The World of Flesh

By Cal Cook

I led a Bible study at the Kiwanis Manor (an assisted living retirement home) this week and developed an outline for that study. So I thought I would share some of that as well as some insights from the women who were there. The passage I chose to reflect on was Philippians 3:4b-14. The NIV heading for verses 1-11 is ‘No Confidence in the Flesh’ and starting at verse 12 the heading is ‘Pressing on Toward the Goal’. Paul is writing the Church in Philippi to address the apparent disagreements going on within that church.

It seems as though some are proclaiming that followers of Christ must be circumcised. These people claiming to be leaders in the church are placing great emphasis on things done in the flesh. Their pedigrees, their education and training, family heritage, and lineage places them above others…and therefore their teachings above that of Paul. So Paul goes on a little rant and boasts of things as well. Paul lists at least seven things that people still boast about in the Church today! I find them very frustrating when I hear them…but maybe that’s since I have none of those things myself to boast about…:)

Philippians 3:5a circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews;

Isn’t it funny how people will boast about things that they had no hand on obtaining? Did he take himself to his circumcision on the eighth day of his life? Of course not! What he is really bragging about is his parents…they were very religious people. Just as today some say, “I was baptized in this church and have been here ever since!” Oh really, it must have been pretty impressive watching an infant baptize themselves? Or maybe you chose which womb to be formed in?

of the people of Israel Paul sees that as a great honor, they are God’s chosen people after all. We take for granted most of the things afforded to us as citizens of the United States. As if people in the rest of the world, in the rest of history must have had them as well…do we even realize just how blessed we are? We think we can say whatever we want to any one, no matter how offensive it might be to that person and we say, “That’s my right!” When in the rest of the world many of the things we say are rights will get you killed! Did we choose to be born here? What would we think of those ‘rights’ if we were born in North Korea or Iran? Even the people of Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to accept the idea of democracy…let alone the liberties that we are afforded under our constitution.

of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; Saul of Tarsus is how we are first introduced to Paul in the book of Acts. Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob (Israel) from his wife Rachel, the woman that he had worked all those years to earn the right to marry. The ‘son of my right hand’, Israel calls him. From the descendants of Benjamin came the first King of Israel…Saul, and Paul’s parents named him after that King…quite a lineage! We might equate him to a Kennedy or a Roosevelt today…a Washington or Jefferson even. How about those with the name on the stained glass window in your church? Or the one on the plaque that hangs in the hall just outside the sanctuary? Do you know what I mean? We are so likely to treat them differently than those whose names appear nowhere…why, did they earn their last name or was it just given?

Philippians 3:5b-6 in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

The Pharisee’s were the religious and political leaders of the day, we might equate them to a Township Trustee, a County Commissioner…even a Congressman as they represented the people to the Romans through the Jewish High Council. The leading class, the upper crust…do you know what I’m talking about? Some people are just treated differently because of their stature in the community. Even if they don’t have the genealogical pedigree, they have a title. Once the title of Pastor meant something…now it’s more likely to be looked down upon as being someone who is narrow minded and bigoted…suits me fine…I’d rather have it that way than the other. Why do we treat people with titles differently? Do we think they will throw a favor our way or something?

as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. Saul was given letters from the Jewish High Council giving him authority to chase down and punish even to death followers of Jesus Christ and ‘The Way’ as it was called. Today people don’t need letters; they just persecute others because they believe it’s their ‘right’ to do so. You have them on both sides…you have the ones who proclaim the ‘turn my way or burn’ gospel and then you have the same thing happening under the supposed banner of tolerance who will call you a mean bigoted, and a hate monger if you disagree with them! Have you met them? I know I have…both call me names! I’m a liberal who doesn’t honor God and a hate monger who hasn’t accepted Grace…at least according to them. I’d like to think I honor God in my heart with how I live my life and treat others…and as for Grace, I’m all about Grace…just not cheap grace.

Paul is obviously giving this list of credentials to the Church in Philippi and to us so that he can more clearly say what’s coming next:

Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

May we all look to the trappings of this world as rubbish…dung as the KJV puts it, you may choose to use a different word. May we all experience the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord…living our lives for Him…while still here in this world of flesh.