~ The Apostle Paul Had Reasons To Be
Proud ~
The Passage
~ “For
we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though
I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have
confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law,
a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the
righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians
3:3-6).
Consider four
areas where Paul could have been really puffed up.
Pride Of Ancestry
~ “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5a). This is a subtle one—as pride usually
is! What about you? Are you proud of your ethnicity? Or, are you proud of your spiritual
ancestry?
Pride Of Orthodoxy
~ “Concerning the law, a Pharisee” (Philippians 3:5b). Another area which Christians today are
susceptible to pride. How about
you? Are you proud that you belong to
the right denomination? Are you proud of
your doctrinal or theological stance in a particular area? Note that we are commanded to be diligent in
“rightly dividing the truth” but when we allow our interpretation to be a
source of pride we are not pleasing God.
Pride Of Activity
~ “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church”
(Philippians 3:6a). Interesting
that this also relates to spiritual efforts and doing what Paul thought was the
right thing to do—pursuing and persecuting those that he did not agree
with. What about you? Are there any of your past activities or efforts
which are a source of unhealthy pride?
Pride Of Morality
~ “Concerning the righteousness which is in the
law, blameless” (Philippians
3:6b). This is a big one in first world
countries today. Many are relying on
their living a good life to win God’s favor.
The basics of the Gospel of Jesus Christ make it clear that we can “do”
nothing to be acceptable in God’s sight except to accept what Jesus Christ has
“done” on the Cross of Calvary. How
about you? Do you have a feeling of
personal merit which God will somehow find acceptable?
Summary ~ It’s
not about you—you are a pride filled sinner!
It’s all about the Messiah—Jesus Christ—and what He has already done on
the Cross when He cried out “It is finished!”
However, His work on your behalf is of no value to you until you come to
Him humbly asking for His forgiveness and accepting His work on your behalf as
the only way to have your past, present, and future sins cleared from the
books! If you have never taken that
step, why not do so right now where you are?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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