Philippians

s though [2 Cor 11:18] I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

περιτομῇ ὀκταήμερος,

t circumcised on the eighth day,

ἐκ γένους Ἰσραήλ,

u of the people of Israel,

φυλῆς Βενιαμίν,

v of the tribe of Benjamin,

Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων,

u a Hebrew of Hebrews;

κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος,

as to the law, w a Pharisee;

κατὰ ζῆλος διώκων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ,

x as to zeal, y a persecutor of the church;

κατὰ δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν νόμῳ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος.

z as to righteousness under the law, 1 blameless.

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[Ἀλλʼ] ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ [ dia = because of] τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν.

But a whatever gain I had, b I counted as loss for the sake [because] of Christ.

ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου,

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of c the surpassing worth of d knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

διʼ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα,

For his sake [Because of him] I e have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish,

ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω καὶ εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ,

in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him ,

μὴ ἔχων ἐμὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ νόμου

not having f a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,

ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ,

but g that which comes through faith in Christ,

τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει,

the righteousness from God that depends on faith — JUSTIFICATION

alternative

τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ [τὴν] κοινωνίαν [τῶν] παθημάτων αὐτοῦ, συμμορφιζόμενος τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ,

h that I may know him and i the power of his resurrection, and j may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, SANCTIFICATION

εἴ πως καταντήσω εἰς τὴν ἐξανάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν.

that by any means possible I may k attain the resurrection from the dead. GLORIFICATION

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If anyone would have reason to be confident of their standing before God, according to their works or upbringing or history, it would be Paul ... a Hebrew of Hebrews!

Everything hangs on our union with Jesus. If we are found in him, we are clothed with a righteousness that is not our own, but that which comes through Jesus Christ. This is the language of justification. In faith, we are united to a new head, a new and better Adam. And his righteousness is charged to our account.

Why use response? Despite the situation described above, Paul puts no faith/hope in his pedigree. We might think that his background, in light of all that he has shared, he'd hope in his past, he would hope in who he was and what he had accomplished to save him on the final day. Instead, his response is stunning. He looks at all those things and puts them in the loss column. They aren't gain, they are evidence of his bankruptcy. His only hope is Jesus Christ.

Paul takes false teaching head on. He has no room for the Judaizers as their teaching leads people away from the gospel and towards destruction. This has been a danger since the beginning of the gospel. See Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council. My thoughts on 1–3 and it's place in the flow of the text: This makes sense given the following verses. Instead of rejoicing in your own pedigree or progress in the faith, rejoice in Jesus. Yes, Timothy and Epaphroditus are great examples of Christian faithfulness and we are wise to follow their example. We are wise to pay attention to what it means to walk worthy of the gospel. However, our boast must never be in who we are or what we have done. Our boast, instead, is in Jesus Christ. There are some, dear Philippians, who tack on burdens to the good news. They tell you that in order to be reconciled to God you must (1) place your faith in Jesus and (2) become a Jew by obeying the Jewish law, including the embrace of circumcision. Do not be deceived. Rejoice in the Lord. Beware of the dogs.

Look at my pedigree, see my credentials. If anyone should gain entrance into the kingdom of God, it is me! I've kept the law, come from a prominent tribe, and persecuted enemies of the faith. I'm in! But....

"all things" = a reference to all the things that I've imagined or hoped would merit God's favor, or add up to a "righteousness of my own."

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Notes

Paul calls the Philippians, and us, to look away from our past efforts, away from our pedigree, and look to Jesus. We have no hope in how good we think we are or how great our family tree might be. Our hope is in the righteousness of Christ that comes through faith. Bank on Christ.

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