"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eight day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."
He was a stud in the worlds eyes, and he had worldy confidence. Everyone in the upper ranks respected him, and called him righteous. But God saw him differently. You see, God doesn't care about how good 'our stock' is, he isn't interested in our personal worldly righteousness. Righteousness doesn't come from ourselves or human standards. Rightesousness comes from God through faith, that's it.
Paul continues in Philippians 3:7-11
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to 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 death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Paul considers everything 'rubbish' for the sake of Christ. Which by Christ standards they are. God states that our works of righteousness are like 'filthy rags' in Isaiah 64:6, which translated directly is even worse and more disgusting, which makes it difficult to realize how much I've held onto my own righteousness my entire life. Just like Paul, I was born into a family that was in the church and had been for years. I always was there, I grew up in it, and when I was ready I joined the worship team, the drama ministry, and our youth groups leadership team. I was just like Paul, or Saul, the pre-Christ verion of Paul. My confidence was in my abilities, and I was better than most.
This is the problem, when we have faith in ourselves, we don't have faith, we have self righteousness and we persecute anyone who doesn't measure up to our version of that. I 'persecuted' Christians who didn't measure up to the righteousness that I created through my own human standards and have continued to today. But Christ is grabbing ahold of me and my backwards thinking.
Faith and righteousness are not produced by human works or good deeds. They aren't created by how many things I do in a week or the bible study's that I attend. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 says it much better than I ever could: "We continually remember before our God and Father your workd produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
Righteousness only comes from God through faith that produces works.
I'm realizing more and more that self-centered Christianity leads to a life without Christ and is no longer what I want. I agree with Paul that 'I consider them all rubbish, that I may gain Christ. He is who I want, even if it looks different than what is expected.
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!"
Philippians 3:18-4:1
There is so much more that can be said on this topic, especially about the battle between pride and depression/insecurity that I've noticed(and heard people preach about) that goes on with self righteousness and how it has affected my life, but this is what I felt compelled to share today and hope that it causes you to think, as it has me today, in your pursuit of Christ.
