It is the police officer giving you a second warning for speeding. It is the food package warning of peanut exposure for those with allergies. It is the pharmacist warning of possible medication interactions. We are amply warned in many ways, but it is up to us to heed the warnings. Refusal to heed will result in an expensive ticket, a possible experience with anaphylactic shock, or some potential serious health issues. The cause and effect is also clear in scripture. We are repeatedly warned, but in the end, we must choose to yield to and follow Jesus.
REJOICE (3:1)
The apostle Paul begins this chapter with a command that will help the church avoid the warning. Indicated with “finally,” the apostle Paul begins to conclude his letter. The literal translation of this Greek word is “for the rest.” Paul uses this same letter structure in I Thess. 4:1; II Thess. 3:1: II Cor. 13:11. Although Paul indicates a conclusion is in sight, he still has numerous things to communicate. So…would this be Biblical proof for long conclusions to sermons? ;-)
The church is called to rejoice in the Lord. “Spiritual joy is always the best safety against error.” (Source: Jamieson, Faucett, Brown Bible Commentary) Paul calls the Philippian believers to rejoice numerous times throughout this letter (2:18, 28: 3:1, 3; 4:4). The cause for rejoicing can be summed up with (Source: Barnes Notes on the Bible Commentary):
o Rejoice in the knowledge of your Savior. Your sin, your rebellion against God, sealed your eternal judgement in the horrors of hell. There was nothing you could do for redemption and to save yourself from such a fate. However, God sent Jesus as the perfect lamb for sacrifice. He shed His own blood and became your sin’s satisfaction (I Jn. 4:10; Phil. 1:18). He broke your chains of sin, credited His own righteousness to your account, and allowed you to appear before God the Father just as though you have no sin. Jesus paid the ransom for your bondage and offered forgiveness of your sin and a home in heaven. He poured out His saving grace in such abundance that He saturated you with His favor (Eph. 1:7). He loves you that much! What a wonderful Savior – rejoice!
o Rejoice in the knowledge of your Lord. God who is unlimited in knowledge, power, presence, love, mercy, and grace chose you before “the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). He adopted you into His family (Eph. 1:5) The Lord gave you an inheritance (Eph. 1:11) and sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13). In addition to those amazing truths, the Lord desires relationship with us (I Jn. 4:10, 19)…the Lord wants us to talk to Him about our victories and our challenges (I Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6-7)…and He wants us to be like Him (Phil. 2:5). Great is the Lord’s favor and care towards us all – rejoice!
REPETITION (3:1)
When our children are young, we attempt to warn them about various things, like: don’t touch the pretty blue flame or red surface on the stove because it is hot, never get in a car with a stranger (even if they offer you your favorite candy) because it is not safe, don’t walk to your car from the store staring at your smart phone because you need to be aware of your surroundings, and there are many more warnings that parents repeat throughout a child’s time in their home.
Theologians believe that Paul is saying he is about to repeat doctrinal teaching he taught them when he was in Philippi. He does not apologize for the repetition; in fact, he doubles down and declares the value of the repetition. Paul is aware that some of his dear friends in Philippi might think this would be burdensome for him (seeing he is under Roman confinement). Paul assures the church this is not burdensome, and that it is safe for them that he takes time for this repeated teaching. In fact, the ESV translates verse 1 with “(it is) no trouble to me and it is safe for you.”
BEWARE (3:2-6)
This is not the only letter Paul writes that includes warnings against the false teachers (see Galatians 2). Paul calls the false teachers dogs. This is most likely a reference to Isaiah 56:10. The idea for this name (“dogs”) is pointing to the hatred of the false teachers against the faithful teachers of the gospel – biting and barking at them continually. (Source: Matthew Henry Commentary). The Jews wanted to highly lift up circumcision as a requirement for salvation, but this would be a works-based requirement.
Confidence of good standing with God does not come from our own works. Paul even goes as far as to list his own great works and thus had more human confidence than those circumcised. Look at Paul’s works that did NOT earn him salvation:
o Circumcised
o From the tribe of Benjamin
o A Hebrew of Hebrews
o A Pharisee
o Zealous in persecuting the church
o Kept the law religiously
The American Atheists organization paid $20,000 for a billboard near the Lincoln Tunnel in North Bergen, New Jersey. The sign had a silhouette of Three Wise Men approaching a nativity. The words, “You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate REASON!” were printed in bold (Source: Fox News, November 28, 2010).
The billboard was meant to encourage atheists to quit celebrating Christmas, and to attack what they called the “myth” that Christianity owns the season. Creating an alternate reality when you do not like true reality is does not change what reality.
We have false teachers today as well! The problem with false teachers is that they often sound “reasonable” as they develop an alternate reality to truth. However, they want to add all sorts of things to salvation and to the Bible. Some will say there is no hell. Some will say that God loves you so much that no one will go to hell. Some will say you need to believe in Jesus PLUS be baptized or believe in Jesus PLUS make sure your good works outweigh your evil works in the end. Just as Paul warned the believers that justification is by faith and not by works, the same is true for all believers today. Don’t get sucked into what sounds like “reasonable” false teachings of some. Hold the Bible as your standard of comparison, rejoice in the Lord, and stand firm on the truth – Jesus alone saves me from my sin, saturates me with His grace, and sustains me with His continual care!
PRIORITIES (3:7-11)
Paul rejected his claim to all those religious personal works and declared his faith in God alone for justification (right relationship with God, just as though as he had no sin). It is not our own righteousness which we need, but the righteousness of God (3:9). In fact, Paul rejected his personal works of righteousness so much that saw them as waste and worthless (3:8). This section concludes with the motivation behind these warning and repeated teachings: “that I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” To make a distinction between verse 9 and verse 10, we should note that this is more than a simple repetition of the same truth. Verse 9 deals with justification and verse 10 deals with sanctification (Source: Cambridge Bibles for Schools and Colleges). Pay attention to the sequence of the passage.
Embrace the righteousness of God by faith
Reject the thought of my own righteousness (Is. 64:10)
Accept freedom from sin’s debt paid by Jesus alone.
So, we ask, “what is the point?” How does heeding repeated warnings against false teachers, embracing God’s righteousness for justification, and rejecting my own righteousness as sufficient impact me today? This is an important question! Here are 4 outcomes of rejecting my own righteousness as good enough and choosing to follow God:
1. Develop deeper relationship with Jesus.
God’s righteousness is credited to our account at the time we accept His gift of salvation. This begins a relationship with Jesus that He Himself initiated (I Jn. 4:10, 19). It is this relationship with Jesus that impacts answers to our prayers (Jn. 15:7), strengthens us with His grace (II Cor. 12:9), guides us with His love (Matt. 22:37-40), and protects us with His power (II Thess. 3:3; I Cor. 10:13)
2. Experience the strength of God’s enabling.
The power of Christ’s resurrection is the power exerted over the church, specifically power in justification, sanctification, and glorification (accepting the gospel, living the gospel, and the culmination of the gospel). This is power to save your soul FROM hell and TO heaven! This is power to serve Him and endure until we see Him. This is power to remove sin from your life once the Lord Jesus returns and His honor, glory, majesty, and holiness will be realized in the believer. This is the believer being changed into holy immortals with unhindered access to God!
3. Share in the understanding of Christ’s suffering.
Along with the encouragement of deeper relationship with Jesus, and the comfort of right relationship with God that culminates with eternal life with Him, there is also the reality of struggle…trials…suffering. Suffering lays heavy resistance on the believer; however, it is such suffering that makes the believer stronger, encourages the believer to stand with greater conviction, and endears Christ to the believer with more durable devotion. (Barnes Notes on the Bible Commentary)
4. Transform into greater likeness of Jesus.
This is a radical change. It is yielding to the temper, spirit, meekness, and submissiveness of Jesus. It is conforming to the Lord’s unselfish love and commitment. It is experiencing the anguish the Lord has over the sin of humanity. (Vincent Word Studies Commentary)
A Christian woman that was known for her hospitality would often have people into her home for a meal. After the main course was finished and she began to clear the plates from the table, she would always say, “Keep your forks. The best is yet to come!” Then she would reveal the masterpiece dessert she had made that afternoon. Well, after numerous years she passed away. The church was packed out for her memorial service. During the open casket viewing preceding the memorial service, all her friends and family came to express their sympathy and to see her face one last time. As they passed by her casket, they saw a fork had been placed in her hands. She wanted to remind everyone that “the best was yet to come!”
Although we all now enjoy various things, the best is yet to come! “This world is not our home; we’re just passing through. Our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon us from heaven’s open door, and we can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” We must choose to yield to and follow Jesus.