More Than Doing Things for God · Day 5
Accepted by Grace
By Wolisson Nascimento Santos
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
Philippians 3:9 · King James Version (KJV)
There is a small phrase in this verse that changes the weight of the day: “not having mine own righteousness”.
Paul had spent years building a life he could present before God. Now he wants to be found in Christ, with the righteousness that comes from God through faith. The basis of his acceptance has changed.
This is where grace becomes concrete. Christ did for you what you could never do on your own. Through faith you receive what you could not earn by collecting days of good performance.
That also changes how you face a failure. You can acknowledge it, ask for forgiveness, and try to repair what you have done, trusting in Christ. The mistake needs attention; your acceptance does not need to be bought again with a perfect week.
Do your tasks with care today. The good you do can grow from gratitude for having been welcomed.
The context
“To be found in him” is courtroom language and shelter language at once: on the day they come looking for Paul, he wants to be found inside Christ, and not inside his own résumé. And the righteousness he describes has a sender — it is “of God”.
It is the difference between walking into a room holding your report card and walking in holding the hand of the person who owns the room.
Did you know?
The same Greek word appears twice in this verse: the righteousness that is “mine own” and the righteousness that is “of God”. Paul is not comparing a bad righteousness with a good one — he is saying there are two sources for the same thing, and that he chose the one that does not depend on him. “Faith” appears twice too, both times attached to how that righteousness arrives.
A line to keep
Your acceptance in Christ does not depend on a perfect week.
Today’s challenge
When you notice a failure today, acknowledge it before God and think of one step to repair what you can. Do this trusting in Christ’s grace, without waiting to be perfect before drawing near.
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