Philippians 3:9

Philippians 3:9

Thoughts from Alex Morse

Dive Deeper

Armor of God- Swipe
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“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 3:9

Armor of God- Behind the Scenes
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Righteousness has everything to do with law and morality. Righteousness is an attribute of God’s identity because no law originating from God violates anything in His nature nor his relationship with His Creation. God does not contradict himself. God’s righteousness is perfect because He is perfect. When we compare our righteousness to His, we realize the huge crevasse that exists. Efforts on our own are weak and self-serving and are deemed unworthy before a holy and righteous God.

Slide

Paul recognized this in himself before his encounter with Christ. In verses 5 and 6, Paul describes the self-righteousness he achieved being of Hebrew descent, a zealous Pharisee, persecutor of the church, and righteous before the Law. He had much to boast about. Yet, in verse 7, Paul’s life is transformed: “but whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul’s turn from confidence in his deeds and heritage towards faith in Christ (the vehicle) results in a righteousness from God (the source).

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Why is this important? Paul provides another perspective in 1 Corinthians 1. Righteousness, along with wisdom, sanctification, and redemption, are identified in Christ and imputed to the believer, so that none of us can boast. Any good deeds, any gifts we amplify and use, any resources we use to serve others are all reflections of His grace towards us. Praise and thankfulness towards God are the dividends, not self-aggrandizing.

Armor of God- Make it Real
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Is this verse too good to be true? Can we receive righteousness from God? Sometimes the gifts we receive through Christ can be hard to comprehend, especially when considering the extent of their impact on our position before God and our daily lives.

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Understanding our position before God as believers is paramount. This week’s devotional series is focusing on the armor of God described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6. In this same letter, Paul puts a significant emphasis on our identity in Christ. Our position before God is seen through the person of Jesus Christ, through whom we are a new creation. Grasping our identity in Christ transforms our thinking and our actions.

Slide

With that knowledge, we can step out daily with confidence to pursue the right things, not because we must earn favor with God but because we already have it in Christ. The pursuit of righteousness thus becomes a “mining out” of the righteousness that has already been granted to us. In the case of Ephesians 6, it’s “putting on” the breastplate of righteousness which is always available to the believer to stand firm against the sin and evil that can envelope us. These mental actions can serve as daily action steps to rightly line up our thinking and behaviors with who we are before God.

Armor of God- End in Prayer
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Dear Father,

May we never take for granted the gifts you have bestowed on us through Christ. You made Him to be sin for us so that we might become righteous before you. We praise You for this display of your infinite love and mercy towards us. Help us to step out in confidence knowing your Holy Spirit is working through us and give us discernment to know when our self-seeking is pulling us away from You. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen

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“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 3:9

Behind the Scenes

Righteousness has everything to do with law and morality.  Righteousness is an attribute of God’s identity because no law originating from God violates anything in His nature nor his relationship with His Creation. God does not contradict himself. God’s righteousness is perfect because He is perfect.  When we compare our righteousness to His, we realize the huge crevasse that exists. Efforts on our own are weak and self-serving and are deemed unworthy before a holy and righteous God.  

Paul recognized this in himself before his encounter with Christ.  In verses 5 and 6, Paul describes the self-righteousness he achieved being of Hebrew descent, a zealous Pharisee, persecutor of the church, and righteous before the Law.  He had much to boast about. Yet, in verse 7, Paul’s life is transformed: “but whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul’s turn from confidence in his deeds and heritage towards faith in Christ (the vehicle) results in a righteousness from God (the source).  

Why is this important? Paul provides another perspective in 1 Corinthians 1. Righteousness, along with wisdom, sanctification, and redemption, are identified in Christ and imputed to the believer, so that none of us can boast. Any good deeds, any gifts we amplify and use, any resources we use to serve others are all reflections of His grace towards us.  Praise and thankfulness towards God are the dividends, not self-aggrandizing. 

Make It Real

Is this verse too good to be true? Can we receive righteousness from God? Sometimes the gifts we receive through Christ can be hard to comprehend, especially when considering the extent of their impact on our position before God and our daily lives.  

Understanding our position before God as believers is paramount. This week’s devotional series is focusing on the armor of God described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6. In this same letter, Paul puts a significant emphasis on our identity in Christ. Our position before God is seen through the person of Jesus Christ, through whom we are a new creation. Grasping our identity in Christ transforms our thinking and our actions. 

With that knowledge, we can step out daily with confidence to pursue the right things, not because we must earn favor with God but because we already have it in Christ. The pursuit of righteousness thus becomes a “mining out” of the righteousness that has already been granted to us.  In the case of Ephesians 6, it’s “putting on” the breastplate of righteousness which is always available to the believer to stand firm against the sin and evil that can envelope us. These mental actions can serve as daily action steps to rightly line up our thinking and behaviors with who we are before God. 

Danny Venhaus

Danny Venhaus

ACF Operations Director

End in Prayer

Dear Father, 

May we never take for granted the gifts you have bestowed on us through Christ. You made Him to be sin for us so that we might become righteous before you.  We praise You for this display of your infinite love and mercy towards us.  Help us to step out in confidence knowing your Holy Spirit is working through us and give us discernment to know when our self-seeking is pulling us away from You. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen 

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