Word@Work Phil32 - Philippians 3:8b-9
Published: Fri, 11/06/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
COVERED BY CHRIST
Phil. 3:8b-9 I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 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 and is by faith. (NIV)
It is not enough just to repent of wrong. We need to have a new kind of righteousness from God. If we don't, then we will go back to inventing our own ideas of what is right, and get it wrong yet again. Repentance is the first step. Receiving God's righteousness is the next. In the same way in which a failing business is taken over by a successful company, so those who believe in Jesus are incorporated into Christ. They become part of His 'company', and share in all the benefits of heaven. All the past debts are gone and all of Christ's righteousness is ours (see www.crosscheck.org.uk to find out more).
In the same way that insurance cover relieves the policy holder from fear of disaster, so the righteousness of Christ is our permanent 'legal' protection in the courts of heaven. Trusting that Christ died for our sins, puts believers in the right with God. We could never achieve this by our good works, because we could never reach His demand of perfection. It is by His grace alone. However, if we cling onto the idea that our religious observance is somehow necessary to get right with God, it is like saying that we consider Jesus' sacrifice as inadequate. Either we rely on our own righteousness or on Christ's: one of them will be treated as rubbish.
Of course, it is vital that we should do good, but not to win God's favour. If we think we can influence God's assessment of us that way, we have already discounted the sufficiency of the cross. It is like the employees of a failing company continuing in the same old work practices and ignoring the new company procedures, even after it has been rescued. Instead, we should show our gratitude for being rescued, by living as released members of the new 'company'. That kind of lifestyle not only validates your faith but also advertises that you have been saved by Jesus. The brave-hopeless around you at work, who are looking for the possibility that life can be different, will find hope in your confidence of being right with God through Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father. Thank You for sending Jesus to the cross so that I can be forgiven for my sins as I trust in Him. I am so relieved that You accept me because of His sacrifice; and that there is nothing I can do to add to what He has done. Help me to live the life of a freed person, with gladness and hope, giving a window of hope to others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
It is not enough just to repent of wrong. We need to have a new kind of righteousness from God. If we don't, then we will go back to inventing our own ideas of what is right, and get it wrong yet again. Repentance is the first step. Receiving God's righteousness is the next. In the same way in which a failing business is taken over by a successful company, so those who believe in Jesus are incorporated into Christ. They become part of His 'company', and share in all the benefits of heaven. All the past debts are gone and all of Christ's righteousness is ours (see www.crosscheck.org.uk to find out more).
In the same way that insurance cover relieves the policy holder from fear of disaster, so the righteousness of Christ is our permanent 'legal' protection in the courts of heaven. Trusting that Christ died for our sins, puts believers in the right with God. We could never achieve this by our good works, because we could never reach His demand of perfection. It is by His grace alone. However, if we cling onto the idea that our religious observance is somehow necessary to get right with God, it is like saying that we consider Jesus' sacrifice as inadequate. Either we rely on our own righteousness or on Christ's: one of them will be treated as rubbish.
Of course, it is vital that we should do good, but not to win God's favour. If we think we can influence God's assessment of us that way, we have already discounted the sufficiency of the cross. It is like the employees of a failing company continuing in the same old work practices and ignoring the new company procedures, even after it has been rescued. Instead, we should show our gratitude for being rescued, by living as released members of the new 'company'. That kind of lifestyle not only validates your faith but also advertises that you have been saved by Jesus. The brave-hopeless around you at work, who are looking for the possibility that life can be different, will find hope in your confidence of being right with God through Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father. Thank You for sending Jesus to the cross so that I can be forgiven for my sins as I trust in Him. I am so relieved that You accept me because of His sacrifice; and that there is nothing I can do to add to what He has done. Help me to live the life of a freed person, with gladness and hope, giving a window of hope to others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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