Chapter 32: Loss and Profit

From: Meditations on Philippians: Sacrifices of Joy By: George Christopher Willis

Philippians 3:4‑7 • 12 min. read • grade level: 8

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

“And not confiding in flesh, although I have confidence even in flesh; if any other think to-confide in flesh, I rather: in-(the matter of) circumcision, eight-days (old); from (the) race of-Israel; of-(the) tribe of-Benjamin; a-Hebrew (sprung) from Hebrews; as-to law, a Pharisee; as-to zeal, persecuting the church; as-to righteousness, the (righteousness) in law, being blameless; but whatever (things) were to-me gains, these I-counted for-the-sake-of the Christ loss.”

Philippians 3:4-7⁴Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: ⁵Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; ⁶Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. ⁷But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (Philippians 3:4‑7)

To learn, and yet to learn, whilst life goes by,

So pass the student’s days;

And thus be great, and do great things and die,

And lie embalmed in praise.

My work is but to lose, and to forget,

Thus small, despised to be;

All to unlearn— this task before me set;

Unlearn all else but Thee.

(G. Ter Steegen)

In our last chapter we spoke of the first few words quoted above: “And not confiding in flesh,” but the words that follow are so closely linked with these, that we must quote them again if the Scripture is to be clear to us. The true “circumcision,” as we saw, does not trust, or, have confidence, in the flesh. But, apparently, certain men had come to Philippi and were telling the saints they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses if they were to be saved.

These men had confidence in the flesh—just what the true circumcision had not. Now Paul is about to take his place, so to speak, alongside of these men, and compare his own credentials with theirs. The sense of the translated “I might have confidence in the flesh,” (vs. 4) as it is usually translated, is true; but Paul puts it that he actually has confidence in the flesh. (See the New Translation). And from man’s standpoint, he had entire ground for such confidence. So now he places himself at the standpoint of these Judaizing men who had come to Philippi. He continues, “If any other think to trust (or, have confidence) in flesh, I rather.” Now he states seven reasons why he might have confidence in flesh:

1. In (the matter of) circumcision, eight days old;

2. From (the) race of Israel;

3. Of (the) tribe of Benjamin;

4. A Hebrew (sprung) from Hebrews;

5. As to law, a Pharisee;

6. As to zeal, persecuting the church;

7. As to righteousness, the (righteousness) in law, being blameless.

These evil teachers seem to have pressed circumcision more than anything else, (Acts 15), so Paul begins with it. A proselyte might be circumcised at any age, but the law required a Jew to be circumcised on the eighth day: and Paul had met every requirement of the law, as far as circumcision went.

Further, he came from the race of Israel, and this title was accounted the noblest that any Jew could have (Trench); but to appreciate fully what it meant, we must turn to Rom. 9:4-5⁴Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; ⁵Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:4‑5)—

“Who are Israelites;

to whom pertaineth the adoption,

and the glory,

and the covenants,

and the giving of the law,

and the service of God,

and the promises;

whose are the fathers,

and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came,

Who is over all, God blessed forever.

Amen.”

All these privileges belonged to Paul, because he was “from the race of Israel.” (I suppose the Spirit of God lists eight, rather than seven, as He so often does, because here CHRIST is the eighth: and the eighth speaks of a new beginning; the eighth day is the resurrection day, and in verse 11 we will find the resurrection is eighth on another list).

But not only was he from the race of Israel, he also was “of the tribe of Benjamin” (vs. 5). And Benjamin was a very favored tribe. Benjamin was one of the two sons of Jacob’s favorite wife. He was the only child of Jacob born in the Promised Land. The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin, and Saul of Tarsus bore his name. The “Holy City,” Jerusalem, was in the land of Benjamin. And the tribe of Benjamin was the only tribe to remain loyal to Judah and the House of David, when the other tribes revolted. So it was no small honor to belong to the tribe of Benjamin.

But Paul had more: he was “a Hebrew sprung from Hebrews.” He was pure Jew. Timothy’s father was a Greek: not so Saul of Tarsus: he was pure Hebrew. A man was a Jew if he traced his descent from Jacob and conformed to the religion of his fathers: but he was not counted a “Hebrew” unless he spoke the Hebrew language. (See Trench, Syn. No. 39). And Paul could hardly have spoken of himself as “a Hebrew sprung from Hebrews,” were it not that his father also had these qualifications; and so he probably spoke Hebrew from his earliest childhood; and we know he spoke it fluently: and had been “taught according to the perfect manner of the law of his fathers.” (Acts 22:2-3²(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) ³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 22:2‑3)).

These four “gains” (as Paul calls them) came to him by birth and parentage, apart from his own volition. Now we come to those that were his by choice: “As to law, a Pharisee” (vs. 5). Speaking to King Agrippa Paul said, “After the most strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” And to the Council he could say, “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6⁶But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. (Acts 23:6)). He was, moreover, brought up in Jerusalem, at the “feet of Gamalial,” a Pharisee, a doctor of the law, and one had in reputation among all the people: apparently a wise and a good man. (Acts 22:3³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 22:3) & 5:34). There was no higher position in the Jews’ religion to which Paul could attain.

“As to zeal, persecuting the Church.” Now we will see how he used these privileges and attainments. Writing to the Galatians, he could say: “Ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” (Gal. 1:13,14¹³For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: ¹⁴And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1:13‑14)). In the eyes of Saul of Tarsus, and in the eyes of most in his own nation, this was the highest proof of his devotion to God: but to Paul the Apostle, it was a grief that he never could forget: “I am the least of the apostles, and am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Cor. 15:9⁹For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:9)). And see Acts 26:10-11¹⁰Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. ¹¹And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. (Acts 26:10‑11). His part in the murder of Stephen seems to have stayed with him all his days: “When the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him” (Acts 22:20²⁰And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. (Acts 22:20)). Such is the heart of the most religious of men!

And now we come to the last of these “gains.” “As to righteousness, the (righteousness) in law, (or, such as law has in it) being blameless.” Perhaps in the sight of moral men, this righteousness is the highest attainment of all. Few there are who could truthfully follow Paul in this statement of his “gains” after the flesh. He himself says: “If any other think to trust in flesh, I rather (or, I more).” The young ruler in Mark 10:20²⁰And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. (Mark 10:20) could say, with the honest belief that he spoke truly, “All these have I observed from my youth” (Mark 10:20²⁰And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. (Mark 10:20)). With both Saul and the young ruler, this was true in the sight of men: but both should have known it was not so in the sight of God, for the Old Testament told them this: “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Eccl. 7:20²⁰For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecclesiastes 7:20)).: or the 14th Psalm, which Paul himself quotes to prove this to us. But Saul of Tarsus in the eyes of men was blameless: none on earth could point a finger at him, and accuse him of failure to keep the law of Moses. Such was the man whom God chose to meet the attacks of these “evil workmen.” Was there one of them who could measure up to Paul? Was there one who could go through those seven “gains,” point by point, and come out with the glory (the earthly glory) which Paul could claim. I think not one.

Now let us see how Paul the Apostle, writing perhaps 30 years later, viewed all his gains. “But what things were to me gains, these I counted (or, considered, esteemed) for the sake of Christ loss.” Notice “gains” is in the plural, but “loss” is in the singular: “just one loss, one deprivation, not merely a worthless thing, but a ruinous one.” If my memory serves correctly, Canadian bank shares used to be (perhaps still are) subject to “double liability.” That meant that if the bank failed, not only did the owner of the shares lose his investment: but he was also liable to pay up to double the value of his shares: not merely were they a loss, but to many, they were utterly ruinous. Thus Paul came to consider all these great assets of his: these “gains” were not merely one great loss, but they were ruinous: and were he to hold to them, he would lose his own soul.

The passage we have been considering is like a great account book, where on one side he records all his credits: counting them up, item after item: perhaps not one before or since could set forth such an imposing array of fleshly assets. And now, Heaven is opened to him, and he gets a sight in the Glory of the Man he hated and despised, the Man Christ Jesus, and in an instant, all his gains must be put on the debit side of the ledger: all to him now are loss. “Whatever things were to me gains, these I counted for the sake of Christ loss.” Now he could sing: “I have seen the face of Jesus Tell me not of aught beside;

I have heard the voice of Jesus All my soul is satisfied.”

And so, “Whatever things were to me gains, these I counted for the sake of Christ loss.” We must reserve the next verse, verse 8, for another chapter; but I cannot resist asking you to compare two words in it, with the two words shown underlined just above, in verse 7: “these” and “counted.” The word “counted” is in the perfect tense, and indicates that Paul made this reckoning when first he met his Lord, on the road to Damascus; and that he continued to reckon it thus ever since. Now, note in verse 8 he says: “But, nay, rather, I do count (or, I am counting) all things to be loss on account of the surpassingness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Notice the two changes the Apostle makes as he goes from verse 7 to verse 8: the perfect tense becomes the present— “I counted” becomes “I do count,” and the word “these” (which referred to the seven “gains” previously listed) becomes “all.” All his righteousnesses had long since become filthy rags to him (Isa. 64:6⁶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)), only to be accounted loss: but now, perhaps thirty years later, he counts, not only “these things,” but all things to be loss for the sake of the surpassingness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord.