Do I Have to Earn My Place With God? (Philippians 3:1-14)

A Letter to Wayzata

This is the second sermon in a three-part series Danielle and I are doing on Paul's letter to the Philippians. It is called a letter because Paul wrote it to the congregation in Philippi. Paul traveled from city to city in Asia Minor planting churches. These weren't buildings; they were house churches. He would gather with them, teach them, choose some leaders, and move on to the next city. Then he kept in touch through letters. Sometimes he encouraged them, sometimes he mediated a fight, sometimes he corrected a theological issue.

If Paul wrote a letter to Wayzata Community Church, it might read something like this: "Paul, servant of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Wayzata. Grace and peace to you. I thank God for the many denarii you have raised for the poor and needy through your rummage sale, and especially for the red-shirted men who carry heavy burdens all over the western lands. I urge the faithful council to remember the good work of the Thimble Bees, who toil in obscurity. Lastly, I urge Elder Dan to discontinue his frequent jabs at Elder Steve in his sermons, despite the raucous laughter it provokes, and despite the truth they contain."

Belonging Through Faith in Christ

Paul had taught the Philippians that they belonged to God, and that belonging came through faith in Christ, not observance of religious traditions. That meant belonging to God and to the church was open to Jews and Gentiles alike. To us that may not sound like much. To them it was radically inclusive.

But other teachers came in after Paul, whom he harshly calls "dogs" and "evil workers." He was never one to be subtle. They said Paul got most things right about Jesus but got one thing wrong: Gentiles could belong, but they had to be circumcised first. In this part of the letter, Paul refutes them passionately. Faith in Christ alone is sufficient for belonging to God and to the church.

You have to understand how radical this was for a Jewish follower of Jesus. For centuries, circumcision, the Sabbath and sacrifices were part of what it meant to belong to God. They were gifts from God. So when Paul said Gentiles could fully belong without them, it made people rethink something that had been foundational for generations. Paul isn't denying that God commanded circumcision, or that Jesus himself was circumcised. He is saying a Gentile does not need to be circumcised to belong fully to the people of God. That is a seismic theological shift.

The Gospel Is Jesus Plus Nothing

Paul's vision for this new life can be boiled down to five words: the gospel is Jesus plus nothing. Not Jesus plus circumcision. Not Jesus plus a religious tradition. Not Jesus plus anything other than faith in Christ.

For Paul this was personal. If anyone could claim to be justified by religious performance, it was Paul. He was an A+ student: "Circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless." If anyone could earn it, it was him. He isn't boasting. He is saying that if even he cannot earn righteousness in this new life, then no one should need to.

"Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ," he writes. "I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." The Greek word is skubalon. Polite translators chose "rubbish." It is closer to "dung," and even that is too PG for what Paul is calling his accomplishments. I'll let you finish the translation yourself, because I like my job.

Jesus plus nothing doesn't mean growth or righteousness don't matter. It means I am defined by who Christ is and who Christ makes me, not by what I do.

Nobody Is Left Out

Jesus plus nothing means nobody is left out and everybody is welcomed in. But every generation of the church has been tempted to add to it. Jesus plus being Catholic, so Protestants are left out. Jesus plus being Protestant, so Catholics are just wrong. Jesus plus the right politics, so the other side is out. Jesus plus the correct doctrine, so doubters are out. Jesus plus heterosexuality and traditional gender conformity, so LGBTQIA+ people are out. On and on it goes.

That temptation is hardwired in us. We want boundary markers that say who is in the group and who isn't, because that is how we feel safe. The early church was trying to blow that paradigm out of the water, because that is what Jesus did. Think about who he ate with: people society treated as skubalon, and also Pharisees and teachers of the law. Everyone was invited in.

The Church Should Look Like Jesus

Jesus plus nothing also means the church should look like Jesus. He welcomed all people, ate with them and died for all of them. That is how the body of Christ is meant to live in the world. We will do it imperfectly, but the church is called to look like Jesus as he is written in the Gospels. When the church no longer looks like Jesus, it is no longer the church, no matter what it calls itself. If it is wrapped in a flag, it is not the church. If it is wrapped in a stringent doctrine that expels other people, it is not the church.

When we look like Jesus, disagreements will exist, but division should be erased. Disagreement, absolutely. Division, not allowed. In Colossians 3:11 Paul writes that in this new life it doesn't matter whether you are Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, slave or free. "Christ is all, and in all." Humans don't like the word "all." But he lives in all of us.

Tearing Down Fences

Jesus plus nothing means not only that everybody is invited in, but that we actively tear down the walls and barriers that keep people out. We sacrifice our own comfort. We even put our finances toward welcoming people in. Keeping the lights on is important. Welcoming people in is essential.

So what does it mean for the church in 2026 to look like Jesus, to be Jesus-plus-nothing people? What does it mean for Wayzata Community Church as we look toward 2027?

Why We Go Where We Know We're Wanted

My mom and dad live in Hugo, near Forest Lake. They waited a long time for grandkids from me, my two sisters and our spouses. Then between 2007 and 2009 they suddenly had six grandkids, and they were overjoyed. They began to plot how to get us to their house as much as possible. Their plan: they built a pool. Brilliant. Exhausted young parents could bring the kids, the kids had fun, and the pool was always heated to about 95 degrees. We went as often as we could. Now there are seven grandkids, two in college, six with driver's licenses, and we were still at that house a lot this past summer. They added a sport court, and my dad lets my son Isaac drive his 2006 red convertible stick-shift Corvette. I go along and pray every single mile.

Why do we go to their house? Because we know they want us there. We know they love us. We know they have sacrificed so that we will spend time with them. It is for us.

Friends, the church of Jesus in 2026 needs to do that. I'm not saying we will build a pool that opens up under Methven Hall. But let's ask: if we want people from the western suburbs and beyond to know they are loved for free and invited in, what do we need to do? What do we need to sacrifice? What do we need to create so they will come and know that Jesus loves and accepts them?

Growing Together

As the council, clergy and staff have gathered, our goal for 2027 is to grow: in attendance, in spiritual formation for all ages, in serving the world God loves, in giving, and in creating a pathway for new members to become committed followers. To do that we have to start dreaming, giving, sacrificing and inviting. Not because we should, but because we want people here to experience the radical, inclusive love of God.

So how might we know Jesus more and more, so that we look like him? How might we live so that the fences are torn down? And what will we sacrifice so that when people come, they know they belong?

Friends, let's be the church of Jesus plus nothing. Let's be the church that offers a radical welcome. Let's be the church that looks like Jesus, and let's do it imperfectly, and forgive each other when we do. May it be so. Amen.

Closing Prayer

God, give us the grace to be who you are calling us to be, and who you empower us to be. All we need to do is say yes. Amen.