Scripture Reading: Phil. 3:3-8
Ⅰ
We who believe in Christ should have no confidence in the flesh; our confidence should be wholly in the Lord—Phil. 3:3b:
A
The flesh in Philippians 3:3 and 4 comprises all that we are and have in our natural being.
B
In these verses confidence in the flesh refers to all the good items or qualifications that we have in the flesh; the honorable, lovable, and superior aspects of our natural being are still the flesh.
C
The greatest problems among God's children are that they do not know what the flesh is and that their flesh has not been dealt with—Rom. 8:8; Gal. 5:24:
１
Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh; the most obvious sign of unchecked flesh is self-confidence—cf. 3:2-3.
２
Confidence in the flesh keeps us from Christ—Phil. 3:3-4, 10.
D
As believers in Christ, we should be those who have no confidence in the flesh, no trust in our natural ability or heritage—vv. 3-6:
１
Although we have been regenerated, we may continue to live in our fallen nature, boast in what we do in the flesh, and have confidence in our natural qualifications—Gal. 3:2-3.
２
Only when we have been enlightened by God will we be able to say truly that we have no trust in our natural qualifications, ability, or intelligence; only then will we be able to testify that we have no confidence in the flesh and that our confidence is wholly in the Lord—Phil. 3:3; Prov. 3:5-6.
E
If we would experience Christ, we must not trust in the flesh but trust only in the Lord; this is the secret to the experience of Christ—Phil. 3:3.
Ⅱ
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is derived from the excellency of His person—v. 8; Matt. 17:5; Col. 1:13:
A
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is not the knowledge that belongs to Christ, the knowledge that Christ Himself has; rather, this knowledge is our subjective knowing of Christ—John 17:3:
１
In Philippians 3:8 knowledge actually means a revelation, a vision, concerning Christ and His excellency—Gal. 1:15-16; Eph. 1:17-23.
２
When Christ was revealed to him by God, Paul saw the supereminence, the supreme preciousness, and the surpassing worth of Christ—Acts 9:3-5, 20, 22; 22:13-16; 26:13-16.
B
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is the excellency of Christ realized by us—John 16:13-14; Gal. 1:15-16:
１
We need to have a vision of the preciousness of Christ and the excellency of the knowledge of the all-inclusive, unlimited Christ—1 Pet. 2:4, 7; Col. 1:12, 15-19; 2:2-3, 9, 16-17; 3:4, 10.
２
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ comes by revelation; without the revelation concerning Christ, we cannot know Christ—Matt. 16:17; 11:27; Gal. 1:15-16; John 17:3.
C
If we would experience Christ, we first need to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ—Phil. 3:7-10:
１
We cannot experience Christ without knowing Him through a revelation of Him—Gal. 1:15-16; 2:20; 4:19.
２
If we do not have a higher revelation of Christ, we cannot have a higher experience of Christ—1 John 5:20.
３
Our experience of Christ cannot surpass the excellency of our knowledge of Christ—Eph. 1:17-21; 3:14-19.
Ⅲ
On account of (or because of) the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Paul counted all things to be loss—Phil. 3:8a:
A
Paul placed great value on the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus; this is indicated by the words my Lord, which convey his intimate, tender feelings concerning Christ.
B
Paul's eyes were opened to see the excellency of the wonderful, all-inclusive Christ; on account of this excellency, he counted as loss all things, whether they related to religious gain or natural gain.
C
In verse 8 all things indicates that Paul dropped not only religious things but all things on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus; thus, to Paul, the loss of all things was the loss of everything.
D
The more we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the more we will count as loss everything religious and natural—vv. 4-8a.
Ⅳ
On account of Christ, Paul suffered the loss of all things and counted them as refuse in order to gain Christ—vv. 7, 8b:
A
All things in verse 8 includes the things of religion, philosophy, and culture; Paul suffered the loss of all these things because they were substitutes for Christ, hooks used by Satan to keep people from Christ and the experience of Christ.
B
We gain Christ by suffering the loss of all things that were once a gain for us and by counting them as refuse—vv. 4, 8:
１
The Greek word for gain in verse 8 means “to secure, to obtain, to lay hold of.”
２
To gain Christ is to gain His person, to experience, enjoy, and take possession of all His unsearchable riches—Eph. 3:8.
３
Like Paul, we should not only count all things as loss on account of Christ (Phil. 3:7) but also suffer the loss of all things and count all things as refuse (v. 8).
４
The more we suffer the loss of all things and count them as refuse on account of Christ, the more we will gain Christ for our experience and enjoyment—vv. 7-8.