REJOICE
IN THE LORD
Let
me begin this article with a simple question/survey. Important: Please take no more than one minute to
do it. Do it candidly without considering what answer you might be expected to
give.
Q. Examine
your heart honestly and mark out three things which you consider to be most
important in your Christian life. Prioritise them, marking the singular, most
important aspect with the number ‘1.’
• I managed to quit smoking altogether.
• I am able to maintain a daily quiet
time.
• I am a total teetotaller for Christ’s
sake.
• I have family worship every day.
• I am can recite the WSC from memory.
• I am serving actively in my church.
• I pray every day.
• I am happy and peaceful and guilt does
not trouble me.
• I am a sabbatarian by conviction.
• I am baptised.
• I am no longer easily angered, and can
love those who hate me.
• I have read through the Bible at least
once.
• I can read my Bible in Greek or
Hebrew.
• I am a pedobaptist/baptist* by
conviction.
• I worship in a Reformed, or at least
reforming, church.
• I do not celebrate Christmas, Easter
or Good Friday.
• I know the five points of Calvinism
and the essence of Covenant Theology very well.
• I have led a number of people to
Christ.
• I sing only psalms and I know most of
the Scottish tunes.
• I am faithful in witnessing to the
lost.
• I am amillennial/premillennial.*
• Other #1: _______________________
• Other #2: _______________________
Did you answer honestly from your
heart? This list is not purely imaginary. It comes from my interaction with
various people I have met over the years. One elderly man I met in London confessed: “The
best thing that ever happened to me in my Christian life is my deliverance from
Christmas!” Another person said to the effect: “I am most grateful to God that
I can worship in a Reformed Church.”
What
about you, dearly beloved? What is the singular, most important thing in your
Christian life? Is it that you have read through the Bible? Is it that you are
Reformed by conviction? Is it that you have been used by the Lord for the
conversion of sinners? I do not know what your answer is. But if I know most of
us well enough, I suspect that you did not mark anything because you are
conscious that your answer may expose your inclinations, and you may be afraid
that there is, in fact, a correct answer which you should give. Beloved, you
are right that there is a correct answer. But I fear that you may not be able
to give the correct answer if you are honest with yourself.
What then is the correct answer? I believe it is found
in the inspired words of the Apostle Paul in the first 11 verses of the 3rd
chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. We may divide the verses as
follows: (1) verse 1: The Duty of Rejoicing; (2) verses 2–6: The Wrong Basis of
Rejoicing; and (3) verses 7–11: The Right Basis for Rejoicing. In discovering what is the right basis
of rejoicing against what is wrong, we will also see what ought to be the most
important thing in our Christian life.
The Duty of Rejoicing
The book of Philippians is often known as the epistle of joy, and you
can sense Paul’s joyful and positive tone throughout the letter. Well, almost
throughout the letter; because chapter 3 seems to be an exception. The tone in
chapter 3, at least in the first few verses, appears to be grave and rather
harsh, is it not? Why is this so?
It is so because a dangerous kind of teaching or
attitude had crept into the church which Paul recognises could rob the
Philippians of the true Christian joy and freedom that he has been advocating.
This heresy cannot be taken lightly. And thus, before he concludes the letter,
he finds it necessary to issue a warning to his readers. He writes:
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write
the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe (Phil 3:1).
It should be noted the call, “Rejoice in the Lord,” is
a command in the present tense. It may be rendered “keep rejoicing in the
Lord.” Although the words of rejoicing such as: ‘joy,’ ‘gladness,’ ‘rejoice,’
etc., have been used more than ten times in the first two chapters in this
letter, this is the first time that Paul is calling his readers to rejoice.
It
is important for us to appreciate the significance of this call. Firstly, we
must know that is our duty to rejoice. Just as a husband cannot excuse himself
for failing to love his wife because he has no more feelings for her, so a
Christian cannot excuse himself for joylessness because the initial joy of
conversion has been forgotten or because of his circumstances. In chapter 4,
Paul would enjoin us to rejoice in all circumstances (vv. 4–6), and he would
also recommend a remedy for those who find it hard to rejoice because of mental
or emotional impediments (vv. 7–9). But from Philippians 3:1, it is clear that
one of our Christian duties is to rejoice. Joylessness is sinful. Secondly,
when Paul says: “Rejoice in
the Lord,” he is telling us that we do have a basis for rejoicing. He would
repeat the call again in chapter 4 (verses 4 and 10), and each time, he would
say, “Rejoice in the Lord.”
He is essentially saying: “Rejoice not in anything else, but in the Lord.” This
is important because it is the positive thesis of what he is going to say
negatively in the next few verses. He is warning his readers that finding joy
in the wrong place could mean forsaking true, lasting joy.
Wrong Basis for Rejoicing
The
wrong basis for joy and confidence that had crept into the church was brought
in by the Judaizers. These were Jews who were apparently converted to
Christianity, but in their zeal to maintain the Old Testament traditions taught
and insisted that Gentile Christians were required to be circumcised and to
keep the ceremonial laws of Moses (cf. Acts 15:1–2). Paul warns against them
very strongly:
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the
concision (Phil 3:2).
Notice the triple bewares!
‘Dogs,’ ‘evil workers’ and ‘concision’ all refer to the Judaizers; so, Paul is
essentially stating the same warning three times: no doubt to emphasise how
absolutely important it is for the church to be continually on the look out for
them. The church must never let down her guard. Judaizers are dangerous to
Christianity. It is not just a matter of opinion or of different conviction. It
is heresy.
Paul calls them ‘concision,’ which means ‘mutilators
of the flesh’—referring to their insistence that the Gentiles should be
circumcised. He calls them “evil workers” because they seem to be promoting the
Gospel, but is in fact serving another master. Most surprising, however, is
that he calls them dogs.
“Dog” was a term used by Jews to describe Gentiles.
Psalm 22:16a, “For dogs have compassed me,” is prophetic that the Lord would be
surrounded by Gentiles when He is on the cross. This was indeed fulfilled
because it was Gentile Roman soldiers who crucified Him and then stood around
the cross. Similarly, the Lord Jesus said to the Syrophoenician woman, “Let the
children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and
to cast it unto the dogs” (Mk 7:27). Why then did Paul use the term ‘dogs’ to
describe the Jews? The answer is very simple. The term is not intended to be a
derogatory term. When the Jews call Gentiles ‘dogs,’ they do not mean to say
that Gentiles are dirty or are like animals. Our Lord certainly would not have
said that to the Syrophoenician woman if that is what the term is intended to
mean. Rather, the term simply describes the fact that Gentiles are out of the
covenant community. In other words, by calling the Judaizers ‘dogs,’ Paul is
saying that these are not in fact true believers. They may be Jewish by
nationality, but not a true Jew (Rom 2:28–29). That is why he says in the next
verse:
For we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3).
Paul is saying that Christians who have no confidence
in the flesh are the true circumcision. These rejoice that the ceremonial laws
have been fulfilled in Christ, and so worshipping God in spirit and in truth
(cf. Jn 4:24) involves no more the external ceremonies. Moreover, genuine
Christians, unlike the apostate Jews, do not think circumcision saves.
Circumcision had its right and proper use as the sign and seal of covenant of
God (Rom 4:11), but its significance had been abused by the apostate Jews.
Moreover, a new sign had been instituted in its place. In his fuller treatise
against the Judaizers, Paul explains:
For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are
ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:27–29).
But here, Paul is not concerned with the theology of
circumcision. He is concerned with the dangerous attitude and philosophy that
underlie the thinking of the Judaizers, namely, confidence in the flesh or in
religiosity. He explains:
Though I might also
have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he
might trust in the flesh, I more: [I
have at least 7 more reasons than they have to boast:] [1] Circumcised the eighth day, [2] of the stock of Israel, [3] of the tribe of Benjamin, [4] an Hebrew of the Hebrews; [5]as touching the law, a Pharisee; [6] Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church;[7] touching
the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (Phil 3:4–6).
But
these credentials and marks of religion, which would be highly prized by the
Jews, he now counts as useless. And worst then useless, he counts them loss.
Right Basis for Rejoicing
But what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win
Christ (Phil 3:7–8).
What was a big plus for him is now a colossal minus.
He calls them: dung, or human excrement (Greek: skubalon). It was precisely all
these that caused him to believe he could attain salvation by works and caused
him not only to reject Christianity but to persecute Christians. But now with
the knowledge that he is a sinner saved by grace, Paul counts all his past
credentials loss. Notice how he emphasises this four times:
Old
Life
|
New
Life
|
those I counted loss
|
for Christ
|
I count all things but loss
|
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
|
I have suffered the loss of all things
|
for whom [Christ]
|
[I] do count them but dung
|
that I may win Christ
|
When compared to the “excellency of the knowledge of
Christ,” i.e., the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ, what he had
considered gain earlier were no gain, but loss. Suddenly, he realises: “But we
are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”
(Isa 64:6a). Indeed, they were a hindrance to him, because they blinded him in
his own self-righteousness. Thus he emphatically cast them away so that he may
know Christ, so that he may gain Christ (cf. Mt 13:44–46).
But what does it mean to gain
Christ or to know Christ. Paul explains:
Firstly, it involves justification:
And be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Phil 3:9).
To
“win Christ and be found in Him” is to be found on Christ’s side or to be
justified by Christ’s righteousness. It involves the sinner recognising that,
apart from Christ, he is nothing, have nothing and is unworthy of anything but
damnation, even at his best. He, therefore, has no confidence in himself, but
gives Christ all the glory.
Secondly, it involves sanctification:
That I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death (Phil 3:10).
It
involves knowing Him experimentally. It involves being more and more like Him and
experiencing the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in his life in
sanctification. It involves not conforming to the world, but being transformed
daily, so that he may be conformed to Christ.
Thirdly, it involves glorification:
If by any means I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead (Phil 3:11).
It
involves perseverance to the very end (cf. Mt 10:22). Knowing Christ is not
just praying a sinner’s prayer. It is the beginning of the Christian journey
that would bring him unto the celestial city. It is a journey of faith,
beginning with the armour of righteousness that Christ puts on him. It is a
journey of much tribulation, but he knows he would be helped by the Holy
Spirit. It is a journey he knows he would complete because he is in the hands of
God the Father.
In
contrast to the mundane, spiritual impoverishment that characterises many a
Christian life, Paul recognises the richness of his new life in Christ. He is
able to walk in this newness of life because he was willing to serve only one
Master (cf. Mt 6:24). The old is past, the new is come. He cannot continue to
hold on to the old. He can no longer hang on to his old self-righteousness and
his own accomplishments and considering himself to be righteous and acceptable
to God because of all these. He realises that these he had considered gain in
the past, are now the very weight that so easily beset him in his Christian
race. Like the writer of Hebrews, he casts them aside one by one. He recognises
that if he were to put so much as a thread of hope on any of these, his
Christian journey would be greatly imperilled.
Conclusion
What
ought to be the singular, most important thing for the Christian
but “knowing Christ”? Paul expresses it in no uncertain terms when he
says:
I count all things but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
However, it is so easy and tempting to put our
confidence and our joy on other things, and use them as indicators of our
spiritual health.
Paul speaks of his heritage in that he was of the stock
of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and an Hebrew of Hebrews. Are you putting
confidence in the fact that you are born in a godly family? If you do not
repent, your godly heritage can become a snarl to you. Why is it that so many
pastors’ and elders’ children perished? Why it is that Hophni and Phinehas
perished? Indeed, the parents are partly to be blamed, but I suspect that a
large part of the problem is that these who perish had placed their hope not on
Christ but on their godly parents.
Paul speaks about his status in that he was
circumcised on the eight day, a Pharisee. Do you place your hope on your
baptism rather than on Christ? Do you take pride that you are in a Reformed
church or are Reformed by conviction, instead of being thankful that you are a
disciple of Christ? Do you consider your Christianity better than others, and
so you are a better Christian than your friends in other churches? Do you have
a holier-than-thou attitude? I’m afraid if you do not repent, and begin to
trust in Christ alone again, you may be side-stepping out of the way of life.
Paul speaks of his zeal in persecuting the church. Are
you secretly proud of your zeal: that you are better than those who do not
attend all the appointed meetings in the church? Are you gauging your Christian
life by these? Beloved, your zeal may be as misdirected as the zeal of Saul of
Tarsus, thinking that his zealousness would win him credit with God. It is good
that you are attending to the means. But remember to check your heart and your
motive, whether you are seeking to win the favour of God and man.
Finally, Paul speaks about his discipline and
righteousness in his being outwardly blameless according to the law. Are you so
proud that you are more discipline than others in maintaining a regular daily
devotion, and you just cannot understand why other people cannot do as you do?
Do you pride yourself that you are so strict in keeping the Law that you begin
to be very judgmental about others. I am afraid, if this is the case, you could
be obeying the Law for the wrong reasons.
Have you tasted of the
“excellency of the knowledge of Christ,” beloved? Have you cast aside
everything that may hinder you in your knowing Christ, and fully hoping and
trusting in Him and Him alone? Have you been side-tracked by secondary issues
so that your Christian life is not about knowing Christ but about some
convictions which you have or do not have? Do you know a form of Christianity
but have forgotten Christ? Pray, ask the Lord to help you that your sight may
be refocused back to Chris