Page 15 - February 2025 - Truth & Tidings

persecutor, and injurious” (1Ti 1:13). loss of all things on account of his Saviour.
He did indeed lose much of this world the
Counting All Loss for Christ day he came to Christ. His stellar academic
The word “But” at the start of career in Judaism was finished, and he
Philippians 3:7 is referencing Paul from likely lost all his earthly inheritance. But
the moment of his conversion when he he gained immense spiritual blessings and
met the risen Christ on the Damascus a heavenly inheritance that is eternally
Road. He immediately was brought to secure in Christ. Everything of this world
realise that everything he was as a man he now counted as “dung” (offal), what
in the flesh and all those attainments in could be thrown to the dogs; all else was
Judaism gave Him no standing before utterly worthless compared with knowing
the risen, exalted Christ. All those things experientially the risen Christ. If we
he had gloried in and thought were to his embrace the spirit of the apostle, we will
credit for acceptance before God, “what readily accept that Christ is the One who
things were gain to me,” from that day must take away any attraction we might
forward he had to put on the debit side have for this world. Paul is content to say,
and write off as a singular loss – “those I “that I may win Christ,” i.e., “that I might
counted loss for Christ.” With salvation, have Christ for my gain” (JND).
we recognise that, compared with the As believers in the Lord Jesus, we
glorified and exalted Christ, everything should be making the same kind of
of this world’s attractions or attainments
pale into temporal insignificance. evaluation regarding the things of this
world. The recompense in knowing more
In verse 8, Paul changes to the present of Christ is not just in view of that future,
tense, writing now 25-30 years after his glorious inheritance that we will share
conversion to Christ: “Yea doubtless, and with Him when He is reigning over this
I [do still] count all things but loss for the world. It is to be our recompense now
excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord.” He is saying, “I still feel while we are still moving down here in
this world that has rejected our Saviour.
the same way now as when I was first
saved. I didn’t make any miscalculations; This is the essence of laying hold of the
I am not changing my assessment other gift of eternal life that we have received:
than reinforcing it even more.” Everything “And this is life eternal, that they might
he now had in Christ and that intimate know thee the only true God, and Jesus
knowledge of Him as personal Lord and Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Joh 17:3).
Saviour fully compensated Paul in this To truly acknowledge Christ as our gain
lifetime for all that he had written off as and have a growing appreciation of Him,
loss when he came to Christ for salvation. we will not prioritize the comparatively
Knowing Christ as his own personal worthless and temporal things of this
Lord and appreciating His surpassing world. Rather, let us go in for gaining
excellence was the apostle’s assured more of Christ and make the increasing
recompense. knowledge of His blessed Person in all
As to his present Christian experience, His glory and beauty our absolute priority
and writing even now as the prisoner of day by day, for He will always be our full
Christ, Paul says that he has suffered the recompense.

TruthandTidings.com I February 2025 47 47