Daily Lesson for Monday 2nd of February 2026
It is a common experience for Christian converts to think of their lives in terms of before they accepted Jesus and after, just as Paul does in Philippians 3:1-21. Nevertheless, rightly or wrongly, we sometimes speak of those who are not Christians as being “good people,” and, at least according to the world’s standards, many indeed are. In contrast, compared to God’s standards, no one is, not even Christians.
In Philippians 3:4-6, Paul points to many things in his life of which he had once been proud. What are they? How would you describe the “good” in your own life (past and present)?
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Paul makes an implicit contrast between believing Jews who are spreading false doctrine and uncircumcised believers who rely fully on Christ for their salvation and put no confidence in mere human works such as circumcision (see Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 9:14; compare Romans 2:25-29). Even though Paul’s past life and pedigree would have been quite impressive to his fellow Jews, none of these things contributed to his salvation. In fact, they actually hindered it because they blinded him for a while to his need of Christ.
Paul was not just circumcised—he was an “eighth day-er,” meaning he, an Israelite by birth and belonging to the people of the covenant, was circumcised on the eighth day. Furthermore, he was from the tribe of Benjamin, whose territory included some of the most important cities of Israel. Paul not only knew Hebrew but, as a student of Gamaliel the Elder (Acts 22:3, Acts 26:4-5) and a Pharisee, he would have been steeped in knowledge of the law and how it was, at least according to tradition, to be applied.
Paul was so zealous for the law that he persecuted the church because of its perceived threat to the Jewish way of life, which he thought the law prescribed. Interestingly, though “blameless” in terms of that human-originated “righteousness,” Paul realized the law was actually far deeper and more demanding than he could imagine, and that without Christ he stood before it condemned.
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Compare Romans 7:7-12 with Matthew 5:21-22,27-28. What crucial point do both Jesus and Paul make about the law, and why is “faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:9, NKJV), rather than the law, the only source of righteousness? Look at it this way: How well do you keep the law, at least in the way Jesus said we should? |
