Philippians 3:6-9 "as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith"

Paul starts in Philippians 3 by sharing some of the things in his past that would have made him a "righteous" person.  Jews and Gentiles alike in his day would have seen Paul as being disciplined, noble and a God-honoring man.  But how has the gospel affected this view?

After recounting his past merits which would make him a righteous man in the worlds eye, Paul tells us that he counted it all loss, even considering his righteousness as rubbish or garbage in view of the value of knowing Christ.  Not only was his righteousness (and our own righteousness) worth nothing, it was actually a loss, it was garbage!  Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

How do we see our righteousness?  Do we recognize it for the loss and rubbish that it is?  Do you have a righteousness which comes from God, that has been given to you by faith?  This is the only way to have peace with a holy God (Romans 5:1), your own righteousness will not stand in the day of judgment in front of a perfectly holy and just God.