Philippians 3:1-3 – Be vigilant and watchful

In these verses Paul wrote to call the Philippians to be watchful and vigilant. He had a real concern for they were facing some dangerous and devious teachings, very probably, like those encountered by the Galatians. Knowing the possibility for them to deflect from the Lord, he wrote to alert them of the lurking dangers. So here in these first three verses, he called on them to watch over their lives. He reckoned that by being vigilant, the Philippians would not be carried away by those false teachings. So he gave them several things that they must do.

In verse 1, he told them to rejoice in the Lord. When a believer rejoices in the Lord, he places his focus on the Lord. When he continues in doing that, he would not give undue attention to the trials and difficulties of life. Rejoicing in the Lord has a way of putting a believer in the presence of Christ and keeping him there.

Secondly, he called on them to pay attention to those things which he wrote to them earlier. He was now re-writing the same thing to them again to underscore the importance of what he had already told them before. To Paul, this was necessary to keep them alert. Therefore, it was not a burden to him. To progress in the Lord, there is a necessity to take heed to right and biblical teachings. It will ensure that we do not fall prey to false teachers.

Thirdly, he alerted them to the presence of the false teachers. In verse 2, we have three descriptions of the false teachers. He began by calling them dogs. Why? He was not referring to domesticated pets but fierce, ferocious and vicious wild dogs. Paul used this term to show how dangerous the false teachers were. Then, he called them evil workers. The design of these evil workers was to destroy faith, not to build it. Finally, he referred to them as mutilators of the flesh because they were demanding that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. The phrase “mutilators of the flesh” has a negative connotation. He wanted them to know that circumcision was not a requirement to find acceptance with the Lord. As far as he was concerned, to make circumcision a requirement for faith was mandated by those evil workers and not God. In pointing out these things, Paul was actually warning the Philippians to be cautious about who they were listening to.

Finally in verse 3, he turned to discuss about the status of the Philippians, referring to them as true believers. They were the true circumcision, people whose worship was inspired by the Spirit of God; people who glory in Christ Jesus; and they were also people who do not put confidence in the flesh.

We all know that the basis of true worship is the Spirit of God. The starting point for true worship is the indwelling Holy Spirit in one’s life. It is not merely giving veneration to any ritualistic practices. True worship comes from the heart that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, Who has taken residence in the life of us believers. Furthermore, true believers rejoice and boast in Christ Jesus. They do not rejoice or boast about fleshly accomplishment or ritualistic practices. True believers also put their confidence in Christ Jesus and what He had accomplished at Calvary. They do not take pride in the things the flesh can do. Let’s live like true believers in the Lord!