It has been a while since I’ve written about my studies through the book of Philippians. The letter to the church of Philippi takes a dramatic church in the third chapter. So dramatic that some have considered the possibility that it is a completely different letter. But putting aside that speculation, it is worth noting the change in Paul’s demeanor and teaching in this chapter.

In contrast to the group of individuals preaching Christ out of selfish ambition in Philippians 1, Paul focuses himself on the object of religious hypocrisy and turns it on its head in the life of the church:

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. — Philippians 3:2-7 (NASB)

Paul kicks off the chapter with an attack on Judaizers within the church. Far from ordinary playground insults, Paul is actually taking the religious boasting of the group and playing off of their religious badges. First, Paul calls them “dogs” which has more deliberate religious meaning that they were separated from the congregation of God (i.e. Gentiles as in Matthew 15:21-28). They are “evil workers” which means that their attempts towards “works of the law” are really negative works. And finally they are mutilators of the flesh (“false circumcision”)—the cutting they do for God is really no different from a pagan ritual. Calvin also indicates that this is a reference to them severing themselves from the body of Christ.

Paul’s point is that these people think their religious ducks are in a row while they, in fact, reject the righteousness by faith from God. They reject this righteousness in order to boast in the things of the flesh (i.e. heritage or religious legalism). They have taken the things that pointed to Christ and created hindrance towards boasting or trusting in Christ.

This religious hypocrisy should cause us to stop and consider the potential religious hypocrisy which ensnares each of us as individuals. It is easy in our time of Christian enlightenment to diss on the Judaizers as if they were dumb and uneducated. But let us review the things to which they were clinging? Circumcision—the covenant sign given directly by God which Paul says is “great in every respect” (Rom 3:2) when viewed through Christ. The Law—the covenant contract at Mount Sinai which was based on the redemption of Israel (Deut 5:15). As Paul culminates in Romans 9, the entire Old Testament with its promises and signs were given to Israel as markers to the Covenant of Grace (WCF XII.V):

For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. — Romans 9:3-5

These were things directly given by the mouth of God. And yet, when one sought righteousness in them instead of through Christ they stumbled towards a righteousness of their own (Rom 9:30-10:4). The very acts, blessings, and promises of God acted as a stumbling block to the people of Israel when they detached them from Jesus. They took what was of immense value and placed their trust in them instead of the person they pointed to—Jesus Christ.

It is easy for us to mock the mistakes of the Judaizers. But have we been given greater blessings that cannot also be corrupted? What elements of our religious experience have the ability to supplant the reality of boasting in Jesus Christ? What religious identifications do we boast in instead of the complete grace of God? Things such as our theology, family heritage in a tradition, acts of service to the church, or longevity of service can become sources of boasting which take away from our boasting in Christ.

Further, in extreme cases, these boastings can cause us to look down on other Christians. And sometimes this looking down extends to questioning their faith and subsequent righteousness. In these cases, the words of Paul could not bear more practical weight for us. We are to count all of our religious service and sufferings as rubbish if it keeps up from boasting in the active work of Christ. We must count all our religious trophies and theologies are rubbish if they require us to deny the righteousness that comes by faith alone.

Shortly after this passage in Philippians Paul would add that he has not “obtained it or have already become perfect” (Philippians 3:12). Even in Paul the teacher of this epistle there remained a returning, cyclical process of knowing Christ that required his willingness to loss and discard all the things he would boast in to the diminishing of Jesus Christ. So the question for us readers of these words is simple—can we identify the religious rubbish in our lives that provokes boasting and causes us to diminish Christ and our fellow believers?

Photo by Drew Mills