Why Did He Leave?

John 16:5‭-‬7

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

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Christians believe some pretty strange things. The most peculiar is also the most important to us: that God the creator became a man. And not just any man at any time, but a particular Jewish carpenter in first century Palestine. And that he not only lived a life of truth and love and holiness, but that he was actually God. And not only that he was God, but that he died a sacrificial death and then defeated death itself by rising again. We believe all this.

And yet sometimes the hardest thing to believe is that he did all this and then chose to leave! He didn't stick around. It seems like believing and following him would be much easier if he was physically here to lead us and protect us.

Of course, we know that the disciples saw Jesus in person and still had many doubts and fears. Even here in John 16, they were very confused by Jesus' teaching. "A little while? We won't see him for a little while? What's that mean?" So belief is hard even when Jesus is standing right in front of you. Remember John 6? Most of his followers gave up and walked away, even when the miracle maker was right in front of them.

So we come to chapter 16 and we find that Jesus warned his friends that he would be leaving and he even explains why. He tells them that it's actually better that he leave. Why? So that instead of seeing Jesus, they could receive the spirit of God into their very selves. Jesus makes some incredible promises about the benefits of this indwelling presence of God's Spirit. Here are just a few:

1. Conviction of sin. The hatred of sin that we so desperately need must come from within.

2. Conviction of righteousness.  Likewise, the love for holiness must also come from within.

3. Conviction of judgment. Specifically judgment on the ruler of this world, which comes through his spirit-filled people.

4. Timely reminders of truth. Notably, Jesus says there are things we should know, but we cannot bear to hear them until the time is right and we are ready. Lifelong learning directly from the Spirit within us.

5. Answered prayer. A new kind of access to God and assurance of answers comes only when he himself lives within us.

6. Joy and peace. When God himself lives in you, you experience his joy and his contented peace, even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. And those trials are promised in this passage as well.

And there are countless other benefits which explain why Jesus left and why the Spirit had to come. One more passage comes to mind, which reveals that this indwelling experience of God was no afterthought, but was in fact the plan of redemption all along. Lord, help us to treasure this incredible privilege of knowing you so truly and intimately.

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31‭-‬34)

Transformed by His Word

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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What is the central message of the Bible?  How would you summarize the whole thing?  How can you grasp and understand this message more clearly?  Why should you even try?

One way to answer these questions is found in Deuteronomy 6.  Moses has just finished reiterating the Ten Commandments in the preceding chapter, and chapter 6 provides a culminating statement about God's law, summarizing what He has spoken and what He requires of His chosen people:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

For later generations of Jews, this verse became known as the "Shema," the Hebrew word for "Hear." It would also become famous to Christians for its place in the teaching of Jesus.  When Jesus was asked by a lawyer to pick the greatest commandment in all of the Jewish Law, his response was this:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Not only did Jesus quote the Shema.  He also quoted another passage in the Law referring to love of neighbor as equally important.  And then he went a step further and claimed that all of the Law and Prophets depend upon these two concepts.

1. Love for God
2. Love for Others

In other words, Jesus gave us at least one way to answer the question, "What is the Bible all about?" The answer is: Love God and Love Others.  These two concepts can be used as a lens through which all of Scripture can be understood.

But this also begs the question, "How can I love God and love others?"  And, I think Deuteronomy 6 provides some answers to this "How" question as well.  The answer is: Mediate on His Word.

This passage connects the command to love the Lord with mediating on His Word.  Moses describes several different ways to focus on God's command, all in an effort for us to integrate it more deeply into our lives:

Read/Hear/Memorize - And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart...
Teach - You shall teach them diligently to your children...
Discuss - and shall talk of them...
Everywhere - when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way...
All the time - and when you lie down, and when you rise...
Continuously - You shall bind them as a sign on your hand...
Visually - and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes...
In writing - You shall write them...
Privately and Publicly - on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

So, Deuteronomy 6 is encouraging us to use a variety of methods to integrate God's Word into our lives.  I think that the variety is meant to open doors of creativity.  There is no one perfect way to read or study the Bible, although there are some methods that a particular person might prefer over other methods.

In other words, there is freedom to be creative in how we approach the Bible, because what matters more than the method is the goal of understanding what is written so that we can be transformed to love God more and love others more.

One way to approach the Bible is to see every encounter as a pathway to being transformed.  If we find that we are reading the Bible regularly, but it is not transforming our lives, then perhaps we need to try another method or approach it another way.  I try to see my interaction with Scripture as following these four general steps:

1. Read/Hear…in order to…
2. Meditate…in order to…
3. Understand…in order to…
4. Transform…in order to be more like Jesus

Romans 12:1-2 reminds us that we must always be seeking transformation in our Christian life.  And, this transformation can be achieved through the "renewing of our minds."  Romans 8:29 tells us that God is at work in our lives, steadily shaping us into the image of His Son.  And Colossians 3:10 tells us to "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

All of these passages are just another way of saying that we need to be transformed to be more like Jesus, who was the perfect image of God, and who perfectly exemplified what it means to Love God and Love Others.  The pathway to this transformation is through reading, hearing, meditating, and understanding God's Word.

Now, when you think about the content of God's Word, you may think of heroes and villains and battles and journeys and relationships and miracles and strange visions and prophecies and songs.  You may wonder how all of that can be summarized in "Love God and Love Others."  But truly, the content of Scripture is all about who God is, who we are, what God has done for us, and what He is now doing in our lives.  And these are exactly the kinds of things, when mediated upon, that will inspire more love for God and more love for others.

When we meditate on what God has done for us, it will inspire our love for Him.
When we reflect and understand what He is saying to us, it will transform us to love others more.

Now, I'll give an example from my own life.  There was a time when I struggled to believe that God was pleased with me.  Even though I new the story of Christ dying for me, even though I had experienced His salvation and His presence in my life, I was afraid that He did not love me sometimes.  On days when I could not "feel" His presence or His love, I wondered if it was still there.  I wondered if I had sinned too many times or failed to live up to what He wanted in my life.  How could I know for certain that He was there and that He loved me?

And this is where I can confidently say that God's Word is effective to transform us.  Because at the time that I was struggling with these doubts, I happened to be meditating on Romans 5, which contains much that will inspire our Love for God and Others.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

The method of reading I was using at the time was to go for a long walk outside and repeat verses several times out loud until they were memorized.

Yes, I was that guy talking to himself in public.

And, while I might have read this many times before, there was something about meditation and memorization that caused me to rewire my thinking.  Where once I feared the uncertainty of God's love, here I found that it was altogether certain and unchangeable.  For the love that God has for me is not based on my condition, nor based upon my performance, nor based upon any feeling that I might have.  It is, and always will be, based upon something God "showed" or "demonstrated" in real space and time and history.  It was an event that can never be undone or taken away.  God's love was not primarily an experience to be had, but an event to be acknowledged and relied upon.

I can honestly say that reflecting upon this truth has changed me life.  The love that I so desperately craved is altogether mine.  I am known, I am understood, I am forgiven, I am accepted.  And it is done.  And this indeed has inspired love for God and love for others, which was the point all along.

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

In conclusion, the Bible can been summed up as a call to Love God and Love Others.  The way to do this effectively is to be transformed by reading and meditating on God's Word, which will inspire these outcomes more and more as you do them.  And the method of the reading and meditating may take on a variety of creative forms and activities - whatever helps you to remember, understand, and be transformed.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Paradise!

Luke 23:35-43

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

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The rulers. The soldiers. The crowds. His closest friends. And now a condemned thief.

All betraying, murdering, and mocking the Son of God. Save yourself! they all cried, as if they deserved to be shown proof of his majesty and power. Surely the pride of man that began with Adam seeking to have knowledge like God's is now culminated in this humiliation of God hanging powerless on a tree. All thanks to the cruel wisdom and power of men.

Except, there were some unlikely friends at the cross. A man from the council named Joseph, and a handful of women, made sure that Jesus' body was cared for and respectfully buried. A centurion standing guard over the execution proclaimed Jesus' innocence, surely a sign that some grasped the injustice being committed. 

And the thief. Certainly the boldest of these friendly characters, the thief saw the absurdity of mocking this innocent man, especially when the thief was getting exactly what he deserved. 

But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

The second thief responded with fear of God when everyone else, even Jesus' disciples, were either running away or openly mocking this Savior. They mocked him even while admitting he had saved others by powerful acts and signs. How their pride constrasts so starkly with the fearful humility of the second thief!

And then Jesus responds to the thief's simple faith with one of the most precious and profound gifts he could utter:

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise

Paradise! Reunion with our Maker! Final peace with God! Given simply and freely to a bleeding criminal. All he had to do was ask for it and be willing to associate himself with this foolish-looking Savior.

Today, we Christians are called to follow in this man's footsteps. Two passages in the epistles specifically call our attention to Christ's ultimate sacrifice: Phillipians 2 and Hebrews 12. These chapters highlight that Jesus humbled himself as a servant, died an unjust death for us, but also that he was motivated by the joy of Paradise set before him. And both passages go on to challenge us to persevere in trials and not give in to our temptation to grumble and complain. In closing, read these two other chapters and see how the apostles interpreted and used the story of the crucifixion to turn our eyes away from earthly pains toward eternal joys in Paradise. I pray that I could have the faith of that thief, who took an opportunity for mocking and grumbling and chose instead to ask for Paradise.

Philippians 2:5-16

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Betrayed

Luke 22:59-62

And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. 

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

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In Luke 22, we are approaching the climax of the passion story which began with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and which will culminate in an unjust execution and the vindication of the empty tomb. Here, Jesus shares a last meal and a final night of prayer with his closest friends - men who clearly still don't grasp this savior's character and mission. They bicker about who will be greatest. They sleep through the hour of his greatest loneliness. They pull out swords when they should have gone to death alongside Jesus. They betray him - some for sake of money, some because they mistook him for a political savior, and some just to save face and protect themselves.

Peter, of all people, should have known better. He was perhaps closest to Jesus and heard him foretell his death and resurrection several times. This very night, Jesus had reminded them of his plan and purpose, even warning Peter personally that he would be tempted to betray him. And, Peter claimed he would go to death for him. How quickly we eat our words!

We should note that this admission of failed faith in the disciples is one of many reasons to trust the authenticity of the Gospel accounts. If the early church were fabricating a story to win more followers, it would have been far from intuitive to paint their top leaders as cowards and betrayers! Especially in comparison to other ancient literature, this was a uniquely candid eyewitness account that Luke was providing, warts and all.

There is hope for us in this chapter, but also a warning. Hope, in that we too can stumble and still be used by a kind and merciful savior, even in great and influential ways. Hope, in that our sin is never greater than our savior, who loves to restore his children and welcome them back into his purpose for their life. Hope, in that this gospel message, however foolish it appears to the world, is truly the power of God for our salvation! It is good news for stubborn, cowardly, shameful hearts!

But there is a warning too. A warning to keep alert rather than sleep through the moment of trial. A warning that there will be times when it is unpopular to stand for what is right, when people will question whether we trust in this foolish message. A warning that we will be tempted to take the easy road when times get tough and Jesus is getting mocked.

I pray for new courage Lord! I fail to love my friends and my enemies. I gossip, I complain, and I wish misfortune on others so that I can feel better about myself. I hide my faith when it's not cool or when I fear what others might think. I'm not consistent in my work or even in doing chores at home to serve the people I love most! I can't even live up to my own standards and desires. I am ashamed of the One who was not ashamed to call me his child. Lord, change this heart and give new courage, new power, new motivation - to go with you wherever you lead and shamelessly live before you, as I know I will stand before you one day and give an account for every word said in jest and every thoughtless deed. On that day, I pray I will have nothing to be ashamed of.

Redeemed!

Psalms 31:1-5

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; 

let me never be put to shame; 

in your righteousness deliver me! 

Incline your ear to me; 

rescue me speedily! 

Be a rock of refuge for me, 

a strong fortress to save me! 

For you are my rock and my fortress; 

and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; 

you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, 

for you are my refuge. 

Into your hand I commit my spirit; 

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. 

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Daily life can be a battle.

The enemies are without and within. When I wake up each day, there are troubles and temptations waiting for me. Every hunger, every discomfort, every annoyance, every complaint, every broken plan or broken promise, every desire for something more, something better, every opportunity to speak poorly of a co-worker or think negatively of my dearest friends & family, every chance to blame others and play the victim - the day holds these enemies in store for me.

But I have two secrets that can keep me safe from these enemies. 

One, I know the war exists - I am not resigned to fall into these pits and despair of life itself. I know there is more. I know I can see victory and joy even in the midst of all this. 

Second, I do not fight alone. I have a partner, a fellow soldier, a friend in this battle, a rescuer and redeemer who is both willing and perfectly able to protect and restore me. He is faithful, and I can commit my life into his trustworthy hands and know that my path is sure. I will look to him and cry out to him and he will hear me in my distress. He cares for every detail and listens to even my trite and trivial fears.

He helps me see how worthless are the idols which clamor for my attention. He replaces them with himself and meets the deepest desire of my heart.

When Jesus hung on the cross, his last breath was used to quote this psalm:

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:44-47)

This quote from Jesus could be easily overlooked. Short, and simply describing his acceptance of the end. But, when you see the context of Psalm 31, you realize that Jesus was making a bold claim of confidence in his Father, right in his darkest hour, when anyone else would have despaired and cursed God. 

The second half of verse 5 of the psalm says "You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God." Jesus' confidence in his redemption was so strong that he could use the present-tense to describe what was really a future reality. He was dying, drawing his last breath, but he was so sure of his "faithful God," so sure he would breathe again and rise from the tomb, that he could say "you have redeemed me."

I pray that I can walk in such confidence, knowing that he is faithful, that he will be with me in the daily battles against sin and death, and that my victory and resurrection are so certain that I need never worry or fear.

For, you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God, and I will walk in your faithfulness with a certainty and a hope that cannot be shaken. Amen.

Towers, Wars, and Discipleship

Luke 14:25-33

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.  Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.  For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,  saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.  So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

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We are always glad to see a teaching that ends with a "therefore" because then we will know the main point, right? In this case, the main point is anyone who does not renounce all he has cannot be my disciple. Clear? Yes. Easy to understand? Hmm...

It sounds like Jesus is demanding that his followers abandon material things and all connection to this world. Even our most dearly held relationships - parents, spouses, children, and siblings - we are called to "hate." What can this possibly mean?

Well, we know from several other passages that we are to love our families (1 Tim. 5:8), our neighbors (Matt. 22:34-40) and even our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48), and that asceticism has no intrinsic value, since we could never renounce enough things to gain merit with a holy God or to make us more holy (Col. 2:16-23). And, while one of Luke's main themes is God's interest in the poor, he has repeatedly condemned religiosity that is external, petty, and self-righteous. Whatever this passage is saying, it cannot be an endorsement of thoughtless sacrifice of the needs of our families or a strict command to follow a monastic lifestyle.

But this passage is about following Christ as a disciple who puts Him over and above anything else. The use of the tower and battle metaphors should tell us a few clear things about the nature of this call to discipleship:

1. This is big, so you better think about it first. Don't approach Christianity as just one option in a buffet of religious choices. This is a decision that will change the course of your life and may require the ultimate sacrifice. Think first and consider how big this is.

2. This will be costly, so prepare yourself.  There is a death that takes place when we put off our old selves and become identified with our suffering savior. In very tangible terms, Jesus told his followers that if the world hated him, they should expect to be hated too - and worse. The call to follow Christ will take dogged perseverance and faithfulness in the midst of weariness, pain, doubt, and fear. Our faith will be tried.

3. This will be worth it, so look to the finish line.  I am tempted to think that counting the cost is just a call to feel inadequate and be afraid of what horrors lie ahead in the Christian life - like God is saying "Man-up, its time to die!" But, no good or glory comes from this fear. What this passage reminds us is that we don't build unless there's a tower in mind. We don't fight the war unless there's a kingdom to defend. And we should face the cross of christian life, not as those without hope, but as those who believe in the empty tomb, the resurrection to eternal life, and the new heavens and new earth, where every tear and all sorrow will be no more.

So prepare yourself, by looking to the joy set before you in Christ.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Counting the Cost

Luke 9:23-26
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And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." 

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There is a cost to following Jesus, and the cost is your life.
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This chapter provides several examples of disciples who were not paying the cost and following Jesus as they should. They were:

-Being ruled by doubt rather than trusting the power of God to heal and provide (v. 13 & 30).
-Claiming greatness and exclusivity for yourself rather than child-like gratitude and grace toward others (v. 46-56).
-Putting any earthly priority ahead of the demands of God's kingdom (v. 47-52).
-Having merely the right answers without a willingness to obey at any cost (v. 20).
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Verses 23-26 give the core summary statement of the chapter and elaborate on what real discipleship looks like: Christ crucified. Jesus showed us in his life and death what obedience to God was all about. It looks like:

-denying yourself on a daily basis,
-looking to the needs of others,
-being sensitive to the leadership of the Spirit,
-being willing to lose what is most dear to you for his sake,
-setting your face on the calling he has for you,
-never being ashamed of him or his words
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This chapter leaves me shuddering, knowing how often I have failed to honor my God and king who has given so much for me. But Jesus does not tell us to lose our lives and deny ourselves as an end in itself. This is not mere asceticism. This is about gaining something greater than anything the world can offer. It is the man who loses his small petty life of empty pleasures who will ultimately be welcomed by God when he comes with his angels to judge the world. You must lose this life in order to save your eternal soul. And that is a prize well worth the cost, even a daily cost of putting off the old desires and putting on the likeness of Christ (Col. 3:1-17).
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Lord, have mercy to grant me new eyes to see the things I crave and covet in this world are so small and petty compared to the greatness of knowing you and living for you each day. Help me to believe that by laying down my life for others, I will find true joy, if not in this life, then most definitely in the New Heavens and New Earth. Help me to believe like Paul:
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"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 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— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:7-11)