As we continue our seven-message study through the book of Philippians, we get to see Paul’s hunger for Christ and his recognition of Christ’s glory shine through as it did in the first chapter. Though he instructs them in this third chapter, he also proclaims how he lives and what he desires. And as he does this, we are able to see his passion and hunger a little more clearly.
He is concerned at the beginning of this chapter with the teaching of a certain group of Jewish believers. They had sought to keep the law and observe it before hearing of Christ, and once they heard of Christ, they professed that they saw him as the Messiah. But they did not think that Gentiles could join in the blessings of being God’s people without first becoming Jews, that is, being circumcised.
However, before Paul dives into rebuking this false teaching, he gives them a preface in verse 1. It is a preface that they needed to hear, and one that I think we would do well to notice as well.
Paul reminds them to rejoice in the Lord (this is a theme throughout the whole book) and he tells them, “To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you” (3:2).
Now, I think there are probably a number of reasons why Paul says this. I want to give you two of them before we hear this important teaching. First of all, he tells them this because he is acknowledging that they have heard it before. He doesn’t want them to think that he does not realize that he has taught this previously. He had probably addressed this topic when he first came to Philippi because that trip occurred soon after the Jerusalem council had taken place (Acts 15). However, I think he also gives his preface because he doesn’t want them to glance over his writing simply because they have heard it before.
If you do much teaching, then you know that when your audience thinks, “I’ve heard this before,” they immediately begin to go into a daze and not pay any attention to what you are saying. However, if you bring to the audience’s attention that you are aware that you have said it before, but stress that you are saying it again because it is so crucial, you will often regain their attention. I think that is why Paul prefaces his comments with this.
And I use the same preface this morning. I know that many of us have heard this truth that Paul is laying out before us in this text, but if we don’t know this and keep this truth at the front of our minds and renew our minds with it, then we are apt to be conformed to the world instead of being transformed within it (Romans 12:1-2).
Thus, with that, Paul began to counter this teaching that was angering him so deeply, just as it had in the narrative in Acts 15. Therefore, Paul warns the Philippian believers to “Beware” of those teaching this. But he doesn’t just say “Beware of those who are doing this or that.” He says, “Beware of the dogs.” This is a degrading comment in that day, because dogs were seen as the lowest life form. Paul is angered. He understands how crucial this is.
Now, for us, I don’t think that we are going to run into too many people today who are going to say that someone has to be circumcised in order to be a born-again child of God. However, we can devise all kinds of other things that we think need to happen that are not scriptural at all. We can come up with all kinds of actions one has to go through, but the reality of salvation is that it is something that happens in the heart.
This is even stated in the Old Testament regarding circumcision. A few examples are:
- Deuteronomy 10:16 – “Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more.”
- Deuteronomy 30:6 – “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.”
- Jeremiah 9:25 – “‘Behold the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised” [This is a crucial statement regarding this issue].
Circumcision of one’s heart is what matters. The New Testament also affirms this in many places. Here are two:
- Colossians 2:9-11 – “For in Him [Christ] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rulers and authorities; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
- Romans 2:29 – “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Salvation is an internal spiritual reality; it is not something we physically do. This is what Paul is trying to communicate. That is why Paul makes the distinction in verses 2-3, writing, “Beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus.” Those who are truly children of God are those who worship in Spirit.
Does this remind you of John 4, where Jesus has a conversation with the woman at the well? She is asking questions about physical things, like where they should worship. However, Jesus makes it a spiritual matter, saying, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
Salvation is a spiritual issue. That is what these Jews couldn’t see. It wasn’t about what they did physically (works of the flesh), what mattered was if they had been spiritually changed. This truth is why I often tell people that salvation is simpler and yet more complex than they probably think. It is simpler in the sense that it is not you saying all the right things in a prayer. It is not about physically going through all these motions. It is simply by faith. God grants you repentance and faith and you believe in him as your Lord. A child can do this. In fact, unless we become like children in our faith, we cannot be born again. However, it is also more complex in that our heart must change. We must become a new creature. And that is so complex that only God can do it. Only he can circumcise our hearts. That is what Paul is trying to stress in these first few verses.
He wants them to put no confidence in their own ability to save themselves, for it is impossible. However, he is not saying all this because of any Jewish deficiency on his part. No, Paul is not angry about this because he is jealous of these who are claiming that one must be a Jew before he or she can be saved. In fact, he can beat them at their own game. He spells it out in verses 4-6, “If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew is there ever was one! What’s more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience of the Jewish law. And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault” (New Living Translation).
But of all these things, Paul says that he considers them worthless because of Christ. For if you understand that hell is a just penalty for your sin, then you understand that you need much more than your heritage; you need the righteousness of Christ.
For what is our position? We have despised an infinitely glorious God. If tomorrow I slandered a physician and a garbage man in the paper, I would be in trouble on both accounts. I would have to pay a hefty penalty for any damage that I cause both of them. However, we all know that the penalty for slandering the physician would be more. Why? It is because he is worth more. In slandering him, I have damaged one who could have brought in a lot more money than any garbage man in a year.
And what if I couldn’t pay the penalty? What would be my position then? In our legal system, if you cannot pay the penalty, you must undergo an equal punishment. You will go to jail. So if I did this and owed $3,000,000 for slandering the doctor and $20,000 for slandering the garbage man, and I could pay neither, then I would probably serve many years of jail for the offense to the physician and a little while for slandering the garbage man. We all know how this works.
Now think of this in terms of God being the one that we have despised in our sin. What kind of payment would be due? Well, since he is infinite, it would have to be an infinite one. And since that is impossible for us to pay, the only equal punishment would have to be infinite as well. That is why eternal, horrible hell is the only just punishment for our despising of God in our sin.
But if that is the case, then why did Christ only have to die on the cross in our place and not spend eternity in hell for us? The reason for this is because he could pay the infinite penalty. He paid it in his infinitely glorious blood. Punishment is not necessary because he was able to pay the penalty. And he is the only one who is able to pay the penalty.
Therefore, in light of that, why would we want to add anything to the finished work of Christ and not accept his payment by faith? It makes no sense. And in light of that we should gladly say that everything else is garbage if we might just know him and be conformed to him in his death and raised from the dead to be with him on that final day. It is a glorious salvation that we have.
In light of the cross, we should long to know him so much that if there is fellowship in suffering, then we would long for it. And if we thought this way, we would probably respond differently to suffering in our lives. We would probably say, while encountering suffering, “Well, it is about time that he entrusted me with some suffering, knowing that it would drive me to him for the praise of his glory.” For such was the call of Paul’s life, and such might be the call for many of us.
And let us do as Paul did, for he says that he has forgotten all his accomplishments and presses on that he may lay hold of the prize that is Christ Jesus. Press on to take hold of Christ with greater and greater intensity. If you think you have “arrived” in any sense, be assured that you haven’t. For Paul stresses twice (in verse 12 and verse 13) that he has not arrived yet himself. He presses on for the goal of Christ more and more.
Everyone should be like this, and if you are not, God will soon show you how you should. That is what Paul writes in verses 15-16. Everyone should be pressing on more and more for Christ. None of us should ever grow stagnant in our Christian life, for there is no reason to do so. None of us will reach the goal until we see Christ face to face. To grow stagnant in the Christian walk would be like stopping short of the finish line in a race.
Forget how fast you ran the first lap, run now!
And here is where Paul holds up his life as a model. We talked about modeling the faith last week; this week Paul gives us a key. You do not have to model what it is like to know Christ as you want to know him. For nobody is there and still on this earth. Rather, like Paul, what you need to model is a constant hunger to know him more. And that is something that we can all do. Forget your age or experiences or knowledge when you are thinking of modeling the faith. For you model it best by hungering for him.
We need to be people who realize that our citizenship is in another place and are constantly living for that place. We must keep our eyes on heaven. In fact, Paul describes those who are not children of God as those who are “enemies of the cross … whose end is destruction … whose God is their appetite … and who set their minds on earthly things.”
Make sure that you are not of these people by living with your eyes set on another place. Do not strive after the things of the earth, but live with eternity in mind. Live with Christ’s work on the cross in mind. Live as one who is pressing on with everything that he has. Amen.