Finding Life in Christ: Pt 2 False Confidence Forsaken- Phil 3:3-7

Last week we saw a contrast between true believers and false religion. From Philippians 3:2-3 we learned that while legalists are externally religious only, Christians are changed from the heart and live out of a new strength. Because of this Christians brag about different things than legalists (namely, Christ!) and their praise comes from God, not their peers.

The final characteristic in verse 3 we didn’t touch last week lies in the phrase “and put no confidence in the flesh.” The idea of the word confidence is “to have one’s trust bound up in.” Paul says “Christians don’t have their trust bound up in the flesh.” Or, to say it another way, “Christians don’t bank on their flesh.” Or, to put it positively, “Christians trust in something wholly outside themselves.”

What is this confidence referring to? What is it for? When Paul says we “put no confidence in the flesh,” he means we “put no confidence in the flesh for righteousness.” We don’t look to our flesh as bringing right standing before God. We know he has righteousness in mind because that’s where he’s going in the passage. Verse 9 says “… not having a righteousness,” and “… the righteousness from God.”

So we know what the confidence is about, but what about this term “the flesh”? Paul is using a literary device known as “synecdoche.” Basically though “flesh” is a term that literally applies to the body specifically, he’s using it to refer generally to all good deeds done out of who you are naturally. So putting it all together, Paul is saying “Christians don’t trust in their own performance of good deeds for righteousness.” Now maybe some of you are thinking, “Wow, that was blatantly obvious,” and I’m glad you understood, but it’s also helpful to define terms before moving on.

Paul however sees room for more clarifying. What he does from here in verse 4 to verse 14 is hold himself up as an example. Why does Paul spend all this time clarifying this last statement? There are at least three reasons:

1. “Putting confidence in the flesh” is the heart of legalistic error. By spending time at this root of falsehood he can effectively kill the self-righteousness and prevent it from growing like it did so well in the Galatian church.

2. Throughout church history, doctrine has been most clarified in the face of error. For example, the first clear writing of the doctrine of the Trinity in the church was in response to the Arian controversy, begun by a man that said Jesus was not God. In the same way, Paul uses the opportunity provided by this error to clarify and drive truth home about our true standing in Christ.

3. This initial response of his credentials is also a direct response to an unspoken challenge issued by the Judaizers. The challenge goes like this “Of course you Philippians would believe that you don’t have to do good things to be righteous before God, you don’t have the standing we have.” The false circumcision would challenge the Philippians that believing “justification is through faith alone in Christ alone” is only an error they are following because it’s easier for them. In other words “Philippians, you only think you don’t have to work for salvation because you’re lazy.” Paul is addressing that.

Paul holds himself up as the example of someone with all the credential, the one person who has reason to be confident more than anyone, and he gave it all up. So it has nothing to do with laziness, because Paul had all the credentials and he left them behind. In this passage we’ll see seven categories of things Paul references here that are taken by self-righteous people as being something to put confidence in. That is, seven false confidences to forsake.

I. Right Standing Under the Law

Paul points first to the utmost important thing for the Jewish legalist: circumcision. This was the initiation into God’s people. Many Jewish Rabbis thought that this was the most important commandment. Why? If you had circumcision, they taught, you were in. Whatever you did, as long as it wasn’t too horrible, when the judgment came, Abraham would advocate for them and say, “See, this one is circumcised. He is one of my children. He can gain entrance to heaven.”

We can put our confidence in much of the same thing. Maybe you think “Well, I was christened as a child, so I’m good.” Maybe you prayed “the sinner’s prayer,” or signed a card at a camp, or walked an isle during an altar call. Maybe you were baptized. Paul says the Christian puts no confidence in that.

Now here in the beginning, there is a problem to be addressed. Because being “circumcised on the eighth day” was commanded by God. So we should not make the error of thinking that because we put no confidence in a certain thing, it is bad and evil and should never be done. No, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day too. Baptism is commanded in Scripture. These are good things and to jettison them would be to misunderstand the will of God as revealed in Scripture. But make no mistake, they are not to be items that we place our confidence in.

II. Association with the People of God

Paul next says he is “of the people of Israel.” That is he was really a Jew. Many of these people promoting circumcision were probably themselves Gentiles who had bought this error and had also become circumcised. Paul is saying, “I’m the real deal. I’m no half-Jew.” Jesus said, “Salvation is from the Jews.” When he said that, he was speaking to a Samaritan, and Samaritans were also considered to be half-Jews. Paul says, “I was really born of the people of God, the ones who understand salvation.”

We can also wrongly put on trust in association with the people of God when we look around and think, “I’m a Christian. I’ve grown up among Christians. I go to a Christian church. My great-grandmother was Christian! I’m sure to be saved.” It is important to understand that you can have Christian family, Christian friends and Christian ideas and still not be saved yourself.
III. Spiritual Lineage

Paul points out that he is “of the tribe of Benjamin.” Now honestly, some think that this is merely a more intense reference to being of the people of Israel. As if Paul was saying, “I know so well that I’m of the people of Israel that I know what tribe I’m from.” Certainly this reference contains that element, but I believe it also speaks of a certain elite spiritual lineage. Benjamin was the youngest son of Israel’s (that is, Jacob’s) beloved wife, Rachael. He was the only child born in the promise land. Israel’s first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin (In fact, it seems Paul was named after Saul). When the kingdom split, Benjamin was the only tribe to stay with Judah. Mordecai and Esther were both from Benjamin.

To put our trust in spiritual lineage would be like looking to our parents, if they were great men or women of faith. Also many people might think, “Well I was trained under Dr. so-and-so, certainly I must be right before God.” Our parents and teachers are not something we can rely on for righteousness.

IV. Rank Among God’s People

Paul sums up all of his previous statements with this final one: “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” It speaks directly of his birth. He was a Hebrew man with Hebrew parents and grandparents. But it also speaks to his position, as if saying, “of all the Hebrews, I am the Hebrew.” He asserts himself as being a model Hebrew here, and certainly in the larger context of verses 5 and 6.

This is a very dangerous false confidence. Many professing believers (and true believers) look around at the standing of others to determine their standing before God. Just because you are a leader in your church, or just because you’re the only one of your friends from high school who stayed true to God, or just because you’re someone people look up to doesn’t mean that you’re standing right before God. Who you are in the church doesn’t prove anything about who you are before God.

V. Orthodox Theology

Now the previous four pillars of confidence all had to do with status. And whatever our status is from our birth, has no relation to our status before God. However these last three things have to do with the good things we do. Paul is teaching that the spiritual things that we personally achieve cannot give us confidence apart from Christ that we are righteous before God.

Paul says “as to the law,” I was “a Pharisee.” You may need to redefine the word “Pharisee” in your brain to understand this phrase. Paul isn’t making a confession of hypocrisy with this. The Pharisees were actually the ones who handled the Bible (that is, the law) most seriously. Paul is saying that as opposed to being an average layman, or some liberal allegorizing Rabbi, he was part of the elite conservative core.

Now there was political implication in the word “Pharisee.” For the Jews, there was no divorcing politics from theology. But let’s focus specifically on the theology. Let the seriousness of Paul’s words land hard on your ears. You can be absolutely right and conservative and literal with the Bible, interpret it rightly, understand its teaching, and go straight to hell. We know that “even the demons believe – and shudder!” (James 2:19). Calvinists: Your Calvinism doesn’t save you. Yes you understand that Jesus died as a substitute for sinners. Yes you understand that man cannot get to God apart from His sovereign grace. Good work. Only know that if you rely on that understanding and not on Christ, you will not get to God, and you will be judged more harshly for rejecting more truth. Doctrine will not save you.

VI. Passion for Religious Tenants

Paul now touches on the emotional side of self-righteousness. He says he was “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church.” This is Paul’s first acknowledgment of these credentials being negative, aside from the general “put no confidence in the flesh” found in verse 3. Paul’s focus isn’t primarily on his regrettable former persecution of those he now ministers to as it is in other places (1 Cor 15:9, 1 Tim 1:12-15). He’s emphasizing his passion for the Jewish legalism of his day. He wasn’t just a Pharisee in name only who cared nothing about what he believed. On the contrary, he persecuted those who would say and teach otherwise.

So once again be careful that a passion for knowledge of God does not overtake your passion for God. Doctrine should only be your treasure if it them moves you to a closer relationship with God. But however passionate you are about God’s truth, it is not your confidence of salvation. Paul could have continued passionately opposing what was heterodox to his belief system and went to hell. Likewise one can passionately defend orthodoxy and miss the point of having a relationship with Jesus.

VII. Personal Holiness

Paul said lastly that he was “as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” He purposely is distinguishing between this righteousness, and the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. Here he is talking about his personal performances, his adherence to rituals, his keeping of the Mosaic Law. As far as the law was concerned, Paul was blameless. He had never done something he could legally be condemned for by the law given in (what is now) the Old Testament.

Certain things are good things to do. Reading the Bible, being nice to other people, being hospitable, etc. These things are not the basis of our confidence for salvation, however. One can read his Bible every day for his adult life and go to hell. One can even enjoy studying God’s word and be without salvation. Our confidence is not in what we can do.

Now some may be thinking, “Wait. John says ‘we know we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.’” (1 Jn 2:3) That would be a good thought. John does teach that assured of his coming to know Christ if, out of a changed heart and growing relationship with Christ, he watches carefully to do what Jesus said. Notice the all-important connector between “I obey” and “I have salvation.” The logical connection between those two statements is “I have trusted in Jesus.” In other words, your obedience assures you that you are righteous by faith in Christ (Phil 3: 9-10) and therefore you are assured that you will be saved. That is the crucial connection. There are those who obey and never trust Christ. But there are none who have trusted Christ and never obey.


So where does our confidence rest? As the hymn writer put it: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Or as Paul says it in verse 7, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” May Christ alone be our strong confidence this week.