Righteousness by Faith and the Call to Suffer with Christ
Philippians 3:2-12 ESV
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 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— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Straining Toward the Goal
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Righteousness by Faith and the Call to Suffer with Christ
In this passage, we see two main characters: the evil mutilators of the flesh and Paul, the righteous Pharisee.
Paul warns us to watch out for those who insist that new believers must be circumcised to be accepted into the fellowship. He calls them dogs and mutilators because they rely on outward religious acts rather than true faith. Instead, Paul says that those who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus are the true circumcision—the ones who are truly righteous, set apart, and part of God’s people.
His point is clear: righteousness comes by faith, not by works or obedience to the Old Covenant law. And if anyone would have known, it was Paul. He lays out his credentials: a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee of Pharisees, blameless under the law. If righteousness could come by the law, he had it. And yet, he calls it all garbage compared to knowing Christ. Paul gave up his self-righteousness so that he could gain true righteousness—a righteousness that comes from faith, not from perfect obedience.
Paul is essentially saying:
“Look, I used to be like them—depending on my own ability to obey the law to be righteous. But trust me, it doesn’t work. Don’t believe anyone who says it does. Throw that garbage away and put your faith in Christ. Then, and only then, will you have true righteousness—His righteousness.”
The Part We Might Skip
Many of us, especially those in the Reformed tradition, love to stop there: righteousness by faith alone, given as a gift from a sovereign God who predestined us from before the foundation of the world. And that is all true—essential, life-giving, and beautiful.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He gives us a crucial insight into what it actually looks like to gain Christ.
He says that knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection includes sharing in His sufferings and becoming like Him in His death (Phil. 3:10). In other words, following Christ means taking up a cross—and that means suffering.
This is something our Catholic brothers and sisters understand well. They keep the Crucifix, where Jesus is depicted suffering. We often ask, “Why leave Jesus on the cross? He’s already resurrected!” But the Crucifix serves as a reminder: to know Jesus is to share in His sufferings.
Jesus Sees Your Suffering
Some of you are suffering right now. I know people in our church who are really in it. Maybe the Crucifix resonates with you—Jesus suffered, and you suffer. He sees you. He’s been there. He is with you now.
Let’s be clear: we are not suffering to atone for sin—Jesus already did that fully. But as we follow Him in a broken world, suffering will come. If you’re not suffering now, you will. And if you are, it won’t last forever. It can’t, because resurrection is coming.
Suffering Leads to Resurrection
Paul reminds us that sharing in Christ’s sufferings and becoming like Him in death leads to resurrection. This has a present and future reality:
• Spiritually, God can redeem your situation. The power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (the Holy Spirit), and He is able to bring new life and redemption in your situation. He can help your sick or wayward kids, he can fix your mental health, he can mend relationships, he can soften bitter hearts, he can bring justice to unjust situations, he can heal your parents. But if he doesn’t...
• Physically, resurrection is coming. Even if things aren’t made right in this life, they will be in the next. One day, we will be raised bodily into the New Heavens and New Earth. We will feast. We will be with Christ forever.
So, like Paul says, press on toward that goal—resurrection with Christ. It will require suffering, and it will require dying to yourself. But take heart—Christ has already made you His own, and you will be His forever.