Do We Truly Know How To “Count?”

Phil.3:7] But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

[8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

One of the first steps of a child’s process of education is learning to count. And as he taught to count, he then learns ‘what’ to count, and ‘how’ to count it. He is taught basic addition and subtraction, he is then taught division and multiplication, and as he grows, he is taught algebra and geometry, and trigonometry, and the like. But in each of these classes of ‘math,’ the object remains the same, the student ‘counts,’ whether by addition or subtraction. And we see the Apostle Paul doing just that in Philippians chapter 3, he counted things that he subtracted from his life. But these things were things that he counted as addition unto him, or as he called it; “gain.” And we have all heard the sayings, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ or ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ And we are taught how to “look” at things they way in which our Father sees them. We are taught to look ‘right through’ the things of this world, and to look at the unseen power and Spiritual things of God.

Phil.3:4] Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5] Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

[6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Furthermore, the things that we count as gain or loss are all based upon our thinking about the things in which we count. The Apostle Paul teaches that he too counted the things mentioned in verses 5 and 6 as great gain, and they were among the many millions of Jews of his day. And Paul and the many of his Nation trusted in the works of their flesh, and had no regard for the truth of the Word of God, but they ‘thought’ their worship was according to godliness, they thought they were doing the will of God and counted their achievements in their religion as gain and something to be celebrated, and sought after to be holy in God’s sight. Paul later learned how to truly count as our Father in godliness, he was taught what was “good” in the sight of God, and what was the “evil” in His sight as well. And we are taught our Father’s selfless love in Romans chapter 12, and we are also told to have a ‘godly abhorrence’ for the things which are evil, and we see Paul say, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

Phil.3:12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, there are the “things” that Paul now counts as a “prize,” and the things “which are before.” These are the things in which he now ‘counts’ as the things that are always “before” him. But he first learned the doctrine which is according to godliness to “renew” his mind by. He learned what was that “good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,” and what was well pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God, and then he became “transformed by the renewing of” his mind. Paul now knew the things to ‘reach forth’ unto, and he also learned to “cleave unto that which is good” in the sight of God. We too ought learn what are the things that we need to “count” as “gain” in the sight of God, and what are the things that we ought to count as “dung” in the sight of our Father. And our Father compares the earthly things of this world in the likeness of “dung” in His sight, and we are given the example by our Father in which we too ought to view those things. And it is oftentimes the things that man’s flesh ‘cleaves’ unto that he seeks after as the “gain” in his sight, but those are the things in which our Father ‘abhors,’ and is the evil in his sight, and those ought to be the things in which we too abhor and “count” as dung unto us.

Rom.12:1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rod Jones