Last week we talked about how those of us who have studied this word and are more mature in the faith, we are called to teach those who are newer to the faith. That if God has given us a gift for teaching or for preaching that we are to use that gift to build up the church—and by “church” I don’t just mean people that walk into a particular building on Sunday morning. When the Bible speaks of “the church” it refers to all believers in Christ. Sometimes it means all believers all around the world. Ephesians 5:25—Christ…loved the church and gave Himself for her. Sometimes it means a local congregation. Paul opens some of his letters by saying To the church which is at Corinth or To the church of the Thessalonians. The CHURCH is a worldwide body of believers which is made up of smaller bodies of believers. I hate to use words like “divided” or “separated” because we are not “separate.” Much like Tennessee and Rhode Island and Utah and Alaska are all states which make up one nation…under God. They are individual states which make up one whole.
And the people that gather here and the people that gather over on Elm Street and the people that gather in Powell and the people that gather in Africa and the people that gather in—wherever—are all smaller gatherings of the one great gathering. And Christ has given us gifts to use in ministering to those who gather, so that the whole body may grow and so that each individual may grow into the fullness of what Christ has called us to be. And the one person who knows a little truth, and the other person who knows a little more truth, and the person who knows a whole lot of the truth will all be measuring everything according to the same truth. Just like the illustration of measuring the distance from here to the end of the block. Whether I'm using a ruler or a yardstick or a tape measure—those instruments are different lengths but they are all based on the same standard. Six inches is 6” is 6”.
And in the same way, if a new believer and a more mature believer and the fellow who has been preaching truth for 60 years see the same thing—they are all seeing that through their own knowledge of the truth, and if they are all measuring according to the same standard of truth—then they are all going to be in agreement on it. So, let’s go ahead and read our text. And continue this idea.
Philippians 3:16-19—Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
We look for men who are teaching truth, and when we find them, we follow them, and we use them as a pattern for ourselves. And we use truth to measure anything else that claims to be truth (2nd Corinthians 10:3-6). If one person says “this is one inch,” and another person says, “No, this is one inch.” How do I determine who is correct? We find the "original inch" and we compare the two against it. By the same token, if someone says, “The universe was developed over billions of years, and human beings evolved from monkeys millions of years ago,” while another person says, “No, the universe was created over the course of six days a few thousand years ago, and man was created in God’s image.” How do I figure out who is right? I am gonna look for the answer from someone who was actually there!
Was God there when the universe was created? And let’s go one step further. If someone says, “You have to pray your Rosary and obey the Pope and give indulgences for your dead mother in Purgatory in order to be saved,” and another person says, “No, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.” Where is the first place you should look? We should look to the One who decides what is necessary for salvation! And so you read your Bible, and lo-and-behold, none of those things that your Roman Catholic friend said you have to believe are in the Bible. So who do you believe? Yeah. You believe the one that has Scripture on their side. Because the Scripture is the rule we walk by.
Verse 16. Let us walk by the same rule—measure. We measure everything by the Holy Scriptures—not by Popes and councils. Martin Luther stood before the council that declared him a heretic for daring to say that Scripture is the final word on anything, and said, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience would be neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I can do no other.” If our conscience is captive to the Holy Scriptures, should we go against our conscience? No. We should walk by the same rule; we should be of the same mind.
Verse 17. Brethren, join in following my example. KJV—Brethren, be followers together of me. The HCSB is close, Join in imitating me. The NET comes closest—Be imitators of me. Literally, be joint-imitators of me. It’s one of those words Paul had to make up, kinda like the word “Google.” Ten years ago, if you asked your secretary to "Google" for you, you'd have probably wound up in a lawsuit. Today, we know what it means to "Google." The Greek word Paul used (συμμιμητής, summimetes) literally means, “join with each other as imitators of me.” Key word: imitate.
Last week we talked kinda briefly about how the apostles taught what Christ taught. And the early church taught what the apostles taught—which was what Christ taught. So if we follow what the early church taught, which was what the apostles taught, which was what Christ taught—whose teachings are we gonna be following? A=B, B=C, C=D, so A=D. How do you tune 100 pianos? You tune one, then you tune the rest according to that one. That passage from Ephesians that we looked at last week, let me finish that for you. Ephesians 4:14-16—We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
I don’t understand how someone can study the human body and look at it and say it was just one big accident—or a bunch of little accidents. You want to know what is responsible for regulating your blood pressure? Your kidneys and your lungs. If your kidneys aren't getting enough blood, they release a substance that releases another substance, which changes into another substance, that goes to the lungs and there is an enzyme there that changes that substance into something else and then that increases your blood pressure. Guess what happens if one of those steps doesn’t happen? The whole shebang gets shut down, and the body does not work right.
What happens when the church doesn’t do what the church is supposed to do? The body of Christ will never die (Matthew 16), but sometimes it doesn’t function right. But since the apostle Paul imitated Christ, then we know that if we imitate Paul, we will be imitating Christ. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. KJV—mark those who so walk… We talked about the word “mark” a couple weeks ago. It’s the same word here that he uses in verse 14 when he says I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We get the word “scope” from the Greek. Telescope, microscope, gun scope. If I'm a sniper, where is my focus? Do I see what’s around me? Do I see what’s behind me? What is the only thing my eye is trained on? The only thing my eye sees is what is directly in front of me. So look at what Paul is saying here. We are to join together in imitating Paul—because he was focused on one thing and one thing only, and that was Christ. Then we mark those whose lives demonstrated a pattern of following Christ. Ephesians 5:1—Be imitators of God as dear children.
And we examine their lives, see how they lived their lives, and we follow that example. Join in following my example, mark those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. That word “pattern” means “the mark of a stroke or blow; a figure formed by a blow or impression.” We get the English word “type” from the Greek (τύπος, tupos). That’s why they call it a “typewriter.” The Greek refers to striking a blow that leaves a mark. On that typewriter, you mash the button, and what happens? You hit the “j” button; the die smacks the ribbon, and leaves an impression of the letter “j”. What happens if you hit that button again? You're gonna get another “j”. Is it gonna look like the first “j”? What happens if you hit that “j” 8,000 times? You're gonna get 8,000 “j’s” that all look pretty similar. Should a Christian today look pretty similar to a Christian from 2,000 years ago?
Basically, we are to think of men like the apostle Paul, and his students like Timothy and Titus, focus on them as examples, patterns. We imitate them, and we follow others whose lives are carbon copies. And that gives others a carbon copy, a pattern, and example to follow. Those people become a pattern for others who come after them. You see what I'm getting at? 1st Thessalonians 1:7-9—You became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth…Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. The Thessalonians had turned from their wickedness and their idolatry, and worshipped Christ. The people in Macedonia and Achaia heard that, and saw that their faith was genuine. So, when Paul and Timothy and Silas went to Macedonia and Achaia, those people already knew the Thessalonians, and they knew that the Thessalonians had learned from Paul and Timothy and Silas.
So what would that mean when they went to these regions? “Oh, you're the guys that taught the people at Thessalonica—that’s good enough for us! Welcome!” That’s the legacy we are to leave. That if someone says, “I learned what the Bible means from listening to the guys over at Grace,” and we if we are doing our job, what will that mean to others who are thinking about coming here? “That person goes there. I want to know the Bible. I'm gonna go there, too.” If we’re doing our job.
But if we’re not doing our job of teaching the whole counsel of God—who will we answer to in the end? I gotta confess, sometimes I’m not half as scared as I should be. It oughta frighten us to death. Isaiah 66:2—“I look on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” We not doing this to get an “A” in a class. We can't bluff our way through this. Our Boss, our Supervisor, the One who is gonna be grading us—the One that we must give an account to in the end—is God. So we are obligated to do our best to make sure that our teachings leave the right mark on people’s lives, so that if others follow their pattern, and those people follow our pattern, that pattern will lead them to Christ. If someone were to say, “My pastor is John MacArthur,” I would probably think that person knows the Bible because John MacArthur is one of the finest Bible teachers alive. That is the pattern his teaching leaves on a person.
Now, if a person said, “My pastor is Joel Osteen,” I would think they would be able to tell me how to be happy and healthy and wealthy and prosperous, and how “God created me to be a champion!” But I would also leave with the impression that the person wouldn’t know a whole lot about what the Bible actually means. That is the pattern his teaching leaves on a person. Study under a man like Dr. MacArthur—or some other men I could name (Mark Dever, Al Mohler, the late James Kennedy)—then the pattern, the mark they leave on your life will be that you know the Bible and what it means. If you study under a man like Joel Osteen, then the pattern, the mark he will leave on your life will be that you're happy—but you don’t know a whole lot of Scripture.
And that is so sad. Listen to the how the Psalmist described his love for God’s word. Psalm 119:1-18—Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
Does that sound like a pattern that we should follow? Here is this man pouring out his heart about how wonderful the Law of God is—that very same law that condemns us! That is the attitude of a Christian. It’s not a case of “I have to keep the Law if I want to love God.” No! The truth is, “I love God—so I want to keep His Law!” Obeying mom and dad doesn’t make you love them. You love them, so you obey them. We are to note the men whose lives are patterned after godliness, shaped out of godliness, devotion to the truth, and a love for Christ. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
Verses 18-19. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. Paul has just finished telling us to watch and follow those people that you can see their lives and say, “That is someone who imitates Christ. I want to be like that person.” And now he lets us know that there are others whose lives are the complete opposite. They live a life that ignores Christ, that is hostile to Christ, and who want nothing to do with Christ.\
Verse 18. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Anybody want to be an enemy of God? But here’s the thing: look at what Paul says. Does he say these people are enemies of Christ? They are enemies of Christ, but he calls them enemies of—what? Enemies of the cross of Christ. When Paul talks about an “enemy of the cross,” he’s not simply talking about people who are out-and-out sinners. He’s talking about people who deny that salvation comes only by and through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Now, what do I mean by that? Well, if we go back to the first few verses of this chapter, we see one example. This whole chapter is one long train of thought. He spends all these verses warning the Philippians about a group of men called “Judaizers.” Long story short: these were Jews who were pinning their hopes of salvation on keeping “the Law”—the Ten Commandments and all the rest of the 613 commandments in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy. Plus, they said, if a man was not circumcised, they taught that the man could not be saved. And by doing so, they were pitting themselves against the cross of Christ.
But listen to some of the words Paul has for these guys: Galatians 5:2-4 [NASB]—If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. In other words, if someone tries to say that salvation comes through faith in Christ AND “keeping the Law” then they're not saved. If someone says you must be saved by Christ AND keeping the Sabbath; or you must be saved by Christ AND baptism, or you must be saved by Christ AND anything—they probably aren't saved. Because according to Galatians 5:4, if anyone is seeking to be justified by Law, they are severed from Christ.
Hebrews 10:28-29—Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? Think about that! Anyone who knew the Law, but went ahead and did what was forbidden by that Law of God—was put to death if 2-3 people testified (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). That is what God demanded and that is what God thinks about sin. And in that regard, He has not changed. He still hates sin. But now, God has sent His Son, who fulfilled all of those 613 commandments, so that we don’t have to worry about remembering all of them and trying to obey each and every one of them—because there is no way we could! So if you reject the sacrifice that was the cross of Jesus Christ, guess what your only hope of salvation is? From the moment you're born until the day you die, you must keep that Law perfectly, never ever break even one commandment ever, ever-ever, even once.
Guess what?
Romans 3:23—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 1st John 1:8—If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. So if a person rejects the blood of Christ, they have basically said to God that they’re gonna do what only Jesus could ever do. They make themselves an enemy of the cross of Christ by rejecting that cross—they have condemned themselves. Because they are saying that they are putting their hope of salvation in themselves. And, I believe Dr. MacArthur said it best: “The apostate is beyond salvation because he has rejected the only sacrifice that can cleanse him from sin and bring him into God’s presence. To turn away from that sacrifice leaves him with no saving alternative.” The cross of Christ is the ONLY way to salvation. Period. Paragraph. Jesus Christ is Savior.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
Showing posts with label Christ alone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ alone. Show all posts
17 March 2010
30 November 2009
Verse-by-verse through Philippians (3:2-3:7)
There has been a trend over the last few years among quote-unquote evangelical churches, to avoid the subject of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They don’t want to offend people, so they say that you can get saved in January, and eventually, you can......gradually......give Jesus the privilege of making Him Lord. One popular “Christian” magazine ran an article that said the following: “Since the decision to make Christ Lord is possible only for those who have already trusted Him as Savior, the gospel presentation should not contain anything about yielding in submission to Christ as Lord to be obeyed.” Did you catch that? “The decision to make Christ Lord.” WE DO NOT MAKE Christ Lord!! To say that is nothing short of heresy. I ain't afraid to say it, and I will back it up with Scripture. Acts 2:36—“God has made this Jesus, both LORD and Christ.” Philippians 2:11—Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. Romans 10:9 (NASB)—If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. If you confess Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. What is the opposite of that statement? That if you don’t confess that Jesus is Lord, you will NOT be saved. Over 100 times the NT declares that Jesus IS Lord. We don’t make Jesus Lord. He already is!!!
One day, those of us who labor in the word and teach and preach and follow our Lord’s command to do the physical work of building up His body will not be able to do the work any longer. There will come a day when these tabernacles of flesh are folded up and put in the ground. And we will leave that work for someone else to carry out. And when we do, we will have to trust in the Lord to raise up someone who will carry out that work faithfully and not lead the people into error. The apostle Paul went through the same thing when he heard from many of the churches that he had planted. That he had worked so diligently and suffered so much in teaching them the gospel, only to have people come in behind him and undermine those efforts. He had to write a very long letter to the Corinthians to follow up on the first very long letter he had written to the Corinthians. He wrote to the Galatians for the same reason. And one thing that these false teachers had in common was they were very boastful, very proud and they appealed to people’s sense of self-righteousness. And when we see this section of this letter to the Philippians, Paul lets it be known that “Hey, if anybody wants to boast—I could outboast anybody any day, anywhere, anytime.”
So, Philippians 3:2-7—Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Look at the terms that Paul uses to describe false teachers in Verse 2. Dogs…evil workers…the mutilation. He makes no bones about it. First he calls them dogs. I've got a dog. I like my dog. She’s a good little dog. We think of dogs as happy little pets, they wag their tail, and we go, “Awww!” But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, in OT Jewish culture, dogs were considered vile. And here’s the thing: Jews would always refer to Gentiles as “dogs.” But now, Paul takes that term and turns it around and uses it to describe these Jewish teachers who wanted to drag people back to living under the burden of keeping the OT Law. The apostle Peter did the same thing in 2nd Peter 2:22—But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit.” These false teachers had heard the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, but they wanted to go back to keeping a set of rules and regulations. And they taught others to do the same.
But are we saved by keeping a set of rules and regulations? No. We are saved by hating the sinful things we used to do and by declaring that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord (not by "making" Jesus Lord. See above). Many times when a person gets saved—you're looking at a perfect example—there is a tendency to think, “OK, I'm saved. Now I have to never, ever, ever do anything bad ever again or I'm not saved.” That’s the kind of thing these false teachers were teaching. But we are not saved by keeping the Law. Galatians 3:21—If there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. In other words, there IS NO LAW that can give life. James 2:10—Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point—how much is he guilty of?—he is guilty of all.
If you take a chain that holds the anchor of the largest cruise ship in the world. Break one link. What good is that chain anymore? The same goes for anyone who thinks they are saved by “keeping the 10 Commandments.” Because in order to be saved, one must be absolutely perfect, and never, ever sin. People who say, “Well, I'm saved because I try to keep the 10 Commandments.” What's the key word there? "TRY." Ask them if they’ve broken even one—if they are honest they will say, “Yes.” And they will condemn themselves. Now, if we are saved, should we do our best to obey the commandments? Yes. It’s a fine line I'm drawing, but Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). 1st John 2:4—He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar. We do not become children of God by trying to keep those commandments. But if we are children of God, we will want to keep His commandments.
Next he calls false teachers evil workers. That word evil literally means.........“evil.” He doesn’t hold back here. He calls these men that corrupt the gospel of Christ “evil.” If I were a doctor, and I was performing surgery on a patient, and I walk into the operating room drunk. I take the scalpel and I just go and butcher the patient beyond recognition. Would people call me an “evil man?” I would hope so. Now, think how much more serious it is when someone teaches things that lead people away from Christ and sends them on the path to Hell. Who will that person answer to? And what does God think of that person? He calls them evil. There is no call from the apostle to “Let’s just all get along with these people because we don't want to hurt their feelings now, do we?” God is calling the false teachers “evil.” And if God calls them “evil,” should we not also consider them to be “evil?”
Now, the third thing he calls them is the mutilation. Referring to the practice of circumcision, which was part of the OT Law. If a male wanted to be in full compliance with the OT Law, he had to be circumcised. A few years before he wrote this letter to the Philippians, the apostle had gone through Galatia preaching salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that salvation had nothing to do with keeping that OT Law. But after Paul left, here come these false teachers, saying that if you were a Gentile, you had to be circumcised. And in response, Paul wrote his most scathing letter, and as you read it you can almost hear him screaming at these people, “Didn’t you understand a word I said?” And in Galatians 5:12, he says I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! He uses a different word there, which literally means “to cut something off.” It’s the same word Jesus uses in Mark 9:43, 45 when He says, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.” And in John 18:10, when Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. And since, in Galatians, Paul was talking about circumcision, I think we know what he was saying they should "cut off."
Basically, what Paul told the Galatians was, “If these guys are so hung up on you being circumcised, let them circumcise themselves.” Now, in this passage in Philippians, he uses the word “mutilation” to refer to circumcision—not voluntary circumcision, but the fact that these “dogs and evil workers” were trying to say that we need to be circumcised in order to be saved. That kind of circumcision is unnecessary, and is, in effect, a type of “mutilation.” And what is the warning Paul gives us about these people? Beware!!! Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! Danger Will Robinson!! Danger!! Danger!! That word “Beware” means, “Keep your eyes open for these guys!” It's in the imperative mood--it's a command. And it’s in the present tense. “Be watching out for dogs! Be watching out for evil workers! Be watching out for the mutilation!” He is pleading in the worst possible way for us to watch out for them.
Jesus uses the same word when He warns us about false doctrines and false Christs. Mark 8:15 (NASB)—“Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” Luke 21:8 (NASB)—“See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.” We are not to be all buddy-buddy with people teaching false doctrines. In fact, Paul says that if someone preaches a different gospel that they are to be anathema (Galatians 1:8-9). So, beware! Beware of the mutilation!
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. I think we all know what gets circumcised. Circumcision was what made a man a Jew. But look at what Paul says is now the true circumcision. Worshipping God in the Spirit, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh. Whenever Paul talks about circumcision, he is very clear that since Christ has died and has risen again, it is not that circumcision that puts one in God’s family. Romans 2:28-29—For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit. We're gonna turn to Galatians 5. Galatians 5:2-3, 6—Indeed I say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law…For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Now, you may wonder why we’re going on and on about circumcision. There is a reason, so please be patient.
Galatians 5:2--If you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. In other words, if a person takes the gospel of Christ—salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—and tells others, “Well, yeah, but you have to do something on top of it to make it complete.” Then that person can believe anything they want to about Christ and it won’t do them any good. Because they are adding to Christ’s gospel. Because, Galatians 5:3, every man who becomes circumcised is a debtor to keep the whole law. If a person thinks they will gain eternal life by believing in Christ AND by keeping the Law of Moses, then they will have to keep it perfectly from now until the day they die, never ever messing up even once. And in Galatians 5:6, we see why--For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. It is no longer an outward ritual. If we know Christ as our LORD and Savior, we don’t have to go around in fear all our lives. We don’t go around with this list of ordinances hanging over our heads. We are no longer under the Law. Because Christ fulfilled that Law for us. We don’t have a curse hanging over us. Christ took that curse upon Himself on the cross.
Now, flip over to Galatians 6. A person may wonder why these Judaizers would be so gung-ho about circumcising people. Paul tells us why. Galatians 6:12—As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. These Judaizers wanted to gain the praises of men, but they didn’t want their Jewish friends to shun them, so they compromised. They wanted to make a good showing in the flesh without suffering persecution. Galatians 6:13--For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. It was all about appearances. They wanted it to appear that they were a step above both the Christians and the Jews. They wanted to tell the Christians, “You have your faith, but you're not circumcised.” And they wanted to tell the Jews, “Yes, you keep the Law of Moses, but you need Christ to go with it.” But, in Galatians 6:15, we see they strike out from both sides of the plate, because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Back to Philippians.
So what does this mean for today? Well, this: there are some who say that if you don’t do this or you don’t do that you're not saved. What is the number one thing that people say you have to do in order to be saved? Get baptized. “If you aren't baptized you're not saved.” We don’t get baptized in order to be saved. We get baptized because we are saved. Go through all the places that Paul uses the word “circumcision” and substitute “baptism.” Anybody ever talk to someone who believes that? What is the argument they will make? They will compare it to OT circumcision. “Circumcision was the OT seal of being in God’s covenant people. But baptism replaced circumcision.” First of all, good luck finding any Scripture to support that. But let’s play along. If in Christ Jesus circumcision profits nothing, and if baptism is the NT equivalent of circumcision, then doesn’t it follow that in Christ Jesus baptism profits nothing?
Now, Paul says that WE are the circumcision. Because in Christ Jesus, circumcision is of the heart. That’s why he says that we have no confidence in the flesh. We know that there is nothing good inside us (Romans 7:18). So now we focus all of our faith, all of our trust, all of our love on our Lord Jesus Christ. But these Judaizers were only concerned with one thing, and that was the praise of men. They mutilated people in order to boast of their religiosity. They could boast all they wanted to.
But look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:4-7--If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Before He met Christ, Paul had it made. He was training at the best school for Jewish rabbis. He was learning from one of the greatest teachers ever. When it came to knowing the Scriptures—nobody could touch him. He even had authority from the Jewish leaders to go out of his jurisdiction to round up Christians and bring them to Jerusalem to have them put to death. He was probably pretty well off. He had it all. Until the day Christ stopped him cold and Paul realized he had nothing. In fact, he realized he had a negative balance. Luke 9:25—“What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Remember that rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22? “Good Teacher, what must I do to enter into life?” What did Jesus tell him? “Keep the commandments.” “Hey, great, got that covered! Check that! What else?” “Sell all you have; give the money to the poor, and follow Me.” What did that young fellow say? “Sorry, can't do that.” And he traded away eternity for a few years of ease.
How many times do people do that today? You don’t even have to be “rich” to do it. Everybody has their own idol. Whether it’s cars or money or houses or jewelry or clothes—even if it’s nothing more than a habit they don’t want to give up. If someone is putting anything ahead of worshipping Christ, they are no different than that rich young ruler. And whatever it is they're holding on to, one day they will realize they did not gain anything—but they lost everything. They counted Christ to be loss for the sake of all things earthly.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
Then the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
One day, those of us who labor in the word and teach and preach and follow our Lord’s command to do the physical work of building up His body will not be able to do the work any longer. There will come a day when these tabernacles of flesh are folded up and put in the ground. And we will leave that work for someone else to carry out. And when we do, we will have to trust in the Lord to raise up someone who will carry out that work faithfully and not lead the people into error. The apostle Paul went through the same thing when he heard from many of the churches that he had planted. That he had worked so diligently and suffered so much in teaching them the gospel, only to have people come in behind him and undermine those efforts. He had to write a very long letter to the Corinthians to follow up on the first very long letter he had written to the Corinthians. He wrote to the Galatians for the same reason. And one thing that these false teachers had in common was they were very boastful, very proud and they appealed to people’s sense of self-righteousness. And when we see this section of this letter to the Philippians, Paul lets it be known that “Hey, if anybody wants to boast—I could outboast anybody any day, anywhere, anytime.”
So, Philippians 3:2-7—Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Look at the terms that Paul uses to describe false teachers in Verse 2. Dogs…evil workers…the mutilation. He makes no bones about it. First he calls them dogs. I've got a dog. I like my dog. She’s a good little dog. We think of dogs as happy little pets, they wag their tail, and we go, “Awww!” But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, in OT Jewish culture, dogs were considered vile. And here’s the thing: Jews would always refer to Gentiles as “dogs.” But now, Paul takes that term and turns it around and uses it to describe these Jewish teachers who wanted to drag people back to living under the burden of keeping the OT Law. The apostle Peter did the same thing in 2nd Peter 2:22—But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit.” These false teachers had heard the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, but they wanted to go back to keeping a set of rules and regulations. And they taught others to do the same.
But are we saved by keeping a set of rules and regulations? No. We are saved by hating the sinful things we used to do and by declaring that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord (not by "making" Jesus Lord. See above). Many times when a person gets saved—you're looking at a perfect example—there is a tendency to think, “OK, I'm saved. Now I have to never, ever, ever do anything bad ever again or I'm not saved.” That’s the kind of thing these false teachers were teaching. But we are not saved by keeping the Law. Galatians 3:21—If there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. In other words, there IS NO LAW that can give life. James 2:10—Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point—how much is he guilty of?—he is guilty of all.
If you take a chain that holds the anchor of the largest cruise ship in the world. Break one link. What good is that chain anymore? The same goes for anyone who thinks they are saved by “keeping the 10 Commandments.” Because in order to be saved, one must be absolutely perfect, and never, ever sin. People who say, “Well, I'm saved because I try to keep the 10 Commandments.” What's the key word there? "TRY." Ask them if they’ve broken even one—if they are honest they will say, “Yes.” And they will condemn themselves. Now, if we are saved, should we do our best to obey the commandments? Yes. It’s a fine line I'm drawing, but Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). 1st John 2:4—He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar. We do not become children of God by trying to keep those commandments. But if we are children of God, we will want to keep His commandments.
Next he calls false teachers evil workers. That word evil literally means.........“evil.” He doesn’t hold back here. He calls these men that corrupt the gospel of Christ “evil.” If I were a doctor, and I was performing surgery on a patient, and I walk into the operating room drunk. I take the scalpel and I just go and butcher the patient beyond recognition. Would people call me an “evil man?” I would hope so. Now, think how much more serious it is when someone teaches things that lead people away from Christ and sends them on the path to Hell. Who will that person answer to? And what does God think of that person? He calls them evil. There is no call from the apostle to “Let’s just all get along with these people because we don't want to hurt their feelings now, do we?” God is calling the false teachers “evil.” And if God calls them “evil,” should we not also consider them to be “evil?”
Now, the third thing he calls them is the mutilation. Referring to the practice of circumcision, which was part of the OT Law. If a male wanted to be in full compliance with the OT Law, he had to be circumcised. A few years before he wrote this letter to the Philippians, the apostle had gone through Galatia preaching salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that salvation had nothing to do with keeping that OT Law. But after Paul left, here come these false teachers, saying that if you were a Gentile, you had to be circumcised. And in response, Paul wrote his most scathing letter, and as you read it you can almost hear him screaming at these people, “Didn’t you understand a word I said?” And in Galatians 5:12, he says I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! He uses a different word there, which literally means “to cut something off.” It’s the same word Jesus uses in Mark 9:43, 45 when He says, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.” And in John 18:10, when Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. And since, in Galatians, Paul was talking about circumcision, I think we know what he was saying they should "cut off."
Basically, what Paul told the Galatians was, “If these guys are so hung up on you being circumcised, let them circumcise themselves.” Now, in this passage in Philippians, he uses the word “mutilation” to refer to circumcision—not voluntary circumcision, but the fact that these “dogs and evil workers” were trying to say that we need to be circumcised in order to be saved. That kind of circumcision is unnecessary, and is, in effect, a type of “mutilation.” And what is the warning Paul gives us about these people? Beware!!! Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! Danger Will Robinson!! Danger!! Danger!! That word “Beware” means, “Keep your eyes open for these guys!” It's in the imperative mood--it's a command. And it’s in the present tense. “Be watching out for dogs! Be watching out for evil workers! Be watching out for the mutilation!” He is pleading in the worst possible way for us to watch out for them.
Jesus uses the same word when He warns us about false doctrines and false Christs. Mark 8:15 (NASB)—“Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” Luke 21:8 (NASB)—“See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.” We are not to be all buddy-buddy with people teaching false doctrines. In fact, Paul says that if someone preaches a different gospel that they are to be anathema (Galatians 1:8-9). So, beware! Beware of the mutilation!
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. I think we all know what gets circumcised. Circumcision was what made a man a Jew. But look at what Paul says is now the true circumcision. Worshipping God in the Spirit, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh. Whenever Paul talks about circumcision, he is very clear that since Christ has died and has risen again, it is not that circumcision that puts one in God’s family. Romans 2:28-29—For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit. We're gonna turn to Galatians 5. Galatians 5:2-3, 6—Indeed I say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law…For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Now, you may wonder why we’re going on and on about circumcision. There is a reason, so please be patient.
Galatians 5:2--If you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. In other words, if a person takes the gospel of Christ—salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—and tells others, “Well, yeah, but you have to do something on top of it to make it complete.” Then that person can believe anything they want to about Christ and it won’t do them any good. Because they are adding to Christ’s gospel. Because, Galatians 5:3, every man who becomes circumcised is a debtor to keep the whole law. If a person thinks they will gain eternal life by believing in Christ AND by keeping the Law of Moses, then they will have to keep it perfectly from now until the day they die, never ever messing up even once. And in Galatians 5:6, we see why--For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. It is no longer an outward ritual. If we know Christ as our LORD and Savior, we don’t have to go around in fear all our lives. We don’t go around with this list of ordinances hanging over our heads. We are no longer under the Law. Because Christ fulfilled that Law for us. We don’t have a curse hanging over us. Christ took that curse upon Himself on the cross.
Now, flip over to Galatians 6. A person may wonder why these Judaizers would be so gung-ho about circumcising people. Paul tells us why. Galatians 6:12—As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. These Judaizers wanted to gain the praises of men, but they didn’t want their Jewish friends to shun them, so they compromised. They wanted to make a good showing in the flesh without suffering persecution. Galatians 6:13--For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. It was all about appearances. They wanted it to appear that they were a step above both the Christians and the Jews. They wanted to tell the Christians, “You have your faith, but you're not circumcised.” And they wanted to tell the Jews, “Yes, you keep the Law of Moses, but you need Christ to go with it.” But, in Galatians 6:15, we see they strike out from both sides of the plate, because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Back to Philippians.
So what does this mean for today? Well, this: there are some who say that if you don’t do this or you don’t do that you're not saved. What is the number one thing that people say you have to do in order to be saved? Get baptized. “If you aren't baptized you're not saved.” We don’t get baptized in order to be saved. We get baptized because we are saved. Go through all the places that Paul uses the word “circumcision” and substitute “baptism.” Anybody ever talk to someone who believes that? What is the argument they will make? They will compare it to OT circumcision. “Circumcision was the OT seal of being in God’s covenant people. But baptism replaced circumcision.” First of all, good luck finding any Scripture to support that. But let’s play along. If in Christ Jesus circumcision profits nothing, and if baptism is the NT equivalent of circumcision, then doesn’t it follow that in Christ Jesus baptism profits nothing?
Now, Paul says that WE are the circumcision. Because in Christ Jesus, circumcision is of the heart. That’s why he says that we have no confidence in the flesh. We know that there is nothing good inside us (Romans 7:18). So now we focus all of our faith, all of our trust, all of our love on our Lord Jesus Christ. But these Judaizers were only concerned with one thing, and that was the praise of men. They mutilated people in order to boast of their religiosity. They could boast all they wanted to.
But look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:4-7--If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Before He met Christ, Paul had it made. He was training at the best school for Jewish rabbis. He was learning from one of the greatest teachers ever. When it came to knowing the Scriptures—nobody could touch him. He even had authority from the Jewish leaders to go out of his jurisdiction to round up Christians and bring them to Jerusalem to have them put to death. He was probably pretty well off. He had it all. Until the day Christ stopped him cold and Paul realized he had nothing. In fact, he realized he had a negative balance. Luke 9:25—“What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Remember that rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22? “Good Teacher, what must I do to enter into life?” What did Jesus tell him? “Keep the commandments.” “Hey, great, got that covered! Check that! What else?” “Sell all you have; give the money to the poor, and follow Me.” What did that young fellow say? “Sorry, can't do that.” And he traded away eternity for a few years of ease.
How many times do people do that today? You don’t even have to be “rich” to do it. Everybody has their own idol. Whether it’s cars or money or houses or jewelry or clothes—even if it’s nothing more than a habit they don’t want to give up. If someone is putting anything ahead of worshipping Christ, they are no different than that rich young ruler. And whatever it is they're holding on to, one day they will realize they did not gain anything—but they lost everything. They counted Christ to be loss for the sake of all things earthly.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
Then the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
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