Philippians 3:7-11
7 “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
I have counted loss because of Christ: Paul counts his resume as nothing compared to knowing Christ. Whatever acclaim he had as a pharisee means nothing compared to the salvation in Christ. For Paul, life was about relationship with Jesus. It was not following rules or regulations, Jewish or Christian, in order to somehow earn or maintain closeness with God. He endured torments because he knew Jesus personally and intimately. He was obsessed with a Person who inhabited his body, not with living according to rules and regulations.
Rubbish: Paul uses strong language here. The original word was a slang term for dung. Paul’s point, therefore, is that no righteousness of the law is worth more than the righteousness given by Jesus.
Not having a righteousness of my own: Paul’s righteousness is not from the Old Covenant law as if that could even be achieved. Paul’s righteousness is Jesus Christ Himself, given to him as a completely free gift. Because Paul’s righteousness is not based on performance under the law, he is righteous no matter what he does. This is the very same truth for every believer in Jesus Christ.
