AND BE FOUND IN HIM

Christ is a spiritual place. Being found in a place is to be present in that location. There is the old Adamic nature and there is the new creation in Christ. As a new creature in Christ, you have the new nature of God and you are alive to God in Christ. However, in the spiritual realm, you must be actively present in Christ.

Reference: Philippians 3:9 New International Version (NIV) 'and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.'

In the previous verse, Paul so much desired the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord, that he didn't mind the cost. He considered every other thing as garbage, that he might gain Christ and be found in Him. From Paul's standpoint, as a new creation in Christ, you must ensure you are always found in Christ. Be present in Him. It's like someone knowing your location and urging you to always be in that location, so that the realities of the location will continually find expression through you. In other words, you must be in your position and function with the righteousness from God, so that when God sees Christ, you'd be found in Christ. When you are always conscious that you are in Christ, you will abandon all attempts to forge a righteousness of your own, and embrace the righteousness of God on the basis of faith.

When God came to look for Adam and Eve at the garden of Eden, they were not at their spiritual domain. God looked and He couldn't locate them at their place. For this reason, their whereabouts was unknown to God. Note that God's movement was a spiritual one because He is a Spirit. Adam and Eve always recognised His presence at the garden spiritually, and God acknowledged their presence as well. So when He came at this very time, He was expecting them to feel His presence as though He was physical, but it wasn't so anymore. The Bible says, 'So the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid" (Genesis 3:9-10 NIV).

When God discovered that they had their own wisdom and understanding based on the knowledge of good and evil, He was disappointed. This happened because of the tree in the middle of the garden, which they disobeyed God and ate its fruit. As a result, they gained a different kind of wisdom (see Genesis 3:1-6 NIV). The gap or barrier was much that God couldn't communicate with them at the same level anymore. Now this is likened to our referenced Scripture. God doesn't want you to be absent-minded in Christ, having your own righteousness. Whenever He looks through His lens, He wants to find you in Christ, having His own righteousness through faith because the righteousness of God is on the basis of faith in Christ.

Paul realized his works would never be sufficient to make him righteous before God. This is because Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) says that, 'God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.' Indeed, we cannot please God with our own righteousness. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6 NLT). This is Paul's reason for referring to works as "garbage," as in the prior verse. Those works cannot save or make us right with God, rather they can actually impede our walk with God.

Anything we rely on, or take pride in, more than God-given righteousness is a friction or a barrier to our fellowship with Him. Christ gave us our faith and the gift of righteousness and both are completely dependent on God. We have no other source of righteousness and faith than Jesus. Therefore be found in Christ, not having your own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 1:17; Ephesians 6:14; Romans 6:13; Romans 9:30; 1 John 2:29.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for my identity in Christ and my passion to always participate in divine interests. In Christ I live, and move and have my being. I have His righteousness, life and nature and my focus is purely on Him. As the epitome of His righteousness, I manifest the glory of Christ and my fellowship with Him gives my life a meaning and solidifies my fraternal union with the Godhead. Thus, I'm full of grace, beauty and wisdom of divine, in Jesus' Name, Amen!