Follow Me, Paul

By Tammy Lacock

“Follow me as I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:11)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman once again deeply examines the Apostle Paul’s key message of stepping out of the bondage of law and into the fullness of God’s grace in Philippians 3: 6-8.

“Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for 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 3:6-8 KJV)

In verse 6-8, Warren explains how Paul contrasted his life before his conversion to his new life in Christ. He boasted of his previous life only to show us that he had everything going for him in an earthly sense and considered himself to be an avid obeyer of the Jewish law. In fact, he said he was blameless in the law. He even persecuted followers of Christ in his adherence to the law, and no doubt suffered the rest of his life for this.

He gave up all this from his old life, knowing that in Christ, there is no other life for Him than in God’s grace. By giving up his old life and identity, he is now free to step into the fullness of God’s grace, that is who God created him to be. All he wanted now was to know Christ more and more.

Paul lists 16 I-phrases in Philippians chapters 3 and 4, emphasizing that nobody is going to help us take our first step into grace, nobody but ourselves. This is the love affair that develops as we continue to live our new life in Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can come into our minds and hearts and help us to “suffer the loss of all things” so that we “may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Paul shares throughout his epistles that we are no longer to live in bondage to the law. To live by the law would nullify Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ’s death and resurrection ushered in a new gospel, that of God’s grace. In this dispensation of grace, we are no longer saved by our works and our adherence to the law. We are saved by Christ’s work on the cross. This is God’s Grace. We must leave behind our old lives if we are to ever live fully in God’s grace. In fact, when Christ died, our old lives died too (Galatians 2:20). When He arose to a new life, we arose as well to a new life in Him.

What “things” of our old lives do we need to lose if we are to follow Paul and step into the fullness of God’s grace? Everything Paul gave up made room for him to be a servant of God, so that Christ could reveal Himself and work through him more and more. In fact, Paul suffered the loss of these things so that Christ could, in turn, use these things to further the gospel of His grace. Paul persecuted Christians in his old life and now he wanted nothing to do with that.

If we are to win Christ, we too will suffer the loss of all things. Just as Christ did with Paul, He will use our sufferings to make room for us to be better servants, to further His gospel of grace.

Follow Paul as he follows Christ. Winning Christ means stepping into the fullness of God’s grace so that we, too, can finally live who God created us to be.