Whatever gain

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order 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—” (Philippians 3:7-9)

Paul just finished listing out all the things that most people of his day would consider to be “gain” or a foot up in right standing with God. But Paul says he considers these things to be loss or rubbish, unable to save. Status, title, good deeds, and every other supposed “gain” we have will never be sufficient to save us. We are called to obedience, yes, but that is not our salvation. Rather than presenting our obedience and good works when we stand before our Judge, we need to be able to point to Jesus and say, “I know him and he knows me.” There is a value in knowing Christ and being known by Christ that far surpasses any earthly gain and goodness.

Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this passage, “We are undone, without righteousness wherein to appear before God, for we are guilty. There is a righteousness provided for us in Christ, and it is a complete and perfect righteousness. None can have benefit by it, who trust in themselves.” Nothing we bring to the table can save us from ourselves. The righteousness we need comes from Christ alone. By putting our faith not in ourselves and our abilities but in who Christ is and what he has done, we are saved and counted as righteous! Let us put our faith in Christ, humbling ourselves and counting as loss every prideful gain that we would claim. Jesus saves, not us, and this is good news indeed!