Who do you think you are?

PHILIPPIANS 3 - - THE SPIRITUAL MIND  -  or  -  THINGS ROB JOY

Philippians 3:3-7  "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh.  If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

Paul just warned us about the Judaisers who were making faith something of works.  They were weakening the value of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection by claiming it was not enough and needed to include certain works.  Verse 3 lists three things that Paul specified were the "new" marks of dedication to God.  Circumcision had been an outward evidence of an inward spiritual change.  The changes in worship that needed to come about (no more sacrificing, no more following the Law, living by grace) were the New Testament equivalent of circumcision.  Paul continues to teach and reassure these Christians that the ceremonies they had been observing were no longer required to demonstrate their faith.

"We are the circumcision which . . . "  1. worship God in the spirit (no more rituals or ceremonies but faith in the heart) 2. rejoice in Christ Jesus recognize Christ as the Messiah and give Him the rightful honor that is due Him) 3. have no confidence in the flesh (do not depend on the Law to validate our faith).  There are movements today such as Messianic Judaism that still hold to many of the detailed rituals and laws of the Old Testament as part of their worship.  This verse clearly states that these practices are no longer essential and actually have been replaced.

The Dispensation of the Law was a time period where the people followed the letter of the Law as a demonstration of their faith in the coming Messiah and His work on Calvary.  Their actions and habits set them apart from the rest of the world and clearly marked them as peculiar.  Today our actions and habits set us apart from the rest of the world and clearly mark us as peculiar.

Paul goes on to remind them of just exactly who he is to be making such claims.  He states that if ANYONE has any right to claim confidence in the flesh, he does and here are his supporting statements:

Circumcised the eighth day              His parents had followed tradition ever since his birth
Of the stock of Israel                        He establishes his Jewish heritage not just culture
Of the tribe of Benjamin                   It is essential to Jews that they be able to prove their
                                                        lineage and identify which tribe they descend from
An Hebrew of the Hebrews               A Jew that could speak Hebrew AND Aramaic
Touching the Law                             A Pharisee  (pious sect that prided themselves on holding
                                                        every single part of the Law)
Concerning zeal                               Persecuting the church  (traditional Jews did not want to
                                                        accept the "new" form of worship and were judged for how
                                                        they stood up against it)
Touching the righteousness 
which is in the Law                          Blameless  (He knew the Law so well He didn't make                                                                   mistakes against it)

Of all people in the world at his time, Paul was someone who could brag on his accomplishments and his "Jewish-ness."  His whole life, from the time he was born, was focused on the Law, he knew the in's and out's of it, and he kept it.  BUT . . .

All of these credentials, which he had worked his entire life to earn, and that set him apart as a Jew to be revered and honored, he counted as empty and lost.  His past life as Saul where he persecuted the church was valued by how zealously he had worked to squash this "new" religion.  He went overboard to prove his dedication.  He was the equivalent of "working his way up the ladder" and was an over-achiever.  He didn't just do things rightly, he did things perfectly!  And all of that training and work and passion got him nowhere in the eyes of God.

I am a pastor's wife.  I have been saved 42 years.  I can go on and on, but just this much starts to make me sick and uncomfortable.  Who do I think I am?  I am nobody!  The only One Who makes me worthy to be in God's presence is Jesus Christ my Savior.  And we need to get a better grasp on that fact and be humbled by it.  "There is none righteous, no not one!"  Except through Christ.  Keeping the Law so perfectly and with such vigor did nothing to help Paul be accepted in the eyes of God.  It doesn't matter how many Bible verses I can quote, how perfectly my skirts are lengthened, how many casseroles I have made, how many specials I have sung, or diapers I have changed in the church nursery!  I have nothing to brag about . . . except what Christ did on Calvary.

Are you like Jews of Paul's day judging your spiritual worth by the number of things you do?  Or are you trusting in Christ and salvation through faith?