Jesus Has Made Me His Own † Philippians 3:4b-14 † Sunday, October 4, 2026

The Only Two Religions That Have Ever Existed

There is a claim worth sitting with for a moment: when you strip away all the complexity, all the ritual, all the cultural tradition, and all the theological nuance, there are really only two religions in the entire world. Not hundreds. Not thousands. Two.

The first is salvation by works. The second is salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Look around the world and you will find that nearly every major religious system falls into the first category. The underlying logic is the same regardless of the tradition: do enough good things, follow enough rules, check enough boxes, and you will earn your way to whatever awaits on the other side. It is a deeply human instinct. It makes us feel productive. It makes us feel in control. It makes us feel, at least temporarily, good about ourselves.

But here is the uncomfortable truth about that system: it never actually delivers peace. Because the haunting question never goes away. Have I done enough?

The Problem With Checklists

The apostle Paul knew the works-based system better than almost anyone. In his letter to the Philippians, he lays out his credentials with striking frankness. He was circumcised on the eighth day, born of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew among Hebrews. As for the law, he was a Pharisee. As for zeal, he had persecuted the church. As for righteousness under the law, he considered himself blameless (Philippians 3:4-6).

If anyone had the right to feel confident in a checklist, it was Paul. He had done everything right by every measurable standard his tradition had established.

And yet.

When Paul encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Not because his accomplishments became less impressive, but because he finally had a standard to measure them against. And next to the perfection of Christ, every trophy, every credential, every box checked looked like rubbish. That is actually the word he uses in Philippians 3:8. Rubbish. Trash. Things to be discarded.

Think about the trophies sitting in your attic or gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. At one point, winning them felt significant. Now? Most of us cannot even remember where we put them. That is exactly how Paul describes his entire resume of religious achievement once he understood what Christ had actually done for him.

What Christ Actually Did

The reason Paul could so freely abandon his checklist is that he understood the checklist had already been completed. Not by him. By Jesus.

Where every human being fails to meet the perfect standard God requires, Jesus was perfect. And that perfection was not kept for himself. He carried it to the cross, suffered and died bearing it, and in doing so paid the price for every failure, every shortcoming, every sin of every person who would ever believe in him.

Paul describes it in Philippians 3:9 as a righteousness that does not come from the law but through faith in Christ, a righteousness that comes from God and depends on faith. The image is of a robe, a covering. God no longer looks at the believer and sees their failures. He looks and sees the righteousness of his Son draped over them.

This means the question "have I done enough?" has a permanent, settled answer for the person who trusts in Christ. Yes. It is finished. Jesus made it perfect. The work of salvation is complete, and it was never yours to complete in the first place.

A Relationship, Not a Transaction

But this is where many people stop, and stopping here misses something vital. Salvation by faith is not a transaction you complete once and then walk away from. It is the beginning of a relationship.

Paul describes this relationship as knowing Christ, sharing in the power of his resurrection, and participating in his sufferings (Philippians 3:10). That language is intimate. It is the language of closeness, of ongoing connection, of two lives becoming intertwined.

Consider what any meaningful relationship requires. A marriage where the two people only speak once a week does not grow. It barely survives. The same is true of a relationship with God. Prayer is one side of the conversation, and it is more accessible than we sometimes make it. Open your heart and speak. But the other side of the conversation matters just as much. God speaks through his word, through Scripture, through preaching, through the sacraments. He is constantly reaching toward his people. The question is whether we are leaning in to hear him.

This relationship did not begin with our initiative, and that is the most important thing to understand. Paul writes in Philippians 3:12 that he presses on to make Christ his own "because Christ Jesus has made me his own." The pursuit started on Christ's side. Grace is not a reward for seeking God. It is God seeking you first.

Stop Looking Behind You

There is one more thing Paul says that cuts right to the heart of how many people actually live their daily lives. He talks about forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13-14).

Guilt is a weight that many believers carry long after forgiveness has been given. The sin is forgiven. It is covered. It is gone. And yet the memory of it keeps pulling us backward, like a runner who has a clear lead but cannot stop turning around to look at the competition. Every time you turn around, you lose ground.

Forgiven sin is past sin. The righteousness of Christ covers it completely. What lies ahead is the goal Paul describes in Philippians 3:14: the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Perfect peace. Perfect love. Perfect joy. An eternity in the presence of the one who came after you before you ever thought to look for him.

So forget what is behind you. Strain forward. Press on. Know him more. Love him better.

He is already doing the same for you.

(Blog content generated by PulpitAI from sermon transcript)