The Meaning of Philippians 3:9 Explained

Philippians 3:9

KJV: 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:

YLT: not having my righteousness, which is of law, but that which is through faith of Christ -- the righteousness that is of God by the faith,

Darby: and that I may be found in him, not having my righteousness, which would be on the principle of law, but that which is by faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God through faith,

ASV: and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Philippians 3:9 Mean?

Study Notes

the righteousness
.
righteousness of God
The righteousness of God is neither an attribute of God, not the changed character of the believer, but Christ Himself, who fully met in our stead and behalf every demand of the law, and who is, but the act of God called imputation Leviticus 25:50 ; James 2:23 , "made unto us. . righteousness" 1 Corinthians 1:30 .
"The believer in Christ is now, by grace, shrouded under so complete and blessed a righteousness that the law from Mt. Sinai can find neither fault nor diminution therein. This is that which is called the righteousness of God by faith."--Bunyan.
2 Corinthians 5:21 ; Romans 4:6 ; Romans 10:4 ; Philippians 3:9 ; Romans 3:26

Verse Meaning

Paul"s vision turned again to the future and the judgment seat of Christ. He had made his choices in life since his conversion because of the essential value of getting to know Christ better and because God would evaluate his life one day. On that day Paul wanted to be found "in Him," namely, standing in the merit of Christ rather than in his own merit. His own merit rested on his own righteousness as the Mosaic Law defined it. The merit of Christ is His righteousness that God credits to the believer"s account when we place our trust in Him (cf. Romans 3:20-23). This righteousness comes to us "through faith" in Christ, and it comes to us "on the basis of" (or "by," NIV) "faith" from God.
""Faith" is the very opposite of human works; it is the reception of God"s work by those who acknowledge the futility of their own efforts to attain righteousness." [1]
We could say that we reach heaven not by walking up a set of stairs but by riding an elevator.

Context Summary

Philippians 3:1-12 - Losing All To Know Christ
Precept must be on precept, line on line. The false teachers who dogged Paul's steps insisted on rigid conformity to Judaism, with its rabbinical accretions, as the condition of being saved by Christ. Paul's answer was that he had gone through all the requirements of Judaism, but had found it absolutely unsatisfactory and inefficient to subdue the sin of his soul. But in Christ he had found everything he needed. What had been gain to him now seemed but dross. He had found the pearl of great price, and was only too glad to sacrifice all else to purchase and keep it, as the talisman of complete victory.
The essence of Judaism was not external but within. True circumcision was deliverance from the self-life, and that could only be gained by the Cross of Christ. The "Israelite indeed," like Nathanael, had three traits of character-his worship was spiritual, he gloried in the Crucified, and he was delivered from reliance upon the self-life. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to know Jesus in the intimacy of personal fellowship, to feel the pulse of His resurrection life, to experience the power of His death, and to realize the whole of His divine program. For this we might be more than content to trample on our boasted pride. [source]

Chapter Summary: Philippians 3

1  He warns them to beware of the false teachers;
4  showing that himself has greater cause than they to trust in the righteousness of the law;
7  which he counts as loss, to gain Christ and his righteousness;
12  acknowledging his own imperfection and pressing on toward the goal;
15  He exhorts them to be thus minded;
17  and to imitate him,
18  and to decline carnal ways

Greek Commentary for Philippians 3:9

Be found in him [ευρετω εν αυτωι]
First aorist (effective) passive subjunctive with ινα — hina of ευρισκω — heuriskō At death (2 Corinthians 5:3) or when Christ comes. Cf. Phlippians 2:8; Galatians 2:17. [source]
Through faith in Christ [δια πιστεως Χριστου]
The objective genitive Χριστου — Christou not subjective, as in Galatians 2:16, Galatians 2:20; Romans 3:22. Explained further by επι τηι πιστει — epi tēi pistei (on the basis of faith) as in Acts 3:16. [source]
Be found [εὑρεθῶ]
Discovered or proved to be. See on Phlippians 2:8. Compare Romans 7:10; Galatians 2:17. [source]
Mine own righteousness [ἐμὴν δικαιοσύνην]
Rev., correctly, a righteousness of mine own. The A.V. would require the article with ἐμὴν mineand assumes the existence of a personal righteousness; whereas Paul says, not having any righteousness which can be called mine. [source]
Which is of the law [τὴν ἐκ νόμου]
Rev., better, even that which is of the law; thus bringing out the force of the article which defines the character of that righteousness which alone could be personal, viz., righteousness consisting in the strict fulfillment of the law. [source]
Through the faith of Christ [διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ]
Rev., better, through faith in Christ. Faith as opposed to the law. The change of prepositions, through ( διὰ ) faith, and of ( ἐκ ) the law, as turning on the distinction between faith represented as the medium, and the law as the source of justification, cannot be insisted upon as a rule, since both the prepositions are used with faith, as in Galatians 2:16. Compare Romans 3:30; Romans 5:1. [source]
Of God []
Contrasted with my own. [source]
By faith [ἐπὶ]
Resting upon faith, or on the condition of. Compare Acts 3:16. [source]

What do the individual words in Philippians 3:9 mean?

and be found in Him not having my own righteousness which [is] of [the] Law but that through faith from Christ the God on the basis of - faith
καὶ εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ μὴ ἔχων ἐμὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ νόμου ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ τὴν Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει

εὑρεθῶ  be  found 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 1st Person Singular
Root: εὑρίσκω  
Sense: to come upon, hit upon, to meet with.
ἐμὴν  my  own 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Feminine 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐμός  
Sense: my, mine, etc.
δικαιοσύνην  righteousness 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: δικαιοσύνη  
Sense: in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God.
τὴν  which  [is] 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
νόμου  [the]  Law 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: νόμος  
Sense: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.
τὴν  that 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
διὰ  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
πίστεως  faith 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πίστις  
Sense: conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it.
Χριστοῦ  from  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
Θεοῦ  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐπὶ  on  the  basis  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
τῇ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πίστει  faith 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: πίστις  
Sense: conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it.