Presence Weekly 2/12/2024

[The Devo] The Bona Fides of Righteousness

3 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 

² Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though 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: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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.

Php 3:1–11 (ESV)

The quest for confidence and belonging is the fodder for many movies and TV shows. From Breakfast Club to Mean Girls, from Billions to The Bear. Writers keep churning this content out because they know that our hearts are bent towards placing confidence in something we can attain. 

The problem for Christians serving and leading in the public square is that there are so many pressures to, and dangers in, placing your confidence in something or someone other than Christ. Worse yet, there are people who are highly skilled at inflicting pain and suffering on those who do so. Both the Apostle Paul and Dr. Seuss knew that. 

“Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars. Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small. You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all. But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches would brag, ‘We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.’

With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort ‘We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!’ And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking, they’d hike right on past them without even talking.

Then ONE day, it seems while the Plain-Belly Sneetches were moping and doping alone on the beaches, just sitting there wishing their bellies had stars, a stranger zipped up in the strangest of cars! And he said,...” 

We will come back to that story later. But first, let’s look at the Apostle Paul.                                                                                                                                             

Why has Paul said what he said? Why has he laid out this unachievable bar of confidence in the flesh? So he can say what he says next! And what he says is a thing of beauty, “I was a Star-bellied Sneech… but it didn’t matter.” 

Actually, he said, 

⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 (may) 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. 

This is the heart of the gospel-confident life. Paul counts his family birthright, and pedigree, and education, and vocation, and effort as not amounting to anything when it comes to providing confidence in his relationship with God. In fact, he says, they are “street trash” compared to the unsurpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord, and being found in him. It is not that they are worthless in and of themselves. But they are worthless when contrasted against the gospel of Christ. 

Because of the gospel, which Paul encountered on a dusty road as he was headed to Damascus, in pursuit of more confidence by persecuting Christians, when the risen Christ stood in front of him and said, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Notice he did not say, “persecuting Christians,” but why are you persecuting me? Jesus says this because those Paul was persecuting were in Him!  

But now, because of the gospel, Paul says that his understanding of what brings confidence has dramatically shifted. Everything that had been on the right side of the ledger as pluses, had become minuses. And the only thing that mattered now was gaining Christ and being found in him – being united to Christ is now the center of his confidence. 

Paul wants the Philippians to have the same confidence in their ability to enjoy the righteousness of God, “...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. 

What is the righteousness of God? Just to clarify, the righteousness of God is not the same as justification (which is a legal term). The noun righteousness ("dikaiosynē") is about the quality of a person that would make one acceptable to God. To be free of the consequences of sin, one had to have, imputed on him, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And as Paul uses it, that is about entering, experiencing, and maintaining a covenant relationship with God.

How do we get it that righteousness? Paul says there are two ways. Either through our efforts in keeping the Law and external markers, which ultimately cannot provide the confidence we are looking for. Or from God, through faith in Christ. As the gospel tells us, this is achieved not through birthright, or pedigree, or education, or vocation or effort - but faith in Jesus Christ. 

Finally, how do we maintain it? This is the key to understanding this passage, and the hardest to accept. We either keep it by embracing boundary markers and covenantal fidelity (by doing stuff), or we keep it by the grace of God. This is wonderful and refreshing news since the righteousness that comes from political affiliation keeps moving.

Experiencing the righteousness of God allows us to know Christ – relationally and intimately, both through the power of his resurrection in us, and, yes, suffering; even a suffering that could lead to his death, and Paul is fine with that, because he has confidence in his resurrection.

 In other words, Paul says, now, more than anything I had before because of my family, or pedigree, or education, or vocation, or efforts, to live is Christ, to die is gain. His ledger sheet for experiencing and enjoying the righteousness of God is not only complete, it is simple. 

I told you that we would get back to our story of the Sneetches. Did they spend their lives pursuing confidence in the flesh – thankfully, no. 

“But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say, that the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day. That day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether they had one, or not, upon thars.”

Our story is even better. Because we are not Sneetches, we are people. People who are desperately searching for joy, and significant lives, and confidence.  And, thankfully, we are offered joy, and a significant life, and confidence, not through the works of our flesh, through family, pedigree, or vocation or effort, but from the gospel which brings us confidently to experience the righteousness of God! 

Last Things...

Dr. Justin Bailey, author of "Interpreting Your World: Five Lens for Interpreting Theology and Culture" will kick-off the Faithful Presence Podcast for 2024 as we record this week.