Philippians 3:9 "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 which is of God by faith"
This verse is a continuation of the sentence begun in verse 8, which ends with
Paul saying he wanted to "win Christ". He was stating his
desire to learn more about the Lord Jesus instead of counting on his own abilities.
His desire was for his actions, words, and thoughts to "be found in
him." This is such a drastic change from Paul's previous manner of
living. As Saul, he based all his righteousness on his being able to keep the
law. In verse 6, he had stated his previous view of himself to be
blameless concerning the righteousness which is in the law. But when Christ
appeared to him on the Road to Damascus, Saul (as he was known at that time)
saw the perfection that is only found in Jesus Christ. The wonderful glory of
Christ blinded Saul for three days. From that time, Paul could only see
righteousness as being found in Christ Jesus.
Let me bring this down to us as individuals. There are times when we all have
to ask for forgiveness from the Lord. He instructs us to do that. But I have to
admit there are times, when I ask for forgiveness, that I have the thought I
will "do better" from that point on. I may not state it as such, but
in my mind I'm thinking, "surely the Lord will forgive me because I'm
going to try to do better." That is equivalent to basing forgiveness on
the works of the law.
Eternal life is not based upon my "doing better. Neither is my forgiveness
based upon my "doing better." Paul clearly understood that great
truth and preached it intensely. In today's passage, he is emphatically stating
his understanding and appreciation of the fact righteousness is only found in
Jesus Christ and his desire for his actions to be found as the result of his
God-given faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Are you, or anyone you know, trying to base a relationship with the Lord through your own works? Our works are not sufficient to gain that personal relationship with God. If they had been, Jesus would not have had to leave heaven's glory to come to this sin-filled world. We know He came into this world as that newborn baby boy. The angels not only announced His birth, they also announced his purpose for being born. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." He came to save His people from our sins. Our righteousness is found in Christ alone. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!