Watch Out for False Confidence: Trusting Christ Alone
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.
Philippians 3:8-9
Where do we place our confidence before God? Philippians 3:7-8 warns against false security and calls us to trust fully in Christ alone.
Paul begins to tell his testimony, and he does it in a way that is painfully clear. If you ever want to know how to write a testimony, here is the outline: This is what I was. This is what Christ has done. This is where I’m going. Or as I often summarize it: from misery, to God’s mercy, out into ministry. Paul starts with what he was, his “resume righteousness.”
circumcised on the eighth day… of the tribe of Benjamin… a Hebrew of Hebrews… as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
Philippians 3:5–6
He’s saying, If righteousness is earned by credentials,I win. If righteousness is gained by a checklist, he can check it twice and still have ink left in the pen.
And ladies, before we point fingers at Pharisees, let’s be honest: we build resumes, too, not always on paper, but in our hearts, for instance:
I’m the one who always serves.
I’m the one who never misses Bible study.
I’m the one who keeps the house together.
I’m the one whose children behave in public.
I’m the one who arrives early for work and leaves late.
I’m the one with the tidy theology and the tidy life.
I’m the one… fill in the blank.
And then we hit a wall. The wall may be suffering, emptiness, loneliness, bitterness we cannot shake, or an anxiety we can’t explain. And beneath it all is the Holy Spirit whispering: You know about Me, but you don’t know Me.
Paul shatters our little kingdoms with his language.
I consider them rubbish… that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own.
Philippians 3:8–9
Some translations are even stronger. Paul is not being polite or self-deprecating. He is being free.
Here is what he discovered: the very things he once called “profit” had become barriers to knowing Christ. Not because obedience is bad, but because self-made righteousness is deadly. It doesn’t lead you to worship; it leads you to pride or despair. The greatest danger is not obvious sin, but “respectable righteousness” that keeps you from intimacy with Jesus.
Paul knew about God. He had information. But he did not have intimacy, and there’s a difference, isn’t there? We can know a great deal about a person and still not know them the way a spouse or close friend may know them. Information is not fellowship, and theology is not communion. Knowledge must move toward knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil 3:8).
This is not an invitation to throw away spiritual disciplines. It is an invitation to stop using them as currency. A quiet time is not a badge, Bible study is not a ladder, nor is serving a bargaining chip. These are means of grace, pathways where we meet Jesus, a means of working out what has already been worked within. And if you are the woman who is doing everything “right,” yet there is a hollow place inside, hear me: you may be resting in the form, checking all the boxes, but missing the Person. Paul was until Christ took hold of him.
The gospel is not: Do better, and God will accept you.
The gospel is: Christ has done it, now come, be found in Him.
That is why Paul says his righteousness is “through faith in Christ… from God… by faith” (Philippians 3:9). This righteousness is not stitched together from our best days. It is credited to us because Jesus was perfect in our place.
And this truth changes everything.
It changes how you look at your “spiritual resume”; you stop clinging to it.
It changes how you look at other women; you stop comparing.
It changes how you walk through hardship; you stop believing God is punishing you for failing to perform.
You are not held by your list. You are held by Christ Jesus.
A Faith Anchored in Christ
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Ask yourself honestly: What “profit” am I tempted to cling to for my worth?
Pray Philippians 3:8 slowly and ask God to make the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ your greatest treasure.
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
If you feel empty, don’t double your checklist. Come to Jesus Himself.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, forgive me for the ways I trust my own righteousness — my performance, my reputation, my spiritual resume. Thank You for offering me a righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Teach me to count all else as loss compared to knowing You. Bring me out of self-trust and into true communion with You. In Your name, amen.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
