Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[a] 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,[b] 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— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained (Phil. 3:2-16). 

Beginning with this post, we’re going to take some time to look at Paul’s teachings in this passage. Parts of this passage are well-known, particularly vv. 10-14. However, in order to understand and appreciate those verses, we should first look at what leads up to that. 

Mutilators of the Flesh

Paul begins this section of the letter with a strong warning: The Philippian believers are to “watch out for” a certain group of people (Greek blepete, “to see or behold”). Though he uses three different phrases to describe them, they all refer to the same group of people. He calls them:

• dogs – wild, vicious animals, used to describe people of moral impurity
• workers of evil – those who practice evil (often under the guise of good).
• mutilators of the flesh – those who insist on cutting the body as a religious duty.

Paul then zeroes in on the last phrase, by using a contrast. He says, “But we [meaning true believers] are the circumcision” (emphasis added). What does this mean? Circumcision was commanded of all males under the law, as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. If a foreigner wanted to become part of God’s people (Israel), all the males in the household were required to be circumcised, and the household would then be obligated to keep the law.

By the time of Jesus and Paul, observance of the law had become a purely outward observance. One measured his or her righteousness by the degree that he or she kept the law, including circumcision, saying the right prayers, and avoiding moral and ritual defilement. Some of these folks had infiltrated the church by Paul’s time. Their motto was, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:2, which is why the translators of the NLT render verse 2 as “those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved”). Paul objected strongly to anyone adding anything to the gospel of faith. What he is saying in essence is, “Their ‘circumcision’ has no value, it’s just a mutilation of the flesh.”

The True Circumcision

He contrasts that with what he calls the “true circumcision.” In Romans 3:28-29, he tells us that the true believer is one who has been circumcised in the heart. For this person, God’s Spirit has performed heart surgery, and has given him a new heart according to the New Covenant. Now, his outward obedience comes from a changed heart, not merely a religious duty.

As he used three phrases to describe the people that believers are to beware of, now Paul gives us three things that characterize a true believer. 

The true believer worships by the Spirit of God. The true believer’s worship is not merely outward, being controlled by religious duty or rules. His worship comes from the very presence of God’s Spirit within him. Jesus told the Samaritan woman much the same thing, when He said, 

The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

The true believer glories in Christ Jesus, not himself or his own works. The word translated “glory” literally means “to boast” (Greek kauchaomai). Even Paul, as he writes in just a few verses, could have reason to boast himself, he disclaims any right to do so. Instead, he resolves “to know nothing. . . except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). 

The true believer puts no confidence in the flesh. As Paul has just said, the true believer, the one who is circumcised in the heart, will boast only in Christ Jesus and what He has done. It’s common in the world for people to boast of their (or others’) credentials and accomplishments–even in the church. One is often called “Dr.” before “pastor,” as though the title gives him more credibility. The true believer recognizes that human effort does not earn the favor of God.

These are the enduring marks of the true believer. We should ask ourselves, “Are we only glorying in our religious duty, marking off our checklist, or are we the real deal?” In the next post, we will take a closer look at this, by listening to what Paul has to say about his own credentials.