Knowing Christ

Part of the Christians life is coming to terms with this fact--Being in Christ in NOT too good to be true. We are given so many things in Christ, for salvation and for sanctification, and yet we seem to go back to our old ways too often. We don't rely on all the good things we're given in Christ. We fall into sin, or we become legalistic in trying to gain God's favor or grow in Christlikeness, without relying on Christ. So what's the solution? The solution is to keep looking at Christ, and continue to be overwhelmed by what we gain with Him! Paul explains 3 things we gain when we know Christ: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. And these three things deal with the past, present, and future of the Christian life: it's all of life! Because all of life is supposed to be in Christ! And that's the goal of Philippians: live all of life for Christ and the gospel!

We are so prone to boast in ourselves. We've been learning about this so much on Sundays, and I know it's been getting deep into our hearts. Paul believes this matters too, and goes down this road because other so-called 'spiritual leaders' refuse to humble themselves before God. Even Paul himself knows of this in his own life. But amazingly, he uses his own struggle with humility as an illustration of the key purpose of Philippians...we need to know Christ. That means we need to get out of the way. The more we elevate our identities above others, and prove our self-worth through our accomplishments, the more difficult it is to know Christ and live for him.