Philippians 3:1-11 That Resume of Yours, Put It In The Garbage

Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 

2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 

3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Rejoice.... again and again.... in prison, in persecution, in deep concern for the churches... there is his joy in the midst of difficulties.

Then Paul warns the Philippians about these 'dogs', mutilators of the flesh.   He's referring to circumcision.  Circumcision was a Jewish covenant, a blood covenant even, that was a sign of the relationship with God.  But if all you did was lose some skin, and did not have a changed heart, you missed the point. Like baptism, it was to be an outward sign, intended to show an inward change. (Romans 2:28-29)

Paul says, 'you wanna brag about our own accomplishments?... I got a list a mile long'.   Raised on the 'right side of the tracks', a godly family lineage, trained by Gamaliel, circumcised the 8th day, had all the rules and scripture memorized. Saul of Tarsus had an outward obedience to the law that would make their heads spin. 

Paul knew all the things he prided himself in meant nothing.... garbage.... some translations say 'dung'.  Compared to Christ's sacrifice, all our good deeds are like filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6).  Gross.

Don't be a Pharisee, cuz
they're not fair ya see

There's only one thing we offer Christ in the relationship for salvation... our sin.   He gets covered in our sin and punished for it, and we get covered in His righteousness and blessed because of it.  We can look really holy on the outside, but God sees through to the heart (ouch).  Good works should follow as we become servants to the One who set us free, but they don't come before nor do they contribute one bit to what He did. Paul says stay away from those religious-looking, box-checking, skin-snipping guys. #somanyhyphens

As my husband always says "you don't get extra credit for doing good, because you're supposed to do good".  This is what Jesus meant by 'blessed are the poor in spirit'.  Spiritually broke... that's us.  There was no way we could reach heaven, so He came down to meet us where we live.  Christ took our place on the cross and said 'it is finished'.  Nothing we can 'do', it has already been 'done', completely, and so we are left humbled by a forgiveness we could never deserve and never, ever repay.

That is Grace... and man, is it ever AMAZING!

"So I stood outside the gates and trembled, in my rags of unworthiness

Afraid to even stand at a distance in the presence of holiness

But just as I turned to go, the gates swung open wide

And the King and His only Son, they invited me inside"

Verse 2  The Invitation by Steven Curtis Chapman