Phili 3:5-7 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Phil 3:5-6: 3:5-6 If anyone could rely on Jewish credentials, Paul could: He practiced the strictest obedience to the Jewish law and was extremely zealous for the Jewish religion. 3:5 circumcised when I was eight days old: See Gen 17:12 ; Lev 12:3 ; Luke 1:59 ; 2:21 . • Paul was a member of the Pharisees , the Jewish sect known for its strict observance of the law (see Acts 23:6 ; 26:5 ).

Summary for Phil 3:5-6: 3:5-6 ^a If anyone could rely on Jewish credentials, Paul could: He practiced the strictest obedience to the Jewish law and was extremely zealous for the Jewish religion. 3:5 ^b circumcised when I was eight days old: See Gen 17:12 ^c; Lev 12:3 ^d; Luke 1:59 ^e; 2:21 ^f.

• Paul was a member of the Pharisees, the Jewish sect known for its strict observance of the law (see Acts 23:6 ^g; 26:5 ^h).
3:6 ⁱ I harshly persecuted the church (see Acts 8:1-3 ^j; 9:1-2 ^k, 21 ^l; Gal 1:13 ^m): His actions demonstrated his zeal for Judaism, to which the Good News of Jesus was seen as a threat.

• Paul’s righteousness, as judged by human standards, was another indication of his zeal for the law (see also Gal 1:14 ⁿ; for Paul’s later Christian view, cp. Rom 3:23 ^o; 7:14-25 ^p).
Summary for Phil 3:7-8: 3:7-8 ^q As a Christian, Paul now regarded these things (3:5-6 ^r) as worthless because of what Christ has done: A believer’s relationship with God is defined by knowing Christ (cp. 3:10 ^s; John 17:3 ^t) and nothing else. The only important thing is to gain Christ, thus receiving the gift of eternal salvation (cp. John 3:16 ^u; 1 Jn 5:11-13 ^v). By comparison, all other things are meaningless garbage (or excrement).