Philippians 3:1-11

Found in Christ

Jesus told the apostle Peter that upon this rock He will build His church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it (Matt. 16:18).  In this promise, Christ assures the church that no matter how difficult the assaults of the enemy, Christ will not only preserve His people but personally he will cause you to advance forward to accomplish everything that He has ordained with the assurance the He will be with you until the end of the age. 

Along with this promise, there are times in the life of the church, when the church has to be safely prepared for the certain assaults upon the church.  Surely, these assaults can attack many vital points upon the house of God but one certain place the assaults will be lodged is upon the foundation itself, which is the simplicity and purity of the gospel.  Paul himself warns the Ephesian elders of such attacks after his departure (Acts 20:17-35 [vv. 28-30]).  He also gives us an even clearer understanding of their intent in 2 Cor. 11:1-4, 12-28.

It almost seems out of place to hear Paul now make such a radical transition within such a personal letter of joy to now turning to prepare the Philippian church for those who have habitually hounded each of Paul's church plants upon his departure.  It seems almost without exception that each time Paul leaves a church these ravenous wolves of Satan's kingdom penetrate the church to devour and torment the church's standing in Christ through faith alone.

Transitional Statement (3:1)

But this is in fact exactly what Paul is doing (v. 1).  And even in the face of such evil aggression, Paul again amazingly calls the church to rejoice.  Rejoicing in the midst of suffering and trial is a prominent, glorious thread running throughout the Philippian letter.  In 1:18, Paul teaches the church to rejoice even in the midst of those who choose to preach Christ out of false pretenses (cf. 1:27-30).  Even, as in Paul's life, when the preaching of Christ causes us personal suffering, we are to rejoice (2:17-18), or as seen in the lives of Timothy and Epaprhoditus (2:22, 28-30).  Finally, Paul will tell us in 4:4-7 that in everything we are to rejoice with thanksgiving. 

Again, how is it possible for us to rejoice even in the midst of the crashing waves of trials and sufferings?  Paul finds the answer only in the words "in the Lord."  It is because of our union with Jesus Christ, the sacrificed Lamb of God who has been victoriously raised from the dead, that we are enable to rejoice in all circumstances.  Paul will close this passage with much more to say on this glorious union and how because of it we are able to rejoice in the midst of the deep valleys of our lives.

Therefore, even in the midst of false teachers who constantly attempt to attack the simplicity of the gospel we are to rejoice.  Why?  Do we rejoice that the gospel is being attacked?  No!  We rejoice because we know that even when the gospel is assaulted by the kingdom of darkness, that the gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes and no matter how intense or bleak the battle appears, Jesus Christ will see to it that the church will prevail.  For Jesus assures you:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29).

Judaizers and True Christians (3:2-4a)

In comparing the Judaizers to true Christians Paul uses his most powerful rhetoric, filled with invective and sarcasm to warn the Philippians of those who wanted to impose the Law of Moses upon the Gentile believers (cf. Acts 15:1, 5).  It is not clear from Paul's words whether the Judaizers are a present threat or whether he is warning them of a future infiltration.  It may be that they are presently in the community causing trouble for the church and Paul is warning them of the possibility of entering into the church.     

Paul warns them three times (Beware! Beware! Beware!).  First, he refers to them as "dogs," which in our culture may sound rather timid.  However, in the Greco-Roman culture and in the ancient near-eastern Judaism, dogs were generally detested as scavengers and vicious beasts often attacking the weak and helpless.  The Jews viewed them as unclean and often used the term as a pejorative for Gentiles.  It's hilarious how Paul turns the phrase upon the Judaizers who were seeking to make the Gentiles "clean" by circumcision when in fact they are unclean dogs.

Paul secondly, refers to them as "evil workers" because they took pride in their works.  Their righteousness before God was based upon "doing;" it was based upon their legalistic observance to the Mosaic Law.  Since they were trying to secure their relationship to God based upon their own works-righteousness then Paul rightly reveals them as "workers of iniquity" (2 Cor. 11:13).

Finally, Paul refers to them as the "false circumcision" or better yet, simply the "mutilation."  Paul uses the word for "cutting to pieces" or "to mutilate."  In Gal. 5:12, Paul urges the Judaizers who are so proud of their physical circumcision to take their knife and castrate themselves.  If cutting is their hope, then to really have pride, why not cut it all?  In Gal. 6:12-13 Paul gives the real heart intent of the Judaizers motive, who in fear of their own Jewish brethren, they pridefully seek to glory in the fleshly works of the Law in their converts.    

The Judaizers took great pride in the their fleshly righteousness under the Law.  Their relationship to God was based upon their own personal law-keeping.  And they boasted, with chests protruding, in their good works.  The deep passion of their lives was to see all the new Gentile believers follow their example of works righteousness in order to be true recipients of the promises to Abraham.  There are also many modern-day Judaizers who infiltrate the church with their legalistic, duty-bound way of life whether they try to enforce the Law of Moses or their own personal lists of do's and don'ts upon those who have been gloriously liberated in Christ.  

But in the face of those who gloried in themselves, Paul reminds the Philippians, who were overwhelmingly Gentile believers, that they in fact were the true circumcision.  Notice Paul's emphasis here upon the Spirit of God.  The Old Testament type and shadow of physical circumcision looked forward to true, Spiritual circumcision of the heart.  The prophets looked forward to the day when God Himself would remove the heart of stone and give His people a new heart by putting His Spirit within them (Ez. 36:26).  Jeremiah prophesied of a new day when God would write His law of the Spirit of life upon the hearts of His people so that they will know the Lord and their sins would be forgiven (Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 8:1-4).  Paul's point in v. 3 is that that day of the "true circumcision of the heart" has arrived and it is only through faith-union in Jesus Christ that we can be considered the true people of God.  The shocking point of Paul's declaration is the even those who meticulously observe the Law of Moses are not included in God's people on the basis of their works-righteousness.  In regards to the righteousness of God which is by faith in Christ, circumcision now means nothing to God (cf. Rom. 2:25-29; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6; 6:15; Eph. 2:11; Col. 2:11).   

Paul now describes those who are the true circumcision, the true Israel of God in three ways:  first, they worship in/by the Holy Spirit of God.  Only in Christ do we worship in Spirit and in truth.  Worship here may include not only the gathered body in worship, but our whole life as described as worship.  Paul had to remind the Galatians who were being led away by the Judaizers that not only were they reborn by the Spirit through faith, but their entire life of sanctification is the life of the Spirit through faith and not through the works of the Law (Gal. 3:1-5).

Second and third, Paul reminds the church where their true boasting resides.  If they are going to boast, then they will glory only in Christ Jesus and put absolutely no confidence in their flesh.  Paul, writing to the Galatians, said in light of the Judaizers who boast in the flesh,

But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Gal. 6:14-15).

Judaizers and Pre-Christian Paul (3:4b-6)

If the Judaizers placed so much confidence merely in the fleshly rite of circumcision, the Paul now shows how his own fleshly observation of the Law far surpassed that of the Judaizers.  Paul didn't have to simply rely upon circumcision only; he superceded the Judaizers in the flesh (Gal. 1:14).

A.  Advantages by Birth

Here Paul lists the impeccable credentials given to him by his parents:  circumcision, racial identity with Israel, membership in the Israelite tribe that gave Israel its first king, and the ability to speak the language of his people.

B.  Advantages by Lifestyle

Here Paul lists his own personal additions by his own lifestyle:  his observation of the Law of Moses after the manner of the Pharisees and his complete devotion to the Mosaic Law which produced such zeal leading him to persecute the church, similarly what the Judaizers are now attempting to do to the Philippians.

In sum, Paul was "blameless with respect to the righteousness that comes from the Law of Moses.

This does not mean that Paul thought that he was sinless before his faith in Christ.  His blamelessness would certainly include his careful attention to sacrificial laws of atonement for sin.  Rather, Paul is stressing that his parents did everything right according the to the Law of the Jews and he added to that his own lifestyle of diligently observing all the Law.  Therefore, Paul trusted that one day his heritage and law-keeping achievements would assist him in standing acquitted before the throne of God.

Faith Vs. Works (3:7-11)

It wasn't until God finally arrested Paul that all his personal gains and advantages became loss (v. 7).  Why does Paul call his personal law-keeping righteousness, "loss" for the sake of Christ?  Because the two are mutually exclusive.  These are accounting terms, where Paul's "gains" have now been moved to the column of "loss."  You can't have Christ while holding on to your own works of the Law as a basis of your relationship to God.  He will not except such a hodgepodge of our works mixed with Christ's works.   

In v. 8 he expands on v.7.  Not only are his "fleshly achievements" loss, but now "everything/all things" are counted as loss.  Whereas in v. 7 Paul's attitude was changed "for the sake of Christ" now he states the transformation as taking place "for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." 

Paul exchanges a life of basing one's hope of eternal life upon his own personal law-keeping; of a works based righteousness with personally knowing Jesus Christ.  Even as Paul's law-keeping led him to persecute those who embraced the gospel of God's grace, so the Judaizers are similarly threatening the welfare of the church.  In the same way, Paul wants the Philippians to throw out the rubbish of the teaching of the Judaizers in exchange for the simplicity and purity of the gospel of God's grace. 

Notice that for Paul, everything surrounds his own union with Christ.  That is the passion and devotion of his life.  His ultimate goal is not simply salvation from future judgment, not simply a more ethical/moral life, and not simply the future hope of eternal life.  No, above all else, Paul's singular passion in life is to know Jesus Christ.  Everything else takes a backseat to the surpassing value of fellowship and communion with Christ.

Paul expresses this in two ways in vv. 8-9.  That he may gain Christ and that on the day of judgment that he may be found in Christ.  To be found in Christ means that on the day of judgment Paul does not want to be found clinging to the his own personal righteousness that is made available through the law which is but filthy rags and dung/rubbish.  Rather, if he wants to truly stand or be acquitted on the day of judgment then he must be found in perfect righteousness which can only be God's own personal righteousness which is freely given through faith alone in Christ alone.  Paul wonderfully defines how we have become the righteousness of God in 2 Cor. 5:21:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Now just as God did not actually make Jesus a sinner, but through imputation regarded or accounted Jesus with our sin, then God doesn't first actually make us righteous through infused grace, but regards or accounts us righteous or acquitted based upon the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us through faith alone.

So being found in Christ on the day of judgment means that Paul will not attempt to stand before God on the final day clinging to his own defective obedience to God's law but resting and relying fully in the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ which will be perfectly accepted by God.

Finally, Paul concludes this glorious passage by explaining how our gaining Christ will result in our present transformation into the image of Christ through the power of Christ's resurrection (vv. 10-11).  As Paul commanded us to rejoice "in the Lord" in v. 1, now he tells us how Christ is working in our life to produce such joy even in the midst of suffering.  Paul speaks of our present suffering unto death as the nature of the Christian life, similarly to his describing our life in Rom. 12:1 as a "living sacrifice."  The way of discipleship is the cruciform life, the life of the cross. 

But notice that Christ does not make us first suffer in order to gain salvation, like the monks who attempt to merit eternal life through self-affliction and asceticism.  But rather Christ gives us full and complete salvation up front to sustain us in the suffering of this present life.  It is the power of the resurrection that empowers us to fellowship in Christ's sufferings in being conformed into his image.  

While we await the glory of the resurrection we live out the gospel life, which is imprinted with the cross of Christ, being sustained by the power of the resurrection of Christ so that above all we might gain the greater glory, the greater prize of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen!

-SDG-