If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 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; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 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 3:4-8
None of the early Christians had more right than Saul of Tarsus to boast in their nobility and intellect. He was born into a prominent Jewish family as a Roman citizen; he trained as a Jewish scholar and would have excelled in both the civil and the religious establishments had he not been attracted to Jesus of Nazareth. ‘I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’, he wrote. ‘For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish…’ The Greek word that Paul used for 'rubbish' actually means something worse and so doesn’t appear in many English-language translations. It really means excrement.
Saul had met Jesus on his way to Damascus about 30 years before and it had cast a deep shadow over everything he had at that time and everything he stood to gain in the future. But he gladly laid it all aside. He laid it aside as completely as Jesus had laid aside the privileges of deity to be born as a human. Saul soon stopped using his Jewish name and began calling himself by his Roman name, Paul. And after 30 years of misunderstanding and hardship, Paul had no regrets! In fact, he looked forward to more of the same: ‘Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…’ Press on to what? ‘That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings…’
I plan to resume this theme next weekend to look more closely at what Paul meant by that but I think we should pause to think about what it means to be content. While it is right to describe contentment as being mentally and emotionally satisfied with the state of our lives – our homes, jobs, possessions, friends, difficulties, hardships and everything else – it doesn't imply complacency. To say that we're content with our home does not prohibit wanting something better for our families if we're living in a place that does not support a healthy lifestyle. People on a persistent low income that does not allow them to eat a healthy diet should not be complacent about that. If we're unjustly imprisoned, as Paul was, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't want to be freed.
I think Paul highlighted the distinction in his letter to Timothy. ‘Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires...’ (1 Timothy 6:6-9). There are important distinctions between wanting to be healthy, dress warmly, sleep peacefully and enjoy social contact and with unnecessarily exposing ourselves to the temptations of ‘senseless and harmful desires’.
The last of the Ten Commandments prohibits coveting our neighbours’ spouses, houses, fields, servants, livestock and anything else they own. St James warned both rich and poor Christians, ‘You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel....’-quarrelling that undermined their individual spiritual growth and corporate witness. But the Bible also mentions a good type of coveting: a desire that we could call a holy coveting.
St Paul encouraged the Christians at Corinth to ‘earnestly desire the higher [spiritual] gifts’ and ‘earnestly desire to prophesy’ (see 1 Corinthians 12:31 & 14:39.). In both passages, Paul used the Greek word for covet, although I expect many translators doesn't use the English word in case it's misleading. But those passages could accurately be translated as 'covet the higher gifts' and 'covet to prophesy'. Similarly, as content as Paul was in detention, there were some holy things that he wanted to press on to.
St Paul encouraged the Christians at Corinth to ‘earnestly desire the higher [spiritual] gifts’ and ‘earnestly desire to prophesy’ (see 1 Corinthians 12:31 & 14:39.). In both passages, Paul used the Greek word for covet, although I expect many translators doesn't use the English word in case it's misleading. But those passages could accurately be translated as 'covet the higher gifts' and 'covet to prophesy'. Similarly, as content as Paul was in detention, there were some holy things that he wanted to press on to.
There are many dangers in material and financial increase and the English phrase, 'be careful what you wish for' comes to my mind. But we’re usually on safe ground when we desire spiritual enrichment, a closer fellowship with Jesus, a greater openness to the Holy Spirit and a life of discipleship whereby we may become worthy of spiritual gifts.
© Copyright Philip Evans 2015.
What is freely received should be freely shared and not sold for profit, so please feel free to copy these Reflections freely and without cost to others. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations in these Reflections are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
