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