Main Point
Godly men and women can be good examples for us to practically follow Jesus
Passage
NIV
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
First Thoughts
Look at the balancing of priorities. The I consider makes my mind think of a ranking system with Jesus as S-tier and everything else F-tier. Or it makes me think of a balance with Knowing Jesus on one side and Everything Else on the other and the side with Jesus falling so hard it dents the ground and shoots Everything Else off like a rocket.
The issues at stake are Identify, Security, Motivation, and Hope.
Knowing Christ seems to be the overarching thought, connected to Righteousness in verses 8-9 and Resurrection in 10-11. But, there is also the issue of values, faith, conformity to Christ in suffering, and being in Christ in the passage.
What We Value
“Knowing Jesus is not just about avoiding what is worthless; it is also about embracing what is glorious.” - Cohick
“It is not that I flee them as base things but that I prefer what is superior. Having tasted the grain, I throw away the refuse. For refuse means the denser and harder part of the chaff. It carries the grain but is discarded once the grain has been collected.” - Theodoret
Faith
Quotes from J.I. Packer in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
After talking about the Hebrew and Greek words, he says, “the latter is a key word in the NT, being the term regularly used to denote the many-sided religious relationship into which the gospel calls people—that of trust in God through Christ. The complexity of this idea is reflected in the variety of constructions with the verb.”
Expresses a truth believed in
Denotes a restful reliance on that to which, or to whom, credit is given
Conveys the thought of a movement of trust going out to, and laying hold of, the object of its confidence.
Both the Hebrew and Greek words “signify commitment as following from conviction…The nature of faith, according to the NT, is to live by the truth it receives; faith resting on God’s promise, gives thanks for God’s grace by working for God’s glory.”
“Faith is more than orthodoxy—not fides merely, but fiducia, personal trust and confidence in God’s mercy through Christ; that it is not a meritorious work, one facet of human righteousness, but rather an appropriating instrument, an empty hand outstretched to receive the free gift of God’s righteousness in Christ; that faith is God-given and is itself the animating principle from which love and good works spontaneously spring; and that communion with God means not an exotic rapture of mystical ecstasy but just faith’s everyday commerce with the Savior. Confessional Protestantism has always maintained these positions.”
Righteousness
Righteousness comes from faith, which means that it too is a gift of God. For since this righteousness belongs to God, it is an unmerited gift. And the gifts of God greatly exceed any achievements of our own zeal. - Chrysostom.
“Not only sufficient but superabundant indeed is the righteousness that comes from faith. This salvation is freely given by the grace of God through the knowledge of Christ.” - Ambrosiaster
Quotes from D.W. Diehl in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
The Hebrew word regularly translated "righteous" or “just” is [tsedeq] and originally meant “straight” or “right”. The corresponding Greek term is dikaios, and in Greek society referred to that which is in accordance with law or social norm.
The verb forms mean “to do justice”, “to be just”, “to vindicate", “to justify”, or “to treat as just”.
“The God of Israel is revealed as a God of righteousness who acts rightly in all his works and judgments (Gen. 18:25; Deut. 32:4; Ps. 11:7; Dan. 9:14). The OT concept of righteousness is closely linked with God’s judgeship (Pss. 9:8; 50:6; 143:2) God judges equitably; he does not clear the guilty or forsake the righteous, and the judges of Israel are commanded to act according to his example (Exod. 23:7; Deut. 1:16-17l 10:17-18; Ps. 98:9). But more emphatically God’s righteousness is made known in his deliverance of his people from their enemies and oppressors (1 Sam 12:6-11; Pss. 9:7-9; 51:14; Isa. 46:11-13). God as judge comes to the rescue of the poor and the oppressed, delivering them from injustice and restoring their rights (Pss. 34:16-22; 72:1-14; 82; Isa. 11:4)...Consequently, God’s righteous judgement is often expressed in terms of his saving acts. Righteousness many times is closely related to God’s salvation, mercy, and lovingkindness, especially in the Psalms and Isaiah (Pss. 40:10; 85:9-10; 98:2-3; Isa. 45:8. 46:13; 51:5; Jer. 9:24)”
“Jesus spoke of a false righteousness that is found in those who trust in themselves as righteous or justified because of their moral accomplishments (Matt. 23:28; Luke 16:15: 18:9), but he taught that the truly justified are those who acknowledge their sin and trust in God for forgiveness and his righteousness (Matt 5:6; Mark 2;17; Luke 18:14)”
Note from David: This is important in our country today. Both sides of the political spectrum claim the seat of moral integrity and justice. It is important for Christians to not put our trust in ourselves, our institutions, or anything else to prove ourselves just and right. There are plenty of people on social media or the news virtue signaling and claiming justice and moral authority, while slandering their opponents. True justice is derived from God, given through Christ, and expressed by living in response to the Spirit in faith. The righteous/just will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4), and those who truly follow God will love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). When we find our identity and righteousness in stances, allegiances, and groups rather than in Jesus, we demonize those Jesus is trying to redeem, and justify others on a basis other than the blood of Jesus. We must demonstrate humility through confession, trust, and integrity in life. Doing justice matters to us, because it matters to God.
“The NT makes it clear…that the one who by faith is declared righteous also by faith seeks to do the deeds of righteousness and to grow in righteousness by God’s grace (Rom. 6:12-18; Eph. 4:24; 5:9; Phil 1:11; Heb. 11; James 2:17-26; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:29). By his grace God also will bring the justified into a final righteousness (Gal 5:5; Heb. 12:23l 2 Pet. 3:13) at the day when God will judge the whole world (Luke 14:14; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:8).”
Skybala
“For the sake of knowing Christ, Paul labeled “all things” (ta panta) as having a value on the level with ‘crap’. We have translated the word crudely, for it is crude, intended to jar with its baseness. As some commentators have noted, the English slang ‘crap’ conveys how a person on the street in the ancient world might have heard Paul’s language here. The term could refer to table scraps, debris, and refuse and was commonly used of dung or excrement. In other words, Paul refers to stuff fit only for the garbage or to be thrown out as sewage—not only disposable but filthy.” - Guthrie
Moisés Silva, in his commentary on Philippians, says, “There is no need to downplay the meaning of skybala with such equivalents as ‘rubbish’.
“As one who grew up in a home where the term was not allowed, a base crudity not fit for educated people, even writing the word makes me a bit uncomfortable—and that is the point of Paul’s use of skybala. Semantically the English word “crap” works because it has both the meaning of excrement but also could be used of garbage, something disposable, or something of little quality or value. Rhetorically, it is meant to cause pause, to demonstrate the radical reassessment demanded for one who would follow Christ.” - Guthrie
Resources Used
Cohick, Lynn H. The Story of God Bible Commentary: Philippians. Edited by McKnight. Scot, Zondervan, 2013.
Edwards, Mark J., and Thomas C. Oden, editors. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. InterVarsity Press, 2005.
Elwell, Walter A., editor. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition. Baker Academic, 2007.
Fee, Gordon D. Philippians. IVP Academic, 1999.
Freedman, David Noel, et al., editors. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, Doubleday, 1992.
Guthrie, George H. Philippians. Zondervan Academic, 2023.
Motyer, J. A. The Message of Philippians. InterVarsity Press, 1984.
Wright, N.T, and Mike Bird. The New Testament in its World. SPCK, 2019.
Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters : Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. SPCK, 2004.