Philippians 3:4-7 Gains and Loss

God's favor is something each of us should covet. As Christians we desire God's blessings both in this life and the next. How is God's favor obtained? Is pedigree important? Are we God's people due to physical lineage? Do we earn his blessings by meticulously keeping his law? Or, more to the point, must we become Jews in order to become Christians?

While that last question may not be something that occurs to us Gentile Christians in the 21st century, it was foremost on the minds of 1st century believers as they wrestled with the teachings of Christ and the gospel and how that fit into what they already knew from the Old Testament. What Paul teaches the church at Philippi here in Philippians chapter three is that anything that we might think of as valuable, whether it be pedigree, or religious accomplishments, or anything else we might bring to the table, is of no value in earning God's favor. That favor is simply bestowed upon God's people in Christ.

Once Paul discovered this, he saw the value of Christ and that's when he understood the comparative worthlessness of all those things which he had previously considered gain. In comparison to Christ all else was street rubbish and he was happy to count it loss in order that he might gain Christ.

This is the Bible study I taught on these verses on Wednesday, September 7, 2016. Just click the link below to listen:


Philippians 3:4-7

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