Philippians 3. The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ. 

1. Who are the dogs, evil workers, and those who mutilate the flesh? Why are we called to watch out for them? Verses 1-2. 

   1. All three terms describe false teachers who preach Jewish legalism. Paul is describing the Judaizers, whose doctrine he anathematized (Galatians 1:9).  

      1. Jews often used “dogs” as a racial slur to the Gentiles, so Paul is using their own words against them to describe how they are the true dogs. 

      2. The Greek for “those who mutilate the flesh” (katatomé) can also be translated as “the false circumcision.” The Gentiles had tattoos which the Judaizers described as mutilating the flesh, but the Judaizers’ circumcision is pointless as it does not save when it is merely physical. Therefore, their circumcision was simply a mutilation of the flesh. 

         1. We must be circumcised spiritually. In other words, our hearts must be circumcised (Romans 2:25-29). 

2. Should we put confidence in our flesh? Why do we? Verses 3-6. 

   1. We must study and embrace doctrines such as those of total depravity and original sin, otherwise we will never realize how weak and sinful we truly are. 

   2. We cannot put confidence in the flesh for multiple reasons:

      1. We can never obey the Law as well as Christ has. Our good works are like filthy rags before the Holy God of the universe (Isaiah 64:6). 

      2. Christ has already fulfilled the ceremonial law and civil law perfectly, He also upheld the moral law or Law perfectly as well. We have not nor will we ever be able to (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8). 

   3. Our flesh hates God and anything we accomplish in the flesh is done out of selfish motivation, not a desire to please and honor God (Romans 8:7-8). 

   4. Therefore, we must recognize that trying to earn our salvation through fleshly achievements shall be counted as a loss because we cannot earn salvation. The only route to the Father is through repentance and faith in the Son. 

      1. Confidence in the flesh leads to self-righteousness, confidence in Christ leads to humility. 

   5. We put confidence in the flesh because we are far too easily pleased with our own actions instead of the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Far too often we walk by sight rather than faith, the opposite of how we are called to walk as followers of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

      1. We must repent and believe in Christ to be saved. Have confidence in your salvation because of what Christ has done, not what you can do (though you likely think you can do far more than you truly can).

3. Why does Paul describe himself as blameless? Verse 6. 

   1. “According to the Torah and ritual law, he was obedient. He followed the Jewish traditions, and kept himself ritually clean.” - BibleRef. 

   2. Paul is defending himself from the Judaizers who are likely making claims that Paul is only saying such things to enable him to live how he wants, and not be as obedient to the law. However, Paul had more reason than any of the Judaizers to have confidence in his flesh, yet he says it’s all loss compared to knowing Christ, for the reasons we talked about in the last question. 

4. Why are our earthly achievements counted as worthless in comparison to the infinite worth of knowing Christ? Verses 7-11. 

   1. They will expire, eternity with Christ will not. 

   2. We are to worship the Creator, not the creation. 

   3. As we talked about earlier, Christ has already fulfilled the ceremonial and civil law and obeyed the moral Law better than any of us ever could, therefore it is worthless for us to rely on our own works instead of the righteousness of Christ. 

5. How are we to view our walk with Christ, our sanctification? Namely our obedience and resistance to temptation and sin. Verses 12-16. 

   1. When you got saved, you entered a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12). In an actual battle wouldn’t you wear armor and carry a weapon? We must do the same in our spiritual battles! How do I get the armor and weapon I need? God has provided them, I just need to put them on and use them (6:13-20, Hebrews 4:12). 

   2. A big part of this is having a daily quiet time with the Lord (ie: reading your Bible, praying, listening to him). The Bible does not describe these spiritual defenses as a castle or stronghold; it’s armor that you must put on daily, not just build once. 

      1. Does our culture help or hinder our level of patience?

      2. Are you depending on an overnight fix to your sin or are you trusting in the sanctification process? 

   3. May God’s Word be written on our hearts, biblically speaking the innermost part of our being, that all else flows from. 

   4. How does Jesus combat Satan’s temptations in the wilderness? 

      1. He uses Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11)! 

         1. How do people usually combat temptations? 

         2. How do you combat temptations? Or do you…?

   5. To mortify sin is not to destroy it. That is Jesus’ job, and He has already defeated Satan, over sin, and over death. Rejoice in the victory of Christ! Rejoice in that you have been set free (John 8:36)! 

6. What is Paul saying he has not yet obtained? Why does he press on to make this his own? Is it already his own? Verses 12-13. 

   1. Paul is saying he has not yet obtained the resurrection from the dead or perfection. He has a sense of indebtedness to Christ because Christ lived, died, and rose again to save sinners such as Paul. Just like Paul, we must feel a sense of indebtedness to Christ because of what He has done for us! 

   2. Paul compares this to running a race in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. We are all runners who must have our eyes on the finish line and press on to the end!  

   3. We don’t feel this way because we need to repay Christ or do enough to earn our salvation, we’ve already discussed that. We feel this way because of how thankful we are to God for the rich mercy He has bestowed upon us! Also, true living faith always leads to good fruit, otherwise it is dead faith (James 2:14-26). 

   4. In a sense it is already his own because it is his future reality, nothing can prevent him from being glorified by God for eternity. Nothing. 

7. What is Paul getting at by saying to hold onto the truth you have obtained? Why does Paul make a distinction between himself and the Philippians? Verses 15-16. 

   1. Not all are on the same level of spiritual maturity and that is okay. Paul makes it clear that those who are more mature in their faith will already have this mindset of pressing on towards further sanctification and future glorification. However, he makes it clear that those who are less mature spiritually are without excuse to fail to fulfill what they do know about following God’s revealed will (commands). 

   2. Those who are not as spiritually mature need to live by the truth they have obtained. Paul is truthful and graceful, not falling into legalism or emotionalism. 

8. Who are the enemies of the cross of Christ? Why is their end destruction? Why is their god their belly? Why is their glory their shame? Why are their minds set on earthly things? Verses 18-19. 

   1. Those dead in sin are the enemies of God (Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:1-3). 

   2. Those in the flesh are destined to hell. This is eternal, spiritual death. This is the punishment for sin, it is what we all deserve (Romans 6:23). 

   3. Their lust for the flesh is an idol to them. In this case it uses a phrase referring to gluttony, an expression of lust of the flesh, because it shows their never ending consumption and idolatry of self-pleasure (1 John 2:16). 

   4. They pursue their own glory and not the glory of God, they will be put to shame for this expression of the pride of life (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). 

   5. In Greek the phrase translated “set their minds” is only one word, phroneó. This means to be absorbed with something or focus sharply on something. Think about a horse with blinders on or the term “tunnel vision.” Those in the flesh are absorbed with the things of the flesh. Their whole life revolves around living for the things of the world. They live in a carnal, fleshly realm. They are governed by their flesh, rather than the Spirit of God. The “flesh” refers to their carnal appetites, sinful desires, worldly pursuits, material pleasures, secular beliefs, self-interest, self-promotion, and so on (Romans 8:5-8).

9. Why are we citizens of heaven? Contrast this to those who are still dead in sin, how are we different? Verses 19-21. 

   1. We are to have a two-wordly and pilgrimage outlook. We are exiles, pilgrims while we are here on earth. We do not belong here, hence our longing for something far greater. It most certainly still applies to us (Hebrews 11:8-16). 

   2. Those in the hall of faith had this same outlook, seeing the destruction and brokenness of the world around them and desiring something far greater. They were aware of this difference between them and those living for the world. They were aware that they were simply passing through this world. 

      1. Other verses commanding us to walk separately from this world:

         1. 2 Corinthians 6:17, Luke 12:53, Luke 9:60,  

Matthew 10:34-35, Ephesians 5:6-11, Romans 8:23

3. So why are we strangers and exiles on the earth?  

   1. We are not meant for this earth. John Calvin said that if the old covenant saints, having only a shadowy glance of Christ, could persevere in faith to the end of their lives, how much more ought we do the same? We know more fully the superiority of Christ Jesus. Let this awareness be your primary motivation to hold onto Him with all your strength. 

4. Not only this, but we will be glorified by the same power that God used to subject all things to Himself (Romans 11:36). This is quite literally the greatest power in the universe. How wonderful is the glory that is to come!

10. What are three massive points in Philippians 3? Verses 1-21. 

    1. Joy in our reliance on the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 

    2. Joy in our pursuit of Christ (sanctification). 

    3. Joy in our citizenship in heaven. 

11. Resources: 

    1. ESV Study Bible (ESB). Crossway. 

    2. ESV Reformation Study Bible (RSB). R.C. Sproul. 

    3. CSB Spurgeon Study Bible (CSB). Lifeway. 

    4. The MacArthur Bible Commentary John MacArthur. 

    5. Enduring Word Bible Commentary David Guzik. 

    6. Philippians Commentary R. Kent Hughes. 

    7. The Institutes Of The Christian Religion John Calvin. 

    8. Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth John MacArthur. 

    9. Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary Ralph P. Martin. 

    10. Layman's Bible Book Commentary Malcolm O. Tolbert. 

    11. What does Philippians 3:6 mean? BibleRef.  

    12. Strangers and Exiles Ligonier. 

12. Sermons: 

    1. Philippians, Vol. 03 (2:19-3:21)