Philippians

Blameless

Paul writes again that "it is a safeguard for you" (Php 3:1). He reiterates that as a practicing Jew "as to the righteousness which is in the Law, [he was] found blameless" (:6). Nowadays most would consider that faultless. After all "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; [and he] walked with God" (Ge 6:9). Also, Job "was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil" (Job 1:1). However, Paul said "I count all [these] things to be loss . . . and count them as rubbish" (Php 3:8). He regarded his accomplishments as forfeited or written off in an accounting sense since a loss is looked at as a debt and a gain as a credit. He said that "those things I have counted as loss" (:7) since, when taking an inventory, you count the occurrences which "things were gain to me" (:7). The gain was "righteousness which was in the Law" (:6) and "of my own derived from the Law" (:9) which, in accounting language, is a positive value. However, if "counted as loss" (:7) it has no value.

In a fiduciary sense it is like capital gains and losses. Paul uses it in banking venacular saying "if he . . . owes you anything, charge that to my account" (Phm 1:18} even though he probably didn't have a savings account anywhere. Furthermore they "sent a gift more than once (Php 4:16) and Paul sought "the profit which increases to your account" (:17). When you place a deposit in an account you determine the proper amount setting the balance to increase by that amount imputing it as a gain. It is a "profit" (:17) which connotes money. "The kings came and fought . . . they took no plunder [gain] in silver" (Ju 5:19). However, a man "finds wisdom and . . . gains understanding [and] . . . her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold" (Pr 3:13-14).