We Are Not Our Resume
The gospel frees us from the tyranny of living for our acceptance into the blessedness of living from our acceptance!
“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 of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” (Philippians 3:7-9).
The Apostle Paul had an impressive resume. He was a Jew of Jews, trained by the best, and deeply devoted to the Law of God. By every human standard, he had the credentials, the status, and the approval of his peers. And yet, he tells us that none of it was worth building his identity on. When he put everything in perspective, all the achievements and qualifications that could define him went into the “loss” column—because something far greater belonged in their place: the righteousness of God that comes through faith in Christ.
When Paul first encountered the risen Jesus, his physical eyes were blinded, but his spiritual eyes were opened. For the first time, he saw that everything he once considered gain was nothing compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Standing before Jesus, all his efforts to establish his own righteousness were exposed for what they were—insufficient. But in Christ, he found something better: full and final acceptance, not based on what he had done, but on what Jesus had done for him. The gospel set him free from striving for approval because, in Christ, he already had it.
And so it is for us today. We are not our resume. Our identity is not found in what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve failed to do, or what we one day hope to achieve. The most important thing about us is not our work, but Christ’s work for us. His resume has become ours. In Him, we are fully accepted. Resting in that truth frees us from the tyranny of living for our acceptance into the blessedness of living from our acceptance!
Blessed assurance!!