Faith and Resurrection

Verses

Philippians 3:1–11 NIV

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 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—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Introduction

Today we are continuing our study of Philippians in the sermon series, “Good Posture for a Bad Place.”

As you remember, Paul is writing to the community of believers in Philippi. Paul has not been there for several years, but he feels very close to this community of believers. Paul visited Philippi under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. As you remember, Paul is writing from Rome. While Paul is essentially on house arrest, he is in chains, literally chained to a soldier twenty-four hours a day.

The verses we are looking at today address the first of two false teachings that Paul will discuss in the third chapter of Philippians. In these verses Paul begins his discussion about the dangers of legalism.

Legalism

The dominant view among the leaders of the Jewish faith during Jesus’s time, and Paul’s, was one of legalism. You found favor with God by following all the rules - the law - that were defined in the Torah. Over time the basic laws that provided guidance to the Jews had become dissected and further defined to a point of ridiculous detail. For example, the basic guidance of keeping the sabbath holy had been further defined as meaning...

1) Cannot take more then 1.999 steps for the day.

2) Cannot carry anything heavier then a dried fig leave.

3) Cannot leave a radish in salt because it might become pickled and pickling vegetables is forbidden.

For the “good Jews,” this was path to righteousness.

Transition

The church in Philippi was experiencing conflict between two groups of believers. There were the believers that felt you should be a good Jew in order to be a good Christian. In other words, To fully experience Christ you had to follow all the Jewish rules. Symbolic of all the rules was the expectation that a believer should be circumcised. On the other side, were the believers who were not Jewish, had no real background in religious law. They saw Christ, and Christ alone, as needed for salvation. The conflict between these groups was tearing the church apart.

Paul begins chapter 3 with harsh words for the legalistic believers who are demanding that all the believers be circumcised and follow Jewish religious law. He calls them dogs and mutilators of the flesh. Mutilators of the flesh is a play on words in Greek that you cannot capture in English. The Greek word for circumcision is very similar to the word for mutilation. To equate the two is to say that physical circumcision is truly of no value for followers of Christ. In fact, Paul is saying that if all you have to show is your physical circumcision with no true devotion of the heart and mind and life to Christ, then you are simply mutilated for no real reason.

Paul’s Qualifications

Before we look at Paul’s understanding of faith and legalism, I want to make sure you understand the quality of his credentials. While Paul is now 100% on the side of righteousness through faith, at one time he was 100% on the side of righteousness through legalistic observance of the law.

Paul writes the he was, “...circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

These are impeccable credentials. He was not a convert to Judaism but was born a Jew and from the very beginning his life was under the law, being circumcised when he was eight days old. Paul is from the tribe of Benjamin, the same as his namesake, King Saul. Paul was Jewish through and through. He was Jewish genetically and was thoroughly Jewish in practice. He knew the law and had lived the law. He was part of the sect known as the Pharisee, who were extremely diligent in demanding that Jewish faith practices not be limited to the temple but be lived in the everyday world in strict accordance to the law. Paul further clarifies that he was not just faithful to the law, but was zealous in defending the law. This was manifested in his aggressive, brutal attack on the followers of Christ. Finally, Paul makes it clear that he was “faultless” in following the law and achieving righteousness, as he understood it then, under the law.

Where it Got Him

But Paul no longer valued these credentials. Paul writes that all of those things were now worthless to him. Paul states that those things are now “garbage” to him. Some versions translate it as “dung.” Paul is saying that everything about his identity and life prior to Christ was worthless because he now knows Christ and has truly achieved righteousness through faith in Christ. In other words, all the time and effort invested in being good enough and being faithful to the law was never going to be enough. Instead, it is the faithfulness of Christ and the grace extended through Christ’s faithfulness on the cross confirmed by the power of the resurrection that achieves righteousness. This is a profound change. I think because of this powerful background, Paul is very intense in his feelings about the legalism being pushed by some believers in the church at Philippi.

Paul is very clear that righteousness, being right with God, is achieved through faith and the power of the resurrection.

Circumcision of the Heart

Paul says that real circumcision is not physical circumcision but spiritual circumcision. This is not a new idea.

Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Jeremiah 4:4 NIV

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.

Deuteronomy 10:16 NIV

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

This concept of spiritual circumcision had been God’s ultimate true desire all along.

Components of Faith

Paul identifies three key components of faith in Christ. He writes, “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...”

Serve God by His Spirit

Jewish worship was highly ritualized. That is not to say it could not be genuine, but the focus was on the ritual and not the relationship. Paul is saying that for followers of Christ, that dynamic is reversed. It is the relationship that matters. It is not the legalistic observance of the law that binds us to God. Instead, it is a thing of the heart. A thing of the spirit. Paul has learned by experience that it is possible for someone to follow the law and the liturgy to the letter, but have a bitter, selfish heart. But when we worship in truth and spirit, as Jesus described it to the Samaritan woman, then our heart cannot be untouched and unchanged.

Paul is calling the believers to a life of substantial faith that is reflected in attitude, compassion, love, and genuine love for others. Our life should be different because our heats are changed by the spirit of God.

Boast in Christ

What are you proud of? What do you enjoy showing off when you have people to your house? What are you proud of about yourself? What is it that you hope people notice about you? In many ways, Paul does not have much to boast about it. After all, he is a jailbird. He has a criminal record. He is a murderer. But Paul makes it clear that he is not interested in boasting about himself or his accomplishments. In fact, Paul has already said that the things he could legitimately be proud of are worthless. Instead, Paul sees Christ as the only thing genuinely of value in his life. When you are circumcised in spirit, truly changed by Christ, then the only thing to boast about is Christ. It is Christ living in you that shapes and guides you. You are a citizen of the kingdom and the kingdom is all that matters.

No Confidence in the Flesh

What does no confidence in the flesh mean? Paul is not calling us to be insecure and fearful. In fact, we are told in no uncertain terms that as believers we are not given a spirit of fear. We are described as “more then conquerors.” So why not have confidence? It’s a trick question. Paul does not say not to have confidence. Instead, Paul gives us guidance of where to put our confidence. We are to put our confidence in Christ. We do not boast about ourselves alone and we do not put our confidence in ourselves alone. Instead, we boast about Christ and put our confidence in Christ alone.

The Goal

And the goal of all this? Paul says his goal is to “… gain Christ and be found in in him,” which means “…righteousness that comes from God…” through faith. In addition, Paul’s goal is to “…know Christ … to know the power of his resurrection.”

In the end, this is the key. When all is said and done, our goal is to be found in Christ, with righteousness found through faith, and truly understand the power of his resurrection. What else is there that matters?