose to reckon and affirm what is already a reality.

“Precious Saviour! I confess that I have too little understood this. They Suretyship was more to me that Thy example. I rejoiced much that Thou hadst borne the Cross for me, but too little that I like Thee and with Thee might also bear the Cross. The atonement of the Cross was more precious to me than the fellowship of the Cross; the hope in thy redemption more precious than the personal fellowship with Thyself.” – Andrew Murray

Sit THEN Walk

SIT: THE FACTS. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6. Have you noticed that with Paul’s epistles, he always first devotes much writing to explain to believers what they have in Christ, before he tells them what to do? It is not until Romans 12 (nearly the end of the epistle) that he finally says “Therefore, present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice.”

Many believers have not entirely settled on the facts before they attempt to walk. They must sit and then walk. God was not in a hurry when Moses spent 40 years in the desert and He was not in a hurry when Paul spent 3 years in the desert. God’s absolute holiness and perfection implies the inability to associate or even look at imperfection/sin. An example is how no one could enter the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (where God dwelled). Because of love, instead of considering us doomed, God arranged an answer to this enormous problem that had created a barrier to God and us.  Fully comprehending our identification and union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection is key.

During the Civil War, George Wyatt was drawn by lot to go to the front. He had a wife and six children. A young man named Richard Platt offered to go in his stead. He was accepted and joined the ranks bearing the name and number of George Wyatt. Before long, Pratt was killed in action. The authorities later sought again to draft George Wyatt into service. He protested, entering the plea that he had died in the person of Pratt. He insisted that the authorities consult their own records as to the fact of his having died in identification with Pratt, his substitute. Wyatt was thereby exempted as beyond the claims of law and further service. ( From Born Crucified by L.E. Maxwell)

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20. When we were crucified with Christ, our old nature died and was rendered powerless. When we were resurrected with Christ, we obtained a new life, His life in us. As far as God is concerned, what Christ went through, we went through, what Christ achieved, we achieved. Romans 8:30 says “Whom He called, He justified and whom He justified He also Glorified.” God so identifies us with Christ that even though it is yet to come, He basically considers us glorified! Before we walk, it is essential that we reckon and put faith in the facts, Sit then Walk.  “God’s basis must be our basis for acceptance. There is none other. We are ‘accepted in the Beloved.’ Eph 1.6. Our Father is fully satisfied with His Son on our behalf, and there is no reason for us not to be. Our satisfaction can only spring from and rest in His satisfaction.” – Miles Stanford. Plead less and claim more!

“When you see and stand on your Heavenly ground, you come to rest, just as the Father rests. You need not worry – only keep on that ground by your attitude of heart. If you must worry – worry lest you get down on earthly ground, for that is the ground of worry. Abide above! Heavenly things are in safe keeping – keeping in the One that is Far above all.” – T. Austin Sparks

WALK: APPROPRIATING THE FACTS. “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him.” Colossians 2:6 We are to walk in Christ the same way we originally received Christ – by faith. The only way that the perfect and Holy God can look upon us, associate or have any communion with the imperfect sinner is thru Christ.  It is on this basis that we have any acceptance or interaction with God, when God looks on us, like a shadow, Christ is covering us. “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” Romans 6:11. Inner crucifixion is excruciating for the believer,because deep down we are very fond of self. I think it is because we have not come to realize how helpless we are; we have some expectation in ourselves and are not taking Gods side against ourselves. “Knowing this, that out old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.” Romans 6:6 “What God has made true for us positionally, He longs to make real experimentally. There is a part for us to play if the crucifixion as historical fact is made an experimental reality. This requires our intelligent, whole hearted co-operation in willing consent and in active choice.” – Ruth Paxson “There being no cause in the creature why grace should be shown, the creature must be brought off from trying to give God cause for his care. He has been accepted in Christ who is his standing! As to his life past, it does not exist before God, he died at the cross, and Christ is his life.” - William R. Newell. So often we Body of Believers are unproductive because we have not reckoned and rested on the facts, we attempt to walk before we sit. “Let us live up to what we have already attained” Philippians 3:16.