That I May Gain Christ

“...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 comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3.8-11)


Paul packed so much power into one sentence that it is hard to know where to begin, or how to explain the totality of his thoughts. But we will consider at least some of what he said in context with verse 8. He discussed counting all things as loss that he may gain Christ. Gaining Christ was not contingent upon keeping Moses’ law, or the traditions of his fathers. Paul explained this as being “a righteousness of my own that comes from law.” Declaring ourselves righteous or justified has little value. Imagine the defendant who stands up to leave the court room upon declaring himself innocent to the court. We know that is ridiculous. He is only deemed righteous when the judge proclaims it so. This is the idea of “the righteousness from God that comes by faith.” Upon receiving the blood of Christ, God declares us innocent of all charges. It has nothing to do with God transferring his righteousness to us, or any such thing. These concepts are not found in scripture. Being righteous before God has to do with our status before him. We are not considered guilty, because God proclaims us blameless through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul continued his thought by relating his desire to become one with Christ. He wanted his life to be in complete harmony with Christ’s: He yearned to know Christ, to fully grasp the implications of resurrection, to share in the reproach and shame --even death-- that Christ faced due to his obedience to God, and ultimately to experience the joy of resurrection by the glory of the Father. What he faced in this life was of no concern as long as he gained Christ. We must pray for that same attitude.