Love: A New Commandment - a Journey in PhilippiansEsimerkki

Counting differently

Have you ever regarded something as very important and then your perspective was changed through something that happened? For example, someone lives to make money and then gets very ill. What had seemed to be so important suddenly wasn’t anymore. The realisation of the value of health changes the value someone places on other things. This is perhaps not the best example, because often those changes are short-lived. But it illustrates the point: value systems can change. People can start “counting” differently.

Paul wrote about things he used to regard as very important. Things that identified him as a member of God’s family: circumcised on the eighth day as prescribed, an ancestry that goes back to Benjamin, a grandson of Abraham, etc. Note that righteousness here is about the status as a member of God’s family, not about works. Paul didn’t work to be born in Benjamin’s tribe or to be circumcised. But, as we’ve seen, the identity marking one’s status as a member of God’s family changed because of Jesus. What does Paul now count as important?

The words in today’s reading “through faith in Christ”, literally means “through the faith of Christ”. The Greek word for faith can also be translated as faithfulness: “through the faithfulness of Christ.” That’s how people who believe in Jesus are declared by God as righteous. God counts them as family, and for Paul, the most valuable thing in this family is that he can know Jesus personally. At great personal cost, Paul did let go of his old identity. Losing family and friends and being persecuted by his fellow Jews can seem like a great loss. But Paul counted differently. For him to know Jesus, had more value than anything and resulted in greater gain.

You can count on it that through Jesus’ faithfulness, God makes you a member of his family. Now, you can also know Jesus personally, not just know about him. Don’t settle for less. To love is to “count differently.” Knowing Jesus is what counts.

Reflection Question:

What do I count as valuable in my life?

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your faithfulness that makes me part of your family. Help me, Holy Spirit, to know Jesus more and more. Amen.