14  The Distinguishing  Qualities of  True Believers  (Philippians 3:1–3)

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, (3:1–3)

The good news of forgiveness and eternal life is the heart of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record the ministry of Christ, who came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Acts records the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman world. The epistles unfold the gospel’s rich theological content. They also exhort believers to the practical holiness that the gospel demands. Revelation records the ultimate triumph of the gospel in the consummation of human history.

But along with the presentation of the gospel is a closely related theme of critical concern. Having clearly set forth the truth of the gospel, the New Testament writers are concerned that people not be deceived about the genuineness of their salvation. Thus, the New Testament constantly challenges professing believers to examine themselves and make certain that their faith is genuine.

Concern for the genuineness of salvation was first addressed in the New Testament by the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. In a move that seems shocking in our day of “user-friendly” approaches to presenting the gospel, John boldly confronted the false believers of his day: “When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (Matt. 3:7–8).

In one of the most sobering passages in the Bible, Jesus warned,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt. 7:21–23)

Later, Jesus reiterated that warning in a parable:

“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:3–9)

As He explained the parable in private to His disciples, its point became unmistakably clear—not all who respond to the gospel are truly saved:

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matt. 13:18–23)

Simon Magus is a classic example of a false believer. He heard Philip’s proclamation of the gospel and seemed to believe:

Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. (Acts 8:9–13)

By all outward indications Simon’s conversion was real. He made a profession of faith, publicly identified with Jesus Christ in baptism, and even “continued on with Philip” (Acts 8:13). Yet all was not as it seemed, as Simon’s later encounter with Peter and John reveals:

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:14–24)

Tragically, even Simon’s request that Peter pray for him does not reveal a repentant heart. He was not seeking forgiveness (or he would have prayed for it himself), but merely relief from the temporal consequences of his sin. Early church tradition names Simon as the founder of what later became Gnosticism, and reports his blasphemous claim to deity (Harold O. J. Brown, Heresies [Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday, 1984], 50).

The writers of the epistles also warned people not to be deceived about the reality of their salvation. Paul exhorted the Corinthians, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5; cf. 1 Cor. 11:28). He cautioned his beloved son in the faith Timothy about those “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Writing to another young pastor, Titus, Paul warned of people who “profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16). Jude wrote of “ungodly persons [in the church] who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). The Lord Jesus Christ warned the apostate church at Laodicea, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16). Both James (cf. 1:2–12, 13–18, 19–27; 2:1–13, 14–26; 3:1–12, 13–18; 4:1–12, 13–17; 5:1–11, 13–18) and 1 John (cf. 1:6; 2:3–4, 9–11, 15–17; 3:3–10, 13–15, 18, 19, 23–24; 4:7–8; 5:2) list marks of genuine saving faith.

Unfortunately, despite the clear warnings of Scripture, many are deceived about their true spiritual condition. Though they think they are on the narrow road leading to heaven, they are actually on the broad road leading to hell. They base their false assurance of salvation on a number of proofs that in reality prove nothing. (For an extensive discussion of false proofs of salvation, see Matthew Mead, The Almost Christian Discovered [Reprint; Beaver Falls, Pa.: Soli Deo Gloria, n.d.]; Gardiner Spring, The Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character [Reprint; Phillips-burg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, n.d.]; John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus [rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994]; John MacArthur, Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles [Dallas: Word, 1993].)

Many people rest their hope of salvation on a past event. They may have prayed to receive Christ as a child, gone forward in response to an altar call, signed a card, or made a commitment at a retreat. Sometimes well-meaning people encourage such false hopes by offering what may be termed “syllogistic assurance.” They present the following seemingly plausible syllogism to those who pray to receive Christ: “John 1:12 says that ‘as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name’; you just received Christ; therefore you have become a child of God.” Unfortunately, that syllogism is only true if the minor premise (“you just received Christ”) is true. And that is the very point in question. As noted earlier, Jesus taught in the parable of the soils that a fruitless profession of faith proves nothing. Genuine faith will inevitably produce transformation in a person’s life; false or dead faith will not (cf. James 2:14–26). Scripture nowhere points people back to a conversion experience to validate their salvation; the issue is a changed life. Simon Magus not only made a profession of faith, but also was baptized and continued with Philip for a time. Yet as his further conduct indicates, he was never saved (Acts 8:21–23).

A second non-proof of saving faith is a superficially moral life. It is certainly true that the new nature breaks the pattern of constant sin (cf. 1 John 3:9), and that all Christians should live lives of increasing moral purity (cf. Matt. 5:48; 1 Peter 1:14–16). The reverse is not true, however; all who live outwardly moral lives are not redeemed. Many unbelievers are honest, kind, generous, and seek to live according to high ethical standards. Such behavior is commendable, but says nothing about their spiritual state. It may impress “man” who “looks at the outward appearance,” but will not deceive “the Lord” who “looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7; cf. Prov. 21:2). Jesus scathingly denounced the most outwardly moral religious leaders of His day: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:27–28).

Unsaved people may behave according to moral standards for many reasons. Some do so because they are afraid of God. Others feel peer pressure to conform to the standards and expectations of their peer group. Children often lead moral lives to please their parents and avoid punishment. And most tragically of all, many people believe that living a moral life will get them into heaven. Whatever the motivation, external morality saves no one, since in God’s sight “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6); and “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20; cf. Gal. 2:16).

The example of the rich young ruler shows that living a moral life cannot save anyone. He claimed to have kept (at least outwardly) the Ten Commandments (Matt. 19:20). Yet his question to Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16), reveals that he knew that he did not have eternal life. Stephen Charnock comments,

The opinion of gaining eternal life by the outward observation of the law, will appear very unsatisfactory to an inquisitive conscience. This ruler affirmed, and certainly did confidently believe, that he had fulfilled the law (v. 20): “All this have I observed from my youth;” yet he had not any full satisfaction in his own conscience; his heart misgave, and started upon some sentiments in him, that something else was required, and what he had done might be too weak, too short to shoot heaven’s lock for him. And to that purpose he comes to Christ, to receive instructions for the piecing up whatsoever was defective. (The Existence and Attributes of God [Reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979], 2:212)

That fact was confirmed by his refusal to follow Jesus (Matt. 19:21–26).

Another common misconception is that a mere knowledge of the facts of the gospel is evidence of salvation. But even “the demons also believe [the truth], and shudder” (James 2:19). Many people know the truth of the gospel, but remain unforgiven and under eternal condemnation. Liberal theologians often have detailed knowledge of the truths of Scripture, but criticize them and refuse to believe them. The writer of Hebrews says of such people, “The word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard” (Heb. 4:2). No one, of course, can be saved unless he knows the facts of the gospel—that God is holy, that he is a sinner for whom Christ died a substitutionary death on the cross, and that salvation is solely by grace through faith. But mere intellectual assent to those truths does not equal saving faith, which includes trust and commitment. To know the truth but refuse to act on it only results in greater condemnation (Luke 12:47–48), not salvation.

The religious and moral scribes and Pharisees, after observing Christ’s life, hearing Him speak, and seeing His miracles, concluded that Jesus “casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 12:24). Since they had willfully refused to believe the truth, Jesus declared concerning them, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:31–32). The scribes and Pharisees heard the truth, yet they rejected it and were eternally damned. Like the scribes and Pharisees, Judas saw Jesus’ miracles and heard His preaching. But, in spite of three years in His presence, he too rejected the truth, betrayed Jesus, and is lost forever.

The writer of Hebrews also warned of apostate false believers:

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. (Heb. 6:4–6)

Nor is religious activity proof of salvation. Many who are on the broad road leading to hell faithfully attend church, are baptized, take communion, and participate in the other rituals of their church. “Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Tim. 3:5), they are tragically deceived into thinking that their religious activity proves they are saved. They are like the apostates in Israel, of whom God declared, “This people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote” (Isa. 29:13; cf. 58:1–4).

The foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable represent such people. Although in appearance they were no different from the wise virgins (who represent the redeemed), they actually represent unregenerate people, who will not be ready for Christ’s return (Matt. 25:1–13). Ananias and Sapphira appeared to be no different from the other members of the Jerusalem church, until their greed and hypocrisy were unmasked (Acts 5:1–11). The Lord Jesus Christ declared to the church at Sardis, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1 NIV). An external form of religion without the inward reality of salvation will result in eternal damnation.

A final non-proof of salvation is service in the name of Christ. It is a sobering reality that many who preach the gospel are not saved. Even Judas, the son of perdition (John 6:70–71; 17:12), preached the gospel (Matt. 10:4–7). “Many [such people] will say to [Jesus] on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then [He] will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:22–23).

In Philippians 3:1–3 Paul adds to the biblical teaching on the issue of distinguishing between genuine and false faith. Both by implication and explicitly, he presents five qualities of true believers: they rejoice in the Lord, exercise discernment, worship in the Spirit, glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.

TRUE BELIEVERS REJOICE IN THE LORD

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. (3:1a)

Finally (to loipon) is better rendered “furthermore,” “so then,” or “now then.” It is a word of transition, not conclusion, since half of Philippians follows it. Joy is an important theme, both in Philippians (cf. 1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17–18, 28–29; 4:1, 4, 10) and in the rest of the New Testament, where it appears in its noun and verb forms approximately 150 times. Here, as in 4:4, 10 (cf. Luke 1:47), Paul connects rejoicing to a relationship, commanding believers to rejoice in the Lord. The sphere in which their joy exists is in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The joy of which Paul writes is not the same as happiness (a word related to the term “happenstance”), the feeling of exhilaration associated with favorable events. In fact, joy persists in the face of weakness, pain, suffering, even death (cf. James 1:2). Biblical joy produces a deep confidence in the future that is based on trust in God’s purpose and power. It results in the absence of any ultimate fear, since the relationship on which it is based is eternal and unshakeable (cf. Ps. 16:11; John 16:22). Nor is it a humanly produced emotion; that Paul commands it shows that rejoicing is an act of the will in choosing to obey God. The result is a supernaturally produced emotion, the fruit of walking in the Spirit (Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22). Thus, rejoicing marks true believers (cf. Pss. 9:14; 13:5; 32:11; 33:1, 21; 35:9; 40:16; 51:12; 70:4; Luke 10:20; John 15:11; 17:13; Rom. 15:13; 1 Thess. 5:16).

TRUE BELIEVERS EXERCISE DISCERNMENT

To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; (3:1b–2)

After commanding the Philippians to rejoice, Paul turns to his next major theme in the epistle. His strong and direct warning implies another distinguishing mark of true believers: their ability to discern. No one can be saved who does not understand the fundamental truths of the gospel (Rom. 6:17; 10:14, 17). But since discernment, like faith, needs to grow and mature, pastors and elders must warn the church of false teachers (Eph. 4:11–14). Thus, for Paul to write the same things again was no trouble to him, because it was a necessary safeguard for the Philippians. False teachers, proclaiming salvation through ritual, ceremony, and legalism, posed a serious threat to them. Safeguard (asphals) literally means not to trip, stumble, or be overthrown. Paul faithfully warned the Philippians so they would not stumble (cf. Acts 20:31).

The phrase to write the same things again indicates that Paul is about to elaborate on something he has previously mentioned. The apostle undoubtedly has in mind his exhortation in 1:27–28:

Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

In that passage, Paul told the Philippians not to be alarmed by their opponents; in the present passage he tells them how to recognize them. He describes these false teachers who opposed the gospel using three terms, each introduced by an imperative form of the verb blep (beware).

Paul first describes the false teachers as dogs. Unlike the pet dogs (kunarion) described in Matthew 15:26–27, kun (dogs) refers to the wild scavengers that plagued ancient cities. Those curs roamed in packs, feeding on garbage (Ex. 22:31; 1 Kings 14:11; 16:4; 21:23–24) and occasionally attacking humans. They were despised, and “dog” was frequently used as a derogatory term (cf. Deut. 23:18; 1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14; 2 Sam. 9:8; 16:9; 2 Kings 8:13; Ps. 22:16; Rev. 22:15). In fact, Jews in biblical times commonly referred contemptuously to Gentiles as dogs.

Amazingly Paul, a Jew, called these Jewish (see the discussion below) false teachers dogs. He warned the Philippians to beware of those who call others dogs, but in reality are dogs themselves. The apostle’s description is fitting. Are dogs unclean and filthy? So are the false teachers. Are dogs vicious and dangerous, and to be avoided? So are the false teachers. So are all those who teach salvation by works.

Paul’s words seem harsh and unloving in today’s climate of tolerance and diversity. Even many in the church consider it unloving and divisive to point out doctrinal error. Yet truth and love are not mutually exclusive, and believers are called to both (Eph. 4:15), as well as to discernment (cf. John MacArthur, Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1994). Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone (Eph. 2:8–9). Those who teach otherwise are ravenous, savage wolves (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29), purveyors of demon doctrines (1 Tim. 4:1), who usher people onto the broad road to hell (Matt. 7:13). Pastors and elders must warn their flocks against them. Any deviation from the true doctrine of Christ is to be avoided (2 John 9–11).

Though the false teachers prided themselves on their supposed righteousness, they were in reality evil workers. Typically, those involved in external, ritualistic, ceremonial religions see themselves as doing good and pleasing God. Paul himself was once proud of “advancing in Judaism beyond many of [his] contemporaries among [his] countrymen, being more extremely zealous for [his] ancestral traditions” (Gal. 1:14). After his conversion, the apostle realized that all his good works were worthless: “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7–8). Instead of seeing himself as doing good in God’s sight, Paul, at the end of his ministry, felt that he was in fact the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15–16).

Only believers controlled by the Holy Spirit can do genuine good works (Eph. 2:10; Col. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:21; 3:17;Titus 2:14). Unbelievers can do bad things for bad reasons. They can also do good things, but only out of selfish pride, not for God’s glory. Only the redeemed can do good deeds motivated by a desire to glorify God. The false teachers plaguing the Philippians saw themselves as pleasing God, earning His favor (and their salvation) through their zeal for the Law. But Paul exposed them for the prideful evil workers that they were.

By describing them as the false circumcision, Paul clearly identified these false teachers as his perennial opponents, the Judaizers. Those Jewish legalists denied the gospel of grace, teaching that circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses were necessary for salvation (Acts 15:1). The Jerusalem Council condemned their heretical teachings (Acts 15:1–29), as did Paul (e.g., Gal. 1:6–9; 2:16–21; 3:2–14, 22–25; 5:1–4, 11–14). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

Circumcision has always been essential to the Jewish people, since it is the distinguishing mark of God’s covenant with their forefather, Abraham (Gen. 17:11; Acts 7:8). So closely did they identify with circumcision that they referred to fellow Jews as the circumcision or the circumcised (Acts 10:45; 11:2; Rom. 15:8; Gal. 2:7; Eph. 2:11; Col. 3:11; 4:11; Titus 1:10), and to Gentiles as the uncircumcision or the uncircumcised (Judg. 14:3; 15:18; 1 Sam. 14:6; 17:26; 31:4; 2 Sam. 1:20; Acts 11:3; Gal. 2:7–9; Eph. 2:11; Col. 3:11). In obedience to God’s command, every Jewish boy was (and is) circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (Gen. 17:12; Lev. 12:3). Circumcision was so significant that uncircumcised Jewish males were to be cut off from the covenant community (Gen. 17:14). Although circumcision has through the centuries provided protection from some diseases, that was not God’s primary purpose in ordaining it. Circumcision graphically illustrated man’s depravity, which is nowhere more manifest than in the procreative act, because it is then that the sin nature is passed on to a new generation (Ps. 51:5; 58:3). Circumcision was a symbol, picturing man’s need to be cleansed from sin at the deepest root of his being. The bloodshed involved in the physical act of circumcision could symbolize the need for a sacrifice to accomplish that cleansing.

Like baptism in the New Covenant, circumcision was to reflect an inward reality. God commanded the Israelites, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your heart” (Jer. 4:4; cf. 9:26; Lev. 26:41; Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Ezek. 44:7, 9). Sadly, by Paul’s day circumcision had become a mere outward ritual, bereft of its intended spiritual significance:

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. (Rom. 2:25–29)

The Jewish people zealously observed outward religious ceremonies, but their hearts had become so detached from God that their “circumcision [had] become uncircumcision.” In other words, the symbol isolated from the reality is meaningless. Then Paul added, “He who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?” God, the apostle declared, prefers uncircumcised but obedient Gentiles to circumcised but disobedient Jews. True “circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit.” No ritual—not circumcision, baptism, communion, or any other—can transform the heart. And only those with transformed hearts can please God.

The Judaizers viewed themselves as set apart to God, and their circumcision as emblematic of that reality. But theirs was a false circumcision. Katatom (false circumcision) literally means “mutilation”; the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) used the related verb katatemn to describe pagan religious mutilation in Leviticus 21:5 and 1 Kings 18:28. The apostle’s indictment of the Judaizers is shocking. Because it did not reflect a cleansed heart, their circumcision was as meaningless as the ritual mutilation in pagan religions.

In Galatians 5:12 Paul expressed that very truth even more forcefully: “I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.” Apokopt (“mutilate”) is an even stronger term than katatom. In its other New Testament uses it is translated “cut off” or “cut away” (Mark 9:43, 45; John 18:10, 26; Acts 27:32). But in extra-biblical Greek literature, apokopt was also used of castration (Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, 1979], 93), and that is the sense in which Paul used it in Galatians. The apostle’s point is that if the Judaizers believed that the mere outward ritual of circumcision pleases God, why did they not take that devotion to its ultimate extreme and castrate themselves?

Circumcision (or any external ritual or ceremony) is meaningless if it does not reflect a transformed heart. Those who teach otherwise are not praiseworthy religious people doing their best to please God. They are purveyors of demon doctrines (1 Tim. 4:1), who hold “to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Believers are to “avoid such men as these” (2 Tim. 3:5).

Unlike the Judaizers, the katatom, the false circumcision, believers are the peritom, the true circumcision. They have an inward spiritual cleansing, not a meaningless outward mark. Three explicit qualities in verse 3 identify believers as the true circumcision.

TRUE BELIEVERS WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT

who worship in the Spirit of God (3:3a)

The first quality of a genuine believer is a heart that overflows with worship. The origin of that worship is supernatural, since the Spirit of God generates it. It involves adoration and praise to God, and transcends outward rituals or ceremonies. Humans are inveterate worshipers. But worship prompted by culture, tradition, guilt, fear, desire for acceptance and popularity, or to gain blessings is unacceptable to God. The indwelling Holy Spirit prompts true and acceptable worship out of love for the Lord. Since He only indwells Christians (Rom. 8:9), only they can truly worship their Savior.

Speaking to a Samaritan woman (John 4:1–26), Jesus clearly defined true and acceptable worship. Shocked by His omniscient exposure of her dissolute life (vv. 16–18), she tried to change the subject: “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (vv. 19–20). In response Jesus declared, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (v. 21). True worship takes place in the heart, not at a sacred location.

The Lord then revealed a second truth about true worship: “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (v. 22). Acceptable worship is based on the truths of salvation revealed in the Scriptures, which were given to the Jewish people (Rom. 3:2). It is not to be performed according to the whims of the worshipers. Then Jesus gave the clearest definition of worship in all of Scripture: “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (vv. 23–24). The twice-repeated phrase “in spirit and truth” defines the essence of true worship.

God saved believers to worship Him. It is those “true worshipers [who] worship the Father in spirit and truth” that “the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” True Christians are those who worship God from the heart in obedience to His Word. In Psalm 29:2 David exhorts, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in holy array.” Psalm 95:6 adds, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Worship is mankind’s highest duty; in the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Latreu (worship) might best be translated “to render respectful spiritual service.” True worship goes beyond praising God, singing hymns, or participating in a worship service. The essence of worship is living a life of obedient service to God. “Do not neglect doing good and sharing,” exhorts the writer of Hebrews, “for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb. 13:16). True worship involves every aspect of life.

Several characteristics mark true worshipers. First, they love God. That is in stark contrast to unbelievers, who hate Him. Jesus declared in John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” In Romans 1:30 Paul describes unbelievers as “haters of God” (cf. Num. 10:35; Deut. 7:10; 2 Chron. 19:2; Ps. 81:15; John 15:23–24), while in Romans 8:7 the apostle points out that “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.” Christians’ love for God will never be perfect in this world, but it will always be there.

Because true worshipers love God, they find in Him their source of joy and delight. They acknowledge that “the joy of the Lord is [their] strength” (Neh. 8:10). They “sing for joy in the Lord” (Ps. 33:1; cf. Pss. 84:2; 92:4; 95:1; 98:4), because they are filled “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6; cf. Rom. 14:17). Like the psalmist, they find in “God [their] exceeding joy” (Ps. 43:4). True worshipers “delight to revere [His] name” (Neh. 1:11), and heed David’s exhortation, “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Ps. 37:4). The contemplation of God’s glory and majesty, and what He has done in their lives, is their supreme joy and delight.

True worshipers also have a confident trust in God that produces peace. That peace is based not on their circumstances, but on their relationship with God. They can exclaim with the psalmists, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1); and “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth” (Ps. 73:25). This “peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7) comes only to those who “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

True worship is in the power of the Spirit of God, because only He can produce the love, joy, and peace that characterize true worshipers (cf. Gal. 5:22). Those who worship in the flesh “draw near with their words and honor [God] with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from [Him], and their reverence for [Him] consists of tradition learned by rote” (Isa. 29:13).

True worshipers are devoted to God; He has no rival for their affection. They “worship the Lord [their] God, and serve Him only” (Matt. 4:10), knowing that He “will not give [His] glory to another” (Isa. 42:8; 48:11). They affirm Jesus’ declaration that “he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37). Holding nothing back, they “present [their] bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is [their] spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1).

True Christians are not simply marked by attending church or performing religious duties, but by a worshiping heart.

TRUE WORSHIPERS GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS

and glory in Christ Jesus (3:3b)

Kauchaomai (glory) describes boasting with exultant joy about what a person is most proud of. It is a favorite term of Paul’s; thirty-five of its thirty-seven appearances in the New Testament are in his epistles. It can be used in a negative sense to describe proud, inappropriate boasting (e.g., Rom. 2:17, 23; Gal. 6:13). Kauchaomai is also used, however, to describe believers’ joyful exulting in Christ (e.g., Rom. 5:2, 11; 1 Cor. 1:31; Gal. 6:14), as it is here. True Christians give the credit for all that they are and have to the Lord Jesus Christ. With Paul they declare, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10; cf. Phil. 3:8–9) and “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God” (Rom. 15:17). They obey the biblical injunction “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31;2 Cor. 10:17;cf. Pss. 20:7;34:2;Jer. 9:23–24;Gal. 6:14).

In contrast, false believers “boast according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 11:18), believing that their good works and religious activities earn them favor with God. But salvation is “by grace . . . through faith; . . . it is the gift of God”; it is “not . . . a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9; cf. Rom. 3:27). It was the biblical truth that sinful men can do nothing to merit salvation that led the Reformers to teach that salvation is sola fide (by faith alone) and sola gratia (by grace alone). Those who think they can earn God’s grace by their own works give evidence that they lack saving faith.

TRUE WORSHIPERS PUT NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH

and put no confidence in the flesh, (3:3c)

The flesh represents man’s fallen, unredeemed humanness; it pictures human ability apart from God. Unlike the “many [who] boast according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 11:18), true Christians put no confidence in it. They understand that “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63), and agree with Paul’s declaration, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18). Because it is fallen and unredeemed, the flesh cannot do anything to please God; it serves only the law of sin (v. 25). Therefore, it is a distinguishing characteristic of the redeemed that they “do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (8:4), because “the mind set on the flesh is death” (v. 6; cf. v. 13) and “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (v. 8).

Because of the pervasive influence of the sinful flesh (what theologians call total depravity), no one can in any way merit salvation. It is only those who turn from sinful self-efforts and embrace the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone who are saved. That marks the genuine repentance that is a necessary element of saving faith (cf. Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10; 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10; 2 Tim. 2:25; 2 Peter 3:9). True repentance involves sorrow over the evil of sinful deeds; false repentance involves only sorrow over their harmful consequences. False repentance concerns itself with conduct; true repentance with man’s inner condition. False repentance deals with the symptoms; true repentance with the disease. Only true repentance, which puts no confidence in the flesh, leads to salvation.