Everything's Possible - 19

Philippians 3:7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

This text can be divided into two sections: the first explains how worthless everything else but Christ is, and the second explains how we no longer count on our own righteousness. 
Paul has shown us his hefty Hebrew credentials, but he doesn’t find them helpful anymore at all. In fact, they sometimes blind him to Christ’s plan of salvation for him and for everyone else. When we have done things that are competent and even wonderful, they can easily get in the way of us leaning into the salvation that Jesus created for us on the cross and through his resurrection.

Paul no longer values these things as worthwhile. In fact, he calls them worthless, of no value because of what Christ has done. Does this mean that what we do doesn’t matter?
Yes and no. . .

What it means is that what we do pales in comparison to what Christ has done for us, and it also means that those things are in no way getting us closer to heaven. However, it also means that what we do is not to acquire the love of Jesus but because of the love of Jesus in our lives. Our works are responses to love rather than a means to receive love. As well it means that everything we do can be seen in the light of the love that Jesus has for us and the grace that he has granted us.
 
The second part of this text helps us understand how Paul no longer counts on his own righteousness. Rather than thinking about the law as something that will save us, the law becomes something else. Rather than being the thing that makes us right with God, it becomes a great way to show our obedience to God, but it does not bring us closer to God, nor is it the means by which we are saved. The law and salvation are not two ends of a continuum; rather, they are two different things altogether.

We often get confused, wondering if we are saved by grace or by law. The answer is simple: the law never saved us, and salvation has always been God's priority and preference to grant and give us. We are saved entirely by grace, given as a gift through faith to each who would accept it and live in the victorious freedom Christ offers.
 

1. Do you know how you are saved? 
2. Does it bother you that those things you do have no effect on your salvation?
3. Do you think that Christ has offered you everything that you need to be saved?