Phil. 3:7-8 - Christ is Gain

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

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For the Sake of Christ

Vs. 7 - “But... “ - Paul is not ashamed of his background. He also is fully aware those things listed in verses 5 and 6 (above) have no bearing on his salvation. It doesn’t matter that he is a Jew, a Hebrew, or a Pharisee! Christ died for Jews and non-Jews alike, for Pharisees and pagans. The advantage Paul has over the rest of us - he was immersed in Judaic history, prophecy and scripture. He understands how the sacrifices and rituals have all been fulfilled in Christ.

“those things I have counted as loss” - And that being said, he says, “It’s all been a waste of my time and energy!”

“For the sake of Christ” - Paul didn’t just decide these things were rubbish on a whim. He made a value comparison. What is worth more: Accomplishments and accolades or Salvation through Jesus Christ? What is more lasting: earning an honor or position, or freedom from sin and eternal life?

Vs. 8 - ”I count all things to be loss” - Paul is adamant. He wants you to know he has considered all the information available. He has compared all the pros and cons. All things considered, nothing is more important than...

“The surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” - The value of this knowledge is far beyond anything else. I am not referring to “knowing about” Jesus - the kind of information you get when to study the Bible as literature, or an article in Wikipedia. (I just saw a magazine, in the grocery check out line, about the historical Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity by National Geographic.) Jesus taught about the worth of the kingdom. In Luke 15:8ff, we see a woman looks desperately for a lost coin. And in Matt. 13:44ff, a man sacrifices everything he has to buy a field in which a treasure is buried. In both examples the value of the item is worth more than anything else to those people.
Jesus warned that nothing else is as important as following (knowing) Him (See: Luk. 9:60ff; Matt. 8:22ff). Paul echoes that theme in 2 Cor. 10:5, emphasizing that everything else is subservient to knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Knowing Jesus Christ is eternal life - not just a method to get to eternal life, but life itself. (John 17:3) True godliness comes through knowing Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:3)
See the emphasis Jesus placed on knowing: He knows God the Father, because the Father sent Him to us (John 7:29). Jesus knows God (John 8:55). He knows His followers (John 10:27). Conversely, the world does not know Jesus or God, so the world rejects Him (John 15:21).
You can see why being a Christian is a very personal faith. The Savior knows you and loves you. He knows all your faults, all the good things about you, all your sins. He knows, and died for you so you could be with Him. Loving and believing in Jesus is not just emotions. Our love for Him is also mental, scientific so to speak, because we have evidence of His love for us. Our faith is based on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

Paul is saying, very clearly, jettison anything standing between you and belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Don’t let honors, accolades, science, hobbies, or any other thing stop you from accepting Jesus. Nothing is worth eternity separated from God!

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Phil. 3:5-6 - Paul’s Personal

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

You Want Credentials? I Have ‘Em!

Paul expands this theme more fully in the letter to the Galatians 1:13-2:21.

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Vs. 5 - “Circumcised... Israel... Benjamin... Hebrew... Pharisee.” In Paul’s mind, there are no better credentials than those listed here:

• He is from the same tribe as king David and Jesus - Benjamin.
• He was born in Bethlehem, just as was king David and Jesus (1 Sam. 17:12; Matt. 2:1).
• He is a descendant of Jacob (a.k.a. “Israel” ) (Gen. 32:28). The twelve tribes rescued from Egypt were descendants of Israel.
• He is a descendant of Abraham - the ancestor of the promise (Gen. 14:13).
• And he was a Pharisee - someone who closely associates himself with strict observance of the Law in order to avoid influences of Greeks or other pagans. (“Pharisee” - means, at least in part, “separated”.)
• His “badge of honor” - circumcised, as commanded by the Lord. (See: Gen. 17:10-14; Exo. 12:48; Lev. 12:3; John 7:22, 23) The Jews were very proud of being circumcised, even to the point of ‘looking down’ on those who did not observe or practice this ritual. (Judg. 14:3, 1 Sam. 14:6; Isa. 52:1.) Conquering nations tried to prevent them from observing it. Guess what, the Jews refused to submit!

Vs. 6 -“as to zeal” - Paul was not content to rest on his ancestry (Take that “23-and-me”! In your face!). This man was driven to live his life according to his beliefs. One of our pastors mentioned in a sermon, “How you conduct your life shows what you believe, not just what you say you believe.” Paul believed the church of Jesus Christ was blaspheming against the Holy God of Israel. This could not stand! (See: Acts 7:59-60; 8:3; 9:1-2; 22:4,5; 26:9-11) He was not content just to denounce these blasphemers. He went after them! (See: Gal. 1:13, 14)

“As to righteousness... in the Law” - See Phil. 3:5, Paul was a Pharisee, a strict follower and keeper of the Mosaic Law. If anyone - in Judah or the rest of the known world - anyone, could claim to have attained righteousness through the Law, it would be Paul. Blameless! And proud of it.

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Phil. 3:2-4 - Beware

2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;
3 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,
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

Put No Confidence in the Flesh

Vs. 2 - “Beware of the dogs” - We are thinking, “Awww. That’s not a nice thing to say about pets.” In those times, in that area, dogs were not pets. Dogs were mostly feral, running in packs, and were scavengers. The dogs ate dead things, dead bodies and therefore were unclean. One famous incident concerned King Arab and Jezebel (a truly evil king and queen). She was killed and her body was thrown off the wall of the city. They went out later to get her and bury her (she had been queen, after all), and all they found was her skull - the dogs had picked her clean! (See: 1 Kings 14:11; 16:4; 21;23; 2 Ki. 9:33-35). The Jews treated Gentiles like they were dogs. This may be part of the reason they could see no reason to share the gospel with Gentiles - why waste this message on dogs, on the unclean? (See: Matt. 15:26).
Paul draws on that imagery. False teachers are unclean in Paul’s estimation - no better than the carrion eating dogs. Following false teachers prevents you from joyfully following Christ, just as being unclean meant you could not come into the temple and do sacrifices.
We are to be pure, just as Christ is pure. Christ and Christ alone provides that purity, (See: Jude 24). His blood purifies us of all sin. (1 John 1:7) 

“beware of the false circumcision” - This is the first mention of the problem they are facing. The first and second chapters are reminding them of their salvation and joy, of Paul’s love and concern for them. This warning is not as severe as that given in the letter to the Galatians.
Circumcision is similar to Christian baptism in that it is a physical announcement, or symbol to the world that you belong to God and Jesus. Circumcision did not save the Jew, but it showed the world their life was committed to God. Baptism does not save. Being baptized tells the world you have made a commitment to Christ as your Lord and Savior. It is faith in Christ, His sacrifice and resurrection, that will give you the inheritance of eternal life.
Adding circumcision to the requirements to be ‘saved’ will NOT save you from your sins. This means false hopes. Basing your life on false information takes you further away from certainty and hope.

Vs. 3 - “We are the true circumcision” - What is Paul writing about, “True circumcision?” Physical circumcision has no impact on your salvation, just as it did not save the Jews. It is therefore “false” if you place your hopes on it.
So, what is “true circumcision?” Paul addresses the effectiveness of circumcision in Rom. 2:25-29. The outward evidence is of little value if the inner quality of the man is not centered on Christ. He reminds us that Abraham’s righteousness was accorded him before Abraham was circumcised. His faith that was rewarded. (See: Rom. 4:10-12.)
Our bodies are dead to eternity. We are literally “The Walking Dead.” God does not repair these bodies, but provides us with new bodies that will be just like Jesus. - we will be just as He is. (1 John 3:1-3) The flesh, the old nature, means death. (Rom. 8:10, 13; 1 Cor. 15:42; 1 Pet. 1:15) Living in the Spirit means life. (2 Cor. 3:16) The difference between the flesh and the Spirit is that of death and life. (See: Rom. 7:5, 8:6,13; 1 Pet. 3:18) Compare Rom. 7:4 with Rom. 8:13.

“Worship in the Spirit of God...” - Christ said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) The Jews gloried in their relation with Abraham - they were his ‘children’, and so by extension they were ‘children of God’ because of the promise made to Abraham. The personal physical evidence of that was circumcision. Apparently no other nation or tribe did this. The Jews were unique in this matter.
However, this claim has no more validity than a person claiming they are ‘Catholic’ because they are born to Catholic parents. Each person is responsible for their own decisions. (See Ezek. 18:20)
What is the key to being the ‘true circumcision”? Jesus said,”If you abide in My word, then truly you are disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” See Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 16:31. His word: confess that “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matt. 16:15). Love God. Love others - just as God in Christ has loved you.

Vs. 4 - “might have confidence in the flesh.” - In verse three above, Paul puts “no confidence in the flesh.” He says that if anyone, anywhere, anytime could be confident in personal performance and accomplishments, it would be Paul. If anyone is going to boast, it would be him. (See: 2 Cor. 11:18) He explains in the next two verses.

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Phil. 3:1 - Rejoice in Jesus

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.

Rejoice!

Vs. 1 - “Finally” - You would think Paul is summing up, and closing the letter. (This would be a really long closing - 46 verses.) I think Paul is saying, “After all the things I have told you and shared with you, remember to rejoice in the Lord! Don’t worry about me. Your confidence is in Christ Jesus.” This applies to us as well. Our salvation is in the Lord. Our hope is based on Him, and His resurrection. Heaven awaits, no matter what is happening to us! Don’t worry about circumstances! Focus on Christ!

“To write the same things again is no trouble” - He didn’t mind sharing the gospel message. He didn’t mind helping them focus on Jesus. Paul’s reason for existence is to share Christ and make disciples. He also knows the more they seek Christ in their lives, the more abundant their lives will be. (John 10:10b)

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