What does Paul mean by “not having my own righteousness” in Philippians 3:9?

Paul is teaching that our justification before God comes through faith in Christ, not by works of the law alone. However, this does not abolish obedience; true faith produces righteousness through sanctification and obedience to God’s laws.

Does “faith alone” mean that obedience to God’s laws is no longer required?

No. While salvation is a gift of grace through faith, obedience is the evidence of that faith. The Bible teaches that those who truly know Christ will turn from sin and practice righteousness.

Why did Peter warn that Paul’s writings could be misunderstood?

Peter cautioned believers that some of Paul’s writings are difficult to understand and can be twisted by the unlearned or unstable, leading them away from truth. This warning reminds us to interpret Scripture with care and consistency.

How can believers live righteously without relying on “their own righteousness”?

Believers live righteously by surrendering to Christ and walking in obedience through the Spirit. It’s not self-righteousness but Christ’s righteousness formed within us through daily sanctification.

Not Having My Own Righteousness

August 1, 2025
5 minutes

Understanding Paul’s Words in Philippians 3:9–11

In the book of Philippians, Paul is speaking to the church in Philippi, encouraging them in the faith and exhorting them to be of one mind in all they do. He commends their obedience and pursuit of being children of God and tells them to hold fast to all they have learned.

Yet we have in this letter to the church in Philippi verses that have been pivotal in spreading the false doctrine that teaches the law has been annulled, and they are found in chapter 3 and verses 9-11 where Paul says “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

From the Reformation in the 16th century, the Five Solas became a cornerstone of the doctrines of the reformed church. From these five, most commonly quoted are the three that give us: “faith alone, Christ alone, and grace alone.” Historically a faithfulness to the Law was observed until changes began to emerge late in the 19th century; liberalization of the gospel and introducing the concept that the law had been annulled or basically set aside in light of our salvation being provided solely on the merits of Christ began a slow exodus from observing the law. As we know that we cannot be saved by our works, this has wide appeal, relieving believers of the burden of cessation of sin knowing no amount of personal righteousness can save us. All of this is true, making the above verses from Philippians a perfect source for the conviction used to support the false doctrine.

The Misuse of Paul’s Message in Modern Doctrine

However, what has been lost along the way is additional teaching the Bible provides that clarifies what takes place in the salvation process, and yes, saying “faith alone, Christ alone, and grace alone” is an over-simplification if we stop right there. What is true is that justification is through Christ alone, that is, in judgment, we will be found guiltless because Jesus took our place in judgment, took our penalty for sins upon Himself, and His atonement covers our sin debt. Yes, all true.

But what is being left out in modern Christian teaching is the importance of sanctification, and without it, we simply do not qualify to receive justification available through Christ. Those who “do” preach sanctification do so saying we are also sanctified through Christ in the same manner as being justified – in all aspects, at our judgment in heaven, our guilt is removed, and we are declared holy. In order to make this make sense, the conclusion must be that the law has been made void, otherwise we must contend with the problem of sin in the believer’s life after accepting Christ as Savior. If we are washed in the blood of Jesus from conversion to death, it means we either have a free pass to commit sin, ad infinitum, without penalty, or the obligation to stop sinning has been revoked though Christ and we simply can’t sin, by definition thereof. Neither can be right, given what the Bible teaches us.

The Importance of Sanctification in Salvation

Paul’s comment in Philippians is being misused. Consider what Peter says in:

2 Peter 3:14-18

14) Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

15) and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

16) as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17) You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

18) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Peter is warning us not to be deceived by the false claims made by ignorant or unreliable people, yes even wicked people that twist what Paul has taught us. And that is exactly what has happened to doctrines within Christianity. Before regeneration takes place, our fallen natures are always looking for a “salvation” that leaves us comfortable where we are at, still in the flesh. This cannot save us. We are told, Romans 8:8, So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Peter’s Warning About Twisting Scripture

Back to the title of this article Not Having My Own Righteousness, we have reasoned with brothers who are still held captive by false doctrine, who defend their faith saying if we seek a righteousness of our own it is legalism and denies the work of Christ on the cross, using these verses of Paul as justification. If we were to accept their claim, it would make obedience an enemy of Christ, as though one must choose either Christ or obedience, and you can’t have both – totally untrue! What is true is that you cannot be saved without both; what a cruel false doctrine this is!

The Call to Obedience and Righteous Living

Brothers and sisters, consider the following verses and ask yourself “Do I have to obey God’s laws to be permitted into the kingdom?”

1 John 3:4-8

4) Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

5) And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

6) Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

7) Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

8) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

The True Meaning of ‘Not Having My Own Righteousness’

VERY IMPORTANT:

Obedience to God’s laws is not forsaking the gift of life we receive through the death and resurrection of Christ on the cross; it is the fulfillment of what He has done for us; it is what He has done to “destroy the works of the devil”, which is to foment sin in us. When we are obedient to Jesus, we stop sinning, Luke 6:46. The evidence of success on the cross is our departure from evil and becoming “righteous just as He is righteous.” Does this look like what Paul said in Philippians 3:9 “not having my own righteousness”?

Please, this whole thought-process is important, not just here in this article, but in all our understanding of the Bible; we can’t say Paul is right and is declaring righteousness of the law to be a wrong thing when John in 1John 3 clearly speaks of the importance of personal righteousness. As we should all agree that the Bible is inerrant, both authors speak truth. So how is this resolved? We use the Principle of Inclusive Continuity, covered in another article. We must look hard again at Paul’s words, consider what Peter said, as it was already common knowledge in his day that Paul’s writings at times were hard to understand and were being twisted. Bottom line is that we do need a personal righteousness, just like the righteousness of Christ, and we obtain it by practicing righteousness, 1 John 3:7, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” and a key thought here is to not let anyone deceive you.

Paul told the Philippians to be of one mind. We too should be of one mind, Philippians 1:27 and Philippians 2:2.