QUALIFICATIONS

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

In today’s specialized society we have countless professions that must fulfill certain specific qualifications in order to be approved to provide service. These qualifications are obtained through training, practice, education and certification exams. Those who must endure the rigors of such a process often take pride in their qualifications. They worked hard to obtain them and feel that they deserve to boast of such accomplishments.

 

Many times the driving force in a person’s life is not their spiritual beliefs, but the amount of prestige they can receive from their achievements. I know it is necessary to have qualification requirements for monitoring those who practice various professions, but we must take care that our successes and achievements don’t become more important to us than the experience of knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior.

 

In Philippians chapter three Paul is writing to the Philippians to once again speak to them of the truth of the gospel. Various false teachers were infiltrating the church and attempting to mislead Christians and draw them into a religious legal system of belief. In verses two and three Paul gives a warning and an encouragement. He says, “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.”

 

Here Paul is addressing the variety of false teachers that are attempting to lead the first century Christians away from the teachings of Christ. Various Jewish teachers were trying to pull Christians back into observance of numerous Old Testament laws and thereby nullify the death and resurrection of Christ as payment for sins. There is a possibility that these Jewish teachers were throwing around their “so-called” qualifications as evidence that they knew better than the Christians what they should believe. Paul both identifies himself with similar but godly qualifications and also gives perspective on their eternal value.

 

Paul says in verse four, “though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:” Why could Paul make such a bold claim? Let’s see what his qualifications were according to the Jewish faith.

 

He states in verses five through six the following, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” Here we see him laying down his Jewish birthright and his zeal for upholding and adhering to the Old Testament law. He had intense zeal and was a dedicated Pharisee. He had been legalistic to a fault under Jewish law. He had obtained all the righteousness that could be acquired through the law and was faultless in every matter that could be examined in him. But his next statement reveals the value of such qualifications to his newfound faith in Christ, He says, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.”

 

Here Paul tells the Philippians that no matter what qualifications a person may have whether they were obtained through our own efforts or by birthright, they are worthless compared to knowing Christ as our personal Savior. Even if these qualifications are of a highly religious nature or enviable by our peers they are ultimately of no value when placed against the standard of eternal heavenly values. Paul emphasizes his feelings in this matter by calling all his qualifications as a holy man under Jewish law “rubbish.” Do we think of our relationship with Christ with similar intense commitment and emotion? Do we treasure our experience of salvation and grace from our Heavenly Father with such zeal?

 

Paul addresses another important point that tempts us to seek status and attention in our self-acquired qualifications. In verse nine he acknowledges that there is a righteousness that comes from the law, but this does not come close to the value of having righteousness that comes from Christ. People often seek personal glory from their own efforts and accomplishments. We tend to take pride in how we can work hard and achieve a higher status in the eyes of others. We must all work hard in our careers to maintain quality in our work that is the expected Christian thing to do. But when one of the purposes of such strivings is to gain prestige and honor for ourselves we step into prideful and selfish motivations and attitudes. This can happen spiritually as well. Possibly we brag how many scripture verses we have memorized, how many Christian books we have read or published, or how many ministries we are involved in. Maybe we boast about how many individuals we have led to Christ or how much knowledge we have gained over the years. Paul would say that all such rantings and ravings about our own abilities and qualifications is rubbish compared to the value of knowing Christ as Savior. We might also consider who has given us such skills and abilities to be able to serve God and that the glory and praise should be given to our Creator and not to ourselves, because it is our Heavenly Father who created us with these skills and abilities.

 

Paul goes on to say in verse ten and eleven, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” This is a true humble servant perception of what should motivate our lives. To know the power of Christ’s resurrection is to know the power that sustains us through tribulations we face. It is to know the power that God grants us when we overcome trials that are beyond our own abilities. When we know this power we are capable of sharing in Christ’s sufferings by giving our lives for ministry to others. We become like Him in His death because we are willing to sacrifice all we are for our Heavenly Father’s will. This does not mean we have to die a martyr’s death, but it does mean that the central focus of our existence is not our own desires and wants, but the will of our Lord that we serve.

 

After Paul’s explanation of what motivates him in his service to his Lord, his role model for how we should behave as Christians might overwhelm us. Paul then illustrates his humble servant attitude by telling us that he has not achieved perfection in his service to his King. In verse twelve he states, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

 

Paul gives us a good perspective in these verses as it relates to our earthly lives. We will never achieve spiritual perfection while here on earth. No one has “arrived” in the Christian experience, no matter how much he or she has learned or how hard he or she has served. We will often fall down in our spiritual lives and we may frequently fail to live up to our high calling of servants of the Most High. Paul encourages us as we grapple with our spiritual struggles when he says we must forget what lies behind and strive towards the goal. This does not mean we ignore our mistakes of the past, but we learn from them and move on into our future.

 

Paul was quite a Christian. His qualifications listed in Philippians are only a few. In 2 Corinthians 11:21-30 he lists his physical suffering qualifications as well. He gave these not to boast of how much he had endured pain for his Savior, but to illustrate to those who questioned his authority that as an apostle that he was more than qualified to be heard. He mentions his extensive qualifications for his defense, not to lord it over others. Here in Philippians he denies the value of his qualifications when he compares them to the privilege of knowing Christ as Savior. This expression of his commitment to Jesus further validates his servant attitude.

 

It has been said that pride goes before a fall. I believe we should all evaluate how much pride we take in our own achievements when compared against the true treasure we have in being saved from our sins. Qualifications and achievements will be of no value on the judgment day of Christ.