Read Philippians 3:1-9. Paul makes his stand against a first-century group called the Judaizers. It was a legalistic group that majored in checking all the boxes, insisting that you had to be circumcised in order to be accepted by God. But in v 2, Paul calls them “men who do evil” because they had false confidence in an outward religious rite.
Scripture speaks of a “circumcision of the heart” (Rom 2:25-29; Col 2:11). That’s the point of it all. And this was not some new innovation from Paul. The OT spoke of it frequently (Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:7). The point is: don’t let outward symbols replace inward spiritual devotion.
Paul goes on to make the case that if religious works were the point, then certainly he had it made (vv 4-5). Paul was once a Pharisee — a member of the strictest side of Judaism. But ultimately, Paul rejects all his former religious works with disgust. He calls it “rubbish” when compared to something immeasurably greater: “The surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.” “Knowing” is all about relationship.
The problem sometimes is that people can’t see Christ because they’re too busy looking at Christians. If we could just get people to get their eyes off of people and their “to-do” lists, and instead fix their eyes on a person — Jesus Christ — they would be wooed by “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.” So I like to tell people, just read the NT, and just study that person Jesus.
This new “confidence” Paul speaks of (used 3 times) changes everything, all the way down to your identity. When you begin to know your identity in Christ, you no longer rely on people to define you. Christ defines you, not your critical co-worker; not even a critical spouse. In 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, this same Paul says: “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” Don’t let people’s opinions of you define you. Let Christ define you. And if the Scriptures say that “you are more than a conqueror” and that “you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you” and that God is “completing what He started in you” then believe that, not someone’s subjective analysis of you. Don’t even believe your own self-analysis. Believe God’s word!
But this kind of confidence takes time to grow. If we’ve allowed other people to define us our entire lives growing up, it won’t be easy to shake it. But if your life is truly centered on Christ, then your confidence and spiritual self-esteem will grow as you realize what is already yours in Christ. And the church should be a refuge and a greenhouse where this kind of growth flourishes.
