Scripture
The Philippian Church was a mostly healthy church, but Paul was concerned that false teaching might infiltrate the church, particularly teaching that emphasized that our salvation is based on our own good works. In today’s lesson, Paul stressed that right standing with God is received through faith in Christ.
Let’s read about righteousness through faith in Christ in Philippians 3:1-11:
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:1-11)
Introduction
When we were hiring an Associate Pastor several years ago, we received several dozen resumes. As one would expect, each resume stressed what the candidate thought were his strengths and weaknesses, and why he would be a good fit for our church.
In today’s lesson, we get something of the Apostle Paul’s resume. It is very revealing about what Paul considers important and unimportant. And it all has to do with our right standing before God, which he calls “righteousness.”
Lesson
Philippians 3:1-11 teaches us that right standing before God comes only through faith in Christ.
Let’s use the following outline:?
1. Characteristics of Those Who Have Right Standing Before God (3:1-3)
2. Advantages That Do Not Contribute to Right Standing Before God (3:4-6)
3. Benefits That Belong to Those Who Have Right Standing Before God (3:7-11)
I. Characteristics of Those Who Have Right Standing Before God (3:1-3)
First, let’s note the characteristics of those who have right standing before God.
Paul clarifies what is characteristic of those who have right standing before God. He distinguishes between those who are true believers and false believers. In verses 1-3, Paul presents five characteristics of those who have right standing before God.
A. They Rejoice in the Lord (3:1a)
First, they rejoice in the Lord.
Paul wrote in verse 1a, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” Attentive readers of Philippians may wonder why Paul used the word “finally” here, and then went on for another two chapters! It reminds me of the little boy who asked his dad what the preacher meant when he said, “Finally.” His father whispered back to his son, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
However, the word in Greek does not need to be translated as “finally.” Paul simply used a connective word that would be better translated as “So then” or even “Therefore.” Paul was referring back to the theme of rejoicing he mentioned previously.
Paul wanted the Philippians to know that a characteristic of believers is that they “rejoice in the Lord.” It is important to notice that this rejoicing is not a disconnected joy, but it is a rejoicing “in the Lord.” In other words, Paul connected rejoicing with a relationship. As John MacArthur says, “The sphere in which their joy exists is in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you have joy? Is your joy because of your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
B. They Look Out for False Teachers (3:1b-3a)
Second, they look out for legalists.
Paul went on to write in verse 1b, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” Paul wanted to warn the Philippians about false teachers. So he went on to write in verse 2, “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” In the Greek text, Paul uses alliteration in describing these false teachers, and he is very severe in his criticism of them.
Most dogs in those days were filthy scavengers that plagued ancient cities. They roamed in packs, fed on garbage, and occasionally attacked people. Typically, Jews called non-Jews “dogs,” a term that was intended to be derogatory. Surprisingly, Paul referred to false teachers as “dogs.” In Paul’s mind, dogs were filthy, unclean, dangerous, and were to be avoided. Similarly, false teachers were filthy, unclean, dangerous, and were to be avoided.
Moreover, the false teachers were “evildoers.” They were promoting evil not good.
Finally, Paul warned the Philippians to “look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” The false teachers were teaching that in order for a person to be saved he had to be circumcised. In other words, he had to obey the Old Testament law regarding circumcision. But, they did not understand that outward circumcision was not a requirement for salvation. God wanted a circumcised heart. So, Paul contemptuously referred to the false teachers as “those who mutilate the flesh,” meaning that their insistence on circumcision did nothing to provide salvation; it only mutilated the flesh.
In contrast to the false teachers with their insistence on ritualistic circumcision, Paul wrote in verse 3a, “For we are the circumcision.” In other words, circumcision is meaningless if it does not reflect a transformed heart. The outward mark of circumcision only has value if it is accompanied by an inward spiritual change.
C. They Worship by the Spirit (3:3b)
Third, they worship by the Spirit.
Paul wrote in verse 3b, “…who worship by the Spirit of God.” Any person can go through the outward form of worship. But, only a believer is enabled to worship by the Spirit of God, because true worship is supernatural in origin.
D. They Glory in Christ Jesus (3:3c)
Fourth, they glory in Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote in verse 3c, “…and glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul loved the word “glory.” Of the thirty-seven times it is used in the New Testament, Paul used it thirty-five times. The word “glory” has the sense of “to boast” or “to exult in.” John MacArthur says that glory “describes boasting with exultant joy about what a person is most proud of.” Those who have right standing before God know that it is not because of anything within themselves; they stand before God because of what Christ Jesus has done. And so they glory in, they boast about, they exult in Christ Jesus!
E. They Put No Confidence in the Flesh (3:3d)
And fifth, they put no confidence in the flesh.
Paul wrote in verse 3d, “…and put no confidence in the flesh.” Let me quote MacArthur again, who says that “the flesh represents man’s fallen, unredeemed humanness; it pictures human ability apart from God.” Those who have right standing before God know that they were utterly incapable of earning or meriting salvation. They know that their confidence—their only confidence—lies in what Christ Jesus has done for them and not in what they have done to earn salvation.
So, the characteristics of those who have right standing before God include rejoicing in the Lord, looking out for false teachers, worshiping by the Spirit, glorying in Christ Jesus, and putting no confidence in the flesh.
Do these characteristics describe you? Are they evident in your life?
II. Advantages That Do Not Contribute to Right Standing Before God (3:4-6)
Second, let’s look at advantages that do not contribute to right standing before God.
At this point in his letter to the Philippians, Paul got very personal. The false teachers that were possibly infiltrating taught that one had to obey the Law in order to be saved. Obedience was absolutely essential to have right standing before God. However, Paul wrote in verse 4, “…though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more.” In other words, Paul said that he would now list his advantages, which far exceeded that of the false teachers. Nevertheless, these advantages were of no use. Paul listed three ancestral advantages (over which he had no control) and four achieved advantages. None of these mattered.
A. Ancestral Advantages (3:5a-c)
First, ancestral advantages do not contribute to right standing before God.
Paul listed three ancestral advantages.
1. Sacrament (3:5a)
First, the ancestral advantage of sacrament does not contribute to right standing before God.
Circumcision was a major issue for the false teachers. So, Paul started with it. He wrote that he was “circumcised on the eighth day” (3:5a). Paul was not a convert to Judaism. He was born a Jew, and his parents diligently and in accordance with Old Testament Law had him circumcised on the eighth day.
2. Nationality (3:5b)
Second, the ancestral advantage of nationality does not contribute to right standing before God.
Paul went on to say that he was “of the people of Israel” (3:5b). Apparently, some of the false teachers were converts to Judaism. However, Paul was by birth a member of God’s covenant people, the people of Israel.
3. Family (3:5c)
And third, the ancestral advantage of family does not contribute to right standing before God.
The Apostle Paul could even trace his ancestry from “the tribe of Benjamin” (3:5c). You may recall that when the kingdom of Israel split after King Solomon’s death, only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to King David’s ancestral line. Moreover, by Paul’s day, many of the people of Israel had intermarried and so had blurred their tribal ancestry. But Paul could trace his family heritage to the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul’s point in stating ancestral advantages is that sacrament, nationality, and family do not contribute anything at all to right standing before God.
But, what about achieved advantages?
B. Achieved Advantages (3:5d-6)
And second, achieved advantages do not contribute to right standing before God.
1. Tradition (3:5d)
First, the achieved advantage of tradition does not contribute to right standing before God.
Paul went on to write that he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (3:5d). Paul was born in Tarsus, a city in Asia Minor. He grew up in a Greco-Roman culture, and many of his fellow Jews did too. However, whereas Paul’s fellow Jews assimilated into the culture, he grew up maintaining his strict Hebrew heritage.
2. Religion (3:5e)
Second, the achieved advantage of religion does not contribute to right standing before God.
Furthermore, when Paul got old enough, he was so zealous that as to the law, he became a Pharisee (3:5e). The word “Pharisee” carries the meaning of “to separate,” signifying that a Pharisee was set apart to focus on the law. The origin of the Pharisees is not known for certain, but they came into existence during the intertestamental period. By Paul’s time there were about 6,000 Pharisees. They were men who were totally committed to obeying the law of God, specifically the 613 commandments.
3. Zeal (3:6a)
Third, the achieved advantage of zeal does not contribute to right standing before God.
As further evidence of his zeal, Paul was a persecutor of the church (3:6a). MacArthur notes, “The Jews viewed zeal as the supreme religious virtue. It is a two-sided coin; one side is love, the other hate. To be zealous is to love God and hate what offends Him. Paul’s zealous but misguided love for God caused him to hate and persecute Christianity…. In terms of zeal, Paul went the Judaizers one better. They only proselytized the church; he had persecuted it.”
4. Outward Righteousness (3:6b)
And fourth, the achieved advantage of outward righteousness does not contribute to right standing before God.
Paul wrote in verse 6b, “…as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Paul lived an exemplary life. Anyone who looked at him would not find any area in which he was in violation of God’s law. That is not to say that Paul was sinless; indeed, he struggled inwardly with his sin, as would later testify (cf. Romans 7:7-11). But, outwardly, he was considered blameless.
Paul had advantages superior to any false teacher. He had ancestral advantages and he had achieved advantages. Yet, not one advantage contributed to him having right standing before God.
III. Benefits That Belong to Those Who Have Right Standing Before God (3:7-11)
And finally, let’s look at the benefits that belong to those who have right standing before God.
Paul wrote in verse 7, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” In other words, whatever supposed advantages Paul had, they counted for nothing when he encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. The things that Paul once thought so important to his right standing before God were actually loss. Instead, he discovered five benefits that belong to those who have a right standing before God.
A. Knowledge (3:8-9a)
First, knowledge is a benefit that belongs to those who have right standing before God.
Paul wrote in verse 8a, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” One could take all the advantages in the world, all the riches in the world, all the religions of the world, and it is all a loss in comparison to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. Nothing in the entire world compares to knowing Jesus.
That is why Paul could go and write, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (3:8b-9a).
One of the supreme benefits that belong to those who have right standing before God is knowing Jesus Christ personally and savingly. Do you know Jesus in this way?
B. Imputed Righteousness (3:9b)
Second, imputed righteousness is a benefit that belongs to those who have right standing before God.
Paul spent many years trying to be righteous before God. He worked day by day to get and maintain an outward righteousness before God. But, when he encountered Jesus, he received an imputed (or credited) righteousness, as he said in verse 9b, “…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
Paul realized that his own righteousness was as filthy rags in God’s sight. Paul’s own righteousness was not perfect. And so he needed a righteousness that was not his own that would be credited to him. And that was the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And it was received by faith. Paul’s righteousness counted for nothing. Christ’s righteousness counted for everything. All he had to do was trust that Jesus credit Paul with Christ’s own righteousness.
Another benefit that belongs to those who have right standing with God is Christ’s righteousness that is imputed to them.
C. Power (3:10a)
Third, power is a benefit that belongs to those who have right standing before God.
Earlier Paul wrote that about the deep, experiential knowledge of Christ that is a benefit that belongs to believers. But Paul wanted more. Specifically, Paul wanted to “know him [that is, Christ] and the power of his resurrection” (3:10a). Christ’s resurrection was an astonishing display of power. It demonstrated supremacy over the physical and spiritual realm. Paul wanted to know more deeply the one who had that power in his ability.
And that benefit of knowing that power belongs to those who have right standing with God.
D. Fellowship (3:10b)
Fourth, fellowship is a benefit that belongs to those who have right standing before God.
Paul wrote in verse 10b, “…and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” The Greek word that is translated here as “share” is actually also translated as “fellowship” or “partnership.” I think we sometimes struggle to understand what Paul means here. We think that when we experience illness or pain, we “share in his sufferings.” But I don’t think that is what Paul meant. I think the key word here is “his.” It has to do with “his sufferings” and not “our sufferings.” I think James Montgomery Boice explains this well. He writes:
The…thing that Paul says he wished to know of Jesus Christ was “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” This does not mean that Paul wished to suffer for human sin, for only Jesus Christ could do that. He alone suffered innocently and therefore for others. Paul wished to join in Christ’s suffering in a different sense. He wished to stand with Christ in such an indivisible union that when the abuses and persecution that Christ suffered also fell on him, as he knew they would, he could receive them as Jesus did. He wanted to react like Jesus, for he knew that abuse received like this would actually draw him closer to his Lord.
We fellowship—or participate—with Christ when we are ridiculed for Christ’s sake.
E. Resurrection (3:11)
And fifth, resurrection is a benefit that belongs to those who have right standing before God.
Paul wrote in verse 11, “…that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” This is another statement that is sometimes misunderstood. Paul knew that God would bring him safely to glory. He knew that his resurrection from the dead was assured because of Christ’s own resurrection. What Paul was actually saying is that he wanted to be so much like Christ in the way he lived that people would think of him as a resurrected person now, even before his physical death. Dr. Ralph L. Kuiper puts it this way:
What then does Paul mean when he desires to “attain unto the resurrection of the dead”? There is a clue in the Greek text. The word for resurrection in verse 11 differs from the word resurrection in verse 10. In verse 11 the word has a little preposition in front of it—the preposition ek which is equivalent to our word “out.” The word resurrection literally means to “place” or “stand up.” To the Greek mind, living people were standing up, dead people were lying down. So, making a Greek pun, Paul says, “I want to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering that I may give the spiritually dead a preview of eternal life in action as I am standing up outstanding among those who are spiritually on their backs—spiritually dead.”
Or to put it still more colloquially, “As I walk your streets, as I walk into your homes, as I walk into your stores, as I walk into your offices, as I mingle among the sons of men, I want to be so living for Christ, so outstanding for him that you can see that I am a living one among the dead ones.”
Paul taught that the benefits that belong to those who have right standing before God include knowledge, imputed righteousness, power, fellowship, and resurrection.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed the concept of right standing before God in Philippians 3:1-11, let us be sure that we are in Christ.
Let us not be deceived about our spiritual condition. We are not right with God because we were baptized, or born into a Christian home, or had family members who were Christians. Nor are we right with God because we go to the right church or denomination, serve in church, try to obey the Ten Commandments, or are zealous for the Lord.
We are Christians because we have come into a right standing before God. And there is only one way in which that happens, and it is when the righteousness of Christ is credited to us, and we believe it. Our righteousness is worthless, but Christ’s righteousness is acceptable to God.
So, let us trust in Christ alone and his righteousness for our salvation. That is the only way we may have right standing before God. Amen.
