Philippians 3:1-3

Passage

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.  For me to write this same thing to you is on one hand not troublesome for me and on the other hand a safeguard for you all.  Beware of the dogs, beware of the workers of evil, and beware of the mutilation.  For we are the circumcision – we who worship by the Spirit and who express confidence in Christ Jesus and who do not put confidence in the flesh.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul tells the Philippians to remember to rejoice.  Then he tells them that it is easy for him to do so, which it is.  Then he tells them that it is a safeguard for them.  This is really a neat point.  How easy is it to go through life and forget to rejoice!  How easy is it to go through life and get so caught up in the work and problems of life that we honestly forget to rejoice!  I think Paul is brilliant in this reminder.  We can take life so seriously sometimes that we forget to stop and rejoice in the Lord! 

What does it cost us to remind each others to rejoice?  What might it cost us and others if we forget to remind others to rejoice?

Second Thought:

Paul tells the Philippians to beware of the dogs and the workers of evil.  In ancient days, dogs were not the beloved house pets they are today.  They were pack scavengers.  They roamed the world looking for dead, near dead, sick, or injured that they could finish off.  They roamed in packs looking for something vulnerable to consume.  They separate off the old, the young, and the weak from a herd in order to consume it.  I love my dogs; but I am not ignorant of their origin.  Paul tells the Philippians to be careful about people in this world who look to do the same to believers in Christ.  There are people who are looking for any sign of weakness so that they can come into your life and pull you away from God by indoctrinating you with their own understanding.  Like the scavenger dogs of Paul’s day, these people simply seek to devour the weak in the faith.

Do you know any people who will take advantage of any opportunity to try and pull someone away from God?  Why are these people dangerous?  How can we protect ourselves and each other?

Third Thought:

Paul also tells the Philippians to be careful of the mutilation.  This is Paul’s word for those people who taught that circumcision is necessary for salvation.  In the verses that follow, Paul is quick to point out that true faith is found in worshipping God in the Spirit.  True faith is found in clinging solely to the cross of Jesus Christ.  There is a real danger anytime someone says, “Yes, but if you just do _____ then you’ll be truly saved.  In Paul’s day people put circumcision in that blank.  Today people put baptism into that blank.  Others put praying the Sinner’s Prayer into that blank.  Still other put church attendance, Bible study attendance, etc into that blank.  The reality is that all of these things are great responses to salvation.  But they do not bring us salvation.  I am no more or less saved because of my baptism.  I am no more or less saved because I pray, attend church, preach, study my Bible, tithe, etc.  I am saved only through the cross of Christ.  To promote any of these things as anything other than a response to the grace of God as given through the cross is simply dangerous theology.  That is why Paul calls it mutilation.  It is mutilation of genuine Christianity.

Why do some people believe that doing certain works guarantees salvation?  Why do people have such a difficult time asserting that salvation only comes through the cross? 

Passage for Tomorrow: Philippians 3:4-7