Philippians 3:1:
3:1From-now-on, my brothers, you must joy in (the) Lord. To write the same-things to you indeed (is) not slothful to me but to you (it is) safety.
Paul writes: from now on (as to the rest, pertaining-to the time remaining, henceforth), my brothers…. Again Paul addresses the Philippian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of God) as "brothers" and he emphasizes this point by adding the word "my" – thus reminding them that they all, including himself, had received the same gift of holy spirit. They had all become children of God, their Father, spiritually.
From now on, my brothers, you must joy in the Lord (not in me, or in the fact of Epaphroditus' arrival – but you must rejoice within your Master, Jesus Christ; he must be the efficient or instrumental cause for your joy). To write the same-things to you (repeating things that I have already written) indeed with affirmation is not slothful to/for/with me (it is not tardy, lazy, no hesitation on my part, I am not shrinking from my responsibility of holding forth God's Word), but to/for/with you to write the same-things affords safety (it gives surety, cannot be tripped-up or thrown-down and thereby fall from its correct position, it gives firmness and certainty).
Paul was reinforcing what he had already taught them. He was repeating himself by revelation, not because he was slothful, nor was he non-receptive to revelation anymore, nor did he forget what he had already written!
[Reference: Acts 21:34; Philippians 4:4.]
Verses 2 and 3:
.2You must observe the dogs, you must observe the bad workers, you must observe the mutilation – .3for we are the circumcision, the (people) rendering-service with spirit and boasting in Christ Jesus and not having been persuaded2 in flesh.
What does Paul mean by writing about "dogs"? He is not referring to the canine pets that many people have in their homes today. He is using a figure of speech whereby he emphasizes the characteristics, activities and mode of operation of some people who were opposing the good-message that he teaches.
You holy-people must observe (look-at and mentally-envision, be mentally-aware and able to contemplate, even though you may not physically see anything with your physical eyes, and thus in this context you must be circumspect, wary, and cautious of):
It is interesting to note that Paul by revelation uses this word "mutilation" instead of the usual word "circumcision." Circumcision refers to the action of literally and physically cutting-around the foreskin (prepuce) and removing it off from the rest of the male's flesh, which necessitated the shedding of his blood while cutting, but afterwards being healed and not having to deal with that flesh anymore. God had originally made the covenant of circumcision with Abraham (refer to Genesis chapter 17), and then with his offspring and with those who wanted to be included in God's covenant and promises throughout the centuries until Abraham's promised seed, the Christ, came and accomplished redemption and salvation. As a result of Christ's accomplishments, he has made holy spirit-life available to mankind, which is the new covenant, the covenant of spirit. All holy-people are part of the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with Abraham.
The people who were still promulgating that circumcision was the criteria to become righteous to/with God are called the "mutilation" by Paul in this letter. He explains further: in truth, we (all of us holy-people together) presently and actively are the circumcision (figuratively, we are the group of people who have been circumcised with Christ's circumcision) because "circumcision" since the day of Pentecost truly refers to us who are the people who presently and actively are:
We holy-people render-service with the holy spirit-life within us; this is the only way we can render-service towards our Lord Jesus Christ and God, our Father. Any so-called "service" outside-of or without the involvement of our holy spirit-life and adherence to it is not service from God's point of view! We must listen to our holy spirit-life, be receptive to our holy spirit-life, and obey what God and the Lord Jesus Christ communicate to our holy spirit-life and which it communicates to our minds and bodies. If we ignore and refuse that information then we cannot and do not render any service towards our Lord Jesus Christ or towards God our Father.
We boast in Christ Jesus; any other boasting in front of people is empty from God's point of view. Our boast is within everything that Christ Jesus has done for us and everything that Christ Jesus is to/for us today because we have the spirit of Christ in us, that holy spirit-life which has all the power and authority of the resurrected Christ available to us to use as directed by God or by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
We were not persuaded and we continue not persuaded in flesh. Our flesh, anything we can do with and to our physical bodies, does not give us the basis or source of our persuasion regarding our standing or our state before the only true God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because a person may be circumcised a thousand times, or a person may physically wash his body in water a million times over, this has no bearing today on a person's righteousness before God; this does not make a person a Christian, a child of God; this does not make a person a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Reference: Acts 27:23; Romans 1:9, 2:28 and 29, 8:9; I Corinthians 1:31, 7:19; Galatians 6:13-15; Colossians 2:11.]
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True Bible Study - Philippians
