Counting his Past Achievements as Dung
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I count them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
Phil 3:7-9
Allow me to pick up some of the thoughts from the previous Gem. A couple of people wondered about me making so much of dung or human excrement and commented on the fact. Well, let me say in my defence that they were not my original thoughts. The thought came from Paul and his use of the word skubala. But then I admit to labouring the point if you will forgive the veiled pun. I was and am just simply exploring the idea that Paul has given us. Why does Paul use the word skubala with the depth of meaning it has? There are two characteristics of skubala that are in focus – the shocking appearance and the smell. Both are indicative of the stench of human endeavour. Why is Paul using this example and summing up his past endeavours as dung? Because of the smell. Let’s look at another not-so-well-known-verse from Ezekiel:
They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.
Ezekiel 44:18
Among the priesthood God did not want their efforts smelling of the sweat of human endeavour. Paul is considering that concept on reflecting on his past efforts as a trainee Pharisee. Up to the point where he met Christ Jesus (Jesus the Messiah) on the road to Damascus, all of his endeavours had been the result of his own efforts. The revelation that came on encountering Jesus gave Paul a completely new perspective of his time training in Judaism. He tells us extensively in his letter to Romans where keeping the Law will get us. Notice what Paul says to the Philippians above.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
Phil 3:9
Since meeting face to face with Jesus Christ, Paul now understands the truth of the saying
This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit”, says the LORD of Hosts
Zechariah 4:6
Have you ever wondered why the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, rehearses the speech he plans to give to his father when he returns to face Kezezah, a stoning outside the village because he turned his back not only on his father but on all in his village as well. Note that he doesn’t finish the speech he planned. Likely as not the whole village had pronounced Kezezah, the ceremony to indicate the cutting off or severing of relationship with both his father and the villagers. He had come to rock bottom. Why? The stench of the pig pen. Oh not human endeavour this time but the stench of pig pooh. Sorry, clearly my thoughts are stuck in the mire, in the pig pen. Just as I am typing this Gem my thoughts are tumbling out and I am focused on the stench of human endeavour; that’s why it came to mind. I thought immediately of that scene in the pig pen. It too was shocking! But not just because the prodigal was covered in pig pooh. He was thinking of eating pig food when a good Jewish boy was not to contaminate himself in any way with pigs. Touching them would make him ceremonially unclean. Well just how unclean do you think he would have been if he had eaten the pig food found on the surface of the muck in the pig pen? I am sure I don’t need to say any more. I have done enough wallowing. But you get the point I am sure.
As I teach people in Deeper Bible, pay careful attention to repetition in the Bible. Pay attention also when the expected repetition is not there. Do you see the difference between two elements of Luke 15.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
Luke 15:17-21
Stop and think about what finishing the speech he had rehearsed would have done. The father offered grace to this smelly son, even hugged him. It would have taken a long time to rid himself of the stench of the pig pen. To have finished his speech and said,
- “Make me like one of your hired hands.”
- “Take me on as a farm labourer.”
- ‘Let me work off my debt by the sweat of my brow.”
would have been the ultimate insult. After all the father had done, to have continued to insist on making yourself right by your own effort would have been the same as throwing the father’s grace and forgiveness back in his face. That is what many of us try to do with God. We can’t accept his grace freely given, we have to add to it the smell of our own effort. “There you go again son, wanting to work things out by your own efforts; just relax and be my son.”
So I say to you, just relax and accept God’s righteousness given to you, but it is only available in Christ. That is one of Paul’s favourite little phrases. In Christ! Paul has seen the light. As he states so clearly, he has given up on trying to make himself right with God [right cf righteousness]. Now he knows with an inner knowing that he can’t make himself right with God [i.e. have righteousness]. He can only trust Jesus Christ to make that happen. So Paul looked back on all of his qualifications under Judaism and realised it was all based on human effort and that stinks. All he had done for all of his life training to be a rabbi and seeking selection as a Pharisee counted for nothing; it was totally worthless. In fact worse than that. It stunk.
Before the next Gem, I will wash my hands and press on to slightly more fragrant things. Although you may well note the slight smell of death in what is to come. But then to some we are the fragrance of life and to others the stench of death.
Trusting in Christ and pressing on to maturity
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Phil 3:10-16
Psychology keeps trying to vindicate human nature. History keeps undermining the effort
Mason Cooley
Humankind’s constant effort to fix its shortcomings is what drives human history.
Joel Garreau
There is absolutely no power in our human effort to live holy. It is only by His grace. And the result of receiving grace is we get better at living like Christ, which is something we all want, right?
Joyce Meyer
Eternal life, the life of the age to come, is a gift from heaven, not the result of human effort. Humbly accept it when it’s offered without feeling you have to pay for it. Jesus has already paid the price.
Ian Vail
The stench of yesterday’s Gem is real enough. Mud, refuse, sewage, animal manure and general debris probably littered the streets of many towns and created an unsuspected but very real health hazard. Dirt and dust were everywhere, and evil smelling gases rose from decomposing piles of sewage and garbage, creating a natural breeding ground for rats, flies, cockroaches and an infinite variety of micro-organisms.
Yes exactly Ross. You have described the scene. It was almost as though you were there.