The Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian, Part 2 (Philippians 3:1–3) John MacArthur

In our ongoing study of Paul's  epistle to the Philippians,   we find ourselves in chapter 3. May I invite  you now to open your Bible and turn with me   to chapter 3? We'll read the first three verses  as the setting for our continued study of this   great section...Philippians chapter 3 verse  1, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.   To write the same things again is no trouble to me  and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs,   beware of the evil workers, beware of the  mutilation for we are the true circumcision   who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in  Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." I have entitled these three verses, "The  Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian...The   Distinctive Qualities of the True Christian."  They are found really in verse 3. He gives us   these three qualities of a true Christian,  "Who worship in the Spirit of God,   who glory in Christ Jesus and who  put no confidence in the flesh."

A number of years ago I decided that that verse  might be my favorite description of a Christian.   What is a Christian? We could say he's a believer.  What is a Christian? We could say he's a child of   God. What is a Christian? We could say he's a  disciple. We could say he's a follower. He is   one who loves God. But how could we say it  better than to say a Christian is one who   worships in the Spirit of God, glories in Christ  Jesus and puts no confidence in the flesh? What a   surpassing definition of the true Christian. And  the distinctive qualities of the true Christian   are indeed found in that third verse. But before  we get to the third verse, Paul has a contrast in   mind in the first two verses after his brief  introduction. And by virtue of that contrast   we see in more bold relief the reality of the  distinctive qualities of the true Christian.   For the true Christian, as defined in verse  3, is compared to the false religionists of   verse 2 who are called dogs, evil workers and are  even called rather than the false circumcision,   the actual word is the mutilation. This  characterizes those who are not true Christians.

Now as you well know this matter of comparing  those with false association with God alongside   with the true is a repeated theme in  Scripture and thus a repeated theme   in our study here through the years. We have  often discussed the matter of who is a true   Christian and what are the characteristics  of genuine believers. And we will discuss   that again because Paul is concerned with  it right here. It has always been the ploy   of Satan to infiltrate the true church with  the false, to sow the tares among the wheat.   It has always been the ploy of Satan to allow  perverse men to rise up within the congregation   to lead it astray. It has always been the ploy  of Satan to allow and energize grievous wolves   to attack the flock and tear it to shreds with  false doctrine. It has always been the call of   God on the life of the minister to be nourished up  in the words of the faith, that is the Scripture,   and sound doctrine in order to refute the  heretics, in order to warn the congregation   of intrusion of error. So this matter of true and  false simply draws the battle lines where they   have been drawn through the ages as the people  of God endeavor to stand against the people of   Satan who usually are disguised as angels  of light, wanting to infiltrate the church.

So, what we see with the Apostle  Paul here is really a warning,   a warning for the purpose as he uses the term  in verse 1 of safeguard, a warning about false   religionists who will endeavor to confuse,  who will endeavor to debilitate to destroy   the work of the gospel. The counterfeit, always  around, always on Satan's agenda, always a threat. Sometimes a profound spiritual truth can be  illustrated by a simple analogy. And when   thinking about this matter of the counterfeit  and the true, I was reminded of our trip last   year to Asia and particularly Hong Kong which  has to be the world's greatest shopping center.   And as we arrived in Hong Kong we were  informed about a few of the rules when   you go shopping. Everything appears to be  very inexpensive and in fact in most cases   is, but the people who live there tell you that  there basically is no control over labeling so   just because it has a designer label doesn't  mean that it is actually a designer garment,   just because it says Seiko or Rolex doesn't mean  it is. In fact if it says that there's probably   a good chance it isn't. And that you have to  be very careful that you don't pay a lot of   money for a very useless thing or a very cheap  article. So with that warning under our belts,  

we pursued the enterprise of shopping in Hong  Kong. It just so happened that my son, Mark,   had been using my watch and broke it. I don't  hold him totally responsible for that, I think   he went in the water somewhere and it fell apart,  which will tell you the quality of the watch. And   so I needed to buy a watch and so as I was going  along through Hong Kong I came across this watch.   It is a gold piece, ringed with a gold case and  stamped on the band it said "genuine lizard skin."   I thought, "That's probably out of my league." I  said, "How much is it?" He said, "Twelve dollars."   I said, "I'll take it." I want you to know,  ladies and gentlemen, it is still running and   the green wrist is of small consequence because  soap can take care of that about three times   a day. There are always those counterfeits out  there and we all get exposed to them, don't we?

A watchmaker would have no problem  telling that I didn't get a bargain,   although now I'm beginning to wonder because  it still keeps perfect time. But we need the   trained eye and we need some kind of criteria  to evaluate what is real and what is not real. I remember also in Hong Kong that we bought some  shirts. They were marked "Polo, Ralph Lauren,"   and they had that little guy on the horse. And  we brought them home. And after one washing   they were this big.... You could put them on a  Chihuahua. It is important to know what you get,   not to be fooled by the counterfeit. Those  simple illustrations can become analogous to   a very profound issue and that is the matter of  who is a true believer, who is a real Christian.   So many people in our world claim to know God,  don't they? So many people claim religion.   They claim to be the followers of God, if not  the representatives of God. How do we know?

Well this is of great concern not only to  us but to God and that is why it is so oft   repeated in Scripture. The Word of God lays out  for us many many times this matter of objective   evidence regarding God's regenerating work  in the life of an individual. The Bible has   not left us without a standard by which we can  measure the true believer. And here, in fact,   in verse 3 are three great qualitative  characteristics of a true believer.   They worship by the Spirit of God, they glory in  Christ Jesus and they put no confidence in the   flesh. What a marvelous set of objective criteria  to designate a true believer. But then on the   other hand, there are those dogs and those evil  workers and those called the mutilation who really   do attack the church with their false premise of  salvation and their false criteria of salvation.   And we must be warned against them. And so, before  we can look at these distinctive qualities of a   true Christian, we must come face to face with the  fact that we need to be able to discern the false.

This passage is very important for we must be  continually laying the life of an individual   alongside the objective standard in order  that we may affirm their spiritual condition.   There was a book written by Gardner  Spring many centuries ago. He titled it,   Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character.  It's a very helpful book. It has been reprinted   in recent years and in the reprinting the foreword  says this, "It is our prayer that God may use this   book in the following ways: one, to confirm the  faith of such as are the true children of God but   who lack assurance based upon biblical principles;  two, to strip away the false hopes of such as are   diluted and whose delusion has been confirmed  by the erroneous teaching on the subject of   assurance which is so prevalent in our day; three,  to clarify these issues to those who stand in that   awesome place of being expositors and teachers  of God's holy Word so that they may find fuel   for the fires of their own hears and for their  public ministry of the Scriptures," end quote.

Wonderfully said. To understand biblical objective  criteria for evaluating true salvation will help   the true children of God be assured, secondly, it  will help explode and strip away the delusion of   the false children of God and thirdly, it will  equip the teachers and preachers to do both.   And thus this kind of passage is vital for  us as it has been for all the church. It is   vital. Now let's pick up where we left off  last time. Paul says, "Finally, my brethren,   rejoice in the Lord." We noted that that finally  would better be translated "furthermore," or "so   then," or "now then." It is a transition,  not a note that distinguishes the end,   as 44 remaining verses might indicate to you.  And he throws in this which is the basic theme   of the epistle that comes through in every  chapter, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in   the Lord." He is simply punctuating here this  theme of joy. He lays down this very simple   principle that our rejoicing is connected to a  relationship. Rejoice in the Lord. And as I said,   that is a familiar theme. It's in chapter 1 verse  4, chapter 2 verse 2, chapter 2 verses 17 and 18,  

verses 28 and 29, you'll find it here in chapter  3 and again in chapter 4, you'll find it in verses   4 and 10. So he is reminding them about joy. But  here he adds for the first time the little phrase   "in the Lord...in the Lord." It is the sphere  in which our joy exists. Only in Him is true   joy found...nowhere else. And let me just speak to  that issue, if I might, for a moment. Paul is not   talking about happiness when he talks about joy  and rejoicing. Happiness is from hap...hap is a   circumstance, happenstance, happenings, happiness,  all the same word group. That is to say happiness   is an emotion or an exhilaration associated  with certain events. It is not an emotion or   an exhilaration associated with a relationship.  It has to do with an event, a thing, a happening.   So the kind of joy that Paul is talking about and  calling for, and this by the way is a command,   and the command implies the capability of  obedience on the part of a believer which in   itself is no doubt a test of true salvation. But  he says...rejoice in the Lord...commanding us to   joy. But it is not the kind of emotional outburst,  good feeling, exhilaration that is associated with  

an event. It is the kind that is associated  with a relationship. It doesn't even say,   "Rejoice because of what the Lord has given  you...rejoice because of what the Lord will   give you...rejoice because of what the Lord is  giving you." It doesn't say, "Rejoice because of   what the Lord has done for the people that you  care about." It says, "Rejoice in the Lord." It is the exhilaration in the relationship,  perhaps the simplest human analogy to it   would be the joy of a parent in a newborn  baby. The baby gives nothing, in effect,   the baby provides no stimulating events. In fact,  most of the events connected with the baby are   anything but stimulating. The baby provides no  exciting gifts, makes no charitable contribution,   does no particularly beneficial service but  there is something about the relationship   that literally exhilarates the soul. It is the  same kind of emotion only in much greater and   deeper proportion as that of falling in love.  And it isn't so much that your emotion and   your exhilaration and your exuberance and that  overwhelming sense of silly peace that you enjoy   is related to what the one you love does for you  as it is just the thought of the one you love.   And extrapolating out of those irrepressible human  joys that come out of relationship, we can magnify  

that concept in to what we ought to feel and ever  rejoice in that we enjoy with the Lord Himself. Now let me take it a step further. This kind  of joy is not an emotion from a human level,   it is produced by the Holy Spirit  therefore it is a supernatural emotion.   It is a supernatural emotion. You say, "Well  what does it do? What does it feel like,   this joy that we're to have?" Well it  produces a deep confidence in the future,   built on trust. The relationship says my life is  in God's hands, my life is in Christ's control,   all is well. The hymn writer said, "It is well  with my soul," and it is so well with my soul that   no matter what is going on around me, I have joy.  It is the kind of joy that brings a silent sleep,   a deep sleep, a quietness of life because it  trusts, because it knows the sovereign God and   the faithful Christ will accomplish all their good  promise. It is a supernatural emotion that also   could be described as the absence of any ultimate  fear because what is there to fear when all is   bound up in the relationship and the relationship  is eternal. It is the kind of emotion that puts a  

melody in the heart that no matter how bad it is  in the world, it's almost as if we ride across the   top of the bumps. It's the kind of emotion that  puts a song on the lips, a lightness to the step.   It's the kind of emotion that produces easy thanks  for little things...small pleasures. It's very   different from happiness. It's different from the  happiness, for example, of good health because   true joy persists in weakness, pain, illness and  death. It is different from the fun of a party   with its laughing friends and music because it  persists in the dark when someone is all alone.   It is different from the delight of a new house or  a new car or a new dress or a new anything because   it persists through the loss of everything. Why?  Because it is the joy in the relationship and the   relationship with Jesus Christ that we enjoy  never changes...never changes. He is always   present. He is ever close. He is ever loving. He  is ever securing. He is ever strengthening. He   is ever providing. And we trust Him. Rejoice  in the Lord. Very different than happiness.

But, you see, most people's happiness and  joy is based on what is given to them,   is based on what good things happen to them.  Most people's happiness is based on what they   succeed at doing at a given point in time, or  what they acquire. Few people understand the   exhilarating sheer joy of relationship, but we do  in the Spirit. And so I submit to you that before   we look at the explicit qualities of a true  Christian, one of the implicit ones is that   there is a surpassing joy in the relationship  that is unrelated to the circumstances of life.   F.B. Meyer(?) wrote, "The joy of the Lord  arises from leaving all our burdens at His feet,   from believing that He has forgiven the  past as absolutely as the tide obliterates   children's writing in the sand, that nothing  can come which He does not appoint or permit,   that He is doing all things as wisely and  kindly as possible, that in Him we have   been lifted out of the realm of sin, sorrow and  death in to a realm of divine light and love,   that we have already commenced the eternal life  and that before us forever there is a fellowship   with Him so rapturous and exalting that human  language can only describe it as unspeakable."

So, Paul says keep on rejoicing in the Lord,  that's a command and a characteristic of a true   believer. And having punctuated his major theme  he then moves in to what's on his heart in this   new subject. And he begins with an introduction in  verse 1, he says, "To write the same things again   is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard  for you." That's an interesting statement.   He is assuming that they're going to be a bit  surprised that he's going to bring up a subject   he's already brought up. So he says to write the  same things again doesn't really bother me because   I understand that it's going to protect you. What  does he mean to write the same things again? Well,   he's either referring back to what he just  said or forward to what he's about to say.   It is my conviction that he's speaking now  forward of what he's about to say for the   simple reason that saying "rejoice in the  Lord" doesn't seem to be a safeguard but   what he does say in verse 2 is definitely  a safeguard, "Beware...beware...beware."   So the context would lead us to the conclusion  that he is about to say something he's already   at least made reference to but he doesn't  mind saying it again because it's a   protection. So he says to write the same things  again...well, when had he written them before?  

Well maybe many times in the past epistles, but  I think he probably has in mind chapter 1 verse   27 because he does say "to write the same things  is no trouble to me and a safeguard for you" in   a sort of generic way. It could mean that he's  written this in other epistles. But I think we   could safely say that he must also have in mind  chapter 1 verse 27. Here he says in verse 27,   "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of  the gospel," he's calling them to godly life   and behavior as a church. Then in verse 28 he  introduces this factor, "In no way alarmed by   your opponents which is a sign of destruction  for them but of salvation for you." Now what   he is saying to them is you can expect some  opposition, you can expect some opponents,   you can expect some conflict, you can expect some  attacks, some persecutions. Verse 29 says why,   "Because it's been granted for Christ's sake  not only to believe in Him but to suffer for   His sake and you will further experience the  very same conflict which you saw in me and   now hear to be in me." And where was Paul when he  wrote? Prisoner and he was having conflict as he   always did from both the Jewish people who hated  his message and the Gentiles who rejected him.

So, Paul says to them...Look, stay true, walk  worthy, stay together in one mind striving for   the faith of the gospel, don't cave in to the  opposition because Christ has called you to   suffer for His sake and experience the same kind  of conflict you see me going through...that's   part of it. The implication then of that first  chapter text is that they were already going to   be under attack, maybe they had already begun  to experience it. And he had warned them there   about it and how to react to it. So now when  you come to verse 1 of chapter 3 he says,   "To write the same things again is no trouble to  me," he may well have in mind an allusion to that   first chapter section. "I want to warn you again  only this time I'm going to be more specific."   There he said don't be alarmed by your opponents,  here he says here's how to recognize them. He says in that little phrase "to write the  same things again is no trouble to me," he   uses an interesting word, okneros(?), it means  to cause fear or reluctance. He's saying I'm   not reluctant and I'm not afraid to do this, it's  no bother to me at all, I am excited to do this,   I am anxious to do this. Why? Because it is a  safeguard for you. I want to protect you. I want   to protect the church from false religionists,  from false teachers. And that's what he has in  

mind here when he uses the word safeguard, a very  interesting word. The Greek verb means to trip, to   cause to fall, to overthrow. You add to what the  Greek language...in the Greek language we call the   alpha privative, it negates it. So he is saying  I want to provide this for you so you won't trip,   you won't fall, you won't be overthrown. This will  be your protection, your dependable safeguard. This is part of Paul's duty, isn't it? Paul is  no dumb dog, as it mentions in Isaiah 56:10,   he's no irresponsible watchman as we would see  in Ezekiel. Paul is a faithful man to warn his   people. In fact, in Acts 20 he says, "I have not  ceased to warn you at Ephesus night and day with   tears for the space of three years, I've warned  you about perverse men rising up from within,   I've warned you about grievous wolves  from without," a warning ministry was a   part of his life. He says I have no trouble in  warning you again because it will protect you.

Now who is he warning about? Who is he  talking about? Well let's find out in   verse 2. He uses the word blepo in the Greek,  beware, three times. All three times in the   imperative...beware..beware..beware. You could  translate it "be on the constant lookout for...be   on the constant lookout for dogs, evil workers,"  and here's the key..."the mutilation." Who is he   talking about? Well if you take that mutilation  at the end of verse 2 which is translated in   the NAS the false circumcision, and then you  compare it with verse 3, the true circumcision,   we know who he's talking about. Last week we did a  rather detailed study of circumcision, didn't we?   May I remind you that the Jews believed that  circumcision was the sign of God's favor,   right? That if they had that physical operation  that was the external identification that they   were the seed of Abraham and thus they were  to be blessed. They somehow missed the point   that the outward circumcision was only to be  a symbol of the circumcision on the inside.   But the Jews had long departed from the  reality of circumcision's symbolism and   left themselves committed only to the symbol.

Now let me tell you what happened. You have a  Jewish community who believe in circumcision as   the mark that is necessary for God's people. They  also believe in the Old Testament economy, they   believe in the Mosaic ceremonies, they believe  in the Mosaic rituals and laws and they feel that   they are bound to keep them. So here comes the  Apostle Paul, right? He comes in to the Gentile   world and he preaches salvation by grace plus or  minus nothing. No works at all. There's nothing   you can do, nothing you must do, you're saved by  grace period. God's marvelous grace. In an act of   faith you simply receive the gift of grace, the  work has all been done. So Paul goes through the   Gentile world, people come to the knowledge  of the grace of the gospel, they are saved,   churches begin. There are even Jews who believe  the gospel. They believe Jesus is the Messiah.   They believe that Jesus died on the cross. They  may believe that He was raised from the dead.   But they also believe that in order to be  pleasing to God and to have God accept you,   you have to be circumcised and keep all the  ceremonies of Moses. So when Paul goes along   and says the old covenant has been set aside,  circumcision is unnecessary, Mosaic ceremony is  

unnecessary, you cannot do any externals to please  God or gain your salvation, they are very upset,   these Jews. And so no sooner does Paul leave town  after establishing a church then they rise up and   say to that church...You must be circumcised  and we'll show you why...and they point to the   Old Testament. You must keep the ceremonies  of Moses, I'll show you why...they point to   the Old Testament. And because some of the younger  Christians are undiscerning about the old economy   and the new, they are confused by these commands  that are in the Bible, they do not understand that   they have been set aside in the new covenant. And  so these Jewish people are then leading Christians   to believe that in order to be saved they must  be circumcised, in order to be saved they must   do certain ceremonial things and perform certain  good works. And this is being propagated not   only to the church but to those who are around  the church showing interest in it. And it is a   gospel that convolutes the true gospel because  it says Christ yes, circumcision yes and works   yes. And these became know as...what?...these  teachers were called what? Judaizers because   they were Judaizing. In other words, they were  saying you can't come in to Christianity unless   you go through the foyer of Judaism. You  can't be a Gentile and just come to Christ,  

you've got to be circumcised and you've got to  follow Mosaic economy and subscribe to that. This was a big issue in the early church.  To show you the proportions of it,   turn for a moment to the fifteenth chapter of  Acts...Acts chapter 15 verse 1, this sums it up,   "Some men came down from Judea and began teaching  the brethren," here's what they taught, "Unless   you are circumcised according to the custom  of Moses, you cannot be saved." That's right,   that's it. "And when Paul and Barnabas had great  dissension and debate with them because they   denied that." You didn't need to be circumcised  to be saved. So the debate. "Well the brethren   determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain  others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the   apostles and elders concerning the issue,"  and thus the first church council was held,   the council at Jerusalem. And the whole issue  was about circumcision and Mosaic ceremony.   And verse 5 says, "A certain one of the sect of  the Pharisees who had believed," so here's a guy   who had believed. I mean he believed in the facts  of the gospel. He stands up in the middle of the   council says, "It is necessary to circumcise them  and direct them to observe the law of Moses." And  

that's what they were trying to say. So everybody  got together...Apostles, elders, to look into it. After much debate, Peter brings resolution. Verse  7, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God   made a choice among you that by my mouth the  Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel   and believe...listen to this...and God who knows  the heart." He knows whether their faith was real,   He knows whether it was true, "Bore witness  to them...what?..to what?...to the validity   of their faith by giving them...what does it  say?...the Holy Spirit." Now if God gave them the   Holy Spirit, then they were...what?...saved. And  they weren't circumcised. And verse 9, "He made no   distinction between us and them, He cleansed their  hearts by faith without circumcision." Verse 10,   "Now therefore, why do you put God to the test  by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke   which neither our fathers nor we have been able  to bear?" Why are you going to try to bind them   to a law that we couldn't even keep? "To  earn something which God gives freely."

This was a major issue. And they resolved it  at the Jerusalem Council. In Galatians we find   it is also an issue. Paul even calls it "another  gospel," and he says anybody preaching it should   be accursed in Galatians 1:9. In Galatians 5 he  says in verse 2, "If you receive circumcision,   Christ will be of no benefit to you." What  a statement. Listen to what he's saying. If   you think in order to be saved you've got to  be circumcised, then Christ won't do you any   good because you are believing in salvation  by...what?...by works. Forget that. If you   are going to receive circumcision, verse 3, then  you're under obligation to keep the whole law and   you've been severed from Christ and you are  seeking to be justified by law and you have   fallen away from the principle of salvation  by grace. That's exactly what was happening.

Into Philippi came these Judaizers just like they  had come to Jerusalem, just like they had come to   Galatia and when they came to Galatia there were  a lot of cities they went to. Galatia is a region,   not a city. Philippi is a city. So they were  pretty widespread in their effect. Paul says   at the end of Galatians that they really were  interested in making a big show in the flesh,   compelling you to be circumcised so they  could sort of put notches on their belt like   they...they converted you to circumcision. And  here they were a threat to the Philippian church.   So Paul says to them, "Beware...beware  of these false teachers." Now he calls them by three names, most  fascinating. Briefly listen carefully to   what I say. "Beware of the dogs." Boy, you  just didn't call people dogs in that world.   Two words in the New Testament for dogs,  both from the same root. One is kunarion,   that means a little dog, a little pet dog. It's  a diminutive term, it's used in Matthew 15:26 and   27, and Mark chapter 7 around verse 27. It means a  little diminutive pet dog. The word here is kuon,   that word does not mean a pet dog. That word is  used of dogs that were not pets and most of the  

dogs in that culture were not pets. They  were scavengers. And there are many many   histories that you can read about that day and  you can look it up in a biblical encyclopedia   and find it. Dogs roamed the streets. Dogs  were scrounges, they were scavengers. They   roamed in packs. They hunted the garbage of the  city. They were often rabid. They snarled. They   were wild. Would literally prowl the ancient  streets without an owner and without home,   they would feed on the garbage, on the  filth. They would fight one another. They   would attack people. In some cases people would  lose their lives because the dogs were diseased. To show you something of the character of these  kinds of dogs, do you remember the parable of   the rich man and Lazarus? And you remember in that  story that part of the torture of Lazarus was that   he was sick and in his poverty he was lying in the  street and it says the dogs were...what?...licking   his sores, the filthy vile scroungy scavenger  dogs of the street, unimaginably licking the   sores of this poor beggar. In the book of  Revelation when it wants to identify the   people who are not allowed into the gate of  the holy city, in Revelation 22:15 it says,   "Outside are the dogs." They are not the warm and  fuzzy little diminutives that we have as pets.   These dogs were very very different. They were the  lowest of the low, the scavengers, the scoundrels,  

the useless filthy curs that moved in the  streets and were a threat to people and children. And because they were so base and such  filthy animals, the Jews had come to   use the term "dog" as a title for Gentiles.  In fact, the Talmud says the nations of the   world are like dogs. The Gentiles were  dogs, Gentile dogs, unclean, filthy,   scrounging scavengers who savagedly  attacked the truth and were dangerous. And so, the Jews would see the Gentiles  as dogs. The Judaizers trying to protect   the Jewishness that was so precious  to them would see even the Gentile   Christians as dogs until they went through  a circumcision. Jews called Gentiles dogs.

What is startling here is that Paul, a Jew, calls  Jews dogs. That's turning the table. That is a   serious statement. You wonder sometimes why Paul  was not popular. That statement would not make him   popular...not popular. He is saying, in effect,  beware of those people who self-righteously call   other dogs but they're the dogs. They accuse  others of shamelessly attacking the truth and   they are shamelessly attacking the truth.  Are dogs unclean and filthy? So are they.   Are dogs snarling and howling and vicious? So  are they. Are dogs dangerous and able to wound   and even kill? So are they. Stay away from them.  Stay away from those dangerous filthy snarling   howling wild attacking false teachers who parade  themselves as if they are the virtuous ones,   but they are deadly, they are dangerous,  they are dirty. And he's talking about   people who are religious. He's talking about  people who say we must obey the law of God.

Listen, anybody who comes along in this time and  day and says you have to baptized in water to be   saved is a dangerous dog. Anybody who comes along  in this day and says in order to be saved you've   got to go through some certain kind of ceremony,  you've got to say some certain kinds of prayers,   you've got to go through some kind of  a ritual is a dog, an unclean thing,   a dangerous beast. Anyone who comes along to  you and says it's fine if you believe in Jesus   but if you don't acquiesce to a certain code of  ethics and do your best to live by that code of   ethics and perform those deeds which will please  God you will never be saved is a dog. Beware. Beloved, salvation is by grace and grace  alone. And anything else that comes down   the pike is nothing but a filthy unclean beast.  Secondly, he says they are evil workers. They are   evil workers. You see, the thing is they pride  themselves on being workers of righteousness.   That's how he turns the table on them this time.  Typically those who are involved in those kinds   of external religions of works see themselves as  the workers of what is good, that they please God,   they're earning His favor, they're earning  salvation. They're the noble upholders of the   ceremonies and the rituals of their religion. They  deserve God's please, they have lit their candles   and bowed their knee and genuflected to the east.  And they've gone through the water and they've  

gone through the ritual and they've run down the  beads and they've done the good deeds and they've   filled up all their agenda with those required  things. And they've done all that good. And the   fact of the matter is they are not good workers,  they are...what?...they're evil workers. Well,   you say, "Why so?" Because it is the wickedness  of all wickedness to think that you can earn   anything with God. Why is that wicked? Because it  is pride at its apex and pride is a...what?...sin.   Unregenerate people, even religious people  can't do really what is good. Let me put   it to you simply. Wicked people can do bad bad.  Remember our discussion of that? Bad bad. You say,   "What's that?" They do bad things for bad  reasons. You say, "What's a bad thing?" Any   kind of sin. They can do wicked things. And  they do them with bad reasons, bad motives.   They're motivated by their wicked selfish  self-centered nature. Now listen to this,   unregenerate people can also do bad good. You  say, "What do you mean by that?" Well it's good   in the sense that they can help the poor, they can  relieve the widows, they can visit the prisoners,   they can adopt orphans, they can do good. But  it's bad good because it's motivated by pride  

rather than the glory of God. The best that the  unregenerate can do is bad good. They can do bad   bad or bad good. But only the redeemed can do good  good...a good deed motivated to the glory of God. So what is it when these religionists do  all of their ceremonies and all of their   activities and by their own works try to  attain the favor of God? It is bad good.   It may appear good on the outside, it is bad  on the inside because it is nothing but the   expulsion of pride which believes that you can  please God on your own. They are merit-mongers. The Judaizers were among them. Evil workers  trying to earn God's favor. It doesn't mean that   they were doing evil deeds, they were working to  please God but they were evil because it was all   motivated by the false belief that they could  be pleasing to God. What a deception of pride.

So Paul flips the table and says you're  evil workers, everything you do is wicked,   everything you do is bad. Why? Because they did  it out of the allusion of pride and pride is the   driving sin of unregenerate man. Then finally  he literally scorches them with the blowtorch   of terms. He says, "Beware of the mutilation."  This is unbelievable. You talk about offensive,   that is offensive. You see, they prided themselves  on circumcision. The word for circumcision in   the Greek is peritome, it means to cut around.  Paul says you're not the circumcision, you're   the katatome, you're the mutilation, you're the  castration, that's what you are. Boy! You think   you're circumcised? You think you fit God's design  in the symbolism of circumcision? Forget it,   there's nothing spiritual about it. All it was was  physical mutilation. In Galatians 5:12 he says,   "You say you're circumcised? I would  that you were castrated," Galatians 5:12.   Very strong. You see, we can't just say to these  people who add works to salvation, "Well, they're   close. Boy, they're certainly lovely people. They  certainly are nice. And they're religious. And,  

you know, they're trying their best to get to  God." They are dogs. Beware of them. They're   filthy. They're unclean. They're vicious. They  are not workers of good. They are doing at best   bad good, motivated by their own pride. And  they go through their religious ceremonies and   they are useless, they have nothing to do with  their heart and their life and their relation   to God. They're simply external. It is merely a  process of mutilation with no spiritual value,   no inner cleansing, no spiritual change. Why?  Because that's all of grace and nothing more,   right? Nothing more. And as soon as you  stick anything else in there, all is lost. In fact, these people called the mutilation  who thought they could come to God through   circumcision had to be told that their  circumcision was of no more value than the   gashings of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  You remember them? Up there with Elijah, cutting   themselves, gashing and mutilating themselves,  trying to please their deity...absolutely   useless. So is circumcision. So is any external  thing that does not reflect a transformed heart.  

He is not a Jew who is one outwardly. He is a  Jew who is one...what?...inwardly. Romans 2:28,   "For circumcision is of the heart." What's  Paul's message here? He's saying...Look,   we're the true circumcision. How are  we characterized? All internally. We   worship in the Spirit of God, we glory  in Christ Jesus. Who gets all the glory   for our salvation? Christ. Our worship isn't  external, it's...what?...it's in the Spirit.   He gets all the glory and how much confidence do  we have in our flesh? None. That's the difference.   You see, they worship on the outside, they glory  in their human achievement, their religious   activity and they have a lot of confidence in  the flesh. They think it can perform. So Paul   leads us then to verse 3, and an understanding  of the explicit qualities of the true Christian.   I can't wait till next week to find out all  that that means. Let's bow together in prayer.

Thank You, Father, for leading us again this  morning by Your Spirit to the understanding   of Your Word. O God, what can we say  to thank You for saving us by grace?   Thank You for the grace of salvation. Thank  You that because we've been saved by grace we   can rejoice in You, we do have a joy not tied to  circumstances but all bound up in a relationship,   a supernatural emotion that transcends the  circumstances of life. Thank You, O God,   for grace, for joy. And may we rejoice always  in all things because of this grace that has   made us one with the living and loving Lord  Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.

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