In our previous readings from Paul’s letters, he has already mentioned divisions and arguing among the various Christian communities. Today (Philippians 3:3‑8) he indicates that one source of the problem was the agitation of the Judaizers, those who believed that Levitical Law should be binding on Christians as well. We saw this issue before when reading the Letter to the Galatians. Clearly it was a widespread phenomenon. Perhaps it was less expected in Philippi, where there were not many Jews and, apparently, not even a synagogue (see Acts 16:13).
The earliest Christians were all Jews and, in the beginning, they naturally followed many of their traditional customs. But once non-Jews began to be accepted into the Christian community, many of these traditions and the place of the Mosaic Law were seen in a different light. It gradually became clear that the teaching of Jesus transcended this Law. It was not that the Law was abolished, but rather that the demands of the Gospel included and went far beyond the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
One of the most basic marks of identity for the Jews was circumcision. The Jews were not the only people to practice it (later, the Muslims did also), but for them it had a very special religious significance as God’s people. Soon after non-Jews, ‘pagans’, began to be admitted to baptism, it was assumed that the custom of circumcision should be extended to them, even though the ritual would be very painful for an adult male. As we saw, Paul has much to say about this in his letter to the Galatians.
In Philippi, Paul was faced with this same issue. He sees circumcision in a spiritual sense. The truly ‘circumcised’ are those who are inwardly united with God through his Spirit, not those who have had a physical operation on a part of their body. The cutting of the body, by itself, is no guarantee of true allegiance to God. We might say the same of the purely external observance of a sacramental ritual, for example pouring water and saying some words in Baptism.
In some translations of the Bible, Paul contemptuously calls his critics ‘cutters’. Paul is using a term (katatome, literally ‘cutting down’) as a contemptuous pun on ‘circumcision’ (peritome, literally ‘cutting around’). By doing so, he is implying a comparison between physical circumcision and the self-inflicted gashes in pagan cults, as described in the famous ‘competition’ between Elijah and the priests of Baal, who slashed themselves in their frenzy (see 1 Kings 18:28).
Instead, it is the Christians who “are the circumcision”. They are the ones who worship through the Spirit of God and whose boast is in Christ Jesus, and who do not put their confidence in the flesh—that is, merely outward observances of the Old Law, or weak human nature.
It is important to note that Paul does not speak of Gentiles as being ‘outsiders’. On the contrary, Paul claims he is more qualified than most other Jews, especially those in the Greek-speaking diaspora. He then proceeds to present his Jewish credentials, credentials that probably none of his Judaizing opponents could match. Even though born in Tarsus, Paul is a true Hebrew, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. His Jewish roots are deep and unambiguous. Jerusalem, the Holy City, lays on the border of the tribal territory of Benjamin. Both his parents were Hebrew (unlike some of the diaspora Jews or those converted to Judaism) and Pharisees too, as he says elsewhere. We know also that, unlike Hellenist Jews, who would have spoken Greek, Paul knew Aramaic (Acts 21:40). He was physically circumcised, eight days after his birth, as laid down by the Law (Genesis 17:12).
When it came to observing the Mosaic Law, Paul was a Pharisee. Nothing more needed to be said about his orthodoxy. As we know from the Gospels, the Pharisees made a point of observing the Law in its tiniest details. As for working for his religion, Paul was one of the most zealous in persecuting the infant Church. If observing the Law could make a person perfect, then Paul was absolutely without fault.
All changed when Christ came into his life. Those things he formerly believed brought him closer to God, he saw now as barriers. The former advantages were seen now as disadvantages. The former profits were seen now as losses. For him now, everything is outweighed by the knowledge of Christ Jesus as his Lord. This is not knowledge about Christ, but a personal, intimate, and mutual knowledge that colors every facet of his life.
It is not that the Law is wrong; it just is no longer needed. It has been superseded. Union with God is now seen not as the external and perfect observation of laws, regulations and traditions, but the establishment of a close, personal relationship with God through Jesus. This relationship allows God to work in bringing about a complete transformation in one’s thinking and behavior.
Unfortunately, there are still Christians today who measure the quality of Christian life by strictness in keeping rules and regulations, and these tend also to be very critical of those they see as being less observant than themselves.
For the sake of good order, the Church, like any other society, needs a certain number of laws and regulations. But we must never forget that, ultimately, we will be measured not by our keeping of these regulations, but by the depth of our relationship with God in Christ, and our living out of the Gospel in relationship with others. It is the level of our love that will be the criterion by which we are measured. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!