Watch out for those dogs

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the (true) circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh …” Philippians 3:2-3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Watch out for those dogs”

Legalism is such a danger and such a joy-stealer that the Apostle Paul gave us an extensive teaching about it in the middle of his “letter of joy.” Clearly, legalism is something God wants us to avoid getting trapped in. So, let’s continue following Paul’s teaching about the issue:

Here in Philippians, and also in Galatians, Paul labels those who preach and teach legalistic doctrine as “dogs” and “evil workers” and “false teachers”. When he says that they “mutilate the flesh” he was referring to the fact that the Judaizers of his day insisted that Christian men had to be circumcised according to the Old Testament law. The foreskin of the penis had to be cut away in a bloody religious ritual that would symbolize that they really did belong to God. In Galatians Paul said he wished that those who taught such perverted lies would cut away all their own manhood entirely rather than just the foreskin.

When he says that “we” are the “true” circumcision what he is referring to is that the kind of circumcision that matters to God is spiritual circumcision, not physical circumcision. The physical cutting away of the male foreskin was intended to be a symbol for those Old Testament Jews that represented the cutting out of their lives any thought or activity that was in any way offensive to God. True circumcision is cutting sin out of our lives, not cutting skin away from our body. It is a spiritual act not a physical one.

The religious ritual of circumcision that the Judaizers were insisting upon for those Christians was not really any different in spirit from the horsehair shirts the Christians of the middle-ages used to wear; or crawling across the square on all fours like the woman in Mexico City was doing (discussed in earlier devotionals in this series); or the long lists of rules and regulations that some of our fundamentalist churches insist on today. It’s the same legalistic principle and as Paul was pointing out here, such practices are death to true joy and freedom in Christ.

For Paul, grace was primary. Grace was so important to him that he wrote about it more than once, defended it, even fought for it, and willingly suffered to promote it. Paul loved grace and he wanted it for others too.

False teachers who lead people away from grace and into legalism is such a problem that not only has Paul addressed it in other letters, but three times in this single verse he repeats the warning “watch out!” He is warning his readers to not be fooled by the false teachers. Don’t let others impose legalistic practices on you that go beyond what God Himself has clearly required of us in the Bible. Don’t let them steal your freedom and joy that comes to you through grace and as a gift from God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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