STAYING  SATISFIED
WITH  CHRIST

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1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not burdensome, but for you it is salutary.
2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
3. For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Paul here uses the word "finally" in the sense of "to conclude," or, "I want to leave you on this note." He used it this way to introduce the concluding discussions in several epistles (see II Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 6:10; II Thessalonians 3:1). This shows that the joy of Christians was a major concern on his heart. It is necessary in order to please God, and it is also essential to an effective testimony.

While this is the inherent meaning of the word Paul uses, the context gives it a second slant-- the idea of finality. It's as though a person were "putting his foot down" and saying, "That's it! That settles it! I don't want anything else!" This is what must be done concerning the joy we find in being satisfied with Christ. If we are satisfied with Him, we won't want anything to attempt to take His place, nor add to it. Whether it's worldly pleasures, new religious fads, or whatever, it will have no attraction for us because Christ is all to us.

Just how satisfied we are with Christ, shows by the extent of our rejoicing in Him, in our finding a genuine source of constant, lasting joy in Him. Yet Satan is always seeking means to make us discontent so that we'll seek satisfaction elsewhere.

To keep satisfied with Christ, we need to  KEEP  THE  TRUTH FRESH  TO  US  (verse 1). That is why Paul writes "the same things." By "same things," he's referring to what he has said about rejoicing, and not to the warnings of danger that follow. He has already spoken of the idea of rejoicing at least nine times (1:4, 5, 18, 25, 26; 2:2, 26, 17, 18, 28); and in chapter 4, verse 4, he repeats the idea yet again. He had given no direct warnings of danger before this point; he had only alluded to false evangelists in 1:16-18; and even that had become a subject for rejoicing to him (verse 18). It was important to keep the exhortation to rejoice renewed and fresh to the saints.

It is easy to see why the exhortation to rejoice was needed. Paul's Gospel work in Philippi had begun with great persecution. He and Silas had suffered imprisonment with torture (1:29). Also, the strife in the assembly (2:3-5; 4:2) indicated that some were not happy with their place in the assembly. Then, Epaphroditus, who was known and loved by the assembly, had been seriously sick (2:25-30). When there are causes of sorrow, it is easy to grow weary of exhortations to rejoice; but the need must be kept fresh to us.

We have, furthermore, good reasons to rejoice whatever the circumstances. We ought to rejoice because Christ is our Saviour, and our names are written in heaven. Christ had told the seventy disciples He had sent out, that that should be their greatest cause for rejoicing (Luke 10:20). We ought also to rejoice because we have everything in Him, being complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). And we ought to rejoice simply over who He is-- His character, and His perfect ways.

Being irritated over the repetition of an exhortation may be a sign of wanting to do the contrary-- such as to seek satisfaction elsewhere, perhaps being attracted by some new fad. It is sadly possible to become weary of times with God. At least four Old-Testament prophets had had to deal with that problem:--
When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may trade wheat? (Amos 8:5).
[Concerning "the table of the LORD"] You also said, Behold, what a weariness it is (Malachi 1:13).
But you have not called on Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel (Isaiah 43:22).
O Me people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? (Micah 6:3)

How can we keep the truth fresh to us, whether it's truth about rejoicing, or any other subject? How can we keep from growing weary of it? By using it! If the Philippian Christians took Paul's exhortation to heart, they would rejoice in the Lord, and thus discover how it enabled them to overcome their sorrow over various causes. They could use this truth by serving God in some way that would put them in need of the joy of the Lord, where only His joy could sustain them. They could use it by helping someone who was less privileged than they, and who perhaps had gone through deep sorrow. That would make the joy of the Lord meaningful to them in a fresh way. We can keep any spiritual truth fresh by using it. A person may lack appetite for good food as long as he is idle; but if he uses the energy he has absorbed by working, he'll be hungry again. Thus a Christian maintains his appetite for the truth of God's Word by using the spiritual energy he absorbs. Let us appreciate that all scriptural truth is for our good, for it is "salutary." As long as a Christian is rejoicing as being satisfied with Christ, he won't be tempted to seek satisfaction elsewhere, and therefore won't risk being led into error.

To stay satisfied with Christ, it is also necessary that we REFUSE  SUBSTITUTES  (verse 2). Some store catalogues ask on the order form, "May we substitute?"-- which means, "If we're out of the exact item you ask for, may we send something that we think is similar enough to do in its place?" Well, a Christian cannot accept any spiritual substitutes, for he knows by experience that Christ is incomparable. Nothing else is at all similar to Him.

This second verse gives us three descriptions of the same enemies of the Gospel, namely Judaizers, who were proposing their doctrines as substitutes for Christ. It was they who claimed that circumcision, and keeping the Law of Moses, were necessary to salvation. By this, they give the Jewish laws and rites a purpose that they had never had-- since the law was only intended to show us our need of grace (Romans 3:20). Circumcision was only intended as a symbol of an inner reality in the heart. Even the Old-Testament law contained references to the need to circumcise the heart in order for outward circumcision to have any value (Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16; 36:6).

The Judaizers are first called dogs, to show that they were false teachers. This name concerns their message. Paul was calling them by the name by which they called Gentiles, as a term of contempt, since dogs in the Orient are a wild, filthy, despised and dangerous animal. Paul returns to the Judaizers the term by which they called Gentiles, saying that Christians are the true Israel (Galatians 6:16). This is not to say that God has no future in store for the literal Israel; but in this dispensation, Christians have inherited the promises of spiritual blessing given to Abraham. Galatians 3:9 tells us that "they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." The Judaizers, though born to the natural descent of Abraham, were not true Jews in God's sight because they didn't have faith in Christ as their Messiah. We learn from Romans 2:28 that he is "not a Jew who is one outwardly"-- that is, who has only the natural descent from Abraham, and not the spiritual.

In Rome, where Paul was held under house arrest when he was writing this epistle, people kept watchdogs. Sometimes they had signs saying "beware of dog" on the outside of their houses, just as many do in our society. Paul may have had this in mind when he wrote "beware of dogs."

Christ reverses terms in the same was as Paul does here, in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, in His references to a "synagogue of Satan." It was a literal Jewish synagogue; but because those who attended it had not trusted in Him as their Messiah, they weren't Jews in a spiritual sense, and their synagogue not a true one.

A second term for the Judaizers is evil workers, to show that they were sinful. This name concerns their lives. Being sinful goes inevitably together with being false, since deceit is sin. Here is another reversal of terms. The Judaizers taught that "good works" contributed to earning their salvation; but Paul says that their works are evil because they're done for the wrong purpose. In spite of their apparent zeal for greater holiness, and to please God, and in spite of the great effort their works were taking, these works were worse than useless; they were sinful. It is an insult to Christ to claim to add anything to His finished work.

The third term for the Judaizers is the concision, to show that they were harmful. This name concerns their influence. Paul uses a word play in this term; in Greek, the word translated "concision" and that translated "circumcision" in verse 3, rhyme. He uses this word play to show that what he means by "concision" is a false imitation of what's to be considered true circumcision. "Concision" refers to circumcision of the flesh only (Romans 2:29); true circumcision is that of the heart.

Actually the Greek word translated "concision" here is used in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament, made during the time between the Testaments). And its use in the Septuagint is for heathen mutilation of the body, such as the carving of designs in the skin that witch-doctors do. This was forbidden in Leviticus 21:5; and it is seen to be an ancient heathen practice in I Kings 18:28, where the Baal worshipers challenging Elijah on Mount Carmel practiced it. This shows that circumcision of the flesh but not of the heart, trusted in for religious merit, was just as abominable in God's sight as heathen mutilation of the body. And besides being abominable, heathen mutilation is harmful because of the risk of infection; and it sometimes even involved removing members of the body, or making them useless.

All that we have said of the Judaizers is true of anything that claims to be a substitute for Christ, or to add to His work. It's false, sinful, and harmful. This applies to claims of new revelation in new writings, visions, dreams, or prophesies that bring "new light." It applies to theology that is based on experience rather than on Scripture. An example is the claim that "praise works"-- that is, that miraculous power is obtained by praising God. Certainly, God is glorified by praise from us; but there is no promise in the Scriptures that praising will procure us miraculous power. Yet those who teach this, say they have discovered it by experience.

The same can be said of novel interpretations of Scripture, by which one reads into it what isn't there, forcing it to support human reasoning, or overriding it with claims of having found a better way to meet human need. Often, Scripture is used as an excuse for psychology.

Let us never imagine ourselves invulnerable to attraction by substitutes, as though we had matured beyond that danger. A lady whom my wife and I knew when she was young, talked like a Christian, and seemed to be one. She seemed to have great zeal to reach out with the Gospel. She graduated from an evangelical Bible School; and I'd be very surprised if an unconverted person could go through the whole course of that school without the staff's realizing the person wasn't saved. After graduation, this lady teamed up with an older lady to visit contacts of Gospel work. Then we heard no more of her for about twenty-five years. After that we learned that she had turned to the religion of the majority of her people, the French-Canadians, though she had not been raised in it. She had belonged to a religious order for several years, then left that church again. Finally she showed up at a Gospel meeting of an assembly, and asked one of the preachers, "Can you tell me what church I can join that will bring me to God?" How could one who had once seemed to know the truth as she had, get so mixed up? All we can say is that this case serves as a warning to us all. But if we accept no substitutes, we will remain satisfied with Christ and true to Him.

Still another way to assure that we stay satisfied with Christ, is to  GIVE  FULL  LIBERTY  TO  HIS  LIFE  IN  US  (verse 3). Christians are the true circumcision; and circumcision is a symbol of being set apart for God. We're set apart for Him spiritually.

Each of the characteristics of the true circumcision given in verse 3, corresponds to a characteristic of the Judaizers in verse 2. In contrast to a form of worship that excludes all but literal Jews, we worship God in spirit. This recalls what Christ said to the Samaritan woman He met at the well, that "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." This worship in spirit can be done anywhere, anytime. It's the appropriate way to worship, because God is a Spirit, and because the Father seeks such worshippers. It's the only genuine form of worship, not being confined to times and places. This harmonizes with not just giving certain departments of our lives to God, but having our entire lives sanctified. In fact, even under the Old-Testament regime, true worship wasn't confined to the earthly sanctuary; only the offering of literal sacrifices was. Let us therefore make our entire lives worship God, that Christ's life may have full liberty in us.

In contrast to the Judaizers' boasting about their works, which in God's sight were evil, saints glory in Christ. The word translated "rejoice" in verse 3 in the King James Version, is not the same word so translated in verse 1. It carries more the idea of glorying or boasting. Paul uses that word very frequently; it appears thirty-six times in his epistles, and only twice elsewhere in the New Testament. Probably he was very conscious of the contrast between what he took pride in before his conversion (verses 4-6), and his sole glory in Christ now. The appropriate boasting for a Christian isn't about anything in himself, but only Christ's work in and through him. Therefore let us not make anything else a subject of boasting, that Christ's life may have full liberty in us.

Then, in contrast to the Judaizers' attaching of great importance to circumcision of the flesh only, saints have "no confidence in the flesh." "Flesh" as a biblical term, refers to anything that's naturally in man and that he produces himself. It can be supposed merit toward earning his salvation, or strength or ability in himself to live pleasing to God, or his own undertakings to accomplish anything good. Even his worship of God can be an expression of the flesh, as the carnal nature takes pride in outer, visible signs of supposed spirituality.

True circumcision involves the crucifixion of all that's of self, all confidence in anything we can do on our own, and all rights to our own lives.

Here is a major difference between the Gospel and all man-made religions. Man-made religion may require that some rather great efforts and sacrifices be made; but apart from those particular demands it makes, it leaves the person free to run his life as he pleases. The Gospel is a message of love, but its demands are much greater. It requires that the believer accept not to belong to himself anymore, and to submit every department of his life to Christ's rule as Lord. There is absolutely no part of his life that he remains free to run as he pleases; everything in his life belongs to Christ. It is much easier for the flesh to make great efforts and sacrifices, be they ever so demanding, in certain parts of life, if the rest still belongs to self. To lose possession of oneself, and all personal rights, is what the flesh balks at so hard; yet that is what is required of one who would follow Christ. It is the only way that Christ's life can have full liberty in us. It is noticeable in all three of the parallels between verses 2 and 3, the substitute in verse 2 concerns only one department of life, whereas the reality in verse 3 requires totality of renouncement of self, and absolute belonging to Christ.

Knowing Christ, inevitably brings joy. But have we made that final decision that we're satisfied with Him and want nothing else? This is the only way to be guarded against enticing offers, which may seem very appealing. They may give an impression of great spirituality, or admirable sacrifice, and even of a vast knowledge of spiritual truth. Yet they are distractions from Christ, who alone can satisfy. They would rob Him of our undivided devotion to which He is entitled, besides robbing us of the only true joy. Let us take the measures taught in this passage to keep satisfied with Christ, so that nothing offered as an addition to Him, or as a substitute for Him, will have any appeal to us. He alone can satisfy.

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To read the second sermon in this pair, click here: [••]