March 17, 2025 -- Philippians 3:2-3 -- Look out for the dogs

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

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 3:2-3 ESV
 
Wow has Paul’s tone changed. The previous verse he wrote calling the people to rejoice in the Lord. Now he is stridently warning the people to look out for the false teachers. He is not wildly firing off words. “In the eyes of the Jews, Gentiles were dogs, ritually unclean animals, not to be associated with, devoid of divine blessings. Paul is saying ‘These false teachers, with their Jewish teachings have so distorted the truth of the gospel that they have become like Gentile unbelievers, since they do not appreciate that our salvation is found totally in Jesus Christ’.” (Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians, p. 71)
 
Evildoers are those who may at first appear to be right and proper but on closer examination of the fruit of their teaching and the fruit of their lifestyle proves them to be workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:23). Mutilators of the flesh are those who taught that it was necessary for a man to be circumcised. That was Old Testament law. It is not required now. The heart is circumcised, not the flesh.
 
Notice the attributes of those who in Christ are the true circumcision. They worship by the Spirit of God—which is the fulfilment of Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well. “The time is coming and, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” John 4:24. No longer are men and women required to travel to Jerusalem for the worship of God. No longer do believers have to follow the Old Testament ritual laws related to sacrifice for the New Covenant is here.
 
The true believers, those who are now the true circumcision, glory in Christ Jesus. They belong to Him and find in Him all joy and all their blessedness. He is the perfect fulfilment of the Old Testament laws. Believers glory in Christ Jesus precisely because He is all their righteousness. He is the One Who stood in our place. Believers glory in Him because salvation is complete, perfect in Christ.
 
The clear teaching is that you and I don’t have to rely on any act of our own to become saved. Jesus has done it all. We are saved through the accomplished work of Jesus. Anyone who is saved, serves freely, with joy and in the reverent fear of the Lord. No one should ever get proud or think to himself I have contributed to my salvation. The work of salvation has all been done completely and totally by Jesus. Now we recognize it is God Who works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Our glorious God changes us so completely that serving Him is our desire and our joy. We are freed from our past. We are freed from the punishment our sins deserved. Now, in that freedom, we glory in Christ Jesus.
 
Life will be hard. Glory in Christ Jesus. Satan will throw all kinds of things at you. Glory in the salvation which is yours in Christ Jesus. False teachers will come and try to put you back into slavery to old ways and wrong teachings, they seek to have power over you. Worship by the Spirit of God. Don’t fall prey to any of the schemes of the devil or false teachers. No matter the circumstances, no matter the hardship, know that God is at work in you. By His Spirit He is using everything that happens in your life to make You ever more perfectly His image-bearer. What we can’t understand now will in eternity be the hammer strokes and fine chisel work which revealed the gloriousness of His patient activity in us.
 
Father in heaven when I am tempted to run or feel too weak to stand up against all that is happening in my life, give me the strength that is found through Your Spirit Who lives in me. Hold me in place so that the full glory of Christ Jesus and His accomplished salvation will be applied to me and applied everywhere within me. Put spiritual steel into my will accompanied by boldness so that I will live out this wonderful salvation Father, to the glory and praise of Your Name. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/1b25rfn6J48?si=6L_InQf4wTh9HdOD I Stand Amazed in the Presence
 

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