Close Menu X
Navigate

Remain in the Lord!

September 16, 2018 Speaker: Brian Wilbur Series: Philippians

Topic: Rooted in Christ Passage: Philippians 3:1–3

REMAIN IN THE LORD!

An Exposition of Philippians 3:1-3

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   September 16, 2018

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

INTRODUCTION

Paul’s desire is that the Philippians continue to “rejoice in the Lord” (Philippians 3:1), “glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:3), treasure Jesus more than anyone or anything else (Philippians 3:4-11), and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Sound doctrine is essential to this life of worship and joy, although astute and principled thinking – in and of itself – is not the end goal. Paul doesn’t want people who merely agree with the doctrine of justification by faith but have no love for the wonderful Christ who justifies His people. Paul doesn’t want people who only have their heads ordered around the right creeds and doctrinal statements, but whose hearts are cold and lifeless. Paul wants people to have passion for Christ, so much passion – in fact – that you “count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Paul wants people to have this heartfelt devotion to Christ because this is what God the Father wants: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) The Father’s will is that you willingly delight in the infinite worth of His excellent Son!

The reason that Paul preaches sermons, explains doctrinal truth, and writes letters that are full of instruction and encouragement, is because he wants to strengthen and safeguard your joy in the Lord. God has made each one of us as an integrated human being: you have affections and attitudes in your heart, you have perspectives and thoughts in your head, you have inclinations and resolutions in your will, you have remarkable capacities for social relationships and bodily actions and verbal articulations. Even though there are these many aspects to your personality, you are one person. God made you to be have an integrated human experience in which every part of you coheres in one person who follows the Lord with whole-hearted, whole-minded, and whole-bodied devotion. God wants your whole person – your heart and mind, your body and soul, your words and deeds, your reasonings and rejoicings and relationships – to be unified together under His direction, to be unified together in worship. I love how the late Archbishop William Temple defined worship:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. All this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of all expressions of which we are capable.”[1]

This is a package deal! You can’t very well “rejoice in the Lord” if you believe lies and are taken captive by false teachings. Sound doctrine – God’s Word, God’s perspectives and precepts and principles and promises – are essential to your proper thinking and your proper valuing and your proper rejoicing and your proper living as a Christian.

Therefore Paul willingly and lovingly takes up his pen and keeps on writing.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

He says,

“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh–” (Philippians 3:1-3)

SOUND DOCTRINE SAFEGUARDS OUR SPIRITUAL VITALITY

Paul writes, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” Faithful teachers consider it their privilege and high calling to speak forth the wonderful riches of God’s Word – and to say it again and again and again – because it “is safe for you.” Sound doctrine – biblical theology – will safeguard you, will give you stability, will keep you in the right way, will give you a firm foundation of everlasting joy.

TEACHING SOUND DOCTRINE INCLUDES REFUTING ERROR

Faithful teachers know that this ministry of teaching and safeguarding the saints includes refuting error. God wants His people to have clarity regarding the truth, and such clarity requires not only a clear affirmation of the truth, but also a clear denial of corrupting errors. Paul tells Titus that a prospective elder or overseer “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). What good is it to have such a loose hold on the truth that when the false teachers show up, you’re dumbfounded and can make no reply? We need to know sound doctrine so well that we readily recognize the counterfeits. We need to know the gospel so well that we quickly discern the anti-gospels that are all around us. It is imperative that pastors and elders take the lead to proclaim biblical truth and, at the same time, refute error. Happily unschooled in the misguided ways of political correctness, Paul told the Philippians: “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” Part of faithful pastoral ministry is to call out “the dogs” who threaten the health and holiness of the church.

In Philippians 3, Paul is speaking to the Philippian believers and warning them about the false teachers. Paul’s sharp words (“dogs,” “evildoers,” “those who mutilate the flesh”) make it clear that the Philippian congregation needs to be serious, sober-minded, and spiritually vigilant. If Paul had spoken in vague niceties, the church may have settled into complacency. If Paul had told them to be generally mindful of the fact that there are some unhelpful folks out there with some unhelpful ideas that might be unhelpful to them in any number of unclear or undefined ways, who among them would rise up and stand guard? Instead, Paul speaks with a sharp edge: these folks are dogs, evildoers, and flesh-mutilators. Genuine faith and the glory of God are at stake here; having joy forever as a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20-21) or suffering destruction as an enemy of the cross (Philippians 3:18-19), hang in the balance. Paul’s words befit the seriousness of the situation!

In a similar manner, Paul spoke with a sharp edge to the elders of the Ephesian church:

“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31)

Elders, “be alert” in view of fierce wolves and truth twisters. Congregation, “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”

WE MUST BE DILIGENT AND VIGILANT

Sadly, Christians and elders and pastors can be lazy and dull about serious doctrinal errors. The truth, however, is that Paul’s warning on Philippians 3:2 is far more serious than recent warnings issued by the National Weather Service in relation to Hurricane Florence. The National Weather Service warned, “Remaining efforts to protect life and property should be urgently completed. Prepare for catastrophic wind damage…. Move to safe shelter before the wind becomes hazardous…. Structural damage can be expected to sturdy buildings, with some suffering severe or total destruction. Complete destruction of mobile homes and other poorly constructed buildings is likely; [and later in view of dangerous floodwaters], “If flash flooding is observed, turn around, don’t drown.”[2] These are serious warnings that require urgent attention. You’ve got to either find “safe shelter” amid the coming storm or leave town. If you see danger you’ve got to flee danger. A wise person would heed the warning and seek to protect himself and his loved ones. The Philippians are among Paul’s loved ones (Philippians 4:1), and he is seeking to protect them.  

What about you? Are you a wise person when it comes to your spiritual vitality? Do you endeavor to protect your spiritual life and the spiritual life of your loved ones by growing in the knowledge of the truth? Are you intimately acquainted with the “safe shelter” of sound doctrine and gospel promises? Do you know where to go when lies, half-truths, or distortions are thrown at you? Are your theological antennas reliable so as to discern gospel from anti-gospel, biblical from unbiblical, faithful from fleshly? Is the South Paris Baptist Church family like a well-constructed building that can withstand the destabilizing winds of heresy? Or is our church community “poorly constructed” and at risk of being swept away by the errors of lawless men (2 Peter 3:17)?

The message is clear: those who would continue to rejoice in the Lord must be diligent and take care to remain in the Lord. True rejoicing requires tough resistance to any teaching that would undermine that joy. Paul calls upon the Philippians and us to be vigilant, watchful, on the lookout for anyone who promotes destructive heresies.

GETTING RIGHTEOUSNESS RIGHT

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AT STAKE

Now it is evident that, in Philippians 3, Paul has a very specific kind of false teaching in view – and this is evident because of some of the language that he uses. The specific kind of false teaching that Paul is warning against here is self-based righteousness, flesh-based righteousness, works-based righteousness. Let me read Philippians 3:2-9 in order to help us understand that what is at stake here is righteousness and how to get it. The question isn’t whether you need righteousness – you absolutely need it! – the question is how to get it. Paul says,

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh– though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else things he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God that depends on faith–” (Philippians 3:2-9)

Do you see the contrasts here? Are you pursuing “righteousness under the law” or are you prizing Christ as your righteousness? Are you seeking “a righteousness of [your] own that comes from the law” or are you resting on “the righteousness of God that depends on faith”? Are you working for righteousness as if it is a paycheck for moral and religious conduct, or are you depending on righteousness as a gracious gift from God? Are you putting “confidence in the flesh,” that is, in yourself, your pedigree, and your performance? Or are you “[putting] no confidence in the flesh,” not trusting your resume and track record, but instead leaning all of your weight on Jesus?

The false teachers that Paul refers to in Philippians 3:2 were likely heretics within the wider church[3] who preached a self-based, flesh-based, works-based righteousness in the Jewish tradition. As G. Walter Hansen says, “Although they were posing as Christian teachers, they placed their emphasis on belonging to the Jewish people.”[4] Of course, their understanding of the Jewish tradition was flawed, but nevertheless they were operating out of that tradition, out of the rich heritage that God had given to them through His gracious dealings with Israel as recorded in the inspired writings that we call the Old Testament. These false teachers distorted this rich heritage, they twisted it to their own destruction, but nevertheless this was the heritage that they operated in. Further, and to make the matter more complicated from a resistance standpoint, these false teachers also operated within the church. In other words, they could call themselves ‘Christians’ and affirm belief in Jesus the Messiah, but they didn’t believe that faith alone in Jesus alone was enough to bring people into right standing with God. Their message was ‘Jesus plus something else’: ‘Jesus plus circumcision,’ ‘Jesus plus law-keeping,’ ‘Jesus plus adherence to Jewish dietary laws,’ ‘Jesus plus Sabbath-keeping.’ Their way of thinking is indicated at the beginning of Acts 15:

“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” …. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them [Gentile Christians] and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”” (Acts 15:1, 5)

By God’s grace, the apostles and elders opposed this ‘Jesus plus something else’ heresy (Acts 15:6-21). But Paul’s warning to us is clear: Watch out for the ‘Jesus plus’ people, because ‘Jesus plus’ people actually deny the all-sufficient Saviorhood of Jesus. ‘Jesus plus’ people actually deny that Christ’s vicarious death and victorious resurrection is enough to justify sinners.

HOW THE JEWISH FALSE TEACHERS VIEWED THE GENTILES

Now, one of the things that these proud Jewish false teachers did was to look down on the Gentiles. These Jewish teachers saw themselves as privileged and entitled insiders to God’s salvation, and they saw the Gentiles as outsiders and losers. These Jewish leaders looked at Gentiles as dogs, as in those Gentile dogs. The Gentiles were second-class, unclean,[5] and they had no place at the table.

These Jewish false teachers also saw themselves as the righteous ones – righteous because they were physical descendants of Abraham, righteous because they were the privileged possessors of the Old Testament law, righteous because they were serious about practicing their religion, righteous because they had high moral standards. As Moisés Silva points out, these heretics saw themselves as righteous because they performed “the works of the law.”[6] As for the Gentiles, they were evildoers, unrighteous, workers of iniquity, sinners, lawbreakers!

Finally, these male Jewish teachers prided themselves on having been circumcised in the flesh. Circumcision was the sacred sign of the covenant that God had given to Abraham and to his descendants, that every male should be circumcised, having the foreskin of his flesh cut off. Circumcision was pleasing to the Lord when it was done by those who truly trusted in Him and His gracious salvation, but for many Jews physical circumcision was unhinged from faith.[7] So, the circumcision itself became a source of pride. The Jewish teachers were proud that they had been circumcised, and they looked down on those uncircumcised Gentiles. So their mindset was that if any Gentile man converted to the God of Israel and to Israel’s Messiah Jesus, then he should submit to physical circumcision and join them in strict adherence to the Old Testament law. But the apostles stood their ground and held fast to the gospel, and made it clear that it was not necessary for Gentile converts to Christ to be physically circumcised.

PAUL TURNS THE FALSE TEACHERS’ WAY OF THINKING AGAINST THEM

Now in light of this information about how these Jewish false teachers viewed Gentiles, it is evident what Paul is doing in Philippians 3:2. He is turning their arrogant and unbelieving and unbiblical mindset against them, and condemning them with the very language that they used to demean the Gentiles.

Who are the dogs? Not the Gentiles who believe in Jesus, but the Jewish false teachers who don’t believe that Jesus is enough.

Who are the evildoers? Not the Gentiles who believe in Jesus, but the Jewish false teachers who don’t believe that Jesus is enough. As G. Walter Hansen points out, these Jewish teachers are evildoers because they are relying on themselves (and “self-reliance” is fundamentally evil in God’s sight) and also because they are seeking to turn others away from true faith in Jesus.[8] The truth of the matters is that we can only do good if we are rightly related to God through faith in Jesus.[9]

And who are the circumcised ones? Here Paul really turns things on their head: the Jewish false teachers who pride themselves on physical circumcision and don’t believe that Jesus is enough, they are not truly circumcised; whereas the Gentiles who believe in Jesus truly are circumcised, even if they haven’t been circumcised in the flesh. Paul points out the destructive nature of their false teaching by speaking of their circumcision in a very unflattering way, namely, in terms of flesh-mutilation: “look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision….” Do you understand what Paul is saying here? The Greek phrase translated “those who mutilate the flesh” literally means the mutilation.[10] The Jews thought of themselves as the true circumcision, but for those who don’t believe that Jesus is enough, Paul says that they are not the true circumcision at all but rather they are the mutilation – a group of cutters. Instead it is those who trust in Christ alone who are the true circumcision.

Paul is saying that those who put confidence in themselves and who think that they have a right relationship with God because they have been physically circumcised and who go around and try to get others physically circumcised, all they are doing is mutilating the flesh. In other words, their physical circumcision – precisely because they are making it into a necessary ground of their righteousness before God – has no positive religious value, but instead is only destructive in its effect. If you submit to physical circumcision and law-keeping as the basis of your righteousness before God, then you are disconnected from Jesus and His grace. As Paul told the Galatians,

“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:2-6)

Why are these Jewish false teachers so dangerous? Because if you accept their teaching, you jeopardize your relationship with Christ. So, we must “[look] out” for any false teacher or false teaching that would lead us away from Christ and His gracious salvation.

GROW IN THE WORD, BE ON GUARD AGAINST ERROR

Paul’s instruction to look out for false teachers is a clarion call for vigilance and resistance. We must not be naïve, but understand that there are many false teachers in the world, and they want you to read their books (or blogs), listen to their talks, attend their conferences, follow them on social media, and fund their ministries. Further, as Paul told the Ephesian elders, we must “be alert” not only for “fierce wolves” who attack from outside the congregation, but also for truth twisters who wreak havoc from inside the congregation. When it comes to false teaching and those who promote it, we must pay attention and push back; we must discern and reject; and we must help one another to do so.

But how do we do this? Well, the general application is obvious: we cannot possibly be successful in watching out for and withstanding error unless we have an increasingly firm grasp on truth. Poorly taught Christians have little, if any, capacity to discern heresy. Brothers and sisters, Philippians 3:2 is a call for the congregation of the Lord’s people to be a congregation that is saturated with sound teaching. This is the vision of the New Testament: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16) The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). Paul tells Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1) and Timothy to “preach the word… reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

We do not want to “wander off into” falsehoods! Thus we must be a people who know and understand the life-giving truth of God’s Word, so that – in the words of Richard, 13th century Bishop of Chichester – we might “know [Christ] more clearly, love [Christ] more dearly and follow [Christ] more nearly.”[11] This is the goal: a heart that treasures Christ, and a life that pleases Him. We must be disciples who are full of humble conviction regarding the reality of Christ and His gospel, and the reality of who we are in Him.

THE REALITY OF WHO BELIEVERS ARE IN CHRIST

At the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul calls them “saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1). This is name-calling at its gracious best. He calls them saints because they are saints, because God began a good work in them (Philippians 1:6) and placed them into the holy fellowship of His Son (1 Corinthians 1:9). Now they are God’s holy people, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and bound together to the Lord and to one another in sacred covenant and spiritual union. And so, with humble acceptance of what God has done for you, you’ve got to know who you are in Christ, you’ve got to know that you have entered the real thing, and knowing these things is critical to a life of watching out and withstanding the encroachments of falsehood. What a tragedy it would be to walk away from the real thing for sinking sand, gaping holes, and poorly constructed substitutes?

Notice how Paul proceeds from verse 2 to verse 3: “Look out for…, look out for…, look out for…. For we are the circumcision.” In other words, the reason we must look out for and oppose false teachers who want us to put confidence in the flesh as the way to become God’s true people, is because we already are God’s true people through faith in Jesus! We already are God’s true people as a result of His gracious work toward us! You’ve got to know this truth, and this truth must sink into the depths of your heart and enter your bones and sinews, so that you aren’t susceptible to the heretics who tell you that the better stuff is somewhere else. Beware of the wicked whisper: Did God really say? Did God really say that the gospel is enough? Did God really say that the righteousness of Christ is enough? Did God really say ‘Jesus plus nothing’? Did God really say…? That’s always the question isn’t it? The false teacher says: Jesus might be a good start, but if you really want to be right with God, come over here and get circumcised. The heretic says: The gospel is for losers – if you really want to be a winner, come over here and adhere strictly to our rules and regulations about food, the Sabbath, and everything else. The deceiver says: Righteousness by faith? I don’t think so! Join our cause, our mercy ministry cause, our racial reconciliation cause, our social justice cause, our environmental cause – join our cause, our movement, our party, then God will be impressed! Then you will be justified! Ah, yes, then you will be justified in the eyes of the heretics! But why should we are about that?

WE ARE THE CIRCUMCISION

God says, through His commissioned apostle, to all those (Jew and Gentile) who have entered into His fellowship through faith in Jesus: “For we are the circumcision.” This means two things.

First, to be “the circumcision” means that we are God’s true people. In the Old Testament, the physical sign of circumcision was a marker that differentiated God’s community from outsiders, from the uncircumcised. To be circumcised was to be counted among God’s people. When Paul refers to Christians collectively as “the circumcision,” he means that we are the redeemed of the Lord, the people who belong to God.

Second, to be “the circumcision” means that we have been circumcised in the one way that matters. I am referring to circumcision of the heart. Physical circumcision was an outward sign, and there is nothing wrong with outward signs – after all, water baptism, and the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper, are also outward signs – so long as we don’t neglect the inward realities that the signs represent. Physical circumcision was a physical picture of a spiritual reality that needed to take place, namely, circumcision of the heart. Scripture says,

“Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” (Deuteronomy 10:16)

“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)

“For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)

When Paul says that “we are the circumcision,” he means that we who believe in Jesus are the ones who have been circumcised inwardly, we are the ones who have been born again – regenerated – by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are the ones who have been transformed by the grace of God.

What Paul is doing in verse 3 is describing who and what true Christians are. True Christians are not the folks who point to their own outward pedigree and performance as the basis of their relationship with God. Instead, true Christians are the people who can point to the powerful working of God on their behalf and in their hearts – and they know it is because of God’s gracious work alone that they have a right relationship with God. For this very reason, true Christians aren’t given to praise of self and they do not rejoice in their own efforts or accomplishments. Instead they praise God and glory in the Lord! This is what Paul says in the rest of verse 3: “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”

WE WORSHIP BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

First, God’s true people “worship by the Spirit of God.” This means that our worship is a spiritual worship, a Spirit-empowered worship. This doesn’t mean that a physical sanctuary or bodily actions are irrelevant to worship, but it does mean that such things are secondary. True worship, first and foremost, involves the Holy Spirit at work within us, moving our hearts and minds to rejoice in the Lord, to render praise and thanksgiving to His holy name, to serve the Lord with all diligence, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, to pour ourselves out in love for our brothers and sisters, and to devote ourselves to the mission of the gospel. God’s will is that Spirit-empowered worship characterize our entire lives: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

WE GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS

Second, God’s true people “glory in Christ Jesus.” Making much of Jesus is at the heart of true worship. We do not exalt ourselves, we exalt Jesus. We do not boast in our excellence (as if we had much of it to begin with!), but in the excellence of Jesus. We do not glory in our accomplishments, but in the eminently praiseworthy accomplishments of Jesus our Lord.

We “glory in Christ Jesus” because, “though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

We glory in Christ Jesus because “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

We glory in Christ Jesus because He presented Himself to the Father as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and He purchased us with His blood. (Ephesians 5:1, 25-27; 1 John 3:16, 4:9-10)

We glory in Christ Jesus because the Father “has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9)

We glory in Christ Jesus because “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11) – Caesar isn’t lord, a totalitarian government isn’t lord, a democratic government isn’t lord, popular opinion isn’t lord, wealth isn’t lord, philosophy isn’t lord, pleasure isn’t lord, and your own self isn’t lord. Jesus is Lord! And He who is Lord didn’t stay afar off in His palace but drew near to you and loved you and gave Himself for you, and He did that to redeem your life from the pit and transform a slave of sin into a saint of heaven and bring you all the way home to His heavenly palace.

We glory in Christ Jesus because He is and has the righteousness that we lack and cannot obtain, except from Him: and the good news is that He willingly gives it to us – the gracious bridegroom washes his sin-blemished bride and clothes her in the perfection of His own righteousness. (Philippians 3:3-9, Ephesians 5:25-27)

We glory in Christ Jesus because through Him the Holy Spirit is given to us, that we might live a fruitful life for the praise of God. (Acts 2:33, 38)

We glory in Christ Jesus because if we have Him, we have everything – everything good and true and beautiful – for all eternity. (Philippians 3:1-21)

We glory in Christ Jesus because He is the Savior who will come again and when He does, “[he] will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21), and thus we will share in His glory and reign with Him, forever and ever, amen. (Philippians 3:20-21, Romans 8:16-17, Revelation 22:1-5)

WE PUT NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH

Third, God’s true people “put no confidence in the flesh.” It is precisely because we “glory in Christ Jesus” that we do not glory in any fleshly credentials: we “worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” Glorying in Christ Jesus and putting confidence in the flesh are mutually exclusive. You either trust Jesus’ credentials or you trust your own. You either trust Jesus’ righteousness or you trust your own. You either trust Jesus’ status or you trust your own. You either trust Jesus’ work or you trust your own. You either trust Jesus’ ability to save you bottom to top and all the way across, or you trust that you’ll make it on your own. Be forewarned:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come…. (Jeremiah 17:5-6)

By contrast:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

We dare not trust ourselves, sinners that we are. We dare not trust our own resume or track record, as if we could be good enough or righteous enough or wise enough to impress God. Instead we trust Jesus, that faithful Friend and Savior of sinners, who made perfect peace through the blood of His cross.

BE DILIGENT TO REMAIN IN THE SPHERE OF TRUE JOY

Here’s the applicational rub of verses 2-3: if you dwell happily and with heartfelt conviction in the realities of verse 3 – if you are numbered among God’s true people “who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” – then you will embrace the necessary vigilance and resistance of verse 2. When someone comes along and says, You know, you really need to take your eyes off of Jesus and start focusing on what you can do to make yourself acceptable to God; you really need less Jesus in your life and more law-keeping in order to make yourselves righteous in God’s sight; you really need to think less about what God has done for you and more about what you ought to do for God; you really need to stop banking on the resources of grace over at Father and Son Trust, and start buying up more shares in legalistic religion ­– when someone comes along and says such things, you say a biblically-informed and Spirit-empowered “No”! Theological dogs, you are not welcome here! Evildoers, unless you come in a spirit of repentance, get out! Flesh-mutilators, forget about it! “For we are the circumcision,” we are God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2:10), we are “saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1), we are participants in the Spirit (Philippians 2:1), and we aren’t looking back!

Brothers and sisters, “rejoice in the Lord”! And take care to remain in the Lord who gives you such joy: remain in Him by knowing Him and His word and His worth and His work on your behalf, and by knowing who you are in Him. Then, as you are well established in the sound doctrine regarding our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be able to “[look] out for” and oppose any and all who attempt to draw us away from the truth of the gospel. 

Let us pray.

 

ENDNOTES

[1] Quoted in Ravi Zacharias, Cries of the Heart: Bringing God Near When He Feels So Far. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998: p. 207.

[2] These quotations were taken from warnings that were published online from the National Weather Service in relation to Hurricane Florence, mid-September 2018.

[3] Carson, Hansen, and Silva persuaded me that these Jewish false teachers identified themselves as ‘Christians’ and operated within the churches. See: Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 81. Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 217. Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: p. 147.

[4] Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 217.

[5] The reference to “dogs” is an indication of uncleanness. See: Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 83. Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 218-219. Silva specifies “ritually unclean” – Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: p. 147.

[6] Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: p. 147. Also Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 219.

[7] See Carson’s related discussion – Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 81-82.

[8] Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 219.

[9] Silva rightly comments, “Genuine good works are done only by true believers (2 Cor. 9:8; Eph. 2:10; Col. 1:10).” Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: p. 147.

[10] See “2699. katatomé”  at Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/greek/2699.htm. Also see the interlinear (Greek and English) format of Philippians 3 at Bible Hub’s Interlinear Bible: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/philippians/3.htm.

[11] The actual quotation is: “O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly, day by day.” See “Richard, Bishop of Chichester” at http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/139.html.

More in Philippians

May 12, 2019

Abiding in the Benediction

May 5, 2019

Greeting Every Saint

April 28, 2019

To Our Great God Belongs Eternal Glory