1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. ~ Philippians 3:1-3
We finished the second chapter of this epistle with the spotlight on Epaphroditus, a fellow soldier for the advancement of the Gospel. Paul begins chapter three with an admonition: “rejoice in the Lord," which is the theme in this letter.
In today's text, Paul turns the tables on those who put confidence in the flesh. Rejoicing “in” the Lord overcomes the desire to put confidence “in” the flesh. Those who put confidence in the flesh are described by the Apostle in v.2 in three ways: “dogs,” “evildoers,” and “those mutilators of the flesh.”
The Apostle underscores "the flesh" in this chapter because it is the cause of the third potential joy stealer in our lives. The potential joy stealer is our pedigree and our possessions. And, of course, the unique thing about the Lord Jesus that is accentuated is that the Lord Jesus must be our goal in all of life.
These who put confidence in their flesh thought of themselves as doers of righteousness, in accordance with the Mosaic Law. By relying on the law, they were actually out of step with the God of the Bible. They were missing God because their hearts were not circumcised and engaged with the Lord Jesus.
God has always been about the circumcision of our hearts. Outward circumcision was simply meant to be a sign of God's commitment to them. This was meant to make a certain impact on our hearts. The impact is that we would fling open the doors of their hearts to the One who made them. This is what God really wants: the engagement of our hearts with Him.
Paul offers a description of the true people of God to counter his description of the false people of God. The Apostle writes in v.3, "we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh."
The people of God are those “who serve God by his Spirit.” It is the Holy Spirit who makes us worshipers of God. He calls forth worship that is genuine and deep, instead of fake or superficial. True worship and service are produced by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our spirit. The godly results which come out of our existence are produced by the Spirit of God.
In addition, the people of God are those “who boast in Christ Jesus.” To boast is to put the spotlight on Him. It means to worship Him rather than anything else, including ourselves. From our childhood, we have been taught the way to become important is through self-confidence. This only leads to pride. And, the cross of the Lord Jesus is the end of the line for our pride. Due to the fact that we are still fallen, we face life feeling weak, ineffectual, and unable. Since this is so, we must be driven to the one who is totally adequate, and who is ready to be our strength. This is the way God intended for us to live.
The people of God are those "who put no confidence in the flesh." The true children of God put no confidence in our abilities to do the Lord's work. True believers don’t believe their successes have anything to do with being made right with the Lord. Self-confidence is the most deadly lie that has ever been perpetrated upon the human race.
The people of God are those "who put no confidence in the flesh." The true children of God put no confidence in our abilities to do the Lord's work. True believers don’t believe their successes have anything to do with being made right with the Lord. Self-confidence is the most deadly lie that has ever been perpetrated upon the human race.
Every day we are painfully made aware that we cannot live life on our own and alone. If we acknowledge this and cry out to God for help, daily, this is always the turning point in our daily lives. If we don't have faith in the God of the Bible and we achieve things, we are in the greatest danger of placing our faith in self. But, the problem with self-made men is they tend to worship their creator.
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