False Gospels - [Philippians 3:1-3]

John Knox, one of the men of God that is known for his boldness used to say I never feared the devil but I always trembled when I stood behind the pulpit. So before we come to the Word of the Lord let us let us come to the Lord of the Word.

Father we we want you to be honored. We are grateful for how you revealed yourself to us through your precious Word and Father work in our hearts and our minds that we may bring all our minds and hearts into submission to you so that we may treasure the word as we are supposed to for what it is and it is indeed a treasure.

So Father we want you to be honored today whether it's through the proclamation of your word or whether it's through the preacher or whether it is through the hearer. Father we want you to be glorified as we hear your word and as we become doers of your word as well.

So Father in this time help us to focus help us to to just understand what you would want us to understand from your word. We want you to be glorified in Christ's name. Amen. An old Latin proverb says praemonitus praemonitus meaning being forewarned is being forearmed and I think there is a lot of truth in that old Latin proverb isn't there?

I mean warnings are helpful in many ways. They do forearm us. They equip us in a sense they protect us. We are taught from a very young age and we teach our children from a very young age to heed warnings.

We teach them some important warnings. Do not touch the stove. Do not play with the fire. Do not talk to the strangers. Do not eat stuff from underneath the sink right. Millions of people have lived because they heeded.

They have taken some warnings seriously. Fire alarms warnings have saved lives. Hazardous substances warnings have saved lives. Weather warnings have saved lives. And yet at the same time millions thousands probably millions of people have died or at least have hurt themselves seriously because they ignored warnings.

They drive when they're drunk. They go where they're not supposed to go. They eat or use what they're not supposed to eat or use. They walk across the busy street with their noses stuck in their phones.

You can google a bunch of videos of people getting into different accidents because they are staring at their phone as Bonnie Miller one of the persons that walked into the pier into Lake Michigan because watching staring at I think her phone and needed to be rescued by life cards.

In 2006 five two hundred and fifty people were seriously injured and ended up in emergency rooms because of staring at the phone accidents. One year later 500 people in 2008 over 1 ,000 people and who knows how many.

Today a good warning warns and when heated when taken seriously in a sense becomes a source of security for us. A good warning safeguards us protects us. And it becomes a source of security. And in a sense not directly but indirectly it becomes a source of joy as it allows you to avoid something harmful or injurious.

Because next to the warning the other side of the warning is something that is true. The warning is trying to warn you against. And yet the opposite of the warning is something that allows you to walk in safety and security.

The Warning Against Counterfeit Christianity in Philippians 3:1-3

So in our passage today Paul is warning the Philippians. So please open your Bibles to Paul's letter to Philippians chapter 3. We're going to be reading and studying verses 1 through 3. So what Paul is doing in the letter to Philippians.

It's a dear church of Paul's. It's one of the warmest letters we can find in the New Testament that Paul has written. It's a precious church he planted during his secondary. The second mission trip is the church that he thanks God for because they've been partnering in the gospel with him.

They have not been. They were not a rich church and yet they participated. They would send gifts to him. They would they would be partners in the gospel. But as he begins chapter 3 Paul begins to warn the Philippians.

He begins to warn them because as much as they were a good church and he was thankful for them the danger was real. They were in danger of being influenced by false type of the gospel of Christianity.

They were in danger of being influenced by a counterfeit Christianity. So Paul is writing in chapter 3 a warning a very serious one. Actually if we think about it is one of the most serious warnings in life.

There is nothing more serious than the warning that Paul is making in Philippians chapter 3 verses 1 through 3. And that is the warning against counterfeit version of Christianity. Because if we get the gospel wrong we get eternity wrong.

This is a very serious warning that Paul is going to write about. He's going to warn them against false version of Christianity that leads people to eternal death in hell. And at the same time he is going to reassure the Philippians about the true version of Christianity.

And he's going to stir up and motivate their hearts to rejoice in the Lord. So he's going to contrast the false and counterfeit version of Christianity with the real thing. And he's going to encourage their hearts.

He's going to do that because he knows that this warning and this reassurance are essential to safeguard their souls and fuel their joy in the Lord. So we're going to look at Philippians chapter 3 verses 1 through 3.

Finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and it is safe for you. Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evildoers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

For we are the circumcision. We who worship by the Spirit of God and we who glory in Christ Jesus. And we who put no confidence in the flesh. So as we as we're going to look at this passage it's it's in verse 2 comes the warning.

In verse 3 comes the reassurance that we're going to look at. But in verse 1 comes the framework framework in which Paul places these verses. Not only these verses but really all of chapter 3. Verse 1 gives us the background the main idea why Paul is going to write what he's going to write.

It gives us a framework for what he is going to talk about and why he's going to say what he is going to say. He begins verse 1 with saying finally my brothers this is kind of a confusing word depending on your translation in ESV it says finally.

It is a confusing one because it sounds like he's going to end his letter soon. But he goes for two chapters. So really the word finally here functions grammatically as a as a breaker as a paragraph breaker.

It really can be translated as then as for what remains for what remains dear Philippians this is what I want you to know to proceed. In other words as I'm going to proceed farther or for the remainder of what's remaining to be said I want you to focus on this.

And this is what he says. So finally as for what remains dear Philippians I want you to rejoice in the Lord. I want you to rejoice in the Lord. And the theme of joy. Of course you're probably familiar with this.

The theme of joy is permeating this letter this epistle. It's it's coming out of the epistles. It's like the the golden thread that holds the epistle together. And so Paul in chapter 1 in verse 4 he speaks about himself praying for the Philippians with joy.

In verse 25 of chapter 1 Paul is speaking about himself striving for the joy of the Philippians. He is expressing his desire for them to rejoice to have joy. In chapter 1 verse 18 Paul is assuring them that although he is in prison he rejoices he has joy.

And in verse in verse 17 of chapter 2 he says. Even though his life is being poured out as an offering he assures them of his joy. In verse 18 of chapter 2 he expressed his desire for the Philippians to be joyful as well as he is joyful.

And then at the end of chapter 2 verses 28 and 29 even as they receive Epaphroditus the minister that was sent from Philippi to serve Paul as they receive him back from the mission trip he wants them to rejoice.

And then we come to chapter 3 verse 1 and he makes it very clear and direct. For the first time in this epistle as a command he says. Rejoice in the Lord. I call you I commend you I expect from you you must rejoice.

And for the first time in the epistle it shows up with a qualifier. So when I think about rejoicing dear Philippians I think about your joy in the Lord. It is a specific type of joy. So for the first time it appears with this qualifier in the Lord.

In other words it is the Lord Jesus Christ that in Paul's mind is the occasion. He's the source and he is the reason for joy. For true Christian joy for true lasting joy even in the face of severe circumstances such as his own as he was writing from the prison Paul will repeat this command to rejoice with double force in chapter 4 verse 4 rejoice in the Lord always I repeat rejoice.

So such joy the joy that Paul wants to speak about he commands them to to have is a joy independent of adverse circumstances because it is a joy that is not placed in the circumstances. It is the joy that is placed in the unchanging reality of the work and person of Jesus Christ.

Alistair Begg said joy is the rational state of the Christian in view of his spiritual position in Christ. It is the rational state of the Christian in view of his spiritual position in Christ. Therefore Paul can write and command the Philippians rejoice in the Lord.

So since this joy is sourced in Christ Christ is the reason and source of this joy. Of course it is dependent on a person being in Christ. You cannot rejoice in the Lord. If you are not in the Lord you may not.

You cannot rejoice in the Lord if you're not Lord's if you don't know the Lord. Therefore Paul is going to focus on Christ and he is going to focus on the doctrine of salvation in chapter 3. This is largely what the focus of chapter 3 is.

It is the most doctrinal chapter of the letter to Philippians. And yet it is placed in the framework of rejoicing in the Lord. Isn't that interesting that the experience of joy in the life of a Christian is directly related to the doctrinal truths that Paul is going to explain in regards to salvation how theology fuels our joy in the Lord.

So Paul this is what he's going to focus on. He's going to focus on the doctrine of salvation. It is a chapter about joy inspiring truths of Christianity. In other words as Paul is writing in the framework of joy he is going to write about joy inspiring truths of Christianity.

You see they already heard and knew these truths from Paul but he desired to remind them of them. Because as we continue in verse 1 he says to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and it is safe for you.

So Paul is really writing something they had already known they had already heard. But as a good shepherd Paul knew that good warning is needed as it would safeguard their soul. And good reassurance is needed as it would fuel their joy.

They needed the reminders. And so do we my father often used to say our memory is good. It's just very short. And so Paul is going to write something they had already known they've heard before and yet it's gonna safeguard their souls.

I think of Apostle Peter in first Peter chapter 1 verse 12 he says I'm not I'm not tired of reminding you over and over again of these truths. You need to be reminded. So this is what Paul is going to do.

The Judaizers’ False Gospel of Ethnic Pride, Works, and Ritual

So what follows is the warning in verse 2 and the reassurance of the real thing in verse 3. And we need to pay attention because this is the most important warning we can hear. It's the warning against counterfeit Christianity.

Beware of counterfeit Christianity. Verse 2. Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evildoers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. Beware. Beware. Beware. Paul says three times. The triple repetition underscores the urgency and severity of this warning.

It's interesting because Paul explodes with this harsh language for the first time in this very warm and friendly letter when he thinks about those who undermine the gospel when you think about how Paul begins his letters his epistles in the New Testament.

What what is it that he always does in the beginning of each epistle he thanks God for the churches even for the church in Corinth the church that was so full of problems of divisions because they were arguing who's better.

Because they have a better teacher divisions over how spiritual they would consider themselves to be. And yet Paul thanks God for the work of grace among them. There is one epistle in the New Testament Paul never thanks for that church.

And that is the letter to Galatians. Why is Paul not thanking God for the Galatians. Because the gospel was undermined in the church in Galatia. You foolish Galatians you are so easily deceived by a different gospel.

And there is no different gospel. And if anyone preaches a different gospel he should be accursed. That's how important the gospel is for Paul. So he explodes with this harsh language. Look out for dogs evildoers those who mutilate the flesh.

And he uses this very harsh language. And the warning was against the Judaizers. When we read it we see dogs evildoers and those who mutilate the flesh. And we don't really know who is it who is it that he's talking about.

But as we study this passage and the vocabulary that Paul is using there is certain reality of what these people believe believed and proclaimed that is hidden behind the vocabulary that Paul is using here.

So the warning is really against the Judaizers a specific group of people that were spreading a counterfeit version of Christianity. See in the early church it was those who taught a combination of God's grace and human effort is necessary for one's right standing before God.

If you want to be saved of course it is by grace of God but is also by your own effort. It is a doctrine not strange for us today. Although we may not experience Judaizers so much today we experience this doctrine in Roman Catholicism.

We experience it really in every religion in the world where the key for one's salvation is always one's effort and confidence in self. And this is what Judaizers were about. They were specifically calling Christians to conform to the Mosaic law of the Old Testament of Judaism.

Circumcision especially was promoted as necessary for salvation. The act of circumcision. Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes first and then they could come to Christ according to the Judaizers. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace.

Of course salvation was through Christ but it was a mixture of works because salvation in the end came through observing of the law. And this false doctrine was dealt with in Acts 15 at Jerusalem Council.

But it never stopped. Judaizers went after Paul. They went into the churches which he planted and they were trying to influence the people and say this Paul you cannot listen to him. You have to conform to the to the expectations of the Mosaic law and Judaism.

So Judaizers held that there must be something we can do to earn grace to earn the right standing before God. And the infiltrated churches and the infiltrated churches in Galatia. But the church in Philippi apparently was in danger.

Maybe Paul was expecting that Judaizers are going to show up soon in the church in Philippi. So he's warning them. And he just does not want to just call them names dogs evildoers mutilators of the flesh.

He is actually identifying what is it what is the characteristic of the counterfeit of the falsehood that stands behind their version of Christianity. So each of these terms carries a specific meaning.

So first he says I want to warn you be aware of the dogs. Beware of the dogs. Look out for the dogs. In other words what Paul is saying here beware of those who put confidence in their ethnic belonging.

Beware of dogs. Dogs back then was a derogatory term used by Judaizers in regards to Gentiles. You see Jews in general they viewed Gentiles as unclean dogs. It was very common for the Jews to do that.

They thought of themselves as superior because they were Jews. Because they had ceremonial laws they were given the law. They were given the laws about clean and unclean foods about purification rituals.

So they looked at Gentiles who didn't follow those laws about clean unclean animals and and rituals purifying rituals. So they were looking at them and they saw them as completely unclean people. And the closest image to uncleanness that they had was a dog.

So for a Jew a dog was was was not a nice thing. It was not a house animal house pet dogs were savage animals walking on the streets dirty. It's it's as Peter says in 2nd Peter 2 22 hours. Proverbs 26 11 dog is the one that goes back to its own vomit.

That's the picture of dogs that the Jews would have. And as they were thinking about the Gentiles they would call them dogs. They would refer to them as dogs as being unclean. So underneath the surface was their ethnic pride.

We belong to the clean people and everyone else are dogs. But Paul what Paul does here and what he will do with the other warnings the two remaining warnings he really he turns the table and he uses the derogatory terms that would be used by the Jews.

And he uses it against them against the Judaizers specifically against those who are spreading the false gospel. So he turns the table and he calls them dogs. In other words he's saying by claiming that you are clean on the basis of your belonging to an ethnic group you are the ones who are in fact unclean.

You are the dogs especially as you go around and you devour the Christians from the churches and you try to deceive them. You in fact are the savage unclean animals that seek to destroy true faith. As Paul says in Romans chapter 10 verses 12 and 13 no distinction is made between Jew and Greek.

For the same Lord is Lord of all abounding in riches for all who call upon him. For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

So he's using his turning tables and he's calling them dogs. And in fact he's saying you are unclean if you walk around and you tell people that real confidence for the right standing before God lays in ones belonging to a group.

But then he says beware of the evil workers. Beware of the evildoers. Look out for them. And really what he's saying here he's saying beware of those who put confidence in their works and their deeds and their performance.

Because these men Judaizers they boasted in their works they thought that they were workers of the law because they had the law and they observed the law. So they thought of themselves as we are workers of good works.

They prided themselves in being obedient to the law. Probably like Paul himself in chapter 3 when he refers to his past. And then in verse 6 Paul says so once I put confidence in in the flesh right. And then he says us to zeal I was a persecutor of the church and us to righteousness under the law I was blameless.

That's probably what they were thinking about themselves. We are the observers of the law. We are blameless when it comes to fulfilling and performing in good works. So Paul turns the table again and he says in fact you are evil.

You are evildoers and evil workers. And he's using a very harsh language here they were forcing Old Testament laws upon the Gentiles because they took pride in their own achievements and trusted in good deeds.

In good deeds as the means of making themselves right before God. And Paul using irony he says when you do that when you are telling people they have to be good in order to be saved they have to place confidence in their own performance.

When you do that you are in fact doing nothing good. You are in fact a worker of evil. You nullify the grace of God and deceive people to doing the same. As Paul said in Galatians chapter 2 verse 21 I do not nullify the grace of God.

For if righteousness were through the law then Christ died for no purpose. And then the third warning is beware of mutilation. Look out for the mutilators of the flesh. Really what he's saying here. Beware.

Look out for those who put confidence in the religious ritual. Beware of those who put confidence in their belonging. Beware. Look out for the version of Christianity that puts confidence in one's works.

And beware of those who put confidence in religious rituals. Really what he's saying here. This this. Here comes the final slap on this on the Judaizers. Paul calls them mutilate mutilators. And Paul uses a play on words here.

It sounds kind of good in Greek and I'm sorry pastor Harry for butchering Greek. But in Greek circumcision is peritome and mutilation is katatome. So what he's doing. He's using a play on words here you think you are peritome but really you are only katatome.

You think you are actually by performing the right of circumcision you are now making yourself saved and right before God where in fact all that you're doing is you're mutilating the flesh. This is a word that is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament the Septuagint in reference to the pagan priests of Baal in Elijah's day.

You might remember the story those priests who were in in this religious frenzy they were cutting themselves. That's in first Kings chapter 18 verses 23 to 29. Just listen to these to this passage. Please first Kings 18 23 29.

Let the bulls be given to us and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and laid on the wood but put no fire to it and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.

So what happens is that Elijah is challenging the priests of Baal on the Mount Carmel. Let's see whose God is the true God and so they're making an altar and whose God is going to bring fire on the altar.

And you call upon the name of your God and I will call upon the name of the Lord. And the God who answers by fire he is God. And all the people answered it is well spoken. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal choose for yourself one bull and prepare it first for you are many and call upon the name of your God but put no fire to it.

And they took the bull that was given them and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon saying O Baal answer us. But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.

And at noon Elijah mocked them saying cry aloud for he is a God either he is musing or he is relieving himself or he is on a journey or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. And so they cried aloud and they cut themselves.

And this is the word that is translated as mutilate. They cut themselves after their custom with swords and lenses until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation.

But there was no voice no one answered no one paid attention. Is it possible that this is what Paul has in mind when he's using this word. And we know that the New Testament authors they actually use Septuagint for the most part the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Is it possible. This is what he has in mind when he turns the table and calls the Judaizers those who put confidence in rituals religious rituals. And he thinks it is just as foolish as the priests of Baal cutting themselves and the gushing of blood.

But no one answered no one heard no one paid attention. It is a counterfeit version of Christianity that puts confidence in religious ritual. So the false teachers in other words were mutilating people through their emphasis on circumcision.

They wrongly thought that the ritual of removing a male foreskin somehow gained them favor with God. But as Paul argues in Romans 4 even Abraham to whom God first gave the right of circumcision was not made right with God because of circumcision but was made right with God through faith.

So in summary these men and the counterfeit Christianity that Paul is painting for us here these men that they were spreading the counterfeit Christianity that they were spreading was based on confidence in self confidence in your own abilities your own belonging your your works and your rituals.

That's a very good warning for us today isn't it. It is so such a big part of our nature to put confidence in our own self. Beware of confidence in your belonging. Look out for confidence in your works.

Look out for confidence in religious rituals. You see none of those things in and of themselves that Judaizers were committed to. They were not wrong. There was nothing wrong with circumcision. There was nothing wrong with observing Old Testament laws.

What was wrong is placing confidence for those things for one's right standing before God. So beware of thinking highly of yourself because of the family you come from. I mean how easy it is for us to have a false sense of security because of our sense of belonging the family I come from the church I grew up with in and put confidence in our own belonging.

How beware we have to be of taking pride in our own works. How often. How easy it is for us to take pride in how different we are from those people from those outside of here. And forget that we are who we are only by the grace of God.

How easy it is for us to fall into that same mistake of putting confidence in our performance in our works. Beware of thinking that your religious ritual makes you Christian. That your baptism your communion or attending church makes you a Christian.

It does not. None of the rituals non works non belonging makes anyone a person that has the right standing before God. Beware of a version of Christianity that places confidence for one's right standing before God in self counterfeit Christianity puts confidence in self and placing confidence in yourself for your salvation.

It's like trying to jump over Grand Canyon on your own strength. Or is it like trying to swim across the Atlantic on your own strength. What is it like like trying to plan your own birth which Lord Jesus Christ refers to when he speaks to Nicodemus when he speaks unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

There is a painter John Sargent American painter. He painted a beautiful picture of roses considered one of his beautiful beautiful works most beautiful works. But he would not sell it. He was offered huge money for that.

He would never sell it. And once asked why he explained I put it in my workshop. And every time I lose motivation for painting I look at my own work and I think to myself. I painted that I painted that and I regain confidence and motivation.

You see when it comes to our salvation there is nothing in our life that comes from ourselves from our own performance that we can look with pride and say I did that I did that it's gonna keep me safe.

The True Circumcision: Worship by the Spirit, Boasting in Christ, and No Confidence in the Flesh

After the warning comes the reassurance. After the warning comes the reassurance that is supposed to fuel their joy in the Lord. You see everything the warning that comes before the counterfeit Christianity that there is nothing no confidence we can place in self.

No confidence we can place in belonging in ritual or in our works is a bad news for us because there is nothing you can do to be safe but is also a great news isn't it. It is good news because if we are honest with ourselves we know that we are sinners we fall short of the glory of God.

We continually continually are enslaved to our own sins. We cannot overcome them. So it is a good news for us that salvation is the work of God's grace on our behalf for us that the one who knew no sin God made sin for us so that in him we may become the righteousness of God.

It is the bad news on one side but is a wonderful on the other side. Because no matter how how despaired you might be at the thought of your own sinfulness it is probably the work of the Holy Spirit that's bringing you to the conviction of your own sin.

And there is a great great joy and a great relief in the fact that there's no amount of sin that can nullify the grace of God. It is a great joy. There is no sinner too great for the grace of God as Richard Sibbes used to say there is more grace than there is sin.

Or I'm a great Savior. I'm a great sinner but I have a great Savior. Well so Paul goes to reassuring or fueling their joy. So in verse 3 we see the reassurance. Paul begins by saying because we are the circumcision.

For we are the circumcision. We who worship we who glory. We who put no confidence we are that circumcision. There is nothing that we're lacking. This is what Paul is trying to say. There is nothing that we are lacking.

We those who come to Christ you the Philippians and us with you. There is nothing that we're lacking to be the people of God. We are the people of God. We are the circumcision. Paul is referring to the same truth he spoke about in Colossians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11 where Paul says in him in Christ you have been made complete and he is the head over all the rule and authority.

And in him in Christ you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in the renewal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. It is the circumcision of the heart that Paul is speaking about.

It is the circumcision of the heart that even the Old Testament spoke about in Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 16 in Leviticus chapter 26 41 in Jeremiah 4 4 in Jeremiah 9 25 in Ezekiel 44 it is the circumcision is a transforming of one's heart.

Physical circumcision identified people ethnically with the people of of Israel with the nation of God. But spiritual circumcision is what identifies people with the people of God spiritually. So Paul says we are the true circumcision.

He is saying we are the people of God. Who is it that in Paul's mind is the people of God. Next three phrases describe who the people of God are in Paul's mind who are the true Christians. So the first point that he makes we are the true circumcision those who worship by the Spirit of God.

Really what he's saying here is that true men of God true men and women of God a true believer. The real thing the true Christianity is the one that realizes that worship comes by divine enablement. We who worship by the Spirit of God.

The term worship the term of service really echoes the Old Testament language of the temple service in the Old Testament and the Septuagint again in the in the Greek translation it denotes the service rendered to God by Israel as his people.

Here what Paul is doing he identifies the Gentile believers are servants and worshippers of God not by mere outward observance of rituals by but by inward work of the Spirit in them. What he's saying the true worship the true men and women of God they worship by the Spirit of God.

It's a worship that's internal not merely external. Jesus said in the Gospel of John chapter 4 verse 24. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. True worship in other words is an inner sense of awe is an awakening of one's heart to see and love the things of God.

It is the inner sense of gratitude is the inner sense of love for God that stems from an understanding of who God is and who we are in his presence. The false teachers were making worship a matter of outward ritual.

But Paul is saying that true Christianity is marked by inner worship prompted by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is awakened by the Spirit of God God so he takes the credit. It is worship by divine enablement.

It is service by divine enablement. It is the Spirit of God that works submission in the heart of a believer so that he may bow before God caught up in love and praise giving all glory to him for his great salvation loving holy things which he once hated and hating evil things which he once loved.

It is this worship and service to God by divine enablement. If there is a worship that is that the whole life is marked by it is worship that permeates through one's whole life not only when he's in the temple or when he's in church but his worship.

It's an attitude of worship that comes from the heart whether it's at work whether it's at home whether it's with the family whether it's with on the freeway whether it's in a traffic jam whether it's in sickness in health.

It is service worship inner by divine enablement. And the one who realizes that he worships and serves God awakened and enabled by the Spirit of God is the true man of God that my service and my worship are only possible because of the work of the Spirit of God in me so he takes all the credit.

There's no room for confidence in self. And then secondly we are the true circumcision who glory in Christ. In other words what Paul is saying. Those who glory not only in divine enablement by the Spirit of God but glory in divine person.

These men they gloried in themselves and their works and their observance of law of the law. But through Christianity glories in Christ. First Corinthians chapter 1 verses 28 through 31 Paul writes. No human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him you are in Christ Jesus Christ Jesus who became for us to us a wisdom from God righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

So that as it is written let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. So true Christianity is marked by one's glory in divine person in Christ. We who glory in Christ are the true circumcision. Authentic Christianity underscores and understands one's spiritual bankruptcy.