The Race - Philippians 3:9-21

3:9-10 - Everything that Paul gave up for the cause of the gospel, all the power, prestige, and wealth, he considers to be a good trade for what he gets out of the gospel, even though that comes with physical danger and injury and prison. He feels that it was a good trade because he knows now that “mine won righteousness, which is of the law,” can’t save him, only “that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” What he knows now that he didn’t know then is that salvation doesn’t come through obedience to law but through the atonement of Jesus Christ. The reward to accepting the gospel is “that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto him death.” The trade off for everything that Paul gave up and enduring his “fellowship of his suffering” is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I mean that should really put into perspective for the rest of us just how valuable a personal relationship with the Savior is. What would we give up to have one? It’s probably not as pronounced as Paul’s sacrifices, but we part of the “fellowship of his suffering” as well. This includes being persecuted for our beliefs, and I’ve experienced that, even though it was very mild comparatively. I believe that if I wasn’t specifically looking for a single, temple worthy LDS man with a job, I would probably be able to find a nice, non-member man to marry. But I’m ok with what I’ve got. I don’t think my “single, Mormon man with a job” standard was that high but apparently it really, really is. I don’t really go out with friends much because I don’t drink or smoke weed or have sex outside of marriage. I feel very much alone a lot of the time, but honestly, with all that I have no regrets, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be closer to Jesus. The IM quotes President Spencer W. Kimball as teaching, “We must lay on the alter and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally, we consecrate out time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit… And as we give, we find that ‘sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!’ And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.” Apparently a lot of sacrifice isn’t just what we DON’T do, but what we Do do instead. It’s not just about abstaining from behavior contrary to God’s law, but also about trying to be kind, which I have failed at spectacularly today, working hard to do our best at our callings, etc. 3:11-15 - The whole point of forming a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is so that “by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” This is what Paul says, but it’s really confusing because we will all be resurrected, so why does it matter if we are righteous or not when it comes to the resurrection. The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com asks, “Is it an accomplishment to be resurrected? For those who have kept their first estate, it is a blessing but not an accomplishment. We know that all are resurrected from the least to the greatest. Knowing this, Joseph Smith altered the text to represent the goal of the righteous- which is to be raised up at ‘the resurrection of the just.’ From sections 76 and 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants we further learn that the resurrection of the just includes those who are to inherit both a celestial and a terrestrial glory. Hence, Latter-day saints strive not just for the resurrection of the just but for ‘the morning of the first resurrection’ which is the resurrection of those who will inherit a celestial glory.” The resurrection will come to everyone but not at the same time and not to the same extent, it’s the resurrection of the “just” that Paul is talking about here. I just think it’s interesting that if we only had the Bible as translated without additional scripture of modern revelation, it would be so easy to read this verse and think that the resurrection is a reward for the righteous, not a guarantee to all who lived on the earth because of the fall of Adam. Paul acknowledges that he’s not perfect and that his work is not finished “but I follow after… forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize… Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, but thus minded: and if in anything we be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Paul had done serious damage to the early Christian religion and if he hadn’t been able to forgive himself for that, then he probably wouldn’t have had the ability to do the work that he had. It’s like when the people of Ammon wanted to go to the Nephites and be there slaves and Ammon told them that the only way that the Nephites would take them was as their equals. The people of Ammon had to forgive themselves for what they had done in ignorance, even though it was severe, and take their place along with fellow believers in Christ. Likewise, we have all done things both purposefully and ignorantly that have hindered us spiritually and sometimes others. Once we repent of those things, we must “forget those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark for the prize.” We can’t change the past, we can only change the future and if we can learn from our past mistakes instead of beating ourselves up about them, then we can move forward keeping an eternal perspective and progress. It’s hard, and honestly, it’s only something that can come through the atonement, meaning that if we want to forgive ourselves and move forward then that is something that we have to take up with Jesus and ask for help with. And over time as we grow in knowledge, commitment and understanding, then we can arrive at a place where our past mistakes can serve as a stepping stone instead of a stumbling block. In fact, this is what Paul says, “god shall reveal even this unto you.” 3:16-21 - But it’s not just a matter of deciding once that you will be a disciple of Christ and then that’s it, it takes constantly effort for righteousness and making good choices. Paul says that some of those stalwarts that he had used as examples, “they are (now) the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” Just like my old bishop who left his family and the church that I learned about a couple of weeks ago, it’s not a matter of a one-time choice like baptism, but of constant, consistent everyday decisions to be righteous, that’s how we are perfected. Paul asks us to look to “heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We can look to Christ not only as an example of righteousness, but we can look to him to “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.” Jesus Christ not only changes our nature, but allows us to stay changed and finely tuned to perfection. This is why the personal relationship that Paul talked about in the beginning of the chapter is so important, because without one we don’t know who God is or why we would want to do anything that goes against our very basic natures for corruption and sin. When we know, believe, and trust Jesus, it is easier to make decisions that are in accordance with his gospel, we know why he asks us to do it and it turns out that we didn’t actually lose anything, but instead gained everything.