Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20081102.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Philippians: Living God's Great Calling Of Godly Servanthood
Part VII: Following Paul To Abandon False Religiosities And Live By Faith
(Philippians 3:1-14)
  1. Introduction
    1. As we have often documented, it seems fashionable for many evangelical Christian groups to "unite" with other parts of Christendom though they espouse a false gospel or teach an errant kind of spiritual life.
    2. Paul's instruction on the false religiosity of Judaism from which he had turned to trust in Christ serves to encourage and direct us to turn from false religiosity to live by faith in Christ like Paul did (as follows):
  2. Following Paul To Abandon False Religiosities And Live By Faith, Philippians 3:1-14.
    1. After calling his Philippian readers to rejoice in the Lord, the product of a true spiritual life (Philippians 3:1a), in Philippians 3:1b-3, Paul warned them of the false religiosity of the Judaizers (as follows):
      1. Paul returned to a warning he had evidently shared in person with his readers, claiming such repetition was not burdensome to him as he knew it was necessary for their edification, Philippians 3:1b.
      2. He clarified that they were to beware of the Judaizers' religiosity, 3:2 (Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 659):
        1. The Judaizers looked down on uncircumcised Gentiles as ceremonially unclean "dogs," so Paul applied that term to them, telling his readers to beware of them as spiritually unclean men, 3:2a.
        2. Paul added that his readers should beware of Judaizers as they were evil workers, men who believed and taught they were righteous and holy when they were actually workers of evil, Philippians 3:2b.
        3. Finally, Paul warned his readers to beware of the Judaizers as "mutilators of the flesh" (NIV), people who errantly held circumcision was necessary to gain eternal life, making their efforts to circumcise Gentiles a form of abuse contrary to the truth of God, Philippians 3:2c!
      3. This condemnation and warning of the Judaizers was backed by Paul's added commentary that those who worship God in the spirit versus externalism, who rejoiced in salvation by faith in Christ and who have no confidence in externalism such as the flesh are the true spiritual circumcision, Philippians 3:3!
    2. Further emphasizing this viewpoint, Paul gave a moving testimony of his own great break with the false religiosity of Judaism for the sake of the true gospel and spirituality found in Christ, Philippians 3:4-14:
      1. Paul noted in Philippians 3:4 that he himself had more cause to boast or have confidence in his flesh than any Judaizer, stating his credentials to that end in Philippians 3:5-6: (a) by birth , Paul had been (1) circumcised, (2) he was of the people of Israel, (3) he was of the tribe of Benjamin and (4) a Hebrew of Hebrew parents, Philippians 3:5a,b,c,d. (b) by choice, Paul was (1) a conservative Pharisee, (2) a zealous one who had persecuted the Church and (3) who had a flawless external record of "legalistic righteousness" in the estimation of fellow Jews, Philippians 3:5e-6 NIV; Ibid., p. 660.
      2. However, Paul had suffered the loss of all these things, and he had come to view them as "rubbish, refuse" for Christ, Philippians 3:7-8; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Philippians 3:8.
      3. What he confessed he had gained in place of the false religiosity of Judaism was a true salvation and a true spiritual life in Christ as a believer, Philippians 3:9-14:
        1. Paul confessed he had gained hope of true eternal salvation in true imputed divine righteousness by faith in Christ in place of the dead works of Judaistic religiosity he had lost and rejected, Phil. 3:9.
        2. Paul confessed he had gained a true spirituality by a life of faith in his resulting walk as a believer in Christ opposite the false religiosity in Judaism that he had both lost and rejected, Phil. 3:10-14: (1) Paul spoke of his desire to experience the power of Christ's resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death in his Christian life of faith, Phil. 3:10-11. (2) He admitted he had not yet attained this experience to the full, but that he strove to live by faith opposite his past false religion that he might experience Christ's life in his walk, Phil. 3:12-14.
Lesson: Paul urged His readers to stay committed to avoiding the false religiosity in the false gospel and false spirituality of Judaism as he had done as an essential part of a godly Christian life.

Application: (1) May we STAY COMMITTED to AVOIDING the FALSE GOSPELS of false religions as an essential part of a godly Christian life. (2) May we ALSO STAY COMMITTED to AVOIDING the FALSE SPIRITUALITIES that abound even in Christendom as an essential part of a godly life!