Paradigm 5 ("Mentoring a sense of destiny"
In today's study we look at 3 aspects of Christian life:
1. The God we are to know
We are called to know God intimately, not merely to know about Him
2.The life we are to live
We are called to use our days well in the light of eternity
3. The purpose we are to embrace
We are called to be focused on a life goal
I said that this was a summary of the life of a disciple, and that there was no better Scripture passage to study than Phil 3:7-14:
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.12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
My questions were:
1. Is this passage a personal testimony of Paul's with no direct relevance to us?
V.15 tells us that those who are 'mature' (= those who are Christlike c.f. Eph 4:13) should think this way. And those of us who are less mature also, through God's work, will be enabled to think this way as well.
2. What is gain and what is loss?
Gain is that which we perceive as good; loss is that which we perceive as bad. Paul perceived that his religious upbringing, race, compliance with a moral code, religious enthusiasm and desire for moral perfection was 'gain'. When he met Christ, he called these things 'loss' - not merely neutral, but 'loss', because these hindered him from trusting in Christ alone. He 'suffered the loss of all things' - not that he changed his ethnicity or love for the law, but he stopped relying on them for salvation.
This passage prepares us for suffering, because suffering consists of us losing what is 'good' or getting what is 'bad'. When we gain Christ, our ideas of what is 'good' and what is 'bad' change radically, The 'surpassing worth' of Christ makes all suffering bearable. We also know that part of Christian life involves suffering as Christ suffered.
2. What does it mean to 'know God' - this thing of 'surpassing worth'. How does this relate to 'gain Christ' and to be 'found in Christ'. Or 'having a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ'
The Bible uses "know" to refer to intimate personal union (Gen 4:1, Amos 3:2). To know someone is to have spent time with him or her; to have communed with one another, and to have shared experiences together. Paul does not know Christ as an equal: he says that Christ is 'my Lord. His relationship with Christ is as a slave to a Master who must be obeyed and pleased.
To 'gain' Christ implies that Christ is a treasure worth more than everything else in the world (c.f. Matt 13:44-46). To be found in Him meanst least to be accepted by God because of our identification with Christ when He comes to judge or when we die. We gain His righteousness; He gains our sinfulness (2 Cor 5:21). To lose Christ would be to lose everything. To gain him would be to enjoy his fellowship forever.
We also should feel the great worth of knowing Christ!
3.Note how Paul describes the experience of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection, sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death. Unpack.
It is noteworthy that suffering and death came before resurrection for Christ, but that resurrection comes before suffering and death for the Christian! Our experience of Christ begins with his resurrection lifting us from the dead. We then learn to suffer with Him and to die to ourselves. Paul's comment in Gal 2:20 is illuminating: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"
When we consider the sufferings of Christ, we consider not only the extent of His humiliation, but the heights of what He surrendered (Phil 2:6-8). We consider not only the sufferings of Good Friday, but the lifelong persecution from sinners (Heb 12:2-3) and disappointments with believers (Mk 19:9)
5. Is Paul uncertain of his chances of attaining resurrection from the dead when he says in v.11 "that by any means possible"?
Here Paul expresses uncertainty as to the journey, not the destination. We can be assured that, despite life's obstacles and dead ends, slowdowns and reverses, that God still infallibly works in us to accomplish His purpses.
6. What is it we are to forget? And what is it that we are to remember?
The point is not: never look back. The point is: only look back for the sake of pressing forward.
7. What is the purpose of straining forward and pressing on towards the goal? Why do we have to pursue a goal if we are already justifed by faith?
Firstly, the pursuit of Christ is the evidence of genuine faith in Christ only the ones that God works in are those who work to please Him (Phil 2:12-13) Nextly, we must go hard after Christ because we are so imperfect. "Not that I have already obtained or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own" We reject the\a logic that says:if you have found God in Christ, you need no more seek Him.
In pursuing Christ, There is
1. The God we are to know
We are called to know God intimately, not merely to know about Him
2.The life we are to live
We are called to use our days well in the light of eternity
3. The purpose we are to embrace
We are called to be focused on a life goal
I said that this was a summary of the life of a disciple, and that there was no better Scripture passage to study than Phil 3:7-14:
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.12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
My questions were:
1. Is this passage a personal testimony of Paul's with no direct relevance to us?
V.15 tells us that those who are 'mature' (= those who are Christlike c.f. Eph 4:13) should think this way. And those of us who are less mature also, through God's work, will be enabled to think this way as well.
2. What is gain and what is loss?
Gain is that which we perceive as good; loss is that which we perceive as bad. Paul perceived that his religious upbringing, race, compliance with a moral code, religious enthusiasm and desire for moral perfection was 'gain'. When he met Christ, he called these things 'loss' - not merely neutral, but 'loss', because these hindered him from trusting in Christ alone. He 'suffered the loss of all things' - not that he changed his ethnicity or love for the law, but he stopped relying on them for salvation.
This passage prepares us for suffering, because suffering consists of us losing what is 'good' or getting what is 'bad'. When we gain Christ, our ideas of what is 'good' and what is 'bad' change radically, The 'surpassing worth' of Christ makes all suffering bearable. We also know that part of Christian life involves suffering as Christ suffered.
2. What does it mean to 'know God' - this thing of 'surpassing worth'. How does this relate to 'gain Christ' and to be 'found in Christ'. Or 'having a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ'
The Bible uses "know" to refer to intimate personal union (Gen 4:1, Amos 3:2). To know someone is to have spent time with him or her; to have communed with one another, and to have shared experiences together. Paul does not know Christ as an equal: he says that Christ is 'my Lord. His relationship with Christ is as a slave to a Master who must be obeyed and pleased.
To 'gain' Christ implies that Christ is a treasure worth more than everything else in the world (c.f. Matt 13:44-46). To be found in Him meanst least to be accepted by God because of our identification with Christ when He comes to judge or when we die. We gain His righteousness; He gains our sinfulness (2 Cor 5:21). To lose Christ would be to lose everything. To gain him would be to enjoy his fellowship forever.
We also should feel the great worth of knowing Christ!
3.Note how Paul describes the experience of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection, sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death. Unpack.
It is noteworthy that suffering and death came before resurrection for Christ, but that resurrection comes before suffering and death for the Christian! Our experience of Christ begins with his resurrection lifting us from the dead. We then learn to suffer with Him and to die to ourselves. Paul's comment in Gal 2:20 is illuminating: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"
When we consider the sufferings of Christ, we consider not only the extent of His humiliation, but the heights of what He surrendered (Phil 2:6-8). We consider not only the sufferings of Good Friday, but the lifelong persecution from sinners (Heb 12:2-3) and disappointments with believers (Mk 19:9)
5. Is Paul uncertain of his chances of attaining resurrection from the dead when he says in v.11 "that by any means possible"?
Here Paul expresses uncertainty as to the journey, not the destination. We can be assured that, despite life's obstacles and dead ends, slowdowns and reverses, that God still infallibly works in us to accomplish His purpses.
6. What is it we are to forget? And what is it that we are to remember?
The point is not: never look back. The point is: only look back for the sake of pressing forward.
7. What is the purpose of straining forward and pressing on towards the goal? Why do we have to pursue a goal if we are already justifed by faith?
Firstly, the pursuit of Christ is the evidence of genuine faith in Christ only the ones that God works in are those who work to please Him (Phil 2:12-13) Nextly, we must go hard after Christ because we are so imperfect. "Not that I have already obtained or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own" We reject the\a logic that says:if you have found God in Christ, you need no more seek Him.
In pursuing Christ, There is
- A correct self-estimate (v.13a)
- A single-minded zeal "One thing!" (v.13)
- A total desire (v.14)
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