The Power Of Saving Faith

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith…

        Philippians 3:7-9

Paul has already given us a description of what his life looked like as a Pharisee. Now he gets to the part where his life was completely transformed. The day that he met Jesus was the day that he was saved, given new life in Christ, moved from spiritual death to spiritual life, and even given the new assignment of now taking the gospel to the Gentile nations. And we are no different. When we move from religion to salvation, we too are saved, given new life in Christ, moved from spiritual death to spiritual life, and even given spiritual gifts that we can use, as we participate in expanding the kingdom of God. 

As we listen to Paul’s testimony, notice that he refers to what is now “loss” in order to gain Christ. He does this three different times. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” What “things” is Paul talking about? He is referring to everything in his former life of religion. Everything that we just heard him describe when speaking of his old life, apart from Jesus, are the things which he now counts as “loss.” But he isn’t through. “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” This is important. Everything that Paul knew, everything that he thought was right, everything that he had been taught about God was now considered to be loss. His gain in Judaism was now loss “for the sake of Christ.” All things were now a loss to him “in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.” Don’t miss this. Everything that Paul knew, as a religious man, he has now jettisoned in exchange for knowing Jesus and following Him alone. 

Important Point #7: We Don’t Add Christ To Religion Rather He Is Now The Focus

Living our lives for Jesus means that He now sits on the throne of our lives. Paul didn’t say, “Well, I’ve met Christ now. I will continue in my role as a Pharisee and follow Christ at the same time.” No. In order to follow Jesus, Paul would have to rid himself of the religious heritage that he had learned all of his life. Following Jesus meant leaving behind the things that were familiar in order to pursue his calling in Christ. We have to do the same thing. We may be religious yet, at the same time, never have been saved. We could be like Paul if we are merely following a set of religious instructions handed down to us by our parents or someone in the church. If we have never opened up the Word of God and gone before the Lord with an open heart and mind, asking Him to reveal Himself to us, we may very well be in that spiritual state. Paul was. But now he knew differently. Everything that he had known from birth was to be considered as loss so that he could enter into the most valuable of spiritual conditions…that of knowing Jesus. 

Notice that Paul describes knowing Jesus as that of having “surpassing value.” Surrendering our lives to Christ is the reason that Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins. By doing so, He made a way for us to be in right relationship with God the Father, the original design for life prior to sin entering the world. Salvation isn’t adhering to religious instructions and living life “our way” as a means of somehow maintaining our relationship with God. It isn’t holding on to familiar religious practice so that we can live in sinful and ungodly ways yet still have heaven as our eternal home. It’s way more personal than that! Christ died to free us from the law of sin and death and to transform us into new creations in Christ, something only a complete surrender to Jesus can accomplish (Romans 8:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Luke 9:23-25). Being born again is authentic salvation, not the pseudo-salvation often accompanying religious motion, rooted in repetition, and in which one could participate without even having a transformed heart (Isaiah 29:13). Being born again is the way that we experience the salvation of our souls and there is no substitute for that (John 3:3). This is why Paul insists that knowing Jesus and following Him is of “surpassing value”…of far greater value than anything else that we might have in this life. Your business can’t be more valuable to you than Christ. Your family cannot be more valuable to you than Christ. Nothing is to take the place of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus because He is Lord and nothing should take His place in our lives. He is the reason that we exist in the first place (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17). Having a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ is the meaning of life and the purpose for which all of us exist. This saving faith is to what Jesus is referring when He says the following: 

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. 

    Matthew 13:44

God is not calling us to be religious; He is calling us to salvation, to make Him the Lord of our lives, and to follow and serve Him all the days of our life. This is what true salvation does in the life of an individual. Salvation is nothing short of complete, spiritual transformation of our minds, hearts, and souls. 

But Paul still isn’t through. “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him.” This is remarkable. Paul has not only referred to his former life in terms of all that he considers as “loss,” but he now considers all of what he formerly knew as “rubbish.” Let’s be honest, “rubbish” is a nice way of saying “garbage.” 

Imagine running into an old friend that you haven’t seen in a long time. You have always known them to be religious, probably identifying themselves using some sort of denominational name, but they didn’t ever really seem to understand your walk with Christ. Imagine, that, as you run into them, there is something very different about their demeanor. They begin to share with you that they have surrendered their life to Christ and, for the first time, now know what it means to be saved. They tell you all about their baptism and the new church that they now attend. As you ask them about their affiliation with the religious beliefs that they once held, you are greeted with, “My former life? That’s all garbage now compared to knowing Jesus.” 

That is exactly what Paul is saying. To get the full impact of Paul’s testimony, we need to go back a reread what his former life was all about. We might be used to hearing someone say, “I use to be a drug addict, but now Jesus has set me free from all of that.” Or, “I used to be a prostitute, but then I met Jesus and no longer live that lifestyle.” But can you imagine hearing, “I used to be a devout (fill in the blank), but now I have been saved from all of that and realize that I was participating in religious motion but never had a saving relationship with Christ. I have put aside my religious ways and now embrace Christ with all that I have.” Religious people, who have never been born again, need Jesus just as much as any of us. Paul’s testimony is a good reminder of that! 

Moving From Religious Tradition To Salvation In Christ

Important Point #8: You Can Be Religiously Devout And Not Be Saved

We cannot stress this point enough. A person can be religious and even follow all of the tradition learned from childhood and still not have been born again. It is vital that we are spending time in the Word of God because that is they only litmus test for determining whether or not something, being taught, is indeed in accordance with the truth. As difficult as it may be for people to let go of tradition and, for some, leave all that they have ever known, in exchange for surrendering their lives to Christ, it is essential if we are to ever really experience saving faith in Christ and enjoy the transformed life that can only be found in Jesus. 

Paul was devout. Paul was religious. Paul had excelled in his faith. Paul was respected by the religious community. Paul was even following the Law that God had given to the people of Israel under the old covenant. All of these statements are true, yet…Paul wasn’t saved. God had established a new covenant with mankind and it would now cease to be about the Law, doing good works, or following religious tradition rather it would now be about people surrendering their lives to Jesus and receiving the Spirit of God. Then, in that power, those in Christ could now live lives that are starkly different from the world (we will get to that in a moment). Consider Paul’s declaration of rejecting his old life in order to take his place in Christ: 

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith…

  Philippians 3:8-9

Paul went from thinking that he was pleasing God and establishing the kingdom of God on earth to discovering that he was actually working against the very things that God was establishing for the salvation of mankind. Do you see what God did? He took a Jewish Pharisee, the most legalistic man on earth, saved him, and put him into service, proclaiming the very gospel that he had spent so much time trying to prevent. 

This is the power of saving faith. God can take any of us, if we are willing, take our mess, take our failures, and even take our doubt and skepticism, and empower us to be the very people through which He invites others to come to saving faith in Christ. And when they do, we will see the amazing power of God at work in their lives as well. And that brings us to our next point.

Important Point #9: There Will Be A Stark Difference In Someone When They Are Saved

I was recently reminded at what happens in the lives of people who may be religious but not spiritually transformed. When people seek money and other temporal things as a means of fulfillment, which they are powerless to do, we can observe other habits creeping into their lives. The more money there is, often the more drinking, parties, and drunkenness we will see. This is because their time spent on earth is heavily invested in the here and now, in temporal things. And when those things cease to satisfy, people turn to something else, drinking, drugs (legal or otherwise), extramarital affairs, and an endless attempt to find fulfillment in worldly things. But all of this is a sign that something has gone terribly wrong. All of this is a sign that these people are empty and in need of purpose and fulfillment, something only found in Christ. 

But when we are saved, our hearts are filled with and transformed by the presence of God. And this new life moves us into a vastly different mindset and lifestyle that brings the ultimate in satisfaction, belonging, purpose, and meaning. The emptiness that we once knew, while chasing after the world, is now gone and in its place is peace, joy, and an ability to see the world through the eyes of God. This is why it would be impossible for someone to be born again, spiritually transformed by the power of the Spirit of God, and, yet, remain in the familiar, the old, the mundane. 

Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death and gives us new life. What we used to think was a complete life is now seen for what it really was, a life under the influence of deception. When we wholeheartedly chase after the world and its ways, we are demonstrating that there is no room in our heart for the Lord. In fact, the greatest commandment ever given to mankind is to love God with everything that we have (Matthew 22:37-38), the essence of the fruit that comes from a saved life. But this is not necessarily true of the religious life. When we serve a religion, denomination, or doctrine without surrendering our lives to the Lord, we are just that…religious. 

Paul was stuck in this cycle, fully believing that he was on the right road, yet nothing could have been further from the truth. To be born again means that everything in this life changes. Our thoughts, motives, priorities, actions, and overall lifestyle become so different that others are bound to notice. In fact, that’s the point. We want people to see the fruit of a changed life (John 15:5). We want people to see the Spirit of God flowing out of our lives, even if it offends them…and it will (John 7:38-39, John 15:18-19). Hiding our walk with Christ, something we wouldn’t want to do anyway, would be quite difficult as people around us are going to see the difference in whom we have become in Christ. And the change, in us, gives us the opportunity to tell others about Jesus and watch Him transform their lives as well. Living the Christian life is living the best life that we could possibly have. The blessings, provision, and protection that come from God are far superior to anything that we could possibly create through our own efforts. It really can be challenging to try and put into words just how great it is to walk with God everyday, bearing fruit for the kingdom, and enjoying fellowship with Him (Ephesians 5:18-19, John 15:5, Ephesians 2:3-5). But it really is a life that has no rival and the things that we used to think would fulfill us are now seen for what they really were, anemic, lifeless substitutes for saving faith and knowing the living God. 

There are religions, in our world, that don’t even recognize Jesus for who He is…the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Philippians 2:9-11). But there are also religious beliefs, developed throughout the centuries, that have skewed away from biblical truth, substituting religious motion and duty for the transforming, saving power of the presence of God in a life yielded to Him. Often these religious beliefs offer a system of practice that doesn’t even require repentance or a change of heart. Many flock to these religious systems yet never experience radical change of mind, heart, or life. And because many can be found religious, yet spiritually dead, their lives do not reflect a love for God or a concern for the things of the kingdom. As a result, some in these religious communities don’t live any differently than the rest of the world, being entangled in the very same things from which Christ came to save us. Consider the following:

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

James 4:4

Many find themselves fully engaged in the world’s ways, embracing everything that they should be avoiding, all the while believing they are hiding in the cover of the grace of God. But this is not at all what the grace of God is all about (Romans 6:1-2). Grace isn’t a license to do whatever you want. We all, naturally, become a slave to whatever we choose to obey, our sinful nature or Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Spirit of God. But to be sure, we will do one or the other. 

In order to obtain eternal life, Paul had to abandoned everything that he knew. Abram had to be willing to leave his home and go to the place that God would lead him to, without even knowing where he was going (Genesis 12:1-3). Moses had to go back to the place that he feared most, Egypt, being a fugitive and on the run from the law, so to speak (Exodus 3). David had to step out onto a battlefield and do what no other trained warrior was willing to do (1 Samuel 17). The prophets were to speak the truth to a people that might turn on them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to stand firm, refusing to bow their knee to idols, even against the threat of death (Daniel 3). The disciples had to leave their chosen professions to follow Jesus (Matthew 4). And the rich young ruler would have to part with the fortune that he had acquired, yet, tragically, wasn’t able to do so. (Luke 18:18-27). 

We are no different. We cannot allow ourselves to be so deceived as to think that we can gladly and wholeheartedly continue in our sin and depravity, rejecting the very words of God, and the gospel outlined in scripture, and expect to live lives that are set apart for God (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Saving faith in Jesus Christ requires a total and complete surrender of our lives over to Him, the essence of what it means to have faith in Christ. As Christians, we don’t follow our own appetites, desires, and wants. We follow Jesus! (Luke 9:23) Anything short of this is merely playing around with our spiritual lives, perhaps living a pseudo-Christian life that fools others and even ourselves, while we remain spiritually dead. But God offers salvation to anyone willing to repent and turn to the only name that has the power to save…the name of Jesus! (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 4:12).