"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
We have before us the life ambition of a spiritual giant. More than anything else Paul wanted the excellence of the knowledge of Christ his Lord. Initial salvation does not exhaust the person of Christ. Paul has been a Christian for two and a half decades and yet his life ambition is still centered in Christ.
Yet indeed I also
These four words constitute five Greek particles. These particles indicate Paul is speaking with passion and force here. He is shouting out. He is about to speak of his greatest passion. Paul waxes eloquent about the most important ambition of his life.
Count all things loss
The word "count" means to conclude. After thinking through a comparison between his achievements and his knowledge of Christ, Paul came to a conclusion. In the present tense it means that he keeps on concluding all things loss for something of greater importance. He has been a Christian for 25 years and he is still concluding this.
"All things" are his successes of vv 3-6: all his energy of the flesh, all his status symbols of success. This is all his achievement without God: his popularity, all the approbation he has received, all his successes. But this is a stronger statement than the loss of his achievements; he counts everything loss in comparison to Christ.
"Loss" is singular. All his accomplishments are nil as one big ball of wax.
For the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord
Now Paul states his greatest aspiration. The most important ideal for Paul is the excellence of the knowledge of his Lord. It is more important than his ministry, prayer, fellowship or even evangelism. Fellowship with his Lord is the driving force behind these other wonderful values.
The word "for" means because of. This is the cause of his suffering the loss of all things.
The word "excellence" is a verb which means to be held over or beyond. It means to be superior, to excel. The Greek indicates that his superiority is the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. This knowledge is constantly superior. Nothing else is worth living for in the light of his superiority.
PRINCIPLE: Our highest ambition is the excellence of the knowledge of Christ.
APPLICATION: The studied estimation of Paul after 25 years of the Christian life was clear. After all those years as a Christian he has something more than a Savior–he has a Lord. Nothing brings greater glory to God than when a child of God confesses Christ as his Lord:
"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (2:11)
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