Chapter 3
Philippians 3:1
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
The things Paul is writing to them, they have heard before. They have either heard it in a former letter or while he was with them in person. Either way, he calls these things a “safeguard” for them. In Greek, it is the word asphalēs which means “firm” or “true”. These are the teachings they are to rely on and hold to as they go through trials. They will keep them firmly grounded in the truth and help them not to sway and protect them from the group he brings up next.
Philippians 3:2
Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.
Paul calls this group by three names: dogs, evildoers, and mutilators. Dogs refers to actual dogs but in the ancient world, dogs were seen as unclean and impure. So to call someone a dog was to call them impure. An evildoer is one who labors in evil or works for evil. They make a conscious effort to wrong. This last name is interesting. There is only one Greek word here in the manuscripts and it is the word “katatomē”. It;s a combination of two words meaning to cut up or to mutilate. This is an interesting word to use since in the next verse he is going to talk about the role of circumcision. There might be some irony in word play going on here. They teach that cutting up, or circumcision is required, and so we must watch out for these kinds of teachings.
Philippians 3:3-4a
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
The circumcision group referred to the Jews who believed and followed the circumcision laws. Notice how Paul writes how they worship God. It is through the Spirit that they worship. No longer is it necessary to follow the strict laws of the Torah which included the circumcision laws. We no longer put confidence in the flesh. That is, we do not put our hope and trust in the things we do by God’s law but rather by faith. But Paul says he has reasons for being confident in the flesh. Why would he say this? well he is being a bit ironic here but in the next verses he is going to discuss his status and honor he received before Jesus that would have given him the most confidence of anyone if he was going to boast about who he was. The theology here is that the circumcision group put hope in their Jewish heritage whereas Christians should put their hope in their standing as children of God.
Philippians 3:4b-6
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
These are Paul’s reasons for being “confident in the flesh”. These are the reasons he believed at one time he should be honored and was righteous, perhaps more than most. As we will see, he does not brag about these honors but rather considers them nothing, though the world would think very highly of them.
Circumcised on the eight day– Paul was circumcised on the eighth day, which was required by law as a sign of the covenant God made with Abram. This showed that Paul was an Israelite from birth and was not brought into the family of Israel.
Israelite- he was not from another people group and was not a proselyte. He was born an Israelite into an Israelite family. His Jewish roots were original.
Of the tribe of Benjamin- Being of the tribe of Benjamin was of much significance to Jewish heritage at this time. Benjamin was the youngest and honored son of Jacvob. Saul, Israel’s first king came from this tribe. It was also the only tribe besides Judah that stayed loyal to the Davidic line of royalty when the kingdom split.
Hebrew of Hebrews- Paul was educated in Rabbinic Hebrew tradition and knew the original language very well. He had not become “hellenestic” in the sense that he adopted the Greek language as his own. He knew Greek but also remained knowledgeable in the original Hebrew of the Torah. To call himself a Hebrew of Hebrews means he was not a second-class or hybrid version of a Hebrew that had adopted a Greek way of living.
Pharisee- Paul was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were an elite group of religious leaders that taught the people and were held in high regard by the common folk. They were trained to memorize and teach the entire Torah. They often created and taught man-made traditions that were not in the law but claimed they were in the Spirit of the law.
Persecuting the church- Before Paul came to know Christ, he thought he was doing God a favor by persecuting those who followed Jesus. In his mind, Jesus was a rebel and needed to be stopped from straying people away from God’s law. He thought Jesus undermined the law and the traditions they so dearly held onto. So, he persecuted the church in order to help God.
Faultless- When it came to following the law, Paul considered himself faultless. This means, before Christ, he did not think there was a part of the law in which he was guilty of breaking. “Righteousness based on the law”- this meant one believed they were made right by God by following the law. Paul believed he had reached this state because he followed the law without fault.
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