What does Philippians 3:6 Mean?

Study Notes

righteousness
.

The word "righteousness" here, and in the passages having marginal references to this, means legal, or self-righteousness; the futile effort of man to work out under law a character which God can approve.

(See Scofield " Revelation 19:8 ") .

righteousness Cf. (See Scofield " Romans 3:21 ") .

Verse Meaning

Sixth, he had been a zealous promoter of Judaism even to the point of persecuting Christians to death. He had been an outstanding Pharisee. [source][source]

[source]

Seventh, Paul"s obedience to the Law of Moses, as it regulated external behavior, had been without blame (Gr. amemptos, cf. Philippians 2:15). He was very conscientious about what the Law required and "omitted no observance however trivial". ^[1] [source]

"Like most "religious" people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him out of trouble, but not enough righteousness to get him into heaven! It was not bad things that kept Paul away from Jesus-it was good things! He had to lose his "religion" to find salvation." ^[2] [source]

Context Summary

Precept must be on precept, line on line. The false teachers who dogged Paul's steps insisted on rigid conformity to Judaism, with its rabbinical accretions, as the condition of being saved by Christ. Paul's answer was that he had gone through all the requirements of Judaism, but had found it absolutely unsatisfactory and inefficient to subdue the sin of his soul. But in Christ he had found everything he needed. What had been gain to him now seemed but dross. He had found the pearl of great price, and was only too glad to sacrifice all else to purchase and keep it, as the talisman of complete victory.

The essence of Judaism was not external but within. True circumcision was deliverance from the self-life, and that could only be gained by the Cross of Christ. The "Israelite indeed," like Nathanael, had three traits of character-his worship was spiritual, he gloried in the Crucified, and he was delivered from reliance upon the self-life. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to know Jesus in the intimacy of personal fellowship, to feel the pulse of His resurrection life, to experience the power of His death, and to realize the whole of His divine program. For this we might be more than content to trample on our boasted pride. [source]

Chapter Summary: Philippians 3

¹  He warns them to beware of the false teachers;
⁴  showing that himself has greater cause than they to trust in the righteousness of the law;
⁷  which he counts as loss, to gain Christ and his righteousness;
¹²  acknowledging his own imperfection and pressing on toward the goal;
¹⁵  He exhorts them to be thus minded;
¹⁷  and to imitate him,
¹⁸  and to decline carnal ways