“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness that of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:7-11, ESV) What was Paul’s ultimate aim, in his life and death? It wasn’t to look good; that is why he counted his impeccable Israelite heritage and his academic achievements as loss rather than gain. It wasn’t to be a suffering martyr. It wasn’t to convert as many people as he could. It wasn’t to preach the gospel to the ends of t...
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