Philippians 3:7 7But whatever was a gain to me, I consider these things as a loss because of Christ.
When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, a profound change took place in his life. This change is stated simply in this verse. Paul realized that he could not be saved by doing things but only by being found in Christ. The gain of knowing Christ far outweighs the gain Paul had tried to achieve through his own efforts. A gain (kerdē) is profit, advantage, or benefit. Paul had a lot going for himself before Damascus. He was an up-and-coming Jewish rabbi who was quickly rising in the ranks of Judaism. His ambitions were paying off with recognition and responsibility to arrest Christians given to him by the high priest. People had noticed him. His reputation had proceeded him even to Damascus among the Christians.
But Paul considered all of that rich background a loss because of Christ. The word loss (zēmian) occurs three times in verses 7-8. The word can mean something of disadvantage and is the opposite of gain. His pursuit of righteousness by his own efforts only proved to be futile. What he needed was grace. This grace is found only in Jesus Christ. At one point, Paul was deceived like the Jewish opponents. But there is always hope for people. Grace is greater than sin (Romans 5:20). Paul as the chiefest of sinners experienced God’s grace in Christ (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
Paul’s own life illustrations the type of death to the old self he wrote about in Romans 6:6-7. This is the essential step of faith that is required to experience the new life of blessing in Christ. This is a value decision. What is most important in our lives? How do we prioritize our life? Can we count all we have as a loss in order to gain Christ?
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