Curses

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ~ Philippians 3:7-9

When I used to teach confirmation, this was one of the passages we always had fun with. The word, "skubala," translated here as "rubbish" is really not as strong a word as Paul means. The King James and New English Translation of the Bible came a bit closer by using the term "dung" because "skubala" meant, according to scholars, a vulgar term for fecal matter.

Yep.  That's the word Paul meant.

Why is it important that the Apostle Paul could use a curse word?

It's not important just because it means that since there is a curse word in the Bible, we can feel free to "curse boldly." Instead, I think it's important because it is the only time in scripture this word is used. It's the only time Paul uses it, so he uses it the way curse words probably should be used - on a limited basis for great effect.  

We've become so conditioned to hearing them so often that in some sense they've lost their meaning. Many aren't shocked anymore because they are used so often that their power for strong exclamation has been lost.  

And others are shocked by them because their regularity makes the vulgarness just that much more extreme.

Paul isn't being vulgar for vulgarity's sake. Paul is being vulgar intentionally because he knows this word will shock.  He wants to shock.  He wants everyone to now how strongly he feels about this.

He is basically saying: "My life before Christ was _____ (insert vulgar term for fecal matter)."  

He doesn't want there to be any confusion on that point.

Life in Christ is better than anything.  Life in Christ makes what might seem like the best thing in your life to actually fall away as nothing.  

How shockingly great!

Let no one be confused about your importance in my life, Jesus! Amen