<p>3:6- see on Phil. 1:10; 1 Tim. 1:16.</p><p><i>As touching zeal, persecuting the church. As touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless</i>- Judaism at the time apparently considered persecuting Christians as a sign of high qualification as a Jews. In saying that he persecuted the Christian church &quot;zealously&quot; he was alluding to the way that Phinehas is described as 'zealous' for the way in which he murdered an apostate Jew together with a Gentile who was leading him to sin (Num. 25). Note that the Jews in Palestine had no power to give anyone the death sentence, as witnessed not only by the record of the trial of Jesus but Josephus too (<i>Antiquities</i> 20.202; <i>BJ</i> 2.117; 6.302). Paul was a criminal murderer; and he had justified it by saying that he was the 1st Century Phinehas. Ps. 106:30 had commented upon the murder performed by Phinehas, that his zeal &quot;was accounted to him for righteousness&quot;. This sets the background for the converted Paul's huge emphasis upon the fact that <i>faith</i> in Jesus is what is &quot;reckoned for righteousness&quot;, and it is in <i>this</i> way that God &quot;justifies the unGodly&quot; (Rom. 4:3-5; 5:6; Gal. 3:6). Paul is inviting us to see ourselves as him- passionately obsessed with going about our justification the <i>wrong</i> way, and having to come to the <i>huge</i> realization that righteousness is <i>imputed</i> to us by our faith in the work of Jesus. Paul saw himself as learning the lesson of Job. Phil. 3 has several allusions back to him- like Job, Paul suffered &ldquo;the loss of all things&rdquo; (:8), although he considered himself previously &ldquo;blameless&rdquo; (:6). He threw away his own righteousness, that he might be justified by grace and know thereby the essence of Christ (:9), just as Job did.</p><p>Paul's technical obedience to the Law was &quot;found blameless&quot;; but it was only &quot;found&quot; that way by men, externally; for in Rom. 7:15-25 he admits to gross and continued disobedience to the Law in his spirit. If we seek justification before God by legal obedience to the Law, we shall be &quot;found sinners&quot; (Gal. 2:17). We can only be found truly blameless before God if He imputes righteousness to us through our being in Christ, and we are &quot;found in Him&quot; (:9).</p>