Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Philippians · About this commentary
Not a Righteousness of My Own
Philippians 3:9
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, · WEB
One verse contrasts two righteousnesses by their source, and the difference is where each is manufactured.
And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
The verse turns on possessive language. A righteousness of my own — the phrase is dismissive not because the righteousness is fake but because it is his, produced by him, and therefore no better than its producer. Verse 6 already conceded that by the law's measure it was blameless.
Against it stands one which is from God, and the preposition is the whole argument. The two are not distinguished by quality or degree but by origin.
Between them stands the means, stated twice in one verse: through faith, and by faith. The repetition is not redundancy; the first names the channel by which it comes, the second the manner in which it is held.
And the opening phrase governs everything: be found in him. The righteousness is not transferred into a person's account as a possession to inspect. It belongs to someone the believer is located inside, which is why nothing in the verse can be extracted and owned.
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