Philippeans

Paul's letter to the Philippians is a wonderful letter showing the work of the assembly and the work of individuals through the assembly.

Paul, in discussing his thankfulness to the Philippians in the opening verses, shows that as a collective assembly of individual believers they are to be rewarded for their faithfulness to Him and to him.

As the 1st part progresses, Paul moves from thankfulness to the service, not only his own service but to those in the Philippi assembly.

This is the passage I want to present:

27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.​

The believer has both salvation and suffering to endure. Salvation and suffering are granted by God for the sake of Christ. The conflicts are not new. They are to be taken as being granted (not for granted).

Reader, please note that such salvation and suffering are not derived from human effort and of human faith.

One who stands in their own strength and brings about their own suffering is worthless value. There is no reward and should not be exalted.

Paul goes on to present examples of humility and standing for Christ in a God-led way.

And then in the 3rd chapter gives us this insight.

8Indeed, 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 9and 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— 10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12Not 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. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16Only let us hold true to what we have attained.​

It is certain that Paul is contrasting human-generated "righteousness" and that which comes through faith and depends upon faith.

To some who consider that this is human faith in action, I would point that Paul in no manner is expressing such can take place. Rather, he states that such cannot in terms of, "not having a righteousness of my own..."

Rather, the faith in which "gains Christ" and allows being "found in Him" comes THROUGH the faith in Christ. Not human-generated faith as shown in the last paragraph, but that "righteousness from God that depends on faith." That is, the faith from God is the determiner of whether one is righteous and found in Christ.

Too often folks would read quickly through passages with a lack of discernment. Having done so, a person may drift into something that sounds right but is not correct.

Paul distinguishes between human attempts at self-righteousness and that righteousness that can only come by faith, faith granted by Him. The best human-generated faith may attain is that which is law-bound.

Human faith is incapable of going above being self-righteousness.

God's faith, implanted by His word by the Spirit and teaching, is the conduit in which the believer is found "in Christ" and "righteous."

In another place, Paul writes to other believers, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Faith would not "come" if it were already innate in the humankind and waiting to be expressed at the prompting of some outside force as some would present.

As Paul states: 15Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

Paul is not approving of some who think otherwise concerning his teaching, but that those who think otherwise, God will reveal them to the assembly.

Sort of like what is done on the BB.

Those who think otherwise are exposed for their error.