Phil. 3:1-6; Luke 5:33-39, The Circumcision

Paul does some more “name calling” in v3 when he refers to Christians as the circumcision.  How can this be?  Is he contradicting himself?  No, of course not.  He is noting that the true circumcision is of the heart, not physical (Rom. 2:25-29).  They, the Church, are the true people of God in this age because under the New Covenant they are circumcised in their hearts.  Because of this Paul notes three huge truths that separate the Body of Christ from those who continued to insist on Old Covenant truths.  It is the “old wineskins – new wineskins” Jesus spoke about (Luke 5:33-39).

·        They worship God in the Spirit. 

What characterized worship under the Old Covenant?  God was kept at a distance (Ex. 24:1-2).  His presence was never far from the Ark of the Covenant (the mercy seat, Ex. 25:22).  Worship revolved around a building in a city of God’s choosing (Deut. 12:4-7).  Under those conditions you could say that God still was looking for those who worship in Spirit and truth, as Jesus put it (Jn. 4:23-24).  But the fact was that true worship had great physical attributes and limitations.

What is worship like under the New Covenant?  If we just take the term for worship in Phil. 3:3 (Greek liturgeo) we see some powerful descriptions of true worship.  We hold God in reverence and awe at all times (Heb. 12:28).  We present our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).  We come before God with a clear conscience (2 Tim. 1:3; Heb. 9:14).  What this is describing is “worship as a lifestyle” and not just worship on a particular day or in a particular place.

·        They rejoice in Christ Jesus.

The term for rejoice is not the “joy” word but is actually the word for “glory” or “boasting”.  How do those who have not come to Christ establish their “self esteem”?  They do it by comparing themselves with others (1 Cor. 3:21), by declaring their self-effort (1 Cor. 4:7), by adorning their appearance (2 Cor. 5:12).  In the end, as James 3:14 says, they “glory or boast in sin”.

On the other hand what happens when a “lost soul” comes to Christ?  You know this is what we are, humans created with a soul (Gen. 2:7) that became “lost” through sin.  We are constantly searching for “soul-satisfaction” (e.g. Eccl. 6:1-9), trying to bring peace to the real person on the inside.  When we come to Christ the search ends (Mt. 16:25f); our souls find rest in Him (Mt. 11:29).  When that happens the search for self-esteem is over because we now glory in Christ Jesus:

·        In His cross (Gal. 6:14).

·        In His ministry through us (Rom. 15:17; i.e. it is not our ministry but His).

·        In what we have received from Him (2 Cor. 10:8,13).

·        In what we are in Him (James 1:9-10).

·        In our weakness (2 Cor. 11:30; 12:9; because then He is strong, He is honored).

Let us be Spirit-led to examine ourselves as to our worship and our significance.