OUR FATHER WHO SET US FREE FROM THE LAW

In Paulˋs letter to the Philippians in chapter 3 verse 1 - 11,  he begins to conlude his thoughts by instructing his readers to rejoice in the Lord. He told them that his letters to them were for their safety and he warned them of agents of darkness who would bring false doctrine into their midst and cloud up the true gospel with a return to the  law and the traditions of men which were only mere shadows. 

1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

To make his case, the apostle Paul demonstrated that if the law was the standard to follow, he, more than any other man, was qualified to claim righteouness from the law for he had followed it from the time he was born.  He had all the credentials to certify his rigteousness including having descended from the Israelite tribe of Benjamin and having undergone every rite that was prescribed in the law and further to that, as an adult, he had been zealous in the defense of law of Moses to the degree where he was prominent among those who persecuted the church.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul said that he counted all the righteousness under the law that he could claim as loss in comparison to the exeedingly high level of perfection of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord for whom he had abandoned all the things of his former life. 

He abandoned the credentials of his own righteousness in exchange for the righteousness from God by faith so that he would know God and know the power of His resurrection and share in His sufferings parallel to Jesusˋ death.  This pathway was the one that would allow him to attain to the resurrection of the dead.

Amen.

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