In Galatians, it’s impossible to ignore with what large letters Paul writes as we continue to compare Gal. 2, 5, & 6 with Philippians 3:1-3.
[This post can be read aloud in 10 min. or less.]
Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 70
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DAY 70/FRI.-SAT.
Philippians 3:1-3
With What Large Letters Paul Writes!
“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. 2Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For 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 3:1-3 (NIV)
*Click here to read in the NIrV, NLT, ESV, & CSB.
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.
DAY 63 was about Comprehension.
In our DAY 64 discussion, we began Interpretation.
Today, we continue Interpretation, as we did on DAY 65, DAY 66, DAY 67, DAY 68, & DAY 69, always aiming to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
| WARNING: Parental Discretion is advised. In the following, we continue to discuss circumcision. Some parents may feel the topic is too sensitive for younger children. Please read ahead before you decide whether or not to discuss this topic as a family. |
Galatians 6 & Philippians 3
As part of our careful study of Philippians 3, we must deal with what the apostle Paul has written about circumcision. Our DAY 68 Bible word search revealed that Paul’s letter to the Galatian believers uses some form of the word circumcision 13 times. We studied what Paul has to say about it in Galatians 2 & 5; today, we finish this up with Galatians 6.
“See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.”
Galatians 6:11-16 (NIV)
Paul informs his Galatian readers that he is not dictating this letter; rather, he is writing it out himself. Not only that, he wants them to notice what large letters he is using.
The large letters may be due to Paul’s personal writing style or to vision problems Paul suffered. Or, as I often do with my own handwriting, Paul was writing these lines out in large letters for emphasis, because he wanted his readers to know just how important this was to him.
We ended our DAY 69 discussion with the question: Why? Why does Paul address circumcision in such a way, with strong words and, as we see here, large letters?
Let’s use Q & A once again to comprehend today’s passage, Galatians 6:11-16.
Q & A
Q: Who is trying to compel the Galatian Christians to be circumcised?
A: “Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh”
Q: What is the only reason they do this?
A: “To avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ”
Q: Do those who are circumcised keep the law?
A: No. “Not even those who are circumcised keep the law.”
Q: So, why do those who are circumcised want the Galatian Gentile believers to be circumcised?
A: That they may boast about the Gentiles’ circumcision in the flesh
Q: Paul only wants to boast in one thing — and it’s not circumcision. What is it?
A: “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Q: What has been crucified in v.14 through the cross of Christ?
A: The world has been crucified to Paul, and Paul to the world
Q: In v.15, what does Paul say about the meaning of circumcision?
A: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything.”
Q: Also according to v.15, what does count?
A: “What counts is the new creation.”
Q: What blessings does Paul pray for all who follow this rule?
A: “Peace and mercy”
Parallels
Another Bible study aid we can employ is finding parallels between the Scripture passages we are studying. I’ve made a table below showing some parallels among Philippians 3:1-3, Galatians 2:3-5 & 11-21, Galatians 5:1-12, and Galatians 6:11-16.
| Philippians 3 | Galatians 2 | Galatians 5 | Galatians 6 |
| those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh | “some false believers” (2:4); “certain men came from James (from Jerusalem)” (2:12); “the circumcision group” (2:12) | “the one who is throwing you into confusion” (5:10); “those agitators” (5:12) | “those who want to impress people by means of the flesh” (6:12); “boast about your circumcision in the flesh” (6:13) |
| we who serve God by His Spirit | “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (5:5) | ||
| who boast in Christ Jesus | “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (6:14) | ||
| who put no confidence in the flesh | “that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh” (6:13) | ||
| “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value” (5:6) | “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything” (6:15) | ||
| “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (5:6). | “what counts is the new creation” (6:15) |
Philippians 3:2
“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.”
Philippians 3:2 (NIV)
In our table above, it is easy to see that Paul uses many descriptions for the people he is warning the Philippian Christians about in Phil. 3:2.
They are not only
- dogs,
- evildoers,
- mutilators of the flesh.
They are also
- false believers,
- certain men (from Jerusalem),
- of the circumcision group,
- ones who throw believers into confusion,
- agitators,
- those who want to impress people by means of the flesh.
Another Comparison
Let’s do another comparison, this time between the group of Phil. 3:2 and the group of Phil. 3:3.
“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)
| Phil. 3:2 | Phil. 3:3 |
| the circumcision group/false believers | we who are the circumcision |
| agitators who throw believers into confusion | we who serve God by His Spirit |
| ones who want to boast about circumcision in the flesh | we who boast in Christ Jesus |
| those who want to impress people by means of the flesh | we who put no confidence in the flesh |
With What Large Letters Paul Writes!
“See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.”
Galatians 6:11-16 (NIV)
And we’re back to… Why? Why does Paul address circumcision in such a way, with strong words and, as we are told here, large letters?
Circumcision did not & does not have anything to do with being a new creation. In fact, Paul expresses that the circumcision of a Gentile believer (in the Old vs. New Covenant context*) is a denial that the believer is already a new creation in Christ! Adding circumcision as a Gospel requirement results in a “different gospel” — a false gospel.
*aka, circumcision as part of the requirement for salvation
A Different Gospel?!?
“I (Paul) am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
10Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:6-10 (NIV)
We need the true Gospel — no perversions, no additions, no subtractions, no substitutes — which is all about putting our faith in the work Jesus has done on our behalf.
“…a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified…
19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Galatians 2:16,19-21 (NIV)
The Gospel Paul Preached
Just in case you’re like me & now you’re thinking, “Wait… What did Paul say the gospel is, again?” Here it is:
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve. 6After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”
I Corinthians 15:1-11 (NIV)
DAY 70/FRI.-SAT. Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
We are so grateful for the apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired writings to the churches & to fellow believers! Continue to bless us as we seek to comprehend, interpret, & apply Your Word.
May we always be able to discern false gospels when they are presented to us. And let not our hearts be drawn to what is evil so that we take part in believing, promoting, or creating false gospels! (Psalm 141:4).
We love You! Thank You for first loving us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 70: In Galatians, it's impossible to ignore with what large letters Paul writes as we continue to compare Gal. 2, 5, & 6 with Philippians 3:1-3.