(Php 3:12) “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”  Here the Holy Spirit is not having Paul say, “I’m not sure I am saved”. He is saying, “I’m still here in this flesh. As long as I am in this flesh I will seek always to live the life my Savior wants me to live! Period.  

(Php 3:10) “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”  Sometimes we come across phrases in the KJV that throw us off, like, “If by any means….”. It is being used in an interrogative manner, “how the resurrection is achieved”! It is achieved by having a time and place where I embraced salvation through faith in His dying for me!  

Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10)  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”  This is a Bible truth so many have yet to enter into; God the Judge of all flesh sees the Born Again Child of God as having been crucified with Christ. The person who committed those sins has died in the mind of God and made new, alive in His Son: (Gal_2:20) “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  The skeptic asks, “How can that be?” Answer: once you say “God” all things become possible.

(Php 3:9) “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,….”  In context, the fellowship of His sufferings is not our willingness to suffer for His Name (which we should be willing), but instead the fact that His suffering on the cross was the bearing of our individual sins – the acknowledging of that fact.

(Php 3:9) “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10)  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,…..”  The fact that the grave did not hold our Lord is evidence that He was accepted as substitute in our place. For death to have held Him would have said He had sin, for “the wages of sin is death”. The power of His resurrection is eternal life bestowed upon those who turn from their sinful lives and embrace the Lord Jesus’ payment on the cross for them!

(Php 3:9) “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10)  That I may know him,…”   Friend, you cannot “know Him” until your faith is “only” in Him, in His righteousness alone! Paul wanted only to know the One Who gave Himself for Him. His thoughts were past self in every way. But that is “why” He longed to know Him, for Paul knew he could not save himself. Jesus loved him (you and me) that much!

(Php 3:9) “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”   No doublespeak, folks. It is Jesus’ righteousness that saves the soul. Salvation is not salvation if it doesn’t take you to heaven, for that is what salvation is; it is being saved from hell. So one cannot say, “I was saved and lost it”, for it didn’t save you from anything if it was lost. To say you “lost it”, says you didn’t do something right which speaks of your righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ. So, such a person is basing their salvation upon the cross plus….self. That is not what these verses are teaching!  

(Php 3:8) “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”  Remember, the subject here is how one is saved and whether the sacrifice of the cross is sufficient to save. Does one need something on top of what Jesus has provided, a measure of quality of life? Since Paul counts all things loss, including “…touching the righteousness which is in the law….”, shouldn’t we conclude the same when it comes to ‘our obedience to the Word of God? Once again, we must conclude, Jesus paid it all!

(Php 3:4)  “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: …. (2 whole verses list what he once had confidence in; then) …..(7)  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”  To comparison Paul’s background to ours, I dare say none of us can do so. Yet, the standard for salvation is not each other, or to the Apostle Paul; it is our life compared to Christ’s. There…..we fall far short. It is that life, Jesus’ life, that was offered on Calvary as substitution for our just penalty of death! Jesus paid it “all”!  

(Php 3:3)  “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”   “…in the spirit”: if one is not “spirit” as well as body and soul, then they cannot worship God Who IS spirit. Jesus very plainly said in John Chapter 3 that the “spirit” of man needed to be “birthed”, made alive. You can sing gospel songs until your voice is hoarse, strained, played out; yet, if you have not been born spiritually you have not worshiped! Jesus added this, in John Chapter 4, “spirit and in truth”. You must act upon the truth of Jesus’ Words or die in your sins.