Safeguarding Christian Walk

Safeguarding our Christian Walk

(Philippians 3:1-3 )

Paul starts the final section of the letter from this passage onwards. In this section Paul gives some concluding instructions on how to safeguard our Christian walk. He gives warnings about false teachers and about putting any confidence in the flesh. Let us look at them one by one, as to how we can safeguard our Christian walk.

• Rejoice in the Lord
  

Notice that Paul has stressed this already in this letter in 2:17 and 2:18. And again he stresses in Phil 4:4

^{Phil 4:4} Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Rejoicing in the Lord is the best way to safeguard our Christian walk.

What does rejoicing in the Lord mean?

It means to be joyful in the Lord at all times. We can be joyful in the Lord by thanking him for so many things

- By being in our life and giving us the gift of salvation

- By giving us the fellowship of his people

- By giving us that hope for the future

- By meeting all our material needs

And the list can go on and on.

Rejoicing in the Lord is best way to fight trials, temptations and discouragements in our Christian walk.

^{Ps 31:7} I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction ^l and knew the anguish ^m of my soul.

^{Hab 3:17} Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, ^a though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ^b

^{Hab 3:18} yet I will rejoice in the LORD, ^c I will be joyful in God my Savior. ^d

Appn:

Do we rejoice in the Lord at all times?

Do we overcome weak phased through rejoicing in the Lord?

• Watch out for False Teachers
  

The Philippian Church had three kinds of teachers. One who preached Christ with pure and sincere motives like Paul and Timothy. Second were those who preached Christ, but with wrong motives. However, their teaching was not wrong even though their motives were. Php 2:17 and 18 mention about them.

However, there was a third category called Judaizers who mixed the OT requirements with the NT ones and were confusing the people and leading them astray from the sound doctrine of the Gospel. They insisted on being circumcised ( verse 3) and taught that in addition to believing in Jesus, the OT law also has to be followed.

Paul uses a harsh word for them - "dogs" - who mutilate the flesh. He used this term in order to liken them to the stray dogs who are scavengers and very vicious. These dogs can cause a lot of danger and harm. The false teachers are like that. They are not teachers who are teaching false things out of ignorance (like Appollos; Acts 18:24), but they do it deliberately for their own purposes. When they are challenged they hit back at you viciously often causing strife and commotion.

We have to beware of such teachers to preserve our Christian walk.

Appn:

Are we aware of the false teachers in the Church in this era? Like JV, Mormons, ICOC ?

Do we know the Bible very well in order to confront them and bring them out of error?

• By Learning to Discern between Spiritual and Carnal

The words chosen by Paul here have a lot if significance. Each of them refer to the NT parallel of the Old Testament.

The Jews had certain institutions in the OT:

a) Circumcision- Every Jew had to be circumcised on the eighth day. (Lev 12:3)

b) The institution of worship was mainly following the written law- which included keeping the sabbath, offering sacrifices and observing days etc.

c) They gloried/delighted/boasted in the law. Psalm1:2, Psalm 119:70, 119:92, Rom 2:23

Paul draws a parallel to all these institutions in the New covenant

a) The New Covenant circumcision is not an outward circumcision but an inward circumcision, done not by the hands of men but by the Spirit.

^{Ro 2:28} A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, ^u nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ^v

^{Ro 2:29} No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, ^w by the Spirit, ^x not by the written code. ^y Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. ^z

^{Dt 30:6} The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, ^k so that you may love ^l him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

So, in this context he affirms that it is the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are truly circumcised and not those who are just outwardly circumcised as claimed by the Judaizers.

b) The New Covenant worship is a worship in the Spirit and not just a worship by keeping the law, which is a written code.

^{Jn 4:24} God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

^{2Co 3:6} He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant ^j —not of the letter ^k but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

c) The New Covenant delight or boast is in Jesus Christ not in the law.

The word 'boast' used in Romans 2:23 and the word 'rejoice' used in Php 3:3 are the same Greek word - ('kauchaomai')

Paul, then sums up the entire thing by saying that we do not put any confidence in the flesh - referring to the OT law, which was confined the fleshly or the carnal realm. It has been rendered obsolete and has been superseded by the New covenant which is spiritual in nature. (Heb10 :1)

Appn:

It is possible to be in New covenant and still be lost in carnal things of the world and make a mess of our Christian lives

Do we learn to discern between Spiritual and Carnal things in the New Covenant?

Is my mind just set in making money, building my career or is it on extending the kingdom of God.

Do we give importance fleshly things like caste, status etc. while marrying?

• Conclusion

Let us guard our Christian walk by rejoicing in the Lord, by watching out for false teachings and teachers and learning to discern between spiritual and carnal, and concentrating on the spiritual things.