Philippians 3:2-3 II; Circumcision

“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 –“

The practice of circumcision was given by God to Abraham as a symbol of the covenant between them.  It was an outward expression of their inner commitment to God, but for many it became a source of unhealthy pride, “I am a child of Abraham – circumcised on the eighth day…” without any thought given to their inner obedience and relationship with God.

Paul says that just because you are physically circumcised does not mean that your heart and spirit are right before God.  Just like your church attendance and outward activities don’t necessarily mean that your heart and spirit are right before the Lord.  As 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

With that as a starting point, let’s look at the rest of this passage.  Paul says the following about the members of the Philippian church:

-          We are the circumcision – Our hearts and spirits are submitted to the will of God and we live our life in obedience to Him.  Children of God obey externally and internally.

-          We serve God by his Spirit – We serve God through His strength and for His glory, not so we will feel good or that others will be impressed.

-          We who boast in Jesus Christ – We give Jesus the glory for the things he does through us and we intentionally talk about him.

-          We who put no confidence in the flesh – We understand that we can accomplish nothing apart from Jesus and that we live and breathe solely because of his grace in our lives.

Do those four statements resonate with your life?  I will artfully dodge that question and say that I very much want my life to look like that. 

Too often I spend more time looking “good” than being good.  Too often I serve according to how and where I like to serve instead of where the need is greatest.  Too often I don’t speak about Jesus when I have the opportunity.  And far too often I feel I can accomplish things on my own.  

How about you?  I challenge you to pray through those statements by Paul and ask that God will instill these traits in you.  Each of those statements are based in humility, so in humility confess that you cannot live up to Paul’s teaching.  We can only become like Christ through the work of his Spirit in our lives. 

"You might as well try to see without eyes, hear without ears, or breathe without lungs, as to try to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit." -  D.L. Moody

Philippians 3:2; Word for the Day: Pernicious – 4.9.2014

“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 –“

Have you ever heard of the Judaizers?  They’re not that new band you’ve been hearing so much about (at least I don’t think they are)…they are actually who Paul is talking about in this passage. The Judaizers were a group of people who believed that Gentile believers (and Jewish believers) had to follow the Jewish Law in addition to following Christ.  They would say, “You believe in Jesus – great!  Now go get circumcised, put down that bacon sandwich, follow the rest of the Jewish Law and everything will be good.” 

Paul attacked this belief vigorously any and every time he ran across it.  Why?  Because in essence, this view says that salvation is not by Christ alone.  You must believe Christ AND follow the Jewish Law.  The Judaizers were Legalists – you must DO this and this and this to be accepted by God. 

The Gospel – the Good News – is that Jesus has accomplished everything to restore relationship with God by His sacrifice on the cross.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. ⁹Not by works, lest any man should boast."

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves; salvation comes only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  If we begin to require additions to Christ, we say that His sacrifice was not sufficient to save us.  The entirety of scripture teaches the exact opposite – salvation is by grace alone, not by works.

My question for you today: are you adding something to the sacrifice of Jesus so that you can be acceptable to God? 

Is faith in Christ enough?  Or do you have to read your bible every day for Jesus to accept you?  Do you have to attend church every week so God will be happy with you?  If you forget to tithe do you think that God is angry at you? 

This plays out in our relationships with others to.  Do you judge other believers because they don’t listen to Christian music or go on mission trips or attend a small group or do things that you don’t or don’t do things that you do?  Do you pay more attention to what others do instead of who they are?

Have any of those thoughts taken root in your mind?  Legalism is a sneaky trap to fall into.  Ask God to point out any area in your life where it has taken hold, repent, and ask God to wash you clean in the freedom of Christ that was purchased with His precious blood…

“We insist that God must surely lead everyone as we believe He has led us. We refuse to allow God the freedom to deal with each of us as individuals. When we think like that, we are legalistic.” – Jerry Bridges

Philippians 3:1; Rejoice

“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.”

According to the on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary:  “Rejoice – to feel or show that you are very happy about something”.  Paul says rejoice in the Lord!  Do you feel a sense of happiness and joy that you have a personal relationship with Jesus?  Would those around you say that you are filled with joy about Jesus?  I’m afraid more often than not, my life has nothing to do with “rejoice”.

While we are defining things, how about this one: Perspective – the ability to see the true relationship between different objects, ideas, or circumstances.  Perspective is one of the most underrated component of life.  Our perspective determines our attitudes which determines our actions.

Perspective is what allows you to be upset that your computer crashed, but to get over it because you know you are blessed simply to have a computer. It allows you to persevere through years of school because you will have better opportunities in the future.  And perspective is what allowed Paul to write a letter encouraging the church to rejoice while he was rotting away in prison. 

Life can be incredibly hard.  People get sick and people die.  Relationships fall apart and dreams don’t come true.  People lose jobs, lose their way, and lose hope.  You can fill in the blanks – you know that life is hard. 

We shouldn’t be surprised, Jesus promised that in this life we will have trouble.  But in the next breath he stated that he has overcome the world (John 16:33).  And keeping that perspective in mind is the key to rejoicing.

It is that perspective that allows you to say, “You know what, my life is a train wreck right now.  But God is on His throne, my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, Jesus is interceding for me at this moment, God has a good plan for my life…today still stinks, but everything is going to be okay.” 

It sounds like a platitude, but that is how you rejoice in the midst of trials.  When we keep Jesus at the forefront of our minds and remind ourselves of the unfathomable blessings of life with Him, we will rejoice in our heart and that inward expression of joy will manifest outwardly through our actions and attitudes.  Rejoice because Jesus is yours for eternity…the rest is just a moment.

“Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." – Nehemiah 8:10