A Blessed Defeat
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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.”—Philippians 3:7-8
Each story of salvation is, as C.S. Lewis described, “a blessed defeat.” Paul understood this truth, because he considered himself to be the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), having been raised as a pious Jew and “gone rogue.” Paul, known at the time as Saul, was one of Judaism’s rising stars, having studied under Gamaliel, one of the best teachers in all of Judaism. His education was the Jewish equivalent to the Ivy League. Born into a pious Jewish home, a citizen of Rome, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee, he was a star performer in Judaism. His zeal caused him to go so far as to persecute the early church, which was also known as a Jewish heresy called “The Way” (Acts 9:2). Paul not only persecuted the early church, but also led the charge, going from town to town and house to house, dragging off followers of Christ—both men and women—to prison. According to Paul’s own account of his life, his zeal led him to such a degree of persecution that he even went so far as to participate in the execution of early Christ followers (Acts 22:4; cf. Acts 7:58).
As Saul was traveling to Damascus with orders to persecute the church there, Christ appeared to him (Acts 9:1-9) and he was converted. He became one of Christianity’s greatest defenders and propagators, going on to write 13 of the 27 books that make up the New Testament. According to church history, Paul was beheaded in Rome because of his testimony to Christ. Some might look at Paul’s life and regard it as a terrible waste, but according to Paul’s own testimony, it was all of his pursuits and accomplishments before he came to Christ that was the true waste. He considered all of his previous achievements as “rubbish” or “trash.” In Paul’s mind, it didn’t matter what he had done or achieved, it was miniscule in comparison to knowing Christ. Christ was worth more than anything the world could ever offer him, and he suffered the loss “of all things” gladly in order that he could gain Christ. For Paul, giving up his previous way of life—his pursuits, his passions, his achievements and accomplishments, was a blessed defeat. Or as the missionary martyr Jim Eliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Paul gave up everything in order to get everything, and so do we.
Do we think of our lives before Christ as “rubbish”? And if we do not, then we must ask ourselves the question, “Why?” I believe the reason we don’t is that we fail to see how valuable and wonderful Christ truly is. We are too content with the pleasures and pursuits of this world. We all too often delight in the creaturely comforts rather than the Creator who gave them. We don’t give up our past pursuits and pleasures because we don’t want to, because we are far too easily content with a lukewarm faith that offers safety and security from a troubled world, but does not call us to sacrifice.
I pray that our lives might be as radical and wonderful as Paul’s—fully surrendered in the blessed defeat whereby Christ becomes the true Lord of our lives. May Christ’s life be so seen in us that we might, like Paul, be able to say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”—Philippians 1:21. Amen.
Each story of salvation is, as C.S. Lewis described, “a blessed defeat.” Paul understood this truth, because he considered himself to be the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), having been raised as a pious Jew and “gone rogue.” Paul, known at the time as Saul, was one of Judaism’s rising stars, having studied under Gamaliel, one of the best teachers in all of Judaism. His education was the Jewish equivalent to the Ivy League. Born into a pious Jewish home, a citizen of Rome, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee, he was a star performer in Judaism. His zeal caused him to go so far as to persecute the early church, which was also known as a Jewish heresy called “The Way” (Acts 9:2). Paul not only persecuted the early church, but also led the charge, going from town to town and house to house, dragging off followers of Christ—both men and women—to prison. According to Paul’s own account of his life, his zeal led him to such a degree of persecution that he even went so far as to participate in the execution of early Christ followers (Acts 22:4; cf. Acts 7:58).
As Saul was traveling to Damascus with orders to persecute the church there, Christ appeared to him (Acts 9:1-9) and he was converted. He became one of Christianity’s greatest defenders and propagators, going on to write 13 of the 27 books that make up the New Testament. According to church history, Paul was beheaded in Rome because of his testimony to Christ. Some might look at Paul’s life and regard it as a terrible waste, but according to Paul’s own testimony, it was all of his pursuits and accomplishments before he came to Christ that was the true waste. He considered all of his previous achievements as “rubbish” or “trash.” In Paul’s mind, it didn’t matter what he had done or achieved, it was miniscule in comparison to knowing Christ. Christ was worth more than anything the world could ever offer him, and he suffered the loss “of all things” gladly in order that he could gain Christ. For Paul, giving up his previous way of life—his pursuits, his passions, his achievements and accomplishments, was a blessed defeat. Or as the missionary martyr Jim Eliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Paul gave up everything in order to get everything, and so do we.
Do we think of our lives before Christ as “rubbish”? And if we do not, then we must ask ourselves the question, “Why?” I believe the reason we don’t is that we fail to see how valuable and wonderful Christ truly is. We are too content with the pleasures and pursuits of this world. We all too often delight in the creaturely comforts rather than the Creator who gave them. We don’t give up our past pursuits and pleasures because we don’t want to, because we are far too easily content with a lukewarm faith that offers safety and security from a troubled world, but does not call us to sacrifice.
I pray that our lives might be as radical and wonderful as Paul’s—fully surrendered in the blessed defeat whereby Christ becomes the true Lord of our lives. May Christ’s life be so seen in us that we might, like Paul, be able to say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”—Philippians 1:21. Amen.
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