"Rejoice in the Lord" (2) Philippians 3:1-7
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.
Paul emphasizes that “rejoicing in the Lord” is so important that repeating this command is not a burden to him. In fact, he says it is a safeguard. I can relate to this in my own life—for example, I always remind my wife to be careful when she goes out. It’s not burdensome to repeat such advice because it is truly important. In the same way, Paul repeats the exhortation to rejoice in the Lord, not out of habit, but out of genuine concern. He knows how easily believers can lose their joy, and how dangerous that loss can be. Losing joy in the Lord can lead us away from a life of faith, gratitude, and spiritual strength. That’s why Paul insists on reminding the believers again and again: Rejoice in the Lord! So why is losing joy in the Lord so dangerous, and why is experiencing joy in the Lord so important?
First, it is because we are worshipers. What we rejoice in, delight in, and love the most reveals what we truly worship. When we rejoice in, delight in, love, and treasure God above all else and all others, we are making a confession as those who worship the living God.
Second, losing joy in the Lord is dangerous—and conversely, experiencing joy in the Lord is essential—because joy is a fitting characteristic of the people of heaven who are living in this world.
Romans 14:17 (ESV) says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” We testify of Christ through the joy of already possessing the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
If we are truly saved, our confession should echo that of the prophet Habakkuk:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17–18, ESV). This should be the confession of our lives. It is not whether the fig tree bears fruit, whether grapes are on the vine, or whether cattle fill the stalls that determines our joy. Rather, it is the Lord—the God of our salvation—who determines our joy in life.
Third, as people with a mission, we must live with joy in order to fulfill that mission.
Nehemiah declared to the Israelites that rejoicing in the Lord is our strength:
“For the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b, ESV).
The work of the Lord is accomplished most powerfully when His joy fills our hearts.
The Philippian church, though suffering severe affliction and extreme poverty, had overflowing joy—and this joy moved them to give generously to others. In my own life, when I have joy in the Lord, I find motivation, capability, and boldness to carry out ministry. But when I serve with a frown and complaints, I am no longer serving the Lord—I am serving myself.
That is why George Müller, known as the “father of orphans,” said, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.” This means that seeking the Lord, fellowshipping with Him, and having joy in Him is more important than ministry itself.
Ultimately, if we do not pursue and delight in joy in the Lord, we risk falling into idolatry. Instead of enjoying the life of heaven, we end up living like the world and fail to fulfill our calling as witnesses, becoming no more than breadwinners. Therefore, we must earnestly pursue joy in the Lord.
Then how can we live a life filled with joy in the Lord?
In John 15, on the night before His crucifixion, the Lord gave a parable: He is the vine, and His disciples are the branches. Then He said in John 15:11 (ESV), “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” As branches, we must remain connected to the vine—Jesus—and continually receive His love, grace, and Word. Only then can we live a life filled with true joy.
Because joy in the Lord is so vital, Satan does not remain idle. Paul warned the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV), “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Satan tempts us to drift away from abiding in Christ. If our hearts lack sincere and pure devotion to Him, we must recognize that we’ve already fallen for Satan’s schemes. As a result, we cannot experience the joy of the Lord.
A few years ago, while doing some interior work at our house, we left the doors wide open because of the dust. Unfortunately, many mosquitoes came in, and I was bitten seven times in just two hours. After being bitten once or twice, I resolved to stay alert and swat them. When I kept my eyes open and stayed focused, the mosquitoes wouldn’t come near. But the moment I looked away or got distracted, they would bite again. They came silently, and I wouldn’t even know I’d been bitten until the itching started.
Satan is like that. He slips in quietly when we aren’t watching. We don’t even realize we’ve been “bitten” until the effects appear later. If we’re seeking satisfaction and joy from worldly things rather than from the Lord, we must understand that we’ve already fallen for Satan’s deception. In the end, the question of whether we seek joy in the Lord or outside of Him is a spiritual battle—just like being in a room full of mosquitoes and either getting bitten or swatting them. It’s a battle we must fight every day and every moment.
Let us all believe this: Every morning, we may resolve to be victorious, but many nights we lie down defeated, having fallen into the enemy’s traps during the day. Yet we must never give up. We cannot give up. As long as we are breathing, we must keep fighting. And even when we fall, we must get up again and keep fighting—because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world, and He longs to fill us with His joy. We must fight and win in order to enjoy the joy of the Lord—because we are worshipers, citizens of the Kingdom of God, and witnesses in this world.
Looking at verse 2, after the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of joy, he immediately warns, “Look out for the dogs” (Philippians 3:2 ESV: “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”) Why does Paul issue such a strong warning about dogs right after speaking about joy? Because these “dogs” are the ones who steal the joy we are meant to enjoy in the Lord. Just like spiritual mosquitoes, many things around us try to rob us of this joy without our even realizing it. We can be distracted by the temporary pleasures of life or by hardships such as health issues, problems with children, financial stress, and broken relationships. But here, Paul is specifically pointing to a group of people—whom he calls “dogs.”
In the Old Testament, the term “dogs” was used in a derogatory way. For example, Deuteronomy 23:18 (ESV) says, “You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God...”—here, “dogs” referred to male prostitutes, considered detestable. Additionally, Jews commonly referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” Now, Paul turns this insult around and uses it against the Judaizers, those who insisted that circumcision was necessary for salvation.
Why does Paul speak so harshly about the Judaizers? He calls them evildoers—not because they outwardly rejected Jesus, but because they preached a distorted version of the gospel. These were Jews who had accepted Jesus in their own way, but demanded that Gentile believers must also be circumcised and keep the law to be saved.
The early church in Jerusalem, after Pentecost, was composed entirely of Jews—who had already been circumcised before they came to believe in Jesus. For nearly 10 years, all believers were Jewish. But as the gospel spread into Gentile regions, many uncircumcised Gentiles came to faith in Christ. This raised a major question: Was faith in Jesus alone enough for salvation, or did Gentiles also need to be circumcised and follow the Jewish law?
In response, Acts 15 records how the apostles and church leaders gathered to settle this issue. They affirmed that salvation is by grace through faith alone. Yet, despite this official decision, many Judaizers continued to insist on circumcision and legal observance. They even followed Paul to regions like Galatia, where he had preached the gospel, and began teaching a false gospel. Tragically, many in the Galatian churches started to listen to them.
So Paul wrote a sharp rebuke to the Galatians: Galatians 1:6–9 (ESV)
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Paul does not hold back. He calls the Judaizers “accursed” for preaching a distorted gospel, even though they claimed to believe in Jesus. These same Judaizers had also come to the Philippian church, teaching that salvation required circumcision and law-keeping. Paul responds with a grave warning in Galatians 5:4 (ESV): “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” And if we fall from grace, we lose the joy that the Lord gives.
Interestingly, in Greek, the word for joy (*?a??, chara) and the word for grace (*?????, charis) share the same root. This reminds us that joy is the natural response of someone who has experienced grace. Joy is both a gift from God and something we possess because of His grace. Therefore, those who disregard God's grace can never enjoy the joy of the Lord. Without grace, there is no assurance of salvation, no hope for the future, no confidence in God’s acceptance or forgiveness, and no intimacy with the Lord. Without grace, true joy is impossible.
These Judaizers—who did not truly understand the grace of Christ—acted like wolves. They came to the Galatians, who were young in faith but full of assurance, joy, and hope in salvation, and said things like, “Your salvation isn’t real. You must be circumcised and keep the whole law to be saved.” In doing so, they uprooted the very foundation of their joy and hope. That’s why Paul was so outraged that he called them dogs, evildoers, and accursed. His message is clear: If we are not on guard against such people and teachings, we will lose the joy of our salvation.
Who, then, are those who enjoy the joy of salvation—the joy found in the Lord?
Philippians 3:3 (ESV) says: “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” Paul explains that true believers—the true circumcision—are those who worship by the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus, and place no confidence in the flesh.
To understand what it means to glory in Christ and not to put confidence in the flesh, it helps to look at the opposite: what it means to boast in oneself and to trust in things of the flesh (worldly things). In verses 4–6, Paul writes: “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: 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; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:4–6, ESV)
Paul lists all the qualifications and credentials he once took pride in—his religious upbringing, ethnic identity, zeal, and legal righteousness. In today’s terms, this would be like boasting about your trustworthy background—your family status, education, wealth, and achievements. But those who find joy in and depend on such things are not truly worshiping God. Instead, they are worshiping idols—or more precisely, worshiping themselves. The tendency to boast in ourselves and trust in the flesh is deeply rooted in every one of us. That’s why we so often seek joy in worldly things, long to be praised, and are overly concerned with how others see us.
Jesus warned us not to fast, pray, or give alms to be seen by others, but to do these things for God. Even in spiritual disciplines, we can fall into the trap of performing for the approval of people.
How many people go to great lengths simply to avoid being ignored or to gain recognition—even well into adulthood? People constantly compare themselves to others and live with feelings of superiority or inferiority. This is natural for the world, but if we as believers envy worldly things and long for them, we act like those who underestimate the grace of the Lord—no different from the "dogs" Paul speaks of.
Those who boast in themselves and trust in worldly things are in a cycle of constant comparison, pride, and insecurity. They cannot experience true joy and end up living weary, unsatisfied lives. But Paul says that all these things he once took pride in, he now considers loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7). He even says that he has lost all things and considers them rubbish compared to knowing Christ. Those who consider worldly things as rubbish, who glory only in Christ and trust fully in Him, are the ones who truly worship God. They are the ones who can rejoice in the Lord. As Paul exhorts in Philippians 4:4 (ESV): “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
What we boast in and rely on can change—beauty, health, wealth, education, careers, popularity, honor, and power all fade. But the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is good, He loves us unchangingly, and He is almighty. That’s why Paul writes in Romans 8:35, 38–39 (ESV): “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Therefore, we can rejoice in the Lord in any circumstance. On the night before He went to the cross to reveal this amazing love, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV)
He told us to abide in Him. The one who abides in this loving Lord, boasts in Him, and trusts in Him is the one who truly worships—and who can enjoy joy in the Lord that transcends all circumstances. As Pastor John Piper said, “We must recognize that this joy requires a relentless fight.” The fight for joy is a fight to deny ourselves, to stop boasting in ourselves, and to boast in and trust only in Jesus.
I want to be someone who wins this fight and lives in the joy of the Lord. Even if you stumble in this fight, do not be discouraged—repent and rise again. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. I pray in the name of Jesus that both you and I will win this fight, rejoice in the Lord, and live victorious lives as true worshipers, the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, and witnesses.
