Those who serve God by His Spirit & boast in Christ Jesus are those who, like Paul, put no confidence in the flesh.
[This discussion can be read aloud in 6 min.]
Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 72
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DAY 72/TUESDAY
Philippians 3:3-9
No Confidence in the Flesh
“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 — 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised 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; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Philippians 3:3-9 (NIV)
Building Biblical Literacy
- Comprehension asks, “What does it say?”
- Interpretation asks, “What does it mean?”
- Application asks, “How should it change me?”
*Jen Wilkin, Women of the Word, p.87 (2014)
In our DAY 63 discussion, we said we would go through these three stages of good literacy-building here at the beginning of Philippians 3.
We’ve done a good bit of Comprehension & Interpretation since then. Today, we move into Application, still aiming to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Sign of the Covenant
“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…”
Philippians 3:3 (NIV)
What does Paul mean when he writes, “we… are the circumcision”?
In the immediate context, he is referring to himself and the Philippian Christians. Yet what he writes here is also true of all Christians who ever have been and ever will be — we are the circumcision.
And what was the circumcision, again?
It was a sign of the Old Covenant God made with Abraham and all of Abraham’s descendants. [See DAY 67.]
So, now that we are the circumcision, we are the sign of the New Covenant.
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”
Hebrews 9:15 (NIV)
Three Intertwined Descriptions
Paul gives three descriptions of believers who are the circumcision.
They are those who:
- serve God by His Spirit;
- boast in Christ Jesus; &
- put no confidence in the flesh.
You can’t have one of these apart from the other two.
For example:
If you try to serve God by the flesh, you will ultimately be boasting in the flesh & are putting confidence in the flesh.
In contrast, putting confidence in Christ will cause you to boast in Him and serve God by the Spirit.
If you boast in anything or anyone other than Christ, it is evident that you are not serving God by the Spirit and that you are putting confidence in the flesh.
I think you get the idea!
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Now, let’s make this personal so we can apply God’s truth to our own lives. We could start by asking ourselves if we are currently serving God by His Spirit or if we are boasting in Christ alone; however, I have found it is easier to deceive ourselves on these two points. Start with this question instead:
Am I putting confidence in the flesh?
With that question on our minds, let’s read what Paul said about his confidence again.
Paul’s Confidence
“I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised 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; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”
Philippians 3:4,5-6 (NIV)
Paul had reasons for confidence in the flesh. Most of us have reasons for confidence in the flesh, too. Let’s think about that. I have provided some questions below to get our wheels turning.
In Public
- How often do I casually mention my achievements or successes in this life to others?
- Do I name drop (i.e. “I’ve met him” or “I know her”)?
- Am I regularly reminding people of all in which I’m involved?
- Do I post every (or nearly every) highlight of my life (or my kids’ lives) on social media?
- Did any other examples of fleshly confidence just pop into your head?
In Private
- Do I rehearse my achievements & successes to myself in an effort to make myself feel better?
- Am I proud of who I know and who likes me to the point that if any of these people hurt, rejected, disappointed, or abandoned me, I would fall into deep depression or react in raging retaliation?
- If I suddenly found myself unable to be actively involved in much of anything due to long-term illness or, I don’t know, a world-wide pandemic!, would I roll with it or feel like my life is over?
- Do I ever spend time trying to come up with impressive stuff to post on social media if I feel like my family or I haven’t done anything “impressive” lately?
- Am I driven by a list of goals I’ve set for myself that may or may not be God’s will, God’s way, His timing?
Whether or not I do any of the above, what I need to honestly evaluate is the motivation behind what I do — if I am putting any confidence in the flesh.
No Confidence in the Flesh
“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…”
Philippians 3:3 (NIV)
Be honest about how you spend your time, energy, money, & other resources, day in and day out, week by week, month to month, year by year.
What motivates you?
In what (or in whom) do you actually place your confidence?
Ask yourself again: Am I putting confidence in the flesh?
DAY 72/TUESDAY Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
May we always aim to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Lord, we don’t want to be those whose confidence is in the flesh. Let us be faithful followers who serve You by Your Holy Spirit, boast in Christ Jesus alone, and put no confidence in the flesh!
We pray together:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 72: Those who serve God by His Spirit & boast in Christ Jesus are those who, like Paul, put no confidence in the flesh.