How did the Apostle Paul see his faith? What portion of his life did it occupy and what parts of his life did he refuse to let it penetrate and influence?
[8] What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Philippians 3:8-9 NIV
The word “Loss” is the Greek word “zēmia”:
This word described a “legal penalty”, Paul re-framed it into a “conscious choosing of a penalty”, a “willing devaluation”. In essence “I choose this loss”.
What did he deem this “loss” necessary for so that he could gain? He gained the knowledge of “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”.
The word “knowing” is the Greek word “gnōsis”:
This word describes a particular type of knowledge, a personal, transforming knowledge…
Knowledge of what?
… Of Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ in such a way and with such a dedication and devotion that the knowledge changed and transformed him!
Consider the words of Jesus:
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:23 NIV
Jesus is talking to those who will state that the works they did are the ticket that will allow them into His Kingdom, but He points out to them what they missed and neglected. The same thing Paul counted everything loss for:
The word “knew” is the Greek word “ginōskō”, it is from the same Greek root word as “gnōsis”, just a different tense.
Jesus is telling them that they never had a transforming knowledge of Him that changed them.
Salvation, true biblical salvation, is a supernatural event that transforms you by being born again.
It’s not belief as in “I believe Jesus was real”.
It’s not works as in those Jesus turned away at the gate of His Kingdom in Matthew 7:23.
It’s a salvation which is by pure grace when we “believe in” Jesus, what He represents and what He called us to do. This kind of belief is like the difference between believing an airplane can fly and actually getting on one and going somewhere.
The demons “believe” and they shudder. Satan “believes” that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that nobody can come to the Father except through Him. The difference is, he’s not getting on that airplane.
What portions of Paul’s life did his faith occupy? All of it.
What parts of Paul’s life did he refuse to let his faith penetrate and occupy? None of it.
How about you and I? Are we all in for calling everything loss? Are we choosing to be transformed by the renewing of our minds? Transformed by the knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ?
Stop watching the airplane out of your window and get on it.
