7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
After reciting all of his religious credentials and background in the opening verses Paul now gets to what really matters: Christ. Notice the emphasis throughout the passage on Him: ten times Paul uses His name or a pronoun referring to Him. When it comes to "religions", the core issue boils down to righteousness: Is what I believe right? Is what I am doing right? Am I on the right path? Am I right with God. Paul knew he was on the right path because His faith was in Christ and not himself. Christ was his righteousness. Is He yours?
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