THE EXCELLENCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST

Yes, indeed, and I count all things to be loss, because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, because of whom of the all things I suffered loss, and do count them to be refuse, 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. (Philippians 3:8-11)

What does it mean to pursue excellence? Often times we have a sense of bettering ourselves to become excellent at something, maybe even to impress others at what we do. Maybe we are trying to simply see how good we are at a given task. What does it really mean to be excellent? What does God mean when he tells us to be excellent? What is Paul saying when he tells us to pursue an excellent knowledge of Christ.
When Paul became a disciple of Jesus, he gave up his brilliant prospects in regard to this life, and everything indeed on which his heart had been placed. He abandoned the hope of honor and distinction; he sacrificed every prospect of gain or ease; and he gave up his dearest friends and separated himself from those whom he tenderly loved. He might have risen to the highest posts of honor in his native land, and the path which an ambitious young man desires was fully open before him.
But all this had been cheerfully sacrificed in order that he might obtain an interest in Jesus, and partake of the blessings of relationship with him. We do not know of the exact extent of Paul's loss in becoming a follower of Jesus. It is by no means improbable that he had been excommunicated by the Jews; and that he had been disowned by his own family- Philippians 3:7-8
What mattered now was for him to "know Jesus Christ".

"...I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord..." (Philippians 3:8)

What Paul didn't say is noteworthy:
Paul didn't say, "I want to know all the issues."
Paul didn't say, "I want to know all the answers to selected questions."
Paul didn't say, "I want to know what every person believes."
Paul did say, "I want to know Christ."

Peace and love,

Sue

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)