Phlippians 3:2-6
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. – Phlippians 3:3
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The apostle Paul warned the Christians in Philippi about the Judaizers amongst them who advocated for the Gentile converts to adhere to the OT ceremonial laws as evidence that they were real Christians. By insisting that the Gentile converts go through circumcision and maintain dietary restrictions, they contradict the Gospel message of God’s unconditional love, grace and acceptance. Paul dismissed that most fundamental mark of Jewish identity – circumcision, calling it a mutilation of the flesh. These outwardly visible acts do not mark us out as people of God! They are simplistic markers of identity, having the appearance of godliness, but not the substance (2 Tim 3:5). While men look at the outside, God looks at the heart! (1 Sam 16:7). In verse 3, Paul highlighted the kingdom shift that had arrived in Jesus! He flipped the foundational pillars of Jewish identity and pride on its head.
It is not physical circumcision that matters. It is the circumcision of our hearts! In Romans 2:29, Paul made this point abundantly clear – “No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” The pain from the one-time physical removal of the foreskin is a poor shadow of the pain that comes from faithful obedience and endurance as we battle our sinful nature each day in spiritual circumcision.
Our hearts are extremely deceitful, and our human pride knows no bounds. In Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods, he describes the human heart as an idol factory of which money, sex and power are foremost. We often build our own thrones, propping them up with the deceptive power of idols, of success, security, and control. We might take pride in our carefully crafted plans to secure our finances, our kids’ future, or our career paths. Beware! Paul knew better than anyone how empty such endeavours were! He was a model Jew! He was circumcised as an Israelite, hailed from the tribe of Benjamin and was unmatched in his zeal for the law as a Pharisee. Yet he considered them all as rubbish compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Jesus as his Lord.
This is really a call to keep Christ in the centre and to be steadfast in doing so. Far too often, we cram our lives with the pursuit of academic and work success, wealth, fitness, travel, and social status. Unfortunately, they tend to quietly creep up, making us overly comfortable, inflate our egos and unknowingly form a core part of our identities. These fleshly endeavours are like barnacles that covers up our hearts, hardening it such that we are no longer sensitive to God when He speaks into our lives. But to glory in Christ and Christ alone is to throw off everything that hinders and has entangled our hearts, to fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and to run that long race with perseverance.
Reflection:
What “fleshly” achievements have you been basing your confidence in? What might a circumcision of your heart look like?
Prayer:
Dear God, show us and help us to peel away the hardened layers of our hearts to be receptive to you once again. Remind and assure us that our confidence is not merely in the visible and material areas of life but in what You have already done and achieved for us in Jesus. Guard the eyes of our heart, circumcise it, purify us as your royal priesthood so that we may not be enamoured by worldly glories but by your glory only. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Click to read
The apostle Paul warned the Christians in Philippi about the Judaizers amongst them who advocated for the Gentile converts to adhere to the OT ceremonial laws as evidence that they were real Christians. By insisting that the Gentile converts go through circumcision and maintain dietary restrictions, they contradict the Gospel message of God’s unconditional love, grace and acceptance. Paul dismissed that most fundamental mark of Jewish identity – circumcision, calling it a mutilation of the flesh. These outwardly visible acts do not mark us out as people of God! They are simplistic markers of identity, having the appearance of godliness, but not the substance (2 Tim 3:5). While men look at the outside, God looks at the heart! (1 Sam 16:7). In verse 3, Paul highlighted the kingdom shift that had arrived in Jesus! He flipped the foundational pillars of Jewish identity and pride on its head.
It is not physical circumcision that matters. It is the circumcision of our hearts! In Romans 2:29, Paul made this point abundantly clear – “No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” The pain from the one-time physical removal of the foreskin is a poor shadow of the pain that comes from faithful obedience and endurance as we battle our sinful nature each day in spiritual circumcision.
Our hearts are extremely deceitful, and our human pride knows no bounds. In Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods, he describes the human heart as an idol factory of which money, sex and power are foremost. We often build our own thrones, propping them up with the deceptive power of idols, of success, security, and control. We might take pride in our carefully crafted plans to secure our finances, our kids’ future, or our career paths. Beware! Paul knew better than anyone how empty such endeavours were! He was a model Jew! He was circumcised as an Israelite, hailed from the tribe of Benjamin and was unmatched in his zeal for the law as a Pharisee. Yet he considered them all as rubbish compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Jesus as his Lord.
This is really a call to keep Christ in the centre and to be steadfast in doing so. Far too often, we cram our lives with the pursuit of academic and work success, wealth, fitness, travel, and social status. Unfortunately, they tend to quietly creep up, making us overly comfortable, inflate our egos and unknowingly form a core part of our identities. These fleshly endeavours are like barnacles that covers up our hearts, hardening it such that we are no longer sensitive to God when He speaks into our lives. But to glory in Christ and Christ alone is to throw off everything that hinders and has entangled our hearts, to fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and to run that long race with perseverance.
Reflection:
What “fleshly” achievements have you been basing your confidence in? What might a circumcision of your heart look like?
Prayer:
Dear God, show us and help us to peel away the hardened layers of our hearts to be receptive to you once again. Remind and assure us that our confidence is not merely in the visible and material areas of life but in what You have already done and achieved for us in Jesus. Guard the eyes of our heart, circumcise it, purify us as your royal priesthood so that we may not be enamoured by worldly glories but by your glory only. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.