SS Notes Philippians 3:1-6

Introduction

In this passage Paul warned the saints at Philippi. He repeated things that he had warned them about in the past, but he saw fit to address these areas again. You see, the false teachers were out there; they were enemies of Christ, enemies of Paul, and enemies of the Philippian church. They were trying their best to lead them astray with their false doctrine. Paul told them to watch out for them as a father would give advise to his son. He was extremely concerned for his spiritual children, and in light of their own problems, he felt that they were open prey to these dangerous teachings.

Christians today are not exempt from the false teachings of the world. There are cults and organizations that are trying to get to us. And even more dangerous, there are churches that teach these same lies in a manner that is much more subtle. The amazing thing is that the same false doctrine of mixing God’s grace and our works for salvation that was warned against here is the same thing that we battle today. If we rely on our own flesh for justification we are being led down the wrong path.

Chapters 1 and 2 showed us that circumstances and people can rob us of our joy. This chapter teaches us that things can rob us of our joy. Like most “religious” people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him confident in himself, but not enough to get him into heaven. It is this very “religion” that is keeping the lost from Christ, and it is this “religion” that must be lost in order to find salvation.

Paul tells them that they are the true believers who put no confidence in the flesh. Our confidence must be in Christ alone and not in our flesh. We are going to look at several things in this passage, including a description of the two sides and Paul’s argument against confidence in the flesh.

I. An introduction to grace – 3:1

3:1

“Finally” at this point in the letter does not mean that Paul is about to close as some see it. Some feel that a combination of several letters make up the epistle, and 3:1 is one of them. While the word sometimes does refer to a closing, in this case it more likely means “for the rest” or “furthermore,” thus introducing a new section.

A. Rejoice in the Lord

It is possible that verse 1 refers back to the preceding section, but it is probable that Paul’s encouragement to “rejoice in the Lord” is a positive preventative to becoming entangled in the false teaching that he was about to expose and condemn. Paul realized that joyful, courageous Christians are more firmly grounded in their faith and less likely to be swayed by false doctrine. He wanted them to be constant in the doctrine they had received and not fall into false teaching. Remember that he was exhorting them to do this in the midst of great turmoil.

B. Safety in repetition

“To write the same things again” should also be seen as an introduction to what follows. “No trouble to me” is to be taken as “no burden for me.” Paul did not hesitate in addressing the Philippians with a warning to be watchful. He was concerned for their welfare. His silence on the subject could have been a danger to them. Paul knew that they had to be constantly aware of the threats that their enemies posed. “It is a safeguard for you” may be rendered “something for you to be aware of” (Proverbs 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1). Paul wanted them to be diligent in detecting imposters and be on the guard against them. He now comes to specific points in his counsel.

II. A description of the opponent – 3:2

3:2

Paul warned the saints at Philippi of an opponent. There is difficulty in determining who he was warning against and if they were the same as those mentioned in 3:18-19 and/or 1:28. Paul, though, was content to assume that his readers in Philippi would know just who they were. It is clear that they presented a real and dangerous threat.

This verse uses a threefold repetition of the verb “beware” which means “look out” or “watch out.” This repetition added emphasis to what he was about to say.

A. Beware of the dogs

“Dogs” were regarded as unclean animals in Eastern society, and Paul’s use of the word may simply be that his enemies were despicable and evil men. But since Jews were in the habit of calling Gentiles outside the law by this name, it is more to the point if Paul was using a term which his Jewish enemies were using concerning his converts in the Gentile churches (uncircumcised Gentile believers at Philippi and Galatia) and throwing it back at them. In the background may be the idea that these enemies were like a pack of dogs, continually snapping at Paul’s heels and trying to attack his people. These troublemakers barked out their false doctrine. It is likely that these false teachers were Judaizers: Jews that tried to mix Law and grace.

B. Beware of the evil workers

The second description is “evil workers.” These opponents were in the same general framework as the men who were against Paul at Corinth (II Corinthians 11:13). They attempted to win over Paul’s converts by insisting on circumcision. He called them “evil” because their work was to undermine Paul’s work. They are in league with the “evil one” (II Corinthians 11:14), even if their appearance indicated otherwise. They taught that the sinner was saved by faith plus works. But their good works were really evil works because they were done by the flesh and not the Spirit. They were performing deeds of the law and not trusting in God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 3:3-7 prove them wrong. A Christian’s good works are the result of his faith, not the basis of his salvation. We are to be on guard for any doctrine that teaches otherwise.

C. Beware of the false circumcision (mutilators)

The third description is the “false circumcision” which means “mutilators of the flesh.” This is a paraphrase of Paul’s crisp term meaning a “cutting” making “mutilation” a good translation. The Judaizers taught that circumcision was essential to salvation (Acts 15:1; Galatians 6:12-18). They had a false confidence in their badge of circumcision, but Paul sarcastically called it mutilation. These opponents had lost the significance of circumcision and insisted on it as a rite for Christians. For them, it was nothing more than a mutilation of the flesh.

Mutilation of the body was practiced regularly in pagan religions, but this practice was forbidden in the Old Testament (Leviticus 21:5; I Kings 18:28). They were also mutilators because they divided the unity of the church. The true believer has experienced a spiritual circumcision in Christ (Colossians 2:11). A misplaced stress on this subject is not just regrettable; it is a deadly error. It is not a meaningful sign of God’s work in the heart of a Christian. No religious act, such as circumcision, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, or giving, can save a person from his sins. Only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ can salvation be found. There is nothing else in which to boast. In fact, boasting in anything else will cause pride and disunity to creep into the church.

III. A description of the true believer – 3:3

3:3

To contrast these false teachers, Paul described the true Christians as the “true circumcision” (Romans 2:25-29). Paul used the true term for circumcision which is used in the New Testament for “circumcision of the heart.” It refers to the breaking of the power of the fallen nature (Colossians 2:11). This was not a new concept, for the Old Testament spoke of it often (Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 44:7). In Colossians 2:11 and 13 Paul equates this circumcision performed without hands with the believer’s removal from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is virtually synonymous with regeneration. Paul gave three characteristics to describe the “true circumcision” just as he used three terms to describe the Judaizers in the previous verse.

A. Worship in the Spirit of God

The true Christian worships by the Spirit of God, not by human traditions. It is the Spirit who starts the new covenant of worship and obedience and leads people to glory in Christ alone (Ezekiel 36:26ff). This person does not depend on his own good works which are only of the flesh (John 4:19-24). Therefore, this person places his confidence in the Lord, and not merely in outward observances and ceremonies of the law. True worship must be “in spirit and in truth.” The truth of the gospel must guide us in our lives, thus bringing forth worship.

B. Glory in Christ

True Christians glory in Christ Jesus. Their satisfaction comes from recognizing that their hope is in Christ alone, not in human effect or obedience to the law. Religious people boast about what they have done. True Christians realize that they have nothing in themselves to boast about. They understand that the sacrifice of Christ has fulfilled the law for them. Their only boast is in Christ (Luke 18:9-14). The opposite of this would be to glory, or to put confidence, in ourselves.

C. Put no confidence in the flesh

The true Christian also puts no confidence in the flesh. This is the very thing that the Jewish teachers were doing (Romans 3:27-31). The philosophy that states “God helps those who help themselves” is wrong today as it was in Paul’s day. The term for “flesh” here does not refer to the body, but to the unregenerate human nature. It is everything that is apart from Christ. The Bible has nothing good to say about the flesh, and yet most depend on it entirely as their means to please God. It profits nothing in spiritual life (John 6:63; Romans 7:18). It is no wonder that the true believer puts no confidence in it. There is only one good work that takes the sinner to heaven: the finished work of Christ on the cross (John 17:1-4; 19:30; Hebrews 10:11-14). That is the trouble or stumbling block for those who put confidence in the flesh. They trust in some religious activity outside Christ, and thereby, make a fatal mistake.