Suggestions for leading a study:
Profit and Loss Statement
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider
loss for the sake of Christ. 8What 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 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know
Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to
attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Discussion Questions
-If you were to create a “profit and loss” statement for your life, what kinds of things that you have gained or accomplished in this world would be included on the profit side?
-Paul’s qualification as a good Jew (and an apostle) were pretty strong. But to him, they were all on the “loss” side of his ledger. What was on the “profit” side that made that possible and how is that different from the way we think about the things that make us significant in this world?
- In verse 8 Paul describes “gaining Christ” as “knowing” him. How do you think we can get beyond knowing about Christ, and really get to know him?
-In verse 9 Paul gets even more intense in how he talks of knowing Christ, by speaking of it as being “in him.” What is it in this verse that makes that possible?
-Does thinking of ourselves as “in Christ” help to put the other things we have gained with our lives into a proper perspective? In other words, is there anything we would have to bring “into” that relationship that would enhance the significance of Christ?
-In verses 10 and 11 Paul mentions two ways he wants to know Christ. How do you think we can experience in our own lives:
1. the power of his resurrection
2. the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings
-According to verse 11, what is the ultimate motivation for being willing to suffer like Christ did?
Leaders' Guide
Profit and Loss Statement
This study works through
a powerful passage in Philippians to underscore how prioritizing Christ will
ultimately lead to a greater sense of significance in this world than the
things that we gain or accomplish.
-If you were to create
a “profit and loss” statement for your life, what kinds of things that you have
gained or accomplished in this world would be included on the profit side?
In this passage Paul uses
terminology from the world of finance, specifically ledgers that kept track of
business expenses and income. Today that
would be a profit and loss statement—one of the financial instruments that help
to understand what you’re worth. That is
what this lesson is really about: where
we find our real sense of worth. This
question is designed to get at the kinds of things that people rely on for
their significance in this world, so explore it as you are able with that in
mind. Many people in this world find
that in the stuff which they accumulate, but people may not actually admit that
in a bible study. That’s OK, because the
real issue in this text is accomplishments.
It may be people that have been influenced, career accomplishments, education,
etc. Jot them down, or remember them for
use later in the study.
- Paul’s qualification as a good Jew (and an
apostle) were pretty strong. But to him, they were all on the “loss” side of
his ledger. What was on the “profit”
side that made that possible and how is that different from the way we think
about the things that make us significant in this world?
Review the first few verses of
this chapter, where Paul goes through his pedigree as a righteous Jew. Also, he is writing this letter at the end of
his career as an apostle and it would certainly be fair to assume that he was
well aware of all that he had accomplished with his life. Nevertheless, Paul can consider it all lost
compared to his relationship with Christ.
He describes what that means in a couple of ways that the rest of the
study will explore. For now, try to work
through how different this is from the ways in which we achieve our own sense
of significance, which normally comes from what we have or do.
-In verse 8 Paul
describes “gaining Christ” as “knowing” him.
How do you think we can get beyond knowing about Christ, and really get to know him?
When Paul speaks of knowing
Christ, he isn’t just referring to understanding him, or having information
about him. He is talking about a
relationship that is very intense and intimate.
He equates that with “gaining” Christ, or receiving from him his key
characteristics. That’s a big topic, of
course, and the essence of our lives of spiritual formation, but a discussion
of how to get past the superficial and into a real intimate relationship with
Christ is always helpful. Many people
find it to be adequate to come to church on Sunday, or a mid-week bible study
and learn something. God wants “knowing
him” to be more than that, and exploring how we can achieve that is a lifetime
goal.
-In verse 9 Paul gets
even more intense in how he talks of knowing Christ, by speaking of it as being
“in him.” What is it in this verse that
makes that possible?
The righteousness of God that
comes through faith in Christ is what creates such a unique bond between us and
him that it can be spoken of as being “in Christ.” This is one of Paul’s
favorite metaphors when he speaks of our relationship to Christ, and the
implications are immense. But for
purposes of this lesson, this is an opportunity to underscore once again just
why all of the things we have gained or accomplished are only so much rubbish:
they simply cannot achieve for us any kind of spiritual status. They may get us kudos in this world, but in
God’s eyes it is only the righteousness that we have through Christ that gets
us any significance.
- Does thinking of ourselves as “in Christ”
help to put the other things we have gained with our lives into a proper
perspective? In other words, is there
anything we would have to bring “into” that relationship that would enhance the
significance of Christ?
Consider some of the things that
were mentioned at first, and ask about them: would they increase the
significance of the son of God, the Lord of the Universe? Clearly not.
Reminding ourselves that we are in him should help to remind us that
when we enter that relationship, we cannot possibly bring with us anything that
is going to add to the value of the one in whom we find our being.
-In verses 10 and 11
Paul mentions two ways he wants to know Christ.
How do you think we can experience in our own lives:
1. the power of his resurrection
Paul is speaking here of the reality of new life in Christ which is empowered by his Spirit. This includes the power to live righteous lives, go on mission for him, and generally be fully functional members of his kingdom. Part of the answer to the “how” question is to make sure we understand what this lesson is about: that the most important thing in our lives is our relationship to Christ, as well as where we get our significance. Without that basic value system, none of the rest of what God wants to do in us and through us will happen.
2. the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings
Although Paul is in
prison at this point, and very well aware that he is probably going to be
executed, he is talking about our spiritual identification with what the death
of Christ meant. When Christ died he
“buried” the sins of the world, and that is what has to proceed living in the
power of his resurrection: dying to self and sin. That is what baptism represents, and it is
really another way of saying what this lesson is about: de-valuing the things
of this world and what the world thinks makes us significant, and valuing Jesus
Christ instead.
-According to verse
11, what is the ultimate motivation for being willing to suffer like Christ
did?
Paul is never apologetic about looking forward to our resurrection existence, and understanding that the degree to which we develop our Christ-likeness in this world, as well as accomplish God’s work in it, will affect the nature of our eternity. He underscores that, although in this present life our identification with the power of Christ’s resurrection is a spiritual one to empower right living, it will eventually be the real thing. And it is our spiritual identification with Christ in the here and now that will enable us to experience the final reality of it as we live with him forever in a new heavens and new earth, cleansed of all improper motivations and the results of them.