Saved by Grace

Do you think you are saved by what you do? That you are right with God based on whether you keep His requirements or not? Then read the following passage:

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh [in ourselves]— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh [in theirself and their own works], I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:2-10, NIV, text in brackets added

This passage is often used to encourage Christians to be zealous and give everything up for God: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Though that is a good message, then it is taken out of context.

The main message of this passage is that we need to give up our own ‘righteousness’ to be connected with God and to know Him, and accept Christ’s righteousness instead. We cannot make ourselves right with God by keeping rules.

Paul kept all the commandments, was passionate for God, but thoroughly misguided. He hurt Christians because He felt he was serving God. You could compare him to a modern-day religious terrorist. Still, he says, ‘as for righteousness based on the law, faultless’. If you had a checklist of all the commandments, he would appear to check them all off (except perhaps the one on covetousness, see Romans 7). As far as outward appearances go, he was scrupulously careful to obey Scripture. Even in his private life, he obeyed the law to the letter. Except he was still dead – dead in sin. As Paul states in the letter to the Romans, Paul says that no-one is righteous, not one. It took a divine revelation for Paul to come to that conclusion. A bright light flashing from heaven, Jesus Himself, stopped him in his tracks – otherwise he’d still feel he was a good Jew who was in God’s good books based on what he was doing.

The idea that our ‘own righteousness’ is insufficient is not a new insight that Paul gave us. It is Jesus’ message. You can see it in the gospels also. In the parable below, taken from Luke, Jesus says that only the one who admits to his sin is righteous before God. He says those who are ‘confident of their own righteousness’ are not justified.

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14, NIV

Instead, the one who asks God to have mercy on him is justified – is made right with God, like Abraham. Abraham was justified by faith, not by what he did. His faith was credited to him as righteousness (see Romans). Basically, his faith was what made him right with God, not what he did. (His faith did result in certain actions, as you can see in the book of James, otherwise it would not be a real faith. However, it was not his perfect life that made Abraham right with God, on the contrary!)

We get reconciled with God based on Jesus’ death and resurrection for us, based on His work, not ours.

In the Philippians passage, God tells us to Watch out or those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. Who are those people we need to watch out for? Evildoers right? Yes. They do evil, but they seem very religious. They distort the word of God because they think that we need to do all kinds of things and keep all kinds of checklists to be right with God. Here, Paul was probably addressing Jewish Christians who thought Gentiles (non-Jews) had to keep the Jewish law to be right with God. But this can be just as applicable nowadays: many Christians, even with good intent, defend all kinds of difficult rules and regulations. This is dangerous! There is a reason Paul uses very strong language here.

Be wary of superfluous commands, requirements and checklists. Reading the Bible every day is healthy, but it is not what makes one a good Christian. Raising hands in worship is nice, but it is not what makes one a good Christian. Going to church regularly is good, but it is not what makes one a justified Christian – or even a loving one. The only person who makes us a good Christian is Jesus. He is good and holy and He gives us that goodness and holiness if we accept it. Of course, when we accept that goodness and holiness, we choose to let Him change us, and work in us through His Spirit. As we grow in Him, our actions will conform more and more to the inner forgiveness, holiness, and righteousness that we already have!

I know from experience how difficult it can be to try and keep all kinds of rules to stay right with God. But Jesus’ burden is light (Matthew 11:30) and He calls us to live in freedom.

 

Bibliography

Timothy Keller, Galatians For You

Tom Hovestol, Extreme Righteousness

ESV Student Study Bible (Notes)