For the Sake of Christ

The apostle Paul had just finished warning the Christians about “dogs” (false teachers, in particular the Judaizers, in context) who were trying to convince the Christians that they needed to be more like Jews and that they had to adhere to some of the liturgical and ceremonial and dietary laws of the Old Covenant, which they were not under as followers of Jesus Christ. And the Judaizers were saying that they had to be circumcised, as the Jews were.

So, Paul was letting them know that they did not have to listen to these Judaizers (the dogs) who were trying to lead the Christians astray. For, he said, “we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” We are those who have been crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

So, we don’t have to go through a bunch of religious and liturgical and ceremonial laws and customs and traditions in order to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to obey the Lord or submit to his will for our lives, or that we don’t have to turn away from our sins and now live holy and godly lives to the glory and praise of God, in the power of God. We do! For if we don’t, and if sin is what we practice, we don’t have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 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— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11).

Paul was a Pharisee, a keeper of the Old Covenant law, circumcised on the eighth day, according to the law. And he was a Hebrew of Hebrews. But he was also a persecutor of the church (believers in Christ) because he believed that they were a sect that was contrary to God and to the Scriptures. But this is before he met Jesus on a road to Damascus, on his way to persecute even more followers of Jesus Christ. But once he met Jesus, the Lord turned his life around. And now he was among the persecuted, instead.

So, when the Lord turned him from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that he received forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18), he counted all those things of the flesh as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord. So he not only gave up all that “pomp and circumstance,” and all that pride in the flesh, but he gained Christ and the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, for the glory of God.

Now, Paul was not teaching here that we are to be lawless, and that we don’t have to obey our Lord’s commandments under the New Covenant (see noted verses above). And he was not teaching that faith in Jesus Christ did not require obedience to the Lord and to his commands. He was speaking strictly of the Old Covenant Mosaic liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, which he makes clear all throughout his writings. So this is not free license to keep on sinning.

For he taught clearly that we must obey our Lord and that if obedience is not what we obey, but if sin is what we obey, that it will lead to death, not to life. And he taught that we must live by the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, and that living by the Spirit meant no longer making sin our practice, but that righteousness and obedience must now be our practice. For if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

But in this context he was clearly talking about forsaking religious traditions, customs, ceremonies, liturgies, and practices that were outward only but that had nothing to do with changing one’s heart and with living holy lives pleasing to God. And he was stressing the need to be circumcised of heart, to have all that evil and junk stored up in our hearts cleansed from our hearts so that we can now walk in holiness and righteousness and in obedience to our Lord in the power of God.

For sharing in Christ’s sufferings and becoming like him in his death means that we die with him to sin and we now live to him and to his righteousness, in his power and strength, by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. And that does depend on faith, but not on human faith, but on God-given and God-persuaded faith which results in us crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord 

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907 

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Thou art the potter, I am the clay. 

Mold me and make me after Thy will, 

While I am waiting, yielded and still. 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Search me and try me, Master, today! 

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, 

As in Thy presence humbly I bow. 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Wounded and weary, help me I pray! 

Power, all power, surely is Thine! 

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine! 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Hold o'er my being absolute sway. 

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see 

Christ only, always, living in me! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA 

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