Above All, Christ

An old country love song from my childhood rattles off a string of “better than” pictures to describe the singer’s love. It goes like this,

My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the river,
Higher than the pine trees growin’ tall upon the hill.
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December,
And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill,
And longer than the song of a whippoorwill.

Deeper, stronger, higher, purer — comparative adjectives like this carry a lot of meaning, especially when they’re compared to something we already know is deep, strong, or pure. That’s how humans communicate, and the Apostle Paul uses a similar device in his letter to the Philippians.

Paul’s Rejoicing

Have you ever heard a preacher say, “finally,” and then go on for another twenty minutes? That “finally” signaled the sermon's final - and often most important - point, not simply the end. That’s what Paul does in Philippians 3:1-11.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 3:1)

Paul’s focus isn’t just our rejoicing but its source — Christ. He urges the Philippians to “watch out for the dogs… for we are the circumcision… who put no confidence in the flesh.” In other words, Paul wants this church to rejoice in Christ, not the dead gospel of law-keeping.

Pau, after all, had every reason to rejoice in the flesh. He could boast Hebrew lineage, zealous law-keeping, and a blameless reputation (Philippians 3:4-7). To a gentile congregation easily impressed by Jewish boasting, Paul’s list demonstrates a righteousness fit to impress a high priest.

Paul’s Superlative Comparative

All of that is hogwash compared to knowing Jesus. It’s rubbish. “I count everything as loss,” Paul says. Having Christ, knowing Christ, being found in Christ, having Christ’s righteousness, knowing the power of His resurrection, sharing in Christ’s sufferings, and becoming like Him in His death, is so much greater, so much deeper, stronger, higher, and purer that it makes Paul’s circumcised “righteousness” look like a pile of manure.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

There is nothing greater than Jesus Christ, nothing. He is deeper, stronger, higher, and purer than everything.

The Gospel for Modern Gentiles

Before Jesus came, there was nothing wiser than being a law-abiding Jew. After all, God had chosen them in Love and established them as His covenant people. But Paul insists that following Jesus is even better than Judaism, and belonging to Jesus is even wiser than keeping the law because Jesus is the God whose fingertips wrote it (Exodus 31:18).

But you and I usually rejoice in even lesser things than Jewish Law-Observance, don’t we?

Have you counted your career as rubbish? For Christ, would you forfeit your family? What about those evenings just “hanging out” with friends — they’re not much better than trash from an eternal perspective, right? Do you have a reputation in the community? Who cares?

Bring it all to the feet of Christ, those anointed-with-tears feet that went unwashed in the upper room. Lay your empty righteousness before the nail-pierced feet upon the cross. Bring your life to the life-less feet being carried to the tomb. Cast your crowns at the feet of burnished bronze in the midst of the lampstands. (John 12:3-8, 13:5-14, 19:38-42, Revelation 1:12-16).

It takes faith, but it’s the most reasonable thing you can do. Because someday, God will put everything in subjection under the resurrected feet of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:11-14) because Jesus is greater than the greatest things, stronger than the strongest things, higher than the highest things, and purer than the purest things. All things are forfeit before Him.

And, wonder of all wonders... by grace, through faith, He’s yours forevermore.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” (Philippians 3:8–10, ESV)