Phili 3:5 | KingComments | STEP | Also in this chapter it is all about Christ. He is presented here as He is in the heavenly glory. There He is the source of power for the life of a Christian. When you look at His glory in faith, you will want to gain nothing but Him, while you consider all other things as loss and rubbish. Chapter 2 describes Christ in His humiliation as a model and the driving force for the true Christian spirit of self-sacrifice. Chapter 3 is the answer to the question of how to get the mind of chapter 2. When you are filled with Him, you will always be like Him and that gives power for a life in humility. . With the expression “finally” Paul goes on to another theme. Of course not essentially, but certainly there is a shift in the emphasis as I just pointed out. The joy remains the same because the object of joy does not change. Paul is not tired of asking the believers in Philippi to rejoice in the glorified Lord. He knows that he is associated with them as brothers. He and they form a family. Together they should rejoice in Him as they are connected with one another through Him. Whoever rejoices in the Lord is kept from being busy with himself. The joy of the Lord gives strength to live for the glory of the Lord ( ). Some things must be simply said repeatedly. Paul does not say that sighing with the undertone: ‘When will you learn it at last?’ No, he repeats his message gladly knowing how important it is. He knows how forgetful people are, even the believers. It is not clear what precisely is meant by “the same things”. It could refer to the joy but it could also be meant as a warning to the adversaries. He already dealt with it in chapter 1 ( ). In the following verses he talks at length about it. If it is about joy Paul however does not present a new method in order to make faith more cheerful. If it is about the adversaries he does not seek to join them to make a compromise. His teaching is the same. Nothing disturbs him and that gives the assurance to the Philippians that they are on the right track. If views are constantly changed it produces a lot of uncertainty and one might even say a feeling of insecurity. Teachers who once interpreted the Word of God clearly, now say, that they do not know all things so sure any more. Don’t let them throw you off the track. The Word of God is exactly the same and sure today as it was in the past centuries. . “Beware” – Paul uses this word three times – of people who want to undermine the faith and separate believers from Christ and from the joy in Him. They have always existed. Here is mentioned such category of people. Paul does not use flattering terminologies. He calls them “dogs”, who are people with a corrupted way of life, just like the unclean Gentiles. He also calls them “evil workers”, people who introduce evil things under the guise of working for Christ. He speaks of “false circumcision”, literally “mutilation”. This is a word-play on circumcision by which he means, by reintroducing the law, people mutilate, i.e. cut in pieces, what Christ accomplished. When this happens even the Christian witness is mutilated. The letter to the Galatians is a huge argumentation against this undermining of the perfect work of Christ on the cross. There we read about the reintroduction of all kinds of practices of the law in the Christian church, including circumcision. That circumcision Paul calls mutilation. Here Paul is very pungent. It is because he sees very clearly that his beloved Philippians run the great risk of becoming entangled in wrong doctrines. Therefore he is sharp. Love is always sharp in defending their loved ones against unscrupulous people who seek to plunge their loved ones into destruction. As for circumcision, certainly it is ordered by God given ( ). It belonged to the Jewish people as an outward sign of God’s covenant with His earthly people. If it is introduced into the church, it does injustice to God and to His people, and His Word is not taken seriously. . For the church circumcision has a spiritual meaning. Paul says it in (cf. ). You have experienced a spiritual circumcision through what happened to Christ on the cross ( ). When He died under the judgment of God on sin you died there with Him. With “we are the [true] circumcision”, are those meant who are really separate from evil. Paul views this here not from the negative side, but from the positive. He cites three characteristics that belong to those who are the circumcision. The first is that they “worship in the Spirit of God”. That puts an end to any stereotyped service which is often seen in professing Christianity in sacraments, in church orders and liturgy without regard to the Holy Spirit. A church service without the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a formal service which can be performed very well by people who are not born again. The second point is that they “glory in Christ Jesus”. In the Old Testament people boasted in their own ‘I’. Anyone who paid attention to the rules got fame. But the Spirit points our hearts to Christ. The third characteristic is to “put no confidence in the flesh”. The entire Old Testament was oriented on a service in the flesh. You must not understand flesh here as the sinful flesh, from which lust comes out. What is meant is something which you can touch and can lead to get honor. . Paul knew what he was talking about. When it is about flesh he can enumerate a lot. In seven points he mentions his privileges about which he can boast. He possessed four privileges without having had to work for it; they were just thrown into his lap, so to speak. One has absolutely no influence on the parents who gave him birth. The other three privileges are the consequences of his own decisions and have to do with his personal contributions. He can compete with anyone in all these things and would then be a winner on all fronts as well. No, he had no interest in this kind of triumph; on the contrary he gave up these privileges. He considered them even rubbish ( ) in the light of the glory of the Man Who appeared to him when he was on the road to Damascus ( ). He is exactly like Moses who gave up all the treasures of Egypt and all the prerogatives of a king’s son, because he had seen the Invisible ( ). Thus he became a model for the Israelites. He gave up more than anyone else. Paul also is such a model. He gave up much more than what you and I would probably give up. . First, he mentions that he was “circumcised”, by which he was incorporated into the covenant God made with His people. Second, he was not added as a stranger to the people through circumcision, but he was “of the nation of Israel”, which means he was an Israelite by birth. He was one of a people whom God chose from all nations to be His own people with special blessings (cf. ). Third, among this nation he belonged to the “tribe of Benjamin” and was therefore a descendent of Jacob's family and his favorite wife Rachel. Fourth, he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews”. This name is used for the first time for Abraham ( ) when he migrated away from his family and came to Canaan. This name means ’passer by’. By mentioning this name Paul says that he lived, as a true, pure-bred descendent of Abraham in the land of promise. There were even more things of which he could boast. They were things which he had acquired with unbridled zeal and was committed to them with boundless energy. Fifth, no one knew the law like him and lived according to the law like him ( ; ). . Sixth, his zeal for the law had made him “a persecutor of the church”. He pursued after the church universally and visited places where the believers were to be found; where they were living as members of that one church in dependence on the Head of His church, the Lord Jesus. This Name made him furious ( ). Wherever he could, he wanted to exterminate all who honored this Name. Country borders did not count for him ( ). Seventh, with all his knowledge of the law, even in persecution of the church, he remained within the bounds of the law. He was “found blameless”. He was like the young rich ruler ( ). Paul and the rich young man were blameless before the eyes of men, but not in the eyes of God ( ). Now read Philippians 3:1-6 again. Reflection: Are there things which you can boast about?

‏ Philippians 3:5

Confidence in the Flesh

Also in this chapter it is all about Christ. He is presented here as He is in the heavenly glory. There He is the source of power for the life of a Christian. When you look at His glory in faith, you will want to gain nothing but Him, while you consider all other things as loss and rubbish.

Chapter 2 describes Christ in His humiliation as a model and the driving force for the true Christian spirit of self-sacrifice. Chapter 3 is the answer to the question of how to get the mind of chapter 2. When you are filled with Him, you will always be like Him and that gives power for a life in humility.

Phil 3:1. With the expression “finally” Paul goes on to another theme. Of course not essentially, but certainly there is a shift in the emphasis as I just pointed out. The joy remains the same because the object of joy does not change. Paul is not tired of asking the believers in Philippi to rejoice in the glorified Lord. He knows that he is associated with them as brothers. He and they form a family. Together they should rejoice in Him as they are connected with one another through Him. Whoever rejoices in the Lord is kept from being busy with himself. The joy of the Lord gives strength to live for the glory of the Lord (Neh 8:10).

Some things must be simply said repeatedly. Paul does not say that sighing with the undertone: ‘When will you learn it at last?’ No, he repeats his message gladly knowing how important it is. He knows how forgetful people are, even the believers.

It is not clear what precisely is meant by “the same things”. It could refer to the joy but it could also be meant as a warning to the adversaries. He already dealt with it in chapter 1 (Phil 1:15). In the following verses he talks at length about it. If it is about joy Paul however does not present a new method in order to make faith more cheerful. If it is about the adversaries he does not seek to join them to make a compromise.

His teaching is the same. Nothing disturbs him and that gives the assurance to the Philippians that they are on the right track. If views are constantly changed it produces a lot of uncertainty and one might even say a feeling of insecurity. Teachers who once interpreted the Word of God clearly, now say, that they do not know all things so sure any more. Don’t let them throw you off the track. The Word of God is exactly the same and sure today as it was in the past centuries.

Phil 3:2. “Beware” – Paul uses this word three times – of people who want to undermine the faith and separate believers from Christ and from the joy in Him. They have always existed. Here is mentioned such category of people.

Paul does not use flattering terminologies. He calls them “dogs”, who are people with a corrupted way of life, just like the unclean Gentiles. He also calls them “evil workers”, people who introduce evil things under the guise of working for Christ. He speaks of “false circumcision”, literally “mutilation”. This is a word-play on circumcision by which he means, by reintroducing the law, people mutilate, i.e. cut in pieces, what Christ accomplished. When this happens even the Christian witness is mutilated.

The letter to the Galatians is a huge argumentation against this undermining of the perfect work of Christ on the cross. There we read about the reintroduction of all kinds of practices of the law in the Christian church, including circumcision. That circumcision Paul calls mutilation. Here Paul is very pungent. It is because he sees very clearly that his beloved Philippians run the great risk of becoming entangled in wrong doctrines. Therefore he is sharp. Love is always sharp in defending their loved ones against unscrupulous people who seek to plunge their loved ones into destruction.

As for circumcision, certainly it is ordered by God given (Gen 17:9-14). It belonged to the Jewish people as an outward sign of God’s covenant with His earthly people. If it is introduced into the church, it does injustice to God and to His people, and His Word is not taken seriously.

Phil 3:3. For the church circumcision has a spiritual meaning. Paul says it in Phil 3:3 (cf. Rom 2:29). You have experienced a spiritual circumcision through what happened to Christ on the cross (Col 2:11). When He died under the judgment of God on sin you died there with Him. With “we are the [true] circumcision”, are those meant who are really separate from evil. Paul views this here not from the negative side, but from the positive. He cites three characteristics that belong to those who are the circumcision.

The first is that they “worship in the Spirit of God”. That puts an end to any stereotyped service which is often seen in professing Christianity in sacraments, in church orders and liturgy without regard to the Holy Spirit. A church service without the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a formal service which can be performed very well by people who are not born again.

The second point is that they “glory in Christ Jesus”. In the Old Testament people boasted in their own ‘I’. Anyone who paid attention to the rules got fame. But the Spirit points our hearts to Christ.

The third characteristic is to “put no confidence in the flesh”. The entire Old Testament was oriented on a service in the flesh. You must not understand flesh here as the sinful flesh, from which lust comes out. What is meant is something which you can touch and can lead to get honor.

Phil 3:4. Paul knew what he was talking about. When it is about flesh he can enumerate a lot. In seven points he mentions his privileges about which he can boast. He possessed four privileges without having had to work for it; they were just thrown into his lap, so to speak. One has absolutely no influence on the parents who gave him birth. The other three privileges are the consequences of his own decisions and have to do with his personal contributions.

He can compete with anyone in all these things and would then be a winner on all fronts as well. No, he had no interest in this kind of triumph; on the contrary he gave up these privileges. He considered them even rubbish (Phil 3:8) in the light of the glory of the Man Who appeared to him when he was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5). He is exactly like Moses who gave up all the treasures of Egypt and all the prerogatives of a king’s son, because he had seen the Invisible (Heb 11:26-27). Thus he became a model for the Israelites. He gave up more than anyone else. Paul also is such a model. He gave up much more than what you and I would probably give up.

Phil 3:5. First, he mentions that he was “circumcised”, by which he was incorporated into the covenant God made with His people.

Second, he was not added as a stranger to the people through circumcision, but he was “of the nation of Israel”, which means he was an Israelite by birth. He was one of a people whom God chose from all nations to be His own people with special blessings (cf. Rom 9:4-5).

Third, among this nation he belonged to the “tribe of Benjamin” and was therefore a descendent of Jacob's family and his favorite wife Rachel.

Fourth, he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews”. This name is used for the first time for Abraham (Gen 14:13) when he migrated away from his family and came to Canaan. This name means ’passer by’. By mentioning this name Paul says that he lived, as a true, pure-bred descendent of Abraham in the land of promise.

There were even more things of which he could boast. They were things which he had acquired with unbridled zeal and was committed to them with boundless energy.

Fifth, no one knew the law like him and lived according to the law like him (Acts 26:5; Gal 1:14).

Phil 3:6. Sixth, his zeal for the law had made him “a persecutor of the church”. He pursued after the church universally and visited places where the believers were to be found; where they were living as members of that one church in dependence on the Head of His church, the Lord Jesus. This Name made him furious (Acts 26:9). Wherever he could, he wanted to exterminate all who honored this Name. Country borders did not count for him (Acts 26:11).

Seventh, with all his knowledge of the law, even in persecution of the church, he remained within the bounds of the law. He was “found blameless”. He was like the young rich ruler (Mk 10:17-20). Paul and the rich young man were blameless before the eyes of men, but not in the eyes of God (Ecc 7:20).

Now read Philippians 3:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are there things which you can boast about?