PODCAST
A Credential Crisis
April 14th, 2017
Philippians 3:1-11
Many occupations depend on a system of credentials to certify that a particular individual is qualified for a particular position. These systems come into question when credentials are falsified or stolen. Even if the person using the fake or stolen credentials causes no direct harm, there is an erosion of trust in the system.
Religious teachers, claiming powerful spiritual credentials, were causing the believers at Philippi to doubt the teaching of Paul, Timothy, and other faithful leaders. These false teachers taught a brand of legalism that trusted in human rituals and ceremonies rather than Christ. The apostle Paul knew what a trap such belief could become. He had once taken pride in his own religious credentials, but now he counted them “garbage” (v. 8).
Paul had discovered that no level of human achievement could certify anyone as righteous before God. Such righteousness is not earned, but received by faith in Jesus Christ. Only by faith can we know the power of His resurrection.
Author: Duane Brush
