The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 138

for se.l"rnt.i0n. 8. His past action passi'fl!J into his present reckoning. "For whom I sufferecl t.he l0_ss of all things, ~d do <:°u~t them but dung, that I may gain Christ." The reference 1s to the great cnS1s of his hfe. It showed him to be no mere theorist, Be carried his judgment out into practice, though it entailed the loss of all thin!ZB, Be renounced the profit they had been to him at the time. And thinking of them~ what might i;t-ill have been a profit to him, he is in no mood to' retract, Be adheres to his former renunciatfon in the strongest t.erms. His language now is, " I do count t~em but ~,mg, that~ may gain. Christ." ~his will. be considered too depreciatory a view of thrngs. It will be considered too high doctnne by not a few who profess faith in Christ. What an incongruity would be caused by some professed Christians adopt- ing this language! Is it not evident that they count many things as a.II-important to their existence, other than Christ? It must be ad.mitt.ed, too, that some whose Christian experience, though real, is not clear enough, will find difficulty here, and it is possible that, in the desire to be true to Christ, they may take to some perversion of Christianity. But there is no exa.!!:geration in the apostle's language, (1) .AU tMngli a.1·e but ci..s dung compared with Chrut. There are certainly good things in the world. Our ingratitude makes us wonder that there are so many, and that our path is not strewed thick with ills. And, of things which are good, some are more desirable than others. We can compare them with one another, as good and better and best. But what can we compare with Christ ? Shall we merely call him the best of all things, the highest good, allowing other things to be good alongside of him? No; he is the incomparable good, and, if other things are to be thought of at all in comparison with him, they sre dross, refuse ; while he alone is entitled to be called good, Excellent it msy be in comparison with many other things ; in comparison with him they have no positive value, but fall below the point of good. He is incomparable in his moral eue/,J,en,ce. Cha.llenged to say what our Beloved is more than another beloved, after exhausting all comparisons, we may well say, "Yea, he is altogether lovely,n He is the bright, full manifestation of the beauty of God. He is incomparable, in the blessing he has procured for us. What are all earthly blessings in comparison with the salvation of the soul? If they are to be compared at all, are they not to be put down as dross, perishable, worthless, while the salvation of the soul a.lone stands the eternal tests? (2) .AU things are to be pursued only for Christ. He alolie is to be sought as our supreme End. On him a.lone we are to set our hearts in the full compass of their affection. Christ begins by saying, "Lovest thou me more than these?" and, after putting others ou~ of comparison, he still continues to press the question, " Lovest thou me?" and again, "Lovest thou me? "-that our affection may more and more be drawn up toward him. Hear him again saying, "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." That is to ssy, our love to father, to mother, to child, is to be subordinated to our love to Christ. He.ar him again using startling language," If any man cometh unto me and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children. snd brethren. and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." That is to say, we are to be so independent of them as even to hate them as coming between us and our supreme End. All things are to be as dross when it is a question of ciuty to Christ. We are to be willing to part with earthly emoluments and expecta- tion£, as though they were utterly worthless, when it is necessary to our obtaining GhriBt as our Saviour, or to our proving our faithfulness to him. We are t.o be willing even to part with our dearest frienciB, as having no absolute claim to them, at the call of Christ. Only there is to be noticed, for our comfort, that, when we pursue our earthly calling and love our earthly friends for the sake of Christ, esteeming them as dross in themselves and to be parted with as dross at the call of Christ, then it is true that they are rt:deemed from their worthlessness and are made to partake of the worthiness of Christ. The true wisdom, then, is to use all thing,i, even our friends, as meaii.E, to make Christ alone the End. V, THE GAIN THAT CHRIST IS. "And be found in him." The apostle desired to be regar<ied by God, and by man too, as within Christ as the sphere snd element of his lift. ThUB it is that Chri8t becomes gain. 1. Beginning. "Not having a righteousness of miru, uwn, even that which is of the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, du, r,ghU;uu0t1et!6 whic,h is of God by faith." His former thought was t.o have a dll, 111, 1-21.] THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE PHlLIPPI.A.NS. 137