IN JESUS, YOU LACK NOTHING

Ron Gray, Interim Site Lead Pastor

"I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith." Philippians 3:9

How does one get into Heaven?

For those who acknowledge that human life is not confined to our time on earth, and for those that acknowledge the existence of Heaven and Hell, this is a very crucial question. Experience tells me that most people who allow themselves to face this question believe that there is some sort of adjudicator who will determine if their good works outweigh their bad works. If the cosmic weigh scales of justice rule in their favor, all will be well. If not, well that is an unthinkable option.

As followers of Jesus we can tend to answer that question reflexively. Of course we know that our salvation comes only through Jesus. This is a promise we are quick to claim for ourselves and those we love. But in our hearts, in the quiet moments of reflection that are brought on by the events of life, we can at times find ourselves asking if we have truly done enough to please God. We may not fear that our eternal destiny lays in the balance, but we may have this nagging feeling that we have not done enough to earn God’s favor. How does God REALLY feel about me?

In the larger passage from which Philippians 3:9 is taken, Paul talks about what he once believed to be his virtues. It is in this passage, which we will be looking at in our services this weekend, that Paul lists his religious accomplishments. These are the deeds he once believed put him in good stead with God and his fellow Pharisees. It turns out that when Paul encountered Jesus, his view of such meritorious deeds changed. He understood that he was completely incapable of earning God’s favor and thus of inheriting eternal life. He came to know the truth that it was only through the work of Jesus that he could obtain the Heavenly prize of eternal life with Jesus.

Today I want to remind you that if you are in Christ Jesus, you lack nothing. If you have become one with Jesus, (Paul’s words not mine) you are in a perfect position with God. The account has been settled. Christ himself has climbed on the weigh scale and the balance has come out in your favor. That is your position. Does that mean that you are now perfect in your condition? No. Each one of us has things in our lives that do not honor God and fall short of his standard. What are we to do with those things? We press on into life with Jesus.

When we first come to him, we are made perfect in our standing with God. However, we are then called to a beautiful life with Jesus in which he guides us into greater and greater holiness. It is as we grow to know Jesus more and more that our lives are transformed. Paul put it this way, “I don’t mean that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” (3:12)

If you know Jesus, in him you lack nothing. This is part of the beautiful truth of knowing him. The rest of the beautiful truth is that Jesus does not then leave you to work toward perfection on your own. Jesus invites us to continue to place our faith in him and press on in the beautiful life he wants to lead us into. Through Paul, God calls us to “press on to reach the end of the race and receive the Heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (3:14)

We have the privilege of knowing that if we are one with Jesus, we lack nothing. We also have the privilege of growing in our relationship with him and having him guide us into the beautiful and holy life only he can make possible.