Philippians 3:4-6 – Fleshly-effort renounced

In verse 4, especially the second half, to verse 6, Paul set out to debunk the fallacious notion that God would approve the accomplishment of the effort of the flesh. Illustrating from his life, he showed how hugely inferior were his accomplishments, gained through self-effort, in comparison with what he had gained in Christ. If there ever was a contest to pick a person who had attained righteousness via human effort, he would probably win it hands down. There were two aspects, humanly speaking, that would point conclusively that he had reached the zenith of self-righteousness. First was his birth and descent and secondly, what he had accomplished by personal effort.

If birth and descent were used to measure righteousness, he had them. He pointed out three privileges which he had by birth: He was physically circumcised on the eighth day; he was an original Israelite; and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. Every Jewish male was circumcised on the eighth day of birth. This indicated that he was from a God-honoring home, a home that upheld the Old Testament Scriptures. This would also show that his parents were God-fearing people who rigidly observed the requirements of the Law. Paul would have been brought up in the Scriptures, having been introduced to them in infancy. Paul also pointed to the fact that he was a physical descendant of Abraham and was entitled to the promise made to the patriarch. His lineage could be traced to Israel, Isaac and Abraham. He was also from the tribe of Benjamin, a tribe that was known for their loyalty. They stayed loyally with the tribe of Judah, from which the promised king of Israel would be hailed, when the other 10 tribes chose to be disloyal (1 Kings 12:21). They were also known for their courageous deeds in their national history (Judges 5:14). Paul was claiming a heritage that few Jews could be proud of.

From the last part of verse 5 onward to verse 6, Paul turned to talk about his accomplishment as a zealous Jew. Before his conversion, he was steeped in Judaism. While in it, he sought to fulfill the demands required of him as a practitioner of Judaism. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews. There were many Jews who gave up their strict Jewish practices in the face of changes in the course of their national history. Many adopted the Greek language, culture and custom and dropped their Jewish tradition. Paul stood vehemently unmoved in his tradition. He remained true to his Hebrew roots. He was also a Pharisee. Like a true Pharisee, he held to the Scriptures strictly and literally. Besides, he was also a zealous and was unequaled in zealousness. It was seen in how strongly he felt against the believers of Christ. He set out with a letter from the authority to exterminate those early believers of Christ (Acts 9:1-2). He stood zealously for his religion and was determined to wipe out all others. In that regard, he was full of zeal. He also claimed to be faultless. Paul was not saying here that he was sinless. He was merely saying that he would do anything to meet the requirements of the Law. Should the Law point an accusing finger at him, Paul would quickly do whatever required to make atonement for that accusation. In that regard, he was blameless. Examining all that Paul had narrated so far, one must conclude that the legitimacy of his claim stood indisputable. 

Regarding salvation, there is nothing in our worldly accomplishment that we can rely on to gain acceptance with God. The one and only way God accepts, is the way of Calvary. In Christ and His accomplished works on Calvary we find our restoration. Seek to honor Christ – to see Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, and to love Him more dearly.