Thursday 06 November 2008

Background

(For some background to Paul's letter to the Philippians, read thebeginning of Monday's background notes.)

In this section of Philippians, Paul is reminding the Church atPhilippi (in modern-day Macedonia) that he was born with a silverspoon in his mouth - he was the bee's knees in spades. Yet heconsidered all of the privileges he had as nothing; they were evenan impediment to him, compared to the pleasure and worth hebelieved faith in Jesus Christ gave him.

Paul was a fanatic. Ask him what mattered most to him and he wouldconsider the answer a no-brainer. What mattered most was the newfaith he had found. It can be a little scary when people are sosure and so committed to a cause, yet most of us know people whomake such commitments. Sometimes we have nothing but admiration forthem and sometimes we find them compelling.

Paul, I suspect, was a compelling figure and his passion wasoverwhelming. The listing of his privileges was a natural way forhim to give the reader a way of understanding the depth of hiscommitment. For Paul, the Christian faith was everything, andanything less than everything was unacceptable. I am sure that thiscommitment lay at the heart of how people responded to Paul.

To Ponder

In what ways could faith and belief in JesusChrist bring more to life than any number of privileges?

To what extent can an exceptional personaltestimony prevent other people responding positively because thecomparisons are too difficult? Do you know any examples when thishas happened?

Is religion only for the fanatic?