Philippians 3:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

NIV: as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

NASB: as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

CSB: regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

NLT: I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

KJV: Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

NKJV: concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Paul continues his list of Jewish credentials, begun in verse 5. His purpose is to support his right to preach salvation by faith, instead of by works. Paul met every ritual and legal requirement of Judaism, better than any of his detractors. And yet, he realized that this was not what made him righteous before God: that comes by faith alone.

Here, he mentions his burning passion for Judaism, which led him to brutally persecute Christians before his own conversion. Paul was originally named "Saul," and was infamous for his harassment of the church before being changed by Christ (Acts 9). When he first became a believer, many Christians feared accepting him.

Paul notes also that, according to the Torah and ritual law, he was obedient. He followed the Jewish traditions, and kept himself ritually clean. Very few Jews could make this claim. Even fewer could match all of the claims Paul has listed in these few verses. This is why Paul could say, even to those who thought they had reasons to be confident in their rituals and works, that he had "more" (Philippians 3:4).

All of this sets Paul up for a stark contrast, beginning in verse 7. After noting his human accomplishments, he discards them all as "loss" for the sake of Christ. Regardless of his worldly success, his hope was found in knowing Christ Jesus as Lord and living for Him (Philippians 3:8).

Philippians 3:1–11 warns Christians about the influence of false teachers, particularly those who add legalism on top of the gospel. Paul describes his impressive credentials, showing that he has the right to consider himself ''justified'' according to the traditional Jewish view. And yet, knowing what he does of Christ, Paul sees all of those accomplishments as garbage. Faith alone saves, and fellowship with Christ is all that truly matters.

Paul details his impressive Jewish resume. None of his critics or challengers could boast the pedigree carried by Paul. He mentions this only to emphasize how little such things mean, next to faith in Christ. Paul's language here is sharp and to the point. He then explains how a Christian's focus ought to be purely on Christ, just as a runner concentrates on their goal in order to run effectively. Rather than looking to the past, or to ourselves, we ought to look forward, to an eternity with the Lord.

In chapters 1 and 2, Paul explained how Christians should respond to hardships. Since Christ was willing to obey God, even to the point of death, we should do the same. Complaining and worry have no place in the life of a saved believer. Chapter 3 makes a bold contrast. Paul's credentials, according to Jewish tradition, were impeccable. And yet, for him, none of those accomplishments are worth anything next to fellowship with Christ. For this reason, Christ is to be the sole focus of the believer. This sets up Paul's final greetings and instructions in chapter 4.

Philippians is Paul's discussion of living the Christian life. In this letter to the church of Philippi, Paul highlights themes such as joy and glory. He also puts great emphasis on how a Christian's thinking—their attitude—affects the way they live out their faith. Paul is very thankful for the support of the Philippian church, but is also concerned about the influence of various false teachers. This letter is less theological than most of his other writings, and more practical.