Watch Out for the Dogs

You know that moment in a movie or a T.V. show when you hear the record scratch noise and the video stops? There’s usually a freeze-frame and the main character looks confused. You're supposed to ask the question, "What is going on?" 

If the Bible had a soundtrack, there's a moment in the book of Philippians where this would have totally happened. If you read through the book of Philippians, you'll read about Paul's experience as a prisoner for the Gospel. He encourages his friends to really care for one another. And then, you get to Philippians 3. Check out Philippians 3:1-2:

"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh."

What is that? Did you realize there are insults like that in Scripture? Paul calls someone a dog! That doesn’t really sound like something that belongs in the Bible. If you keep reading, you start to get an idea of what Paul is talking about. Here's Philippians 3:3-9:

"For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 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. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 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—"

What’s really happening here? It’s helpful to look at the first few verses. Paul talks about the ‘mutilators of the flesh.’ Then at the beginning of verse 3 he says. “we are the real circumcision.” Wait a second...He’s not talking about...

Yes; yes he is. There was a group of people who believed that circumcision was necessary to really know God. In some other passages of Scripture, they're called ‘the circumcision party.’ That doesn’t sound like a party you want to go to.

This problem really started in the Old Testament. God required His people to be circumcised in order for them to be visually set apart from the world. When Jesus came and provided salvation through faith in Him, circumcision was not required. Rather than a physical sign, the evidence of God's people would be repentant hearts. But, there was a group of people who wanted to continue requiring circumcision - even for older converts! Imagine converting to Christianity later in life! That would be quite a 'New Members Class.'

What was at the heart of what these people were doing? There was a fascination with an outward sign. These people really believed that God wouldn't love you if you didn’t look a certain way. They refused to believe you were a Christian unless you were circumcised.

That’s an interesting thing to think about. What if there was a sure-fire way for people to know that you were a Christian? Maybe we’re not so keen on circumcising adults, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a way to know that someone was a Believer?

The problem with a physical sign is that it can easily be wrong. The sign may be there while the heart is not. And that’s exactly what Paul says about his own life. He says if anyone is looking for outward signs of being a perfect follower of God, he’s got them! He was a Jew, he had worked hard to follow the law, but what does he say about those things? He points out that it’s all a loss. He calls it all worthless rubbish.

The real goal (Phil 3:9) is to be found in Christ. The goal is not to look right, act perfectly, and have all the outward signs. But the prize is to be found IN CHRIST. So often, we want the credit for our right living, but God is concerned with our hearts. Paul's prize was to be found in Christ. He had no righteousness of his own– it was from Jesus.

We do not live righteously in order for God to save us, but because He has.

The "dogs" that Paul talks about were trying to build a good enough person to catch God’s eye. In reality, our good works or right decisions will not save us. We’re not as good as we think we are. Even still, God sent Jesus to save us. Jesus came to forgive us of our sin and selfishness. Any righteousness we have comes from Christ because of His sacrifice for us. We believe that, on the cross, Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. That exchange changes the way we live. We’re not perfect, but He is. And we live for Him.

What happens when we do that? Paul says we become like Him in his death. That sounds scary. What does that mean? The irony of Christianity is that we’re really chasing death. We’re hoping that we die. We want our sinful selves to perish and pass away so that God will raise us to a new life to live for Him. Do we really want that? Paul is helping us see that this is the destination of faith in Christ. He takes our sin and we take His righteousness. He dies for us, we die and live for Him.