Philippians 3:9; Competing Righteousnesses ~ 20240512 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

05/12 Philippians 3:9; Competing Righteousnesses ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20240512_philippians-3_9.mp3

Paul’s greatest treasure, the thing he longed for, what he pursued more than anything, the one thing he valued above every other thing, the one thing of surpassing worth was ‘knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’; to gain Christ, to be found in him.

In verse 9 he clarifies what it means to be found in Christ.

Philippians 3:7 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—

Paul defines being ‘found in Christ’ in terms of competing righteousnesses; Not having my own righteousness, the ‘of law’ kind of righteousness, but the ‘through faith in Christ’ kind of righteousness; the ‘of God’ righteousness, the ‘on faith’ righteousness.

What Is Righteousness?

In order to better understand these competing righteousnesses that Paul refers to here, we first need to understand what righteousness is. And for that we need to go back to the law. God said in Exodus 23:

Exodus 23:6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

Righteousness is a justice issue. The context is the lawcourt. It is about right judgment. ‘Innocent’ is put parallel to ‘righteous’; the righteous one is one who is cleared or acquitted as innocent. It is not right to punish the one who is righteous. Neither is it right to justify or acquit or exonerate the wicked. A just judge must justify the just, and condemn evildoers. Right judgment is to declare righteous those who are in the right. It is a wicked judge who takes a bribe and condemns the innocent or clears the guilty. The LORD says ‘I will not acquit, justify, declare righteous the wicked.’

So righteousness is a justice issue. The one who is righteous is the one who is in the right, who has done no wrong, who is innocent.

Competing Righteousnesses

Keep that in mind when we look at what Paul says about these competing righteousnesses.

He lays out the contrasts between these competing righteousnesses; on one side he says it is ‘my righteousness’; it ‘of the law’ – it belongs to the law, finds its source in the law. On the other side, it is the righteousness that is through faith in Christ, righteousness that belongs to God and finds its source in God, a righteousness that is founded upon the faith.

My Righteousness

We understand the righteousness that is ‘my righteousness’ the righteousness that is ‘of the law’. The one who does what the law requires, who does not do what the law forbids would have an inherent righteousness that that one could call his own.

Paul tells us in Romans 2

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Those who do the law, who keep the law, who obey the law are righteous in themselves, and they will be justified or declared righteous. God must recognize them as righteous who are in truth righteous.

James makes it clear that God doesn’t grade on a curve. He says in:

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

60% is not barely passing. 75% is not a C. Righteousness is pass/fail. 99% is falling short of the perfect standard. It’s a fail.

Paul claims to have this kind of righteousness; this is the one side of his contrast. He just finished reading us his resume, and he concluded in verse 6 ‘according to righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.’ Blameless! Paul claims to have his own righteousness which is from the law.

Paul’s resume of his righteousness consists of outward measurable conformity to the righteous standards of the law. If he were called in to the court of the Pharisees and they started calling witnesses, all would attest to Paul’s righteousness. There was no observable inconsistency, no outward shortcoming that anyone could point to. Paul is confident that were he called before the council, he would be found blameless.

Paul is not claiming sinlessness. According to God, who sees the heart, Paul says ‘none is righteous, no not one’ (Rom.3:10); ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom.3:23). He concurs with the Psalmist:

Psalm 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Paul had a righteousness of his own, a righteousness that comes from the law. But what did he do with that righteousness? How did he count it?

Philippians 3:7 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—

How do you feel about your good works? Paul had come to value his own accomplishments, his own resume, his own righteousness according to the law as rubbish, trash, feces, filth; offensive.

Paul counted his own righteousness as loss, a liability. He purged this righteousness that was his own, that was from the law, from his heart. His own righteousness became less than nothing, a liability. He jettisoned his own righteousness ...for what?

The Righteousness of Christ

Philippians 3:7 ...for the sake of Christ. 8 ...because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake ...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—

Paul forsook his own righteousness in order to gain a different kind of righteousness. The first thing we notice about this righteousness is that it is a righteousness that was not his own. It didn’t belong to him, it didn’t come from him, it didn’t originate in him. It came from outside, it was a righteousness that belonged to someone else. It was a foreign, an alien righteousness. It was not intrinsic to him, it was extrinsic. It was a righteousness that had nothing to do with him.

It also had nothing to do with the law. It had nothing to do with performance or merit. It wasn’t a righteousness rooted in his resume. It was totally unrelated to how well or how poorly he adhered to the standards of the law. It was a righteousness utterly unrelated to and different from righteousness of the kind that came out of the law; he already had that, and had counted it loss and rubbish.

Righteousness Through Believing

This righteousness was a righteousness that came to him through faith in Christ. It was a righteousness that was his through believing, through trusting, through depending. This righteousness was righteousness received as a gift, through a promise believed.

Romans points us to ‘the righteousness of God revealed from faith for faith’ (1:17). Romans 4 also contrasts the righteousness of works and the righteousness that comes as a gift through faith.

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

This is the righteousness Paul is pursuing; a righteousness not rooted in performance, not wages for work done, but a gift given to all who don’t work but believe. An alien righteousness credited to those who believe God’s promise to justify the ungodly.

The Problem of God Justifying the Ungodly

This is where the problem comes in. To justify is to give the legal verdict of righteousness, to acquit or exonerate, to declare righteous. But we already saw that God will not acquit the wicked, and this sounds exactly like what God is doing in Romans 4, God who justifies the ungodly.

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

This casts a question mark on the character of God. How can he be just and the justifier of the sinner who simply believes? The next verses in Romans 4 help to clarify;

Romans 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

God counting a person righteous apart from works is connected to his forgiving, sin covering grace. But how? If we back up to Romans 3, Paul answers this very question.

We saw Romans 3 declare ‘None is righteous, no not one.’ Romans 3 goes on to say

Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ...

This is the competing righteousness that Philippians talks about; the righteousness of God apart from the law, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus for all who believe.

Remember no one is righteous, no not one. Paul claimed an observable righteousness connected to his blameless lawkeeping, but before God he fell short just like the rest of us.

Romans 3:22 ...For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

There it is! Justified by grace (that means we don’t deserve it) as a gift (it is not earned). It comes through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. To be found in Jesus is to be in his own purchased possession, to be hidden in him. And here’s that great word propitiation! Jesus’ blood poured out as the once-for-all sacrifice that satisfies the wrath of God against my sin. God’s just punishment poured out on Jesus in my place, forgiveness purchased at infinite cost, given to me freely as a gift, received simply by believing, trusting, depending on him, his word, his promise.

In Romans 10 Paul speaks of his fellow Jews, who like him were:

Romans 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

Law righteousness requires perfect obedience. We seek to establish our own righteousness, but in so doing we refuse to submit to God’s righteousness, the righteousness that comes through faith, to everyone who believes. Paul’s goal is to be found in Christ; we either cling to our own righteousness and forfeit Christ, or cling to Christ and forfeit our own righteousness. Which will it be?

Receiving Righteousness By Faith

Are you ready to count that which was gain to you as loss for the surpassing worth of gaining Christ? How do we receive this righteousness of God through faith?

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness based on faith ...8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Those who are ashamed are those who are trusting in their own righteousness, and they find out that all their righteous deeds are like an unclean garment (Is.64:6). Those who will never be ashamed are those who are trusting in the righteousness of another.

Isaiah 53 says of Jesus:

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

We are counted righteous in Christ, because the Father’s wrath was satisfied in Jesus, because he bore my sins in his body on the cross. And now,

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness...

Clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Philippians 3:6 ...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—

Are you clinging to your own righteousness? If so, you are not in him. Are you willing to forfeit your own righteousness and cling to Christ today?

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2024.05.12 Sermon Notes

Philippians 3:9; Competing Righteousnesses

Righteousness is being in the right, innocent, having done no wrong

Exodus 23:6-8

Competing righteousnesses:

……...my own……………..through faith in Christ

……...of the law…………...of God

……………………………...on the faith

My righteousness; law righteousness = rubbish

Romans 2:13; James 2:10; Romans 3:10, 23; Psalm 130:3

Alien righteousness that comes through believing

Romans 1:17; 4:2-5

The problem of justifying the ungodly

Proverbs 17:15; Romans 4:6-8; 3:20-25

How to be found in him:

believe in Jesus

Romans 10:3-11

be clothed in the righteousness of Christ

Isaiah 64:6; 53:11; 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org