Title: Paul's Confession of Salvation
2013. 5. 26 Sunday morning worship service
Bible: Philippians 3:8-11
Title: Paul's Confession of Salvation
Philippians 3:8-11 ‘8. And I regard all things as loss because the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord is the noblest; for I lose all things for him, and consider them excrement, so that I may gain Christ... - Amen.
The greatest person of faith in the Old Testament era is Moses, and in the New Testament era, he is also called the apostle Paul. In the theological world, it is said that Jesus founded Christianity and Paul preached, so the field of activity of the apostle Paul is so great.
1. Confession of Humility of His Existence
In verse 8 of the text, he confesses that what he was able to enjoy and boast about in his religious background or culture he had received from the world was now regarded as excrement in the sight of Christ. Philippians 3:8 “And I count all things as loss, because the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord is the noblest; for for his sake I lose all things, and consider them excrement to gain Christ”
Other confessions that appear as a result of his change...
1 Timothy 1:15 “…I am chief among sinners”
1 Corinthians 15:8 ‘…the one born of infertility…’
1 Corinthians 15:9 “I am the least of the apostles...”
Ephesians 3:8 “I am less than the least of all the saints…”
2. A sense of purpose of hope for the afterlife
In the East, just as ethics is the standard of value in society, the center of the Old Testament era is also the law. As human beings, ethics and moral values should become the human norms of cultural life. The problem is that there is no salvation with it.
For Paul, educational and religious values were the same as his life, but after meeting Jesus, his ultimate goal was to look to the afterlife and wait for the resurrection.
Philippians 3:11 “I seek to reach the resurrection from the dead by any means.”
Acts 24:15 “I have hope in God, which they await, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”
1 Corinthians 15:17-19 ‘17. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain, and you will still be in your sins, 18. And those who have fallen asleep in Christ perish. 19. If all we hope in Christ is the life of this world, then we among all men. will be more pitiful.”
3. Those who risk their lives for preaching the gospel
It would be said that living as a human being without knowing what to do is like a sailing ship being driven by the wind without direction. Surprisingly, going into life, most people live their lives with unclear reasons why they live.
The most amazing and grateful thing about meeting Jesus is that we realize the true history of how to live and live. If you have the assurance of salvation properly, you will enjoy bearing witness to Jesus who saved you, and the whole process of your life will be aimed at spreading the gospel.
The Samaritan woman in John 4 also met Jesus and was recognized as the Christ and showed an attitude of preaching directly. Paul, like all the apostles,
Acts 20:24 “I do not count even my life of any value to be of any value, in order to finish the course I must run and the mission I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
A person who has been saved has no choice but to humble himself because he has thorough reflection on being a sinner before God. We will pursue a life for the value of eternal life and the afterlife, and we want to work together for the gospel.