“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 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,”
Take a moment to observe with me a point that speaks to the human element of the inspired Word of God.
From verse 19 of chapter two and onward to the end of that chapter Paul seems to be wrapping things up; doesn’t he?
He speaks of sending Timothy to them and expresses his hope to follow soon after if the Lord sees fit to have him released from Roman custody, and he encourages them about Epaphroditus, and then, and we’re keeping in mind that in his letter there were no chapter and verse divisions, he says, ‘Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.
But at this point we’re actually only halfway through the letter. So it seems, and this is largely conjecture but worth considering anyway, that as he sought to finish up some thoughts came to his mind that he felt constrained to spend some time on and get the air cleared about them.
In fact, just glancing through these last two chapters it looks like he is ready to sign off at several points but has just ‘one more’ thing to say.
In the beginning of chapter 4 he says, ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren…’ and then in verse 8 he again says, ‘Finally, brethren…’
But isn’t that how it is with good friends when they haven’t seen each other for some time, or they are getting ready to part and they do not know when they will be together once more?
‘Well, better go now…oh, one more thing!’ ‘Well, time to sign off now…let’s see…have I forgotten anything?’ ‘Boy. It sure has been great chatting with you again and remembering our great times together. You take care of yourself now, y’hear?’
And we have ample evidence in this letter that Paul was profoundly fond of the believers in Philippi. So much did he care for them, so concerned was he that they maintain unity and brotherly love amongst themselves and that they endure in trial and remember whose they are and strive to imitate Him, that even though he is in chains and at the mercy of the Romans who are presently ruled by a madman, Paul can’t help saying over and over ‘Rejoice! And again I say, rejoice!’
What a great man! What a great Apostle! What a wonderful example of the transforming power of the Gospel and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit!
What Christlikeness. And who but Paul could without any pretension or hypocrisy whatsoever, say ‘imitate me as I also imitate Christ’?
REMEMBER THE MAIN THINGS
Those in my local congregation and some who receive our sermons via e-mail are aware of my appreciation for the preaching of Alistair Begg, pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio. If you listen to his radio broadcasts it won’t be very long before you’ll hear him say ‘the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things’, in reference to the believer’s approach to the Bible and the doctrines of the faith.
He usually employs these words in the process of pointing out the necessity of adhering to the simple truths of Christianity and avoiding getting off on tangents with maps and charts and math tricks to prove when the Rapture is going to take place or who the Anti-Christ is going to be or any one of a thousand other nitpicking debates that get us so far off track.
And here, he is in hearty agreement with the Apostle Paul, who warned his young protégé Timothy to avoid senseless genealogies and all the hairsplitting arguments that only bring disharmony and disunity in the body.
Paul had one message and it was Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead. All else that he said was centered and grounded in that, and his Holy Spirit-inspired counsel to young preachers and students of the Way of Christ was to adopt that same simple approach.
So here he says, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.”
The admonition to rejoice in the Lord covers a lot of territory. Whatever your present circumstances, rejoice in the Lord. Whatever your concerns for me, rejoice in the Lord. Do you have questions about what sort of attitude the Christian is to have in his or her approach to life and the world round about? Rejoice in the Lord.
Y’know… it’s sort of like not being able to breathe and swallow at the same time. If you are determined to rejoice in the Lord, there will be certain things you simply cannot do at the same time, and all of those things are things you shouldn’t be doing anyway. On the other hand, the things you can do while carrying about an attitude of rejoicing in the Lord are just the things you ought to be about.
And Paul has no problem repeating that over and over because the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things. Rejoice in the Lord!
Now as we go on, I’d like for you to keep that theme of simplicity in mind because when Paul says he has no problem writing the same things to them he is referring to what comes next as much as to what he has just said.
And he isn’t going to say new things, he is going to say things that need to be said often; things we need to think of. Not trying to figure out what doctrinal distinctives of other denominations we can accept and what ones we cannot, and not trying to figure out how we can heal society’s ills or change the political climate of our state or region, not any of those things; nothing but the simple things that keep us united and strong in the faith and that commend Christ to those outside so they might finally come inside.
DOGS AND EVILDOERS
Paul didn’t mince words, did he? “Beware of the dogs”. Well, don’t hold back, Paul; tell us how you really feel!
He wasn’t alone in the usage of the word ‘dog’ in referring to enemies of the Gospel. Jesus used it in His Sermon on the Mount when He warned against casting the pearl of the good news before ‘dogs’ and ‘swine’, meaning those who reject the truth openly and sometimes violently. Then John uses the same term in Revelation 22:15 when he lists the kind of people who will be shut out of the New Jerusalem.
In this case Paul is speaking very directly of the Judaizers who were coming among the people and confusing them with their false teaching.
Paul calls them evil workers and teachers of the false circumcision.
Does that sound a little strange if you stop to think about it? What is false circumcision? You can’t really fake that, can you?
Well, it was a teaching. The Jews had come to put an inordinate amount of trust in circumcision as the means of being right with God.
Paul used a great deal of space in his letter to the Romans, to explain that while circumcision had value as a symbol it was not an end. In chapter 4 of that letter he addressed two points which the Jews had come to overemphasize – their descent from Abraham and the fact of circumcision – when he said this:
“…and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”
Then in verse 13 he explained:
“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
Here is a paraphrase of that verse for clarity:
“The ancient promise made to Abraham and his descendants, that they would eventually possess the world, was given not because of any achievements made through obedience to the Law, but because of the righteousness which had its root in faith” JB Phillips translation, Rom 4:13
So in this Paul was establishing the doctrine of righteousness, or right standing, with God through faith, apart from works or good deeds.
Coming back to our text, he is dealing with the problem of those Jews who came to the churches that had been planted around the Gentile regions, preaching that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and that it was right to believe in Him as Lord, but that in order to be right with God the believer must also be circumcised.
Paul told the Galatian Christians (5:3) that if they received circumcision as a means of being right with God then they would be required to keep the whole Law. If it is in the keeping of the Law that you put your trust, which really means you are trusting yourself and your ability to keep it, then you have to keep the whole thing perfectly. In that case, Christ and His atonement are of no value to you, and this is what made this an all important issue for Paul; this is why he warned so strongly against these false teachers in all of his letters.
As noted earlier, his entire message was Christ and Him crucified and he defended the simplicity of that message with every fiber of his being.
KATATOME VS PERITOME
For deeper insight into the emphasis Paul put on having the right understanding of what makes and marks us as Christians, I want you to see that in verse 2 when Paul says ‘false circumcision’ he uses a word that means ‘mutilation’ as opposed to the proper term for circumcision, which he employs in verse 3 when he says ‘for we are the true circumcision’.
Now here is the proper application of all this for us in the 21st century church. The spirit of the Judaizers is not dead. It has been the scourge of the true church ever since the Gospel first went out to the Gentiles.
In some cases it is very blatant, such as in certain denominations that go so far as to teach salvation by works and the keeping of feasts and holy days.
It is most dangerous though, when it is more subtle, working through well-meaning believers who mistakenly think that being a Christian is defined by certain behaviors and the presence or absence of certain sins or conditions in a person’s life.
These folks are in bondage and they would keep others under a weight of law also because they get cause and effect turned around backwards, thereby enslaving themselves and others to works wherein they have put their trust, instead of trusting in Christ’s finished work and thereby rejoicing in the good works that God prepared beforehand that they might walk in them. Eph 2:10
Also, when people measure their Christianity by how well they are doing, how successful they are, the feeling that they are free of sins they see in others and so forth, they are reveling in a false Christianity, putting their faith in the flesh, which is the manifestation of the spirit of the Judaizers.
GLORYING/BOASTING/LOUD TALKING
In verse three of our text Paul is going back to the emphasis of verse 1. He has exhorted them to rejoice in the Lord and then issued a warning about those who basically rejoice or boast in themselves. They are the false circumcision, they are the dogs; the evil workers – or, workers of evil.
Don’t get caught up in their snare, he says. Beware of them. That’s why I don’t mind repeating these simple things to you often. I don’t want you to be ensnared and end up being like them.
They boast in themselves because they put their confidence in the flesh and therefore they glory in the flesh. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the kind of rejoicing and glorying or boasting that is being talked about in these verses is more than mere believing, but it is an attitude that brings about loud talking.
These Judaizers talked loudly about their Law and their circumcision and about being Jews. Paul says that the true believer, the one whose circumcision is of the heart, will be marked by this same sort of rejoicing, boasting, glorying, except that their loud talking will be about Christ and their worship will be true spiritual worship by the Spirit of God.
HALLMARKS OF THE TRUE CIRCUMCISION
Have you ever thought about how it is we can know a true Christian from a pretender? I think we are shown several very clear ways right here in our text verses.
The first one is something I only touched on briefly so we’ll go back to it for a closer look.
Remember all that talk about the main things and the plain things, and Paul saying “to write the same things again is no trouble to me”?
One mark of the true believer in Christ is that no matter how long he or she has been a Christian, no matter how long they’ve studied the Bible and whether they have doctorates in theology or they are just a seasoned old saint who has been around longer than buttered bread, they will never be offended if you tell them the Gospel as though they are hearing it for the first time. They will never cut you off and say, ‘Oh, you needn’t bother, I know all that stuff’. They will never say, ‘Now why are you telling me this? Don’t you know I sing in the choir?’ Or anything like that.
The true circumcision, the true believer, the real Christ-follower who worships in the Spirit of God, will glory in Christ and will rejoice every time they hear the old, old story. They will do that because they know what it means for their eternal well-being and they know what it means for anyone who will hear and believe.
The true Christian never tires of hearing that Jesus died for him and rose again from the grave, and he never tires of hearing that his salvation is because of that and not because of anything he could have done or any attitude he could have had or any price he could have paid.
The true believer understands that it is God’s grace that redeems and keeps him and he says ‘nothing in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling!’ You write the same things to me again, Paul; I love to read these words over and over again.
The second hallmark of the true circumcision given in our text is that he loves to boast about Jesus.
He likes to hear the old, old story, but he also loves to tell it. He or she loves to talk about Christ.
If you are ever in a room and someone strikes up a conversation and starts talking about Jesus and inside you cringe and think to yourself, ‘Here we go again. Can’t we talk about something else?’ Then I would encourage you to examine yourself closely because you’re probably not a Christian.
When Christ is in the life of a person He is central. He is essential. Jesus told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to live in them and that He would testify of Jesus (Jn 15:26).
When the Helper comes and is living in a person He is doing just that; He is leading into all truth and pointing always to Christ.
And it is His presence in the believer that makes the believer love to hear about Jesus and love to talk about Him.
The people of the world talk very freely these days about hero worship. They do not realize that the term is more than just a fond admiration when they are talking about a sports figure or a Hollywood celebrity.
They don’t realize that they actually are worshiping these people. There is such an overwhelming obsession and idolization of celebrity in our modern society that when one of them disappoints with their behavior people are devastated. When they die they are grieved, not as friend, not as family, but as gods who have fallen from the stars.
Well let me tell you something. There is only one kind of hero worship that is proper and only the Christian can do it, because only Jesus Christ deserves worship for He is the Hero of the ages.
Listen to how the Father boasts of Him:
“But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. 9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment, 12 And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies A footstool for Your feet”? (Heb 1:8-13)
And listen how the Old Testament saint boasts of Him:
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
“Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. (Job 19:25-27)
And listen how the Apostle loves to boast of Him:
“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14)
The same Holy Spirit who inspired all these words through the writers of scripture lives in the true believer and he just can’t not talk about his Lord and Savior.
“But if I say, “I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,” then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.” (Jer 20:9)
One final sign of the true Christian from our text; “…and put no confidence in the flesh”
Why did Paul include that statement here? I think it is because that is always a danger for a believer.
Those of the world put all their confidence in the flesh. It’s all they have; it’s all they are. And of course the flesh continues to fail them nonetheless. The flesh is not a forgiving god, and it is not a dependable god, and it is not a consistent god, and it is not a successful god.
The trouble for the true believer is that since we still struggle with the fallen nature the flesh calls to us often from the grave demanding fealty.
That is why Paul warned against it and it is why Jesus called for His followers to mortify it daily before striking out anew on the narrow road to Heaven. The door just isn’t wide enough for the flesh to fit through.
Put no confidence in it. Kill it. Follow Jesus.
Christians, here is what all of this means for you and me today, and for all who are of what Paul called the ‘true circumcision’. We are the new creation. We are, by God’s hand, dead to sin and alive in Christ and it is by the Spirit of God in us that we worship Him and glory in Him and rejoice in Him in truth.
The Judaizers, the mutilators, those whose confidence is in the works of the flesh and who would drag you down into bondage with them if they could… they think they are the true circumcision because of their fleshly efforts. How tragic that is.
Because it is we who boast only in Christ and His cross and His resurrection who will enter into the New Jerusalem where the Lord is the light.
The dogs, the evil workers, will be left outside and all their boasting will come to nothing. But those whose confidence and whose glorying is in Jesus will inherit the promises, will rest in His everlasting care, will sit with Him as overcomers on His throne. Therefore, rejoice!
