Philippians 3:1-21

Letter of Joy

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Hilda Bright

Chapter 3

Paul warns them against false teachers 3:1-3

v1 Finally, my friends, *rejoice in the *Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me. And for you it is safe. v2 Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evil workers. Look out for those who cause injury by cutting the body. v3 It is we, not they, who have received the true *circumcision. That is because we *worship God by his Holy Spirit. We *rejoice in our life united with Christ Jesus. We do not put our trust in a physical sign in the body.

Verse 1 ‘Finally’ suggests that Paul is reaching the end of his letter. But he continues writing to 4:8, where he uses the word ‘finally’ again. So some writers suggest that Philippians 3:1 to Philippians 4:8 forms a separate letter. Perhaps Paul put it into the main letter. But the *Greek words can mean ‘what remains for me to say’. This is, therefore, the start of another section and not the end of the letter.

‘*Rejoice in the *Lord’ means that the Christians at Philippi should have great joy. Jesus would always be with them, whatever happened. That should be the reason for their joy. The words have almost the same meaning as ‘Praise the *Lord’.

It was no trouble to Paul to repeat what he had written to them before. He was thinking about their *spiritual safety. It is very easy for people to forget. Paul knew that teachers need to repeat some truths many times. The ‘same things’ might mean:

1 He had told them to *rejoice in spite of their difficult circumstances.

2 He had warned them about divisions in the church.

3 What he will say next. He is now going to warn them about *Jewish Christians who were a danger to the truth of the *gospel. This seems the most likely explanation. Those *Jews denied that *salvation came only from God’s *grace. They said that *Gentiles would not receive *salvation unless they first became *Jews by *circumcision. *Gentiles must also obey all the *Jewish laws. Paul had spoken against these ideas when the *Judaisers had first come to Antioch (Acts 15:1). He had written to the Christians in Galatia. In that letter, he emphasised how wrong this *doctrine was. Philippi had few *Jews. But it was on a major *Roman road, the Egnatian Way. So these *Jews could easily travel from church to church. They were enemies of the true *faith.

Verse 2 Paul warns the Christians at Philippi three times. He describes the *Judaisers in three ways. He uses three *Greek words that begin with the letter ‘k’. These words show the depth of Paul’s feelings. And the three initial letters would help Christians at Philippi to remember them.

1 ‘dogs’. These were not family pets but wild dirty animals. The name ‘dogs’ described everyone who was miserable and without value. It was the name by which *Jews spoke about *Gentiles. Paul gave the name back to the *Jews in order to describe them and their *doctrine as dirty and dangerous.

2 ‘evil workers’. The *Jews thought that they were good workers. They obeyed all their laws. And so, they thought that God would approve of them. Paul said that, in fact, they were evil. They were denying that *salvation is God’s gift. And therefore they were turning people away from God.

3 ‘those who cause injury’. The *Jews were proud of the physical sign of *circumcision. It was a sign of their *covenant with God that went back to the time of Abraham (Genesis 17:10). Paul used two *Greek words very like each other. Instead of ‘cutting round’ (*circumcision), they were ‘cutting to pieces’ (concision). The law forbade *Jews to make cuts on the body (Leviticus 21:5). What God required was a ‘*circumcision’ of the heart. God does not require people to trust in laws and ceremonies, as the *Jews did. He requires a humble trust in his *mercy. Paul said that the *Jews were causing injury to the true *faith. It was as if they were cutting it to pieces.

Verse 3 Paul gave three signs that ‘we’ Christians, not the *Judaisers, have received the true *circumcision:

1 We *worship by the Holy Spirit. True *worship means ‘a humble heart’ (Psalms 51:17). The Holy Spirit gives the power to offer sincere *worship to God (John 4:24).

2 We *rejoice in Christ Jesus. True Christians *rejoice because of what Christ has done for them. They are united with him. They know that he is always with them.

3 ‘We do not put our trust in a physical sign in the body.’ To trust in the *circumcision of the physical body does not save a man. ‘But I am never proud about anything except the death of our *Lord Jesus Christ... It does not matter if someone has *circumcised you or not. All that matters is that you are a new person’ (Galatians 6:14-15). He was also referring to any human advantages or ceremonies.

Paul’s advantages 3:4-6

v4 I could, of course, put my trust in such things. Some man may think that he can trust in human advantages. Then, I have even more reason to trust in mine. v5 My *circumcision was on the eighth day after my birth. I belong to Israel by birth. I come from the *tribe of Benjamin. I am a pure *Hebrew. I obeyed the *Jewish law of Moses as a *Pharisee. v6 I was so eager and serious that I opposed Christians. And I attacked them. With regard to the kind of goodness that the Law of Moses gives to people, I was without blame.

Verse 4 Paul showed that he had every right to describe human advantages as without value. He had more advantages than anyone else could claim. He gave this list to show that he considered them to be of no value.

Verse 5 The advantages from his family:

1 He received *circumcision when he was eight days old. So his parents obeyed the command that God gave to Abraham (Genesis 17:12). He was a true child of Abraham. He had not, like some *Gentiles, come into the *Jewish *faith when he was an adult.

2 He belonged ‘to Israel by birth’. Israel was the name that God gave to Jacob (Genesis 32:28). Paul was a *Jew and so he had a special relationship with God.

3 He came ‘from the *tribe of Benjamin’. Benjamin was the child of Rachel whom Jacob loved. He was the only son of Jacob that was born in the *promised country (Genesis 35:16-18). The first king of Israel, Saul, came from this *tribe (1 Samuel 9:1-2). Jerusalem was in the territory of Benjamin. The *tribe remained loyal to David’s family when the country became two countries.

4 He was ‘a pure *Hebrew’. Many *Jews who lived in other countries spoke only *Greek. This was the language of the people where they lived. Paul came from the city called Tarsus and he could speak *Greek (Acts 21:37). But he had gone to Jerusalem in order to learn from Gamaliel, a famous *Jewish teacher (Acts 22:3). So Paul could also speak *Hebrew, the *Jewish language. He was able to speak in *Hebrew to the *Jewish crowd that had attacked him (Acts 21:40).

He was ‘a *Pharisee’. He had chosen to be a *Pharisee like his parents (Acts 23:6). *Pharisees were the most strict *Jews. They tried to obey even the smallest detail of the Law of Moses. Paul said that he had carried out the most strict demands of the *Jewish *faith.

Verse 6 Paul’s efforts to serve God

1 He had been so eager to defend the *Jewish *faith that he tried to destroy the Christian *faith. He had put Christians in prison. He was so eager to attack the church that he was prepared to travel from Jerusalem to Damascus. He intended to arrest any Christians that he found there. He never forgot how he had tried to destroy the church (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13).

2 He was without blame as far as the Law of Moses could produce goodness. The *Greek word for ‘without blame’ is a word that really means ‘not to leave out a duty’. There were no demands of the Law of Moses that Paul had failed to obey.

The value of knowing Christ 3:7-11

v7 But all these things that I considered an advantage, I now consider to be worth nothing, because of Christ. v8 Not only those things. I consider all things to be worth nothing. What is far more valuable is to know Christ Jesus my *Lord. Because of him, I have thrown everything else away. I consider it all like dirty rubbish. I want to know Christ. v9 I want to make my life one with his. I no longer trust that to obey the Law of Moses will make me right with God. I now have the goodness that God gives. I have it because I trust in Christ. v10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. I want to share in his pain and troubles. And I want to become like him by sharing in his death. v11 In that way, I hope somehow to achieve the *resurrection from among the dead people.

Verse 7 Paul had known the *Jewish religion completely. But after Christ met him, Paul gave up the advantages of his religion as worth no more than bad debts.

Verse 8 Paul had not made a sudden decision that he was sorry about afterwards. He still thought in the same way. He emphasised that he now considered ‘everything else’ as without value. To know Christ was far more valuable. Benefits (such as home comforts, friendships, the honour that he might expect as a famous *Pharisee) he now considered no more. They were like dirty rubbish thrown out for the dogs. To ‘know’ Christ Jesus meant more than knowledge of the facts about him. Paul meant a close personal friendship with Jesus. Paul usually wrote ‘our’ *Lord. Here he said ‘my’ *Lord. He was thinking how much Jesus now meant to him. ‘He loved me. And he died for my benefit’ (Galatians 2:20).

Verse 9 Paul did not possess any goodness of his own. A right relationship with God did not come by obeying the Law of Moses. It came as a gift from God that Paul accepted by *faith in Jesus Christ. Paul looked forward to the day of judgement when he would be in Christ. He would be completely united with Christ in heaven.

Verse 10 His one aim was to ‘know’ Christ in this close way. He shows this in three ways:

1 ‘the power that raised him from death’. God has raised Jesus Christ from death. Also God raises the believer together with Christ, from *spiritual death to new life (Ephesians 2:5). Paul wanted to live with the power of the risen Christ in his life.

2 To share in Christ’s pain and troubles. Pain and troubles can be *spiritual, when we struggle against *sin. They can also be the result of those who oppose the *gospel. Paul suffered from the enemies of Christ and from the way that even Christians did not understand him. His travels also brought difficulties and dangers (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). Paul thought that his pain and troubles for Jesus were an honour. They were an honour because he was sharing in Christ’s work.

3 ‘by sharing in his death’. Of course, Christians will not all die in the same way as Christ did, on a *cross. This verse does not mean that. It means that they must think of themselves as dead to *sin (Romans 6:11). They must ‘die’ to their own desires. ‘The people who belong to Christ Jesus have destroyed the power of their old character’ (Galatians 5:24).

Verse 11 Paul’s hope that he would rise again after his death. Paul did not doubt that he would rise from among the dead people. He knew that nothing could ever separate him from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). As a believer, he already possessed *eternal life. But there is a future *resurrection in *glory to which he looked forward. Probably, he was not sure when that would be. The word ‘somehow’ suggests that. The result of his *trial was not certain. Nobody knew the day of Jesus’ return. Paul may have emphasised the final *resurrection because of some false *doctrine at Philippi. Some Christians said that the *resurrection hope had already happened in the new birth. ‘They say that God has already caused all the dead people to become alive again. These men are confusing some Christians. So those Christians do not know what to believe’ (2 Timothy 2:18). Paul knew that he had a sure and perfect future in heaven with God.

Paul is running towards the end of the race 3:12-16

v12 I do not say that I have already become perfect. But I move on with determination to grasp that purpose for which Jesus Christ has grasped me. v13 My brothers and sisters, I do not think that I have already grasped it completely. But this one thing I do - I forget the past. And I reach out to what is in front. v14 I am running straight for the end of the race in order to gain the prize. The reward is God’s call in Jesus to the life above.

v15 All of us who are mature in spirit should think in this way. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. v16 Meanwhile we must continue to keep the standard of behaviour that we have already reached.

Verse 12 Paul knew that he had not yet become perfect, that is, mature as a Christian. He would be like that at the final *resurrection. When Christ ‘grasped’ Paul on the road to Damascus, he had a great purpose for Paul’s life (Acts 9:15-16). Paul was doing his best to ‘grasp’ and to carry out that purpose.

Verse 13 ‘My brothers and sisters’ emphasises what Paul is going to repeat. He does not want the Christians at Philippi to believe false *doctrine. Some of the Christians in Philippi said that they were already perfect. They denied that people need discipline in the Christian life. But Paul himself had not completely succeeded in the work that Christ had given him to do. And Paul knew that. He had only one aim. He uses the picture of a runner in a race. The runner must not look behind him. So Paul must not look back to his life before he became a Christian. He must forget all his past failures and successes as an *apostle. He must not allow them to affect what he thought or did now. He must not lose his courage or become satisfied with himself. A runner makes every effort to look ahead. And he runs straight towards the line at the end of the race. Paul was making every effort to become perfect, that is, mature as a Christian.

Verse 14 A runner who reached the line at the end of the race received a reward from the judge. The judge sat above the area of the race. After the race, the judge ‘called up’ the runner to receive his prize. Paul compares his call to come up to the life above to the judge’s call. Paul’s prize when he has finished his ‘race’ of *faith will be perfect friendship with Christ. God will call him to enjoy the *glory of heaven for ever.

Verse 15 Paul encourages the Christians at Philippi to follow him as a model. They should make the effort that he has described. He does so in a way that will not offend them. He speaks about ‘all of us’, and so he includes himself in the advice. Some of them may not agree with his point of view. But God will show those people that Paul was right.

Verse 16 Meanwhile, they should all guide their lives by the truths that they have understood so far.

Enemies of the *cross of Christ 3:17-19

v17 Brothers and sisters, be imitators of me, all of you. We were a model for you. Notice those that are living like that. v18 Many people live like enemies of the *cross of Christ. I have often told you about them. And it makes me cry to tell you about them now. v19 These men are heading for complete *destruction. They make physical desires their god. They are proud of things of which they should be ashamed. They think only about those things that belong to this world.

Verse 17 Paul is telling the Christians at Philippi to imitate him. But he is not being proud. He called himself ‘the worst *sinner’ (1 Timothy 1:16). But now he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16). So did people like Timothy and Epaphroditus. The Christians at Philippi can copy them too.

Verses 18, 19 Christ’s death on the *cross gives men and women complete *salvation. Some people refused to believe this. Paul warns the Christians at Philippi again about these people. He is full of strong emotion as he thinks of the *spiritual danger to his dear friends at Philippi. These ‘enemies’ were some or all of these people:

1 *Jewish Christians that Paul had already described as ‘dogs’ (3:2). By their ‘physical desires’ he means ‘wrong sex’. They also said that *Gentiles must receive *circumcision (3:2).

2 Christians who said that they no longer needed to obey the Law of Moses. They thought that, because of this, they could now do anything at all. Because God’s *grace would deal with any *sin, they could *sin without shame. They would be giving God more opportunity to show his *grace. ‘Perhaps we should continue to do wrong things. So then, God can continue to be even kinder to us. No! Certainly we should not do that!’ (See Romans 6:1-2.)

3 Christians who believed the *doctrine of the Gnostics. The Gnostics said that the body was evil. Therefore it did not matter how they used it. They could eat and drink to excess. And they could have sex whenever and however they wanted to. They said that these activities made no difference to their *spiritual nature. This false *doctrine had already affected the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 6:13). Paul is afraid that it will upset the *faith of the Christians in Philippi.

The citizens of heaven 3:20-21

v20 We, however, are citizens of heaven. We are expecting our *Saviour, the *Lord Jesus Christ, to come back from heaven. v21 When he does so, he will change our present bodies. He will make them like his own beautiful body in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:42-49). He will do this because he has the power to be in command of everything.

Verse 20 Paul contrasts Christians with people who think only about this world. Christians belong to heaven. The Christians at Philippi lived in a *Roman city. Its citizens obeyed the laws and customs of Rome. Christians are citizens of heaven. Therefore their behaviour must match the standard of their home in heaven. Christians are eager for the time when Jesus will return from heaven. Paul describes Jesus with the words ‘*Saviour’ and ‘*Lord’. From 48 *BC the *Roman *emperors had the name ‘*Saviour’ as one of their titles. Jesus is the true ‘*Saviour’ and ruler.

Verse 21 The human body is weak. It can suffer and die. When Jesus returns, he will change the bodies of Christians. He will make them like his own splendid *resurrection body. ‘A dead body is ugly and weak. Jesus will change it. He will make it beautiful and strong’ (1 Corinthians 15:43). Christ has the power to change the bodies of Christians because he has overcome death. He has risen from death. He has complete authority. He rules ‘over all rulers, powers and *lords in heaven. He has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next one’ (Ephesians 1:21).

rejoice ~ to be very happy.
Lord ~ Master, Ruler, God.'circumcise, circumcision ~ to cut the skin from the end of the sex part of a boy or man; for Israelites it was a mark to show that the person agreed to obey God.
Israelite ~ one of the people of Israel; someone who speaks Hebrew; a Jew who lives in Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke. It can mean a person who spoke Hebrew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ to give thanks to God and Jesus; to praise God and to show him honour.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament (the second part of our Bible). It can mean a person who spoke Greek.
rejoice ~ to be very happy.
spiritual ~ about the part of us that never dies rather than physical things.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
gospel ~ good news about Jesus.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
salvation ~ rescue from evil things and their results.
grace ~ God’s generous free gift; God’s love that people do not deserve and cannot earn.
Gentile ~ a person who is not a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Judaisers ~ Jews who wanted Gentiles to obey their laws.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Gentile ~ a person who is not a Jew.
doctrine ~ ideas that people teach.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
faith ~ (1) belief or trust in; (2) the facts of Christian belief.
covenant ~ special agreement, especially between God and the Israelites.
Israelite ~ one of the people of Israel; someone who speaks Hebrew; a Jew who lives in Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke. It can mean a person who spoke Hebrew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
mercy ~ God’s love and goodness.'circumcise, circumcision ~ to cut the skin from the end of the sex part of a boy or man; for Israelites it was a mark to show that the person agreed to obey God.
Israelite ~ one of the people of Israel; someone who speaks Hebrew; a Jew who lives in Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke. It can mean a person who spoke Hebrew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
tribe ~ the whole family of one of Jacob’s 12 sons. Jacob’s sons’ families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke. It can mean a person who spoke Hebrew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s commands. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'promised country ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death; to rise from death to life; to come alive again.
sin ~ when we do not do what God wants us to do.
cross ~ a piece of wood that someone has fastened across another piece. People put Jesus on a cross in order to kill him.
eternal ~ without beginning or end.
glory ~ great love and honour like the beautiful light round God. It can mean heaven.
trial ~ a legal examination by which a judge decides if a person is guilty of a crime.
apostle ~ a person that Jesus sent out.
destruction ~ damage beyond any hope of repair.
Saviour ~ Jesus, the person who rescues us; the person who brings us back to God from the bad things that we have done.
BC ~ 600 BC means the year that was 600 years before Jesus came to earth, and so on.
emperor ~ a very important king.
Lord ~ Master, Ruler, God.