We Win Christ

By Tammy Lacock

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman continues to discuss our commitment to Christ by following the apostle Paul through his epistles. Warren focuses this week on verses 3-7 of Philippians 3. These verses explain in more detail what Paul means by “the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord” in verse 8.

Warren prefaces this podcast by emphasizing Paul’s own commitment to Christ. Before Paul’s conversion on his way to Damascus, he was deeply committed to the law and the outer things of this world, what he calls things of the flesh. After His conversion and revelation of Christ as his new life, Paul was committed to Christ and knowing only Him. Now that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that Christ lives in him, all he could think about was Christ. This was the greatest, most amazing revelation God had ever told anyone and Paul knew it! In fact, Paul and John refer to Christ living in us and us in Him more than 146 times!

In verses 3-7, Paul shares with us the depth of his own commitment to Christ. He says in verse 3, that he no longer lives for outer things, he now lives and rejoices in Christ Jesus, his new life. He now worships in spirit, no more by the law and by works. In verses 4 through 6, he boasts of his old life saying that if anyone was committed to the law and outer things (i.e. his education, his desire in becoming a member of the Sanhedrin, killing Christians in the name of righteousness), it was him more than anybody. He was the Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, extremely learned and blameless in the Jewish law. He had everything going for him. Yet, he says, all of that means nothing. He no longer lives that life and rejoices now in Christ Jesus! His new life is Christ and nothing else matters.

“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.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

When Christ died on the cross, we died, too, to our old lives. When Christ arose, we arose as well, to a new life IN Him. We no longer live, Christ lives in us as our new life. We are born again. This is the heart of Paul’s writings. He says “follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) so that we too will know and understand our new life in Christ. So that we too will know and love Christ and commit ourselves to Him. By His life in us, we are complete in our creation. God’s intention for us before the foundation of the world has been fulfilled (Ephesians 1:4).

Paul wants us to know Christ now and it is only through his writings where we can understand how to live our new life.

We must be committed. Where does commitment take place? Paul tells us that it’s in our minds where we must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us of Christ and comfort us as we move into a deeper commitment in Him.

The Holy Spirit will help us to focus on Christ, knowing Him and not law, as our righteousness, our wisdom, our salvation, our very life. The Holy Spirit will help us to separate the outer (flesh) things from our spirit, now joined to Christ. He will help us to let go of our attachments to our old life. As our commitment deepens, Christ in us takes hold. Paul says this is when we realize that nothing else matters, not even our own lives.

He rejoices in no longer living his old life for the excellency of his new life in Christ:

“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.” (Philippians 3:8)

God’s work was finished at the cross. By His commitment to us through His son’s death and resurrection, we win Christ as our new life. May we now commit to Him and love Him more and more every step of the way.

That’s all He really wants.