“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers,
beware of the false circumcision.”
– Philippians 3:2
Paul’s struggle was with the Judaizers, who were very powerful religious dogs. Though they used the Scriptures, through their teaching they brought people away from Christ. They did this by mixing nonessentials with essentials. They might have said, “Yes, we need Christ, but we also need the Sabbath. Jesus is the Lord, but we also need to be circumcised.” Christ became of no benefit to those who received such teachings and practices (cf. Rom. 4:14; Gal. 5:2–4). Any practice we carry out apart from Christ is a mutilation dividing us from Christ. One of Satan’s strategies is to offer us teachings and practices as a substitute for seeking and following Christ (John 5:39–40).
Adapted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ, by Titus Chu, pages 182-183.
Tomorrow: Teachings and Practices (5)
