Philippians 3:8-11 - Homilies By T. Croskery

The true ground of a sinner's hope.

The apostle then sets forth, in very impressive terms, the familiar way of salvation: "That I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith." Consider—

I. CHRIST THE PRESENT GAIN AND THE PRESENT SHELTER OF THE SINNER . The subject is presented under two aspects.

1 . Christ the present Gain of the sinner. "That I may gain Christ." Consider:

(a) Not by tears;

(b) nor by confession to a priest;

(c) not by good works;

(d) nor even by our "suffering the loss of all things."

We gain Christ simply in the act of our believing; but, in accepting the righteousness of God in him by faith, we throw overboard all our righteousness and all our unrighteousness, just as the shipwrecked sailor, to save his life and his ship, throws his precious cargo into the sea.

(a) A man may gain much in this life and yet lose it again. This cannot be the case of the sinner who gains Christ.

(b) A man may gain much and be disappointed after all. The world is full of such disillusionments. But the sinner who gains Christ obtains bliss without end.

(c) If a sinner does not gain Christ he loses his immortal soul. Christ is the one star of hope in the sky of heaven.

2 . Christ the present Shelter of the sinner. "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith."

(a) It is in keeping with his doctrine everywhere ( Romans 2:20 ; Galatians 2:16 .

(b) Human experience confirms the statement of the prophet that "all our righteous-nesses are as filthy rags" ( Isaiah 64:6 ).

(c) Salvation is everywhere in Scripture represented, not as of debt, but as of flee grace ( Romans 4:4 , Romans 4:5 ).

(a) "That which is through the faith of Christ;" that is, a righteousness which becomes ours through our believing in Christ, faith being in this case merely the receptive organ or instrumental cause.

(b) "The righteousness of God by faith;" that is, the righteousness which God provides for man's salvation as received by faith. The whole phaseology is thoroughly Pauline (see homiletical hints on Galatians 2:16 ).

II. THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST AS CONNECTED WITH THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS . "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." The saving knowledge of Christ must take in the fact of his resurrection as well as the fact of his death, because his resurrection was but the seal and crown of his redeeming sacrifice. Therefore the believer's aspiration is always to know Christ in the power of his resurrection.

1 . "The power of his resurrection. "

(a) It is the resurrection-power of Christ which gives the new life. "Because I live ye shall live also" ( John 14:19 ).

(b) It is by virtue of the resurrection that the Holy Ghost comes to abide in the Church, as a Spirit of truth, grace, and consolation.

(c) It is By the same power we are enabled to subdue sin ( Ephesians 1:19 , Ephesians 1:20 ; Romans 6:1-23 .; Galatians 2:20 ).

(d) It is the same power which inspires here ( 1 Peter 1:3 ; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 .; Colossians 1:5 ).

2 . " The fellowship of his sufferings , being made conformable unto his death. " We are to share in the sufferings he suffered, and to drink of the cup which he drank, not in relation merely to the suffering of persecution, but all suffering that arises out of our conflict with sin. We can thus understand such passages as 2 Corinthians 1:5 ; 1 Peter 4:13 ; Romans 6:5 ; Romans 8:17 ; 2 Timothy 2:11 , 2 Timothy 2:12 .

III. THE ULTIMATE OBJECT CONTEMPLATED BY THE APOSTLE . "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from the dead."

1 . What he desired in , the future.

2 . Why he desired it.

3 . What his desire implies.