What Counts?
Philippians 3
What if everything you thought made you right with God actually counted as nothing?
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh! 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself could have such confidence.If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless. 7 But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ,the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well. 16 Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you. 18 For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
- περιτομή (peritomē)
- (peritomē) — Peritomē (περιτομή) literally means 'circumcision.' Paul reclaims this term for true believers, defining circumcision not as physical rite but as spiritual reality: 'we who worship by the Spirit of God.'
- σκύβαλα (skeubala)
- (skubala) — Skeptomai (σκύβαλα) means 'refuse' or 'rubbish'—literally excrement, the lowest possible value. This is the strongest term Paul could use to describe his former credentials.
- πολίτευμα (politeuma)
- (politeuma) — Politeuma (πολίτευμα) means 'citizenship' or ' commonwealth.' The present tense indicates believers already possess this status—our heavenly citizenship is not future hope but present reality.
Paul wrote this letter around 60-62 CE from a Roman prison, addressing a Philippian church facing pressure from Roman society, Jewish legalists, and false teachers. The passage wrestles with the tension between trusting in our own religious credentials versus trusting in Christ's righteousness alone. Paul uses athletic imagery (running a race) and provocative language ('rubbish,' 'dogs,' 'concision') to show that our heavenly citizenship transforms how we live now.
- 1.
How does it change the way you approach your Christian life knowing that your ultimate citizenship is already in heaven—even though you're still living here on earth?
observe - 2.
Why do you think Paul uses such extreme language—first saying he 'counted these things as loss,' then escalating to calling them 'rubbish'? What's the difference between those two statements?
investigate - 3.
What's the actual difference between trying to earn righteousness through keeping God's law versus receiving righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ?
investigate - 4.
If the Christian life is described as a race to be won—not a destination already achieved—how does that shape the way you think about your spiritual growth?
investigate
Paul is clear: our old credentials don't earn us anything with God. True righteousness comes through faith in Christ, not law-keeping. Yet this 'free gift' doesn't make our ethical life passive—it actually makes it more urgent. Because we already possess heavenly citizenship, we run the race with purpose. And Paul's radical revaluation of his past (calling it 'rubbish') shows us the depth of transformation possible when Christ becomes central.
This week, identify one area where you have been tempted to trust in your own spiritual performance (church attendance, Bible reading streaks, moral behavior) rather than in Christ's righteousness alone. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how 'confidence in the flesh' might be undermining your joy and distorting your ethical conduct.
1. How does it change the way you approach your Christian life knowing that your ultimate citizenship is already in heaven—even though you're still living here on earth?
The present tense 'our citizenship is in heaven' (ἡμῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει) indicates that believers already possess heavenly status—they are not merely hoping to become citizens. This transforms daily existence: the Philippian believers, facing Roman oppression and Jewish legalism, are reminded that their ultimate allegiance and identity transcend earthly powers. Their ethical conduct flows from this identity, not from law-keeping.
Gordon Fee (born 1934) emphasizes the paraenetic nature of the passage—Paul's autobiographical catalog serves not as autobiography but as example. The 'pattern' of Christian living (v. 17) is demonstrated through Paul's own transformation, providing a template for ethical living grounded in grace. — Gordon Fee [4]
2. Why do you think Paul uses such extreme language—first saying he 'counted these things as loss,' then escalating to calling them 'rubbish'? What's the difference between those two statements?
The escalating language reveals Paul's genuine transformation—not mere intellectual acknowledgment but radical revaluation. The Greek term for 'rubbish' (σκύβαλα) was the strongest available word for refuse. This is not rhetorical overstatement but expresses the depth of his spiritual experience.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1843-1926) provides crucial grammatical-historical insight on the 'concision' term, showing Paul's deliberate gradation: from 'circumcision' (the proper term) to 'concision' (flesh-cutting). This illuminates how Paul's vocabulary attacks the spiritual bankruptcy of legalism. — Jamieson-Fausset-Brown [3]
3. What's the actual difference between trying to earn righteousness through keeping God's law versus receiving righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ?
The distinction is not that law-keeping is wrong but that it cannot produce the righteousness God requires. Law-keeping produces 'my own righteousness'—self-generated, self-referring. Faith receives 'the righteousness from God'—alien righteousness imputed through union with Christ. This is the heart of the Reformation doctrine of justification, grounded in Paul's distinction between indicative and imperative.
N.T. Wright (born 1948) emphasizes that 'the righteousness from God on the basis of faith' (v. 9) is not merely forensic justification but participates in God's eschatological righteousness—Christ's righteousness becomes the believer's through union with Him, enabling ethical transformation. — N.T. Wright [5]
4. If the Christian life is described as a race to be won—not a destination already achieved—how does that shape the way you think about your spiritual growth?
The athletic imagery serves multiple purposes: (1) it affirms that the Christian life requires effort and discipline, countering antinomian misinterpretations of justification by faith; (2) it emphasizes forward motion—'forgetting what is behind, straining toward what is ahead'; (3) it reminds believers that final salvation is future ('the prize of God's heavenly calling'), not merely past justification. This directly addresses how justification by faith relates to ethical living—the race must be run, but the running is enabled by grace, not legalistic works.
Matthew Henry (c. 1662-1714) emphasizes the pastoral concern underlying Paul's warnings—the false teachers threatened to 'rend and tear the church of Christ.' He provides accessible exposition showing how Paul's autobiographical section serves to counteract legalistic false teaching. — Matthew Henry [1]
- [1]Matthew Henry
- [2]John Gill
- [3]Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- [4]Gordon Fee
- [5]N.T. Wright