Prison Tour Guide John Parker, takes us into Week Seven of Philippians: Who is righteous?
Righteousness. Yours or Christ’s?
Happiness comes with letting go of the need to be right or righteous. Religion feeds into both. Real joy comes from knowing the one who is right and righteous and from knowing that that righteous person “ain’t” us! It’s Jesus!
This week’s passage: Philippians 3:1-9 (NLT)
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could.
Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 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.
Help grow this teaching. Please, share your encouraging comment or word below.
John Parker and the “Giv’m Heaven” Team! (CHT)*
well said john
parker
good to see ya its been a minute. good word
miss ya brother
dick donovan
Delighted to see your note. Thank you, DD! More later!
We have to be careful to understand when Paul is talking about phony acts of righteousness to be justified, and acts of righteousness that are in obedience to Christ in partnership with the Spirit towards sanctification.
Paul lists what he had previously considered acts of righteousness. He came to know that they were actually phony acts of righteousness. They were worthless.
Thankfully, God has assigned believers to do acts of righteousness in partnership with the Spirit. These will be rewarded. They are practiced by faith.
Our sanctification has “good works” that are required to demonstrate our faith. They are not phony like the works that Paul did as a Pharisee.
Amen! Thank you, Tim!