Philippians 3 Commentary
Two instructions. First: Rejoice in the LORD. Second: Watch out for “mutilators” who put confidence in the flesh.
The two instructions go together because the “mutilators” can reduce the saint’s joy to zero. Mutilation is a term Paul uses to refer to the circumcision operation. Mutilators would be the Judaizers who demanded that every believer be circumcised.
Salvation by the Spirit is complete. You don’t have to add anything to it. Paul wants the believers to rejoice because they have a total package. Circumcision was a symbol of inclusion or “belonging”. It was outward evidence of “belonging”. Today’s equivalent would be prosperity as evidence of “belonging”.
Mutilators still exist and insist that a lack of prosperity puts a question on salvation. Watch out for the mutilators!
Knowing Christ Jesus is everything! And the price? Paul has lost “all things”. Verse 8. How dare we think of “gaining all things” as evidence of knowing Christ Jesus!
The saint has a different set of ambitions: To know Christ and the power of His resurrection…to participate in His suffering, becoming like Him in death, and “somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead”. Verses 10 and 11. It is always work in progress!
Have this environment and rejoice!
Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. A world that views 99% of people as “good” is terrible! Sinful and anti-scripture. The truth is that they all live for their stomachs – not for Christ Jesus. The truth is that only the minority (the remnant) live for Jesus. Their citizenship is in Heaven. They await salvation from there – the LORD Jesus Christ.
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