The Worth of Christ

(The following post was written by Lauren B.)

“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 3:8, ESV

Have you ever read a verse or passage of Scripture that felt like God was straight up backhanding you, you were so convicted? Philippians 3:8 was that verse for me.

On February 10th, 2019, I came across this verse in my Quiet Time (aka my daily Bible reading) and it side-swiped me out of nowhere. Since that Quiet Time, I have shared the impact that this verse has had on my life at least twenty different times and with an audience that now totals to at least one hundred people. I might be calling it early at age twenty-four, but I think it might remain one of the most foundational verses of my faith.

What smacked me in my soul’s forehead that day were two parts of this verse:

1.) “… of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”

I grew up being heavily involved in my local church and don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t hear about Jesus, had faith that He existed, and knew that He loved me. Jesus has been of worth to me for as long as I can remember. However, it wasn’t until the beginning of my adult years that I started to realize that “of worth” and “of surpassing worth” look very different in the life of a follower of Jesus.

When I read Philippians 3:8 on that fateful day, I was climbing a steep incline in my spiritual maturity. I was seeing growth exponentially in my faith and my desire for the Lord. Yet, even then, God revealed to me that while Jesus was “of worth” in my life, I had yet to understand “of the surpassing worth” of the knowledge of Christ.

Why this was because of part two…

2.) “…and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ…”

For all of us stateside, “rubbish” isn’t a term we use often. Words we can liken to it, to name a few, are “trash”, “garbage”, “junk”, and “waste.” The KJV translation goes as far as to use the word “dung.”

According to Paul, this is the same regard we are to have for all things. According to the KJV, they are to be flush-down worthy. This is how Paul valued, and we are supposed to value, all that isn’t Christ in comparison with the inherent value of Christ and of gaining Him. Yet, I knew when I read this verse that there was an uncomfortable amount of things I was holding at a much higher value than the contents I haul out of my apartment for pick-up every Monday.

Like my career. Like my desire for romance.

Are these neutral, even arguably good, things to desire? Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with working in a rewarding job and wanting a Jesus-loving man to join together with. However, if I’ve placed enough value in anything that is held in any grip tighter than an open hand, there’s an issue.

That’s why this verse hit me so hard: I knew this is what had happened. These were acceptable in themselves, but where I had placed them was in the dangerous position of getting in the way of my gaining Christ. I had a white-knuckle grip that I would have to ask God to help me pry off of them, so I could submit them to His will, His timing, and His big-picture view.

Yeesh, right?

Never fear. God has done, and is continuing to do, a work in me through this verse. Through His strength and my striving in obedience, my aim is intentionally and prayerfully as Asaph writes in Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”

How does that verse sit with you? Of what worth is the knowledge of Christ to you? What have you, or yet to, consider rubbish in order that you may gain Christ?

(The post above was written by Lauren B.)