Our Scripture meditation is based on Philippians 3:8–14 from the Epistle Reading for next week, the 19th Sunday after Pentecost.
[8] 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 [9] 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—[10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. [12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
How can we resolve the seeming contradiction in the Apostle Paul’s words?
Paul says that his personal righteousness does not come from his fulfilling God’s law, but through faith in Christ. In verse nine Paul literally says he has received righteousness from God through that God-given faith.
Yet in verse 13 Paul says “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.” The word “straining” paints a mental picture of a track athlete straining for the finish line in a race.
If Paul was so convinced he was saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, why was he exerting such energy for the faith?
Paul explains this himself. Note Paul says he is so committed to living out his faith “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (v. 12) For Paul the Christian life flowed from faith in Jesus.
It is important to know that Paul taught Christians can fall away from the faith into unbelief in Jesus. (1 Timothy 4:1, Galatians 5:4) Paul lived out the Christian life with such conviction in part to not fall away in unbelief.
The beauty of this passage is that both are true for us as well. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. We respond to God’s grace by living lives obedient to God. In doing so, we are striving to stay in the faith, not fall away.
Until next week, the Lord bless and guide.
