THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS

From Beatings to Imprisonment: A Study in Joy | Lesson 3

1. Read Philippians 3:1. What is Paul telling the Philippians to do? 2. What do you think is meant by For me to write the same things? 3. Who are the dogs in verse 2? 4. What is meant by beware the mutilation? 5. How does Paul define true circumcision in verse 3? 6. What is Paul saying in verse 4?
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7. What if, were his qualifications to boast in the flesh? Verses 5,6? 8. Why does Paul count them as loss? Verse 7 9. What else does Paul count as loss? Verse 8 10. What does Paul expose in verse 9? 11. Why does Paul suffer the loss of all things? 12. Read verses 10,11 What does knowing Jesus mean? 13. What is the fellowship of His sufferings? 14. How does Paul express his maturity in Christ in verses 12,14? 15. What can we learn about pressing on? 16. Why do think Paul stress to forget the things that are behind us? 17. What is the prize that we should run for?
Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3
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18. What promise is given in verses 15,16? 19. What warning is given? 20. Do you think Paul is being egotistical in verse 17? 21. Who are the enemies of the cross? Verses 18,19 22. Why does Paul remind the Philippians of their citizenship? Verse 20

23. What does Paul say that would have been considered seditious?

24. What is the work of our Savior? Verse 21

Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3

1. Read Philippians 3:1. What is Paul telling the Philippians to do? To rejoice in the Lord. To be always happy, but to let that happiness be derived from the Lord. Matthew Henry writes: It is the character and temper of sincere Christians to rejoice in Christ Jesus.

The more we take of the comfort of our religion the more closely we shall cleave to it: the more we rejoice in Christ the more willing we shall be to do and suffer for him, and the less danger we shalt be in of being drawn away from him. The joy of the Lord is our strength
2. What do you think is meant by For me to write the same things? People need to be reminded of Gods truths. It keeps them safe. Paul is stating that he realizes that that it is natural for people to want to hear something new. Paul in fact, is giving them a warning of false teachers of the gospel. 3. Who are the dogs in verse 2? Paul is calling Jewish non-believers dogs. The Jews called Gentiles dogs. They called them dogs because the Gentiles were not included in the old covenant. Now the Gentiles were in the New Covenant, and not the Jews. Dogs were seen as scavengers and the term became used commonly for people with impure minds. 4. What is meant by beware the mutilation? The mutilation is referring to Jews that desired to reinstate Jewish practices necessary for salvation. Paul is being very sarcastic in his use of this term, which means to cut. By doing so, he suggests that these people do not even understand the truth about the Old Testament. practice of circumcision.. 5. How does Paul define true circumcision in verse 3? Paul defines the true circumcision by those that worship God in the Spirit and not in the flesh as the legalists of his day would. The true circumcised are the ones who have no confidence in the flesh. They do not trust in their own ability to be righteous before God through external works, but their only confidence is in Jesus. 6. What is Paul saying in verse 4? Paul knows that he was more qualified to be justified by the keeping of the law than any of his present legalistic opponents were. The apostle here proposes himself for an example of trusting in Christ only, and not in his privileges as an Israelite. 7.

What if, were his qualifications to boast in the flesh? Verses 5,6?
Paul first lists four things that were his possessions by birth.

i. Paul was circumcised the eighth day in accordance with Leviticus 12:3. ii. Paul was of the stock of Israel, a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and an heir to Gods covenant with them. iii. Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, a distinguished tribe. Benjamin was distinguished by the fact that it gave Israel her first king, Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-2). It was the tribe that aligned itself with faithful Judah when Israel divided into two nations at the time of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:21). It was also the tribe that had Jerusalem in its boundaries (Judges 1:21). iv. Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. This contrasts him with the Jews who embraced Greek culture as it spread through the Mediterranean. In that time, many Jews became ashamed of their Jewishness and tried to live and act as much like Greeks as they could, sometimes even to the point of having their circumcision cosmetically restored or hidden so they could enjoy the Roman public baths without being noticed as Jews. Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3
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b. Paul lists three things that were his by personal choice and conviction. i. Paul was concerning the law, a Pharisee: This tells us that among an elite people (the Jews), he was of an elite sect (the Pharisees), who were noted for their scrupulous devotion to the law of God. There were not very many Pharisees, never more than six thousand, but they were the spiritual athletes of Judaism. Their very name means The Separated Ones. They had separated themselves off from all common life and from all common tasks in order to make it the one aim of their lives to keep every smallest detail of the Law. (Barclay) The concern that Pharisees had for keeping the law is reflected in passages like Matthew 23:23. ii. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church: Paul was not merely an intellectual opponent of perceived heresies, he was an active fighter against them - even in his blindness to God. Pauls observation that the Jews of his day have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2) was of course true of his own life before God confronted him on the road to Damascus. iii. Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless: This shows that Paul achieved the standard of righteousness which was accepted among the men of his day - though this standard fell short of Gods holy standard. By mans interpretation of the law, there were those who were deceived into thinking that they really were blameless, like the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23). 8. Why does Paul count them as loss? Verse 7 They are counted loss not so much because they were harmful to Paul, but because they were ways in which Paul sought to please God in the energies of the flesh. Before Paul became a Christian, he thought all this made him a success in the effort to please God by works. 9. What else does Paul count as loss? Verse 8 All things. In Pauls eyes, just the knowledge of Christ was worth more to him than anything else. Paul uses the harshest term possible- dung. In his eyes, all things are but excrement - as dung; not only worthless, but offensive. The Greek word for rubbish had one of two uses: excrement from the body, or table scraps that were fit only to be thrown to the dogs. 10. What does Paul expose in verse 9? Paul here exposes the great difference between the legal relationship stressed by his opponents and his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The difference is between living and trusting in your own righteousness and living and trusting in Gods righteousness given through faith in Christ. 11. Why does Paul suffer the loss of all things? To gain Christ. Note that he does not say for Christ to gain him, but that he will run in such a way to catch Christ. The foundation for our spiritual life is in what Jesus has done for us, not in what we have done, are doing, or will do for Jesus. 12. Read verses 10,11 What does knowing Jesus mean? Knowing Jesus means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to us now, not when we die. Knowing Jesus means knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. It is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ.

Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3

13. What is the fellowship of His sufferings? Adam Clarke writes: Christ died, not only as a victim for sin, but as a martyr to the truth. No creature can have fellowship with him in his vicarious sufferings; as a martyr to the truth, St. Paul wished to imitate him. Not only in the apostle, but in the primitive Christians generally, there seems to have been a strong desire after martyrdom. Paul then uses a peculiar word, which occurs no where else in the New Testament, exanastasiv. To that resurrection which is of the dead. This glorious resurrection, and perhaps peculiarly glorious in the case of martyrs, is that to which St. Paul aspired. The word anastasiv signifies the resurrection in general, both of the just and unjust; exanastasiv may signify that of the blessed only. Remember that Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than we will ever experience, and he wrote it from imprisonment. This isnt just theory, but a lived-out theology. 14. How does Paul express his maturity in Christ in verses 12,14? Paul speaks from such spiritual maturity and purity that we might expect he believes that he has conquered all these difficulties and sees himself as having arrived. But he assures us this is not so. There is no perfectionism in Paul. Because he realizes this, he also feels that there is no other option, but to press on. Paul is in it no matter the outcome. 15. What can we learn about pressing on? Paul knew that Jesus would not let him go. As he understood this, he also understood that their was mutual cooperation and effort to do what God wanted, not what Paul wanted. 16. Why do think Paul stress to forget the things that are behind us? We often let those things which are behind distract us, whether they be good things or bad things, we may let them keep us from what God has in front of us. Satan wants us to live either in the past or in the future; God wants us to press on in the present, because the present is where eternity touches us now. Paul knew that a race is won only in the present, not in the past or in the future. 17. What is the prize that we should run for? The prize is the upward call of God. The prize is the call itself, not the benefits that come from the call or any other thing. The prize is being able to run the race at all, working with God as a partner to do the work of His kingdom. 18. What promise is given in verses 15,16? That if we do not yet have a mature mind, God will in time, reveal this to us. Paul trusts that the Lord can deal with His own people. Paul is not afraid that if he cant convince them, then they will never be convinced. 19. What warning is given? Paul will not allow a lack of understanding to excuse anyone from doing what they do know to be the Lords will. What we dont know can never excuse us from doing what we do know. 20. Do you think Paul is being egotistical in verse 17? We shouldnt think that Paul is being egotistical here. He knows that he is not a sinless perfect example, yet he is still a good example. He can say as he does in 1 Corinthians 11:1 - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3
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We need concrete examples. While it is wrong to put our trust in any man, it is hypocritical for any preacher to say do as I say, not as I do. Curiously, there seems to be a rather real spiritual dynamic at work on this principle. Pastors and church leaders are a pattern for their people, if they intend to be or not. It is amazing (and sometimes frightening) to see how a congregation takes on the personality of its pastor, in both good and bad ways. And note those who so walk: As well, Paul isnt so proud to think that he is the only one who can be such an example. He tells the Philippians to note those who so walk in the way he is speaks of, and he notes that the Philippians have us as a pattern (not I as a pattern). 21. Who are the enemies of the cross? Verses 18,19 These enemies of the cross are really the opposite of the legalists, who celebrated their liberty in Christ to the indulgence of their flesh. ii. Paul had to contend with people like this in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 and Romans 6, who thought that salvation comes without repentance and conversion, and who thought that as long as your soul was saved, it didnt matter what you did with your body. 22. Why does Paul remind the Philippians of their citizenship? Verse 20 We need to appreciate all this would mean to the Philippians, who valued their Roman citizenship so greatly. Just as the Philippians could consider themselves citizens of Rome, and were under Roman laws and customs, even though they were in fact far from Rome, so Christians should consider themselves citizens of heaven.

23. What does Paul say that would have been considered seditious? Savior was a title given to the Caesars. In 48 b.c. Julius Caesar was declared to be the universal savior of mankind. It then became a common title for the ruling Caesar. Paul means something when he applies the title to Jesus in the context of citizenship. The Lord Jesus Christ: Not only was the title Savior applied to the Caesars, but so was the title Lord. It wasnt long after the time of Paul that Christians were martyred for refusing to Caesar Lord, claiming that Jesus was the only Lord. 24. What is the work of our Savior? Verse 21 Our Savior can do, and will do something that no Caesar can. When we are resurrected, we will have the same type of body that Jesus Himself had when he was resurrected.

Philippians Bible Study Lesson 3