Spiritual joy.
"Finally, brethren, rejoice in the Lord." The key-note of the Epistle still recurs.
I. THE NATURE OF JOY IN THE LORD. It is to make him the object of our joy:
1. For what he is in himself, the God of love and light and blessing.
2. For what he is to us:
The world rejoices in creation and sees no joy in God, but the believer finds the joy of the Lord to be his strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
II. THE DUTY OF REJOICING IN THE LORD.
1. It is a commanded duty.
2. Christ prays for it. (John 17:13.)
3. The Holy Spirit works it in us. (John 16:7; Galatians 5:22.)
4. It is necessary to the fullness of our Christian experience.
III. HOW WE OUGHT TO REJOICE IN THE LORD.
1. We ought to live above the world. (2 Corinthians 4:18.)
2. We ought to avoid everything inconsistent with this joy.
3. We ought to cherish a constant trust in the Lord. (Hebrews 13:6; Isaiah 55:7; Isaiah 49:13, Isaiah 49:14. See hints on Philippians 4:1.)—T.C.
Serious warning against errorists.
The apostle, after counselling the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord, somewhat abruptly recalls the case of errorists of the Judaistic type, who, though not at Philippi, were not far from its boundaries. He deems it "safe" to give timely warning: "Beware of the dogs, of the evil-workers, of the concision."
I. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JUDAIST ERRORISTS.
1. They were "dogs" in the Jewish sense, that is, impure and antichristian enemies of the truth. It would be a surprise for Jews to be descried by the epithet they themselves always applied so scornfully to Gentiles.
2. They were "evil-workers." There was no want of religious activity among them, but it had a selfish and evil root. The apostle elsewhere speaks of "false apostles, deceitful workers" (2 Corinthians 11:13). The Pharisees "compassed sea and land to make one proselyte" (Matthew 23:15). But their zeal was essentially evil.
3. They were "the concision"—the mutilation—who rejoiced in a mere manual, outward mutilation of the flesh, forgetful of the significance of the true circumcision.
II. FUNDAMENTAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN SUCH ERRORISTS AND THE TRUE CIRCUMCISION. "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." There are three characteristic points involved in the circumcision of heart which belongs to all true believers, whether Jews or Gentiles.
1. Their worship is essentially spiritual. They "worship by the Spirit of God." It was not a worship by mere external rites, as if all its merit consisted in rigid ritualistic conformities, but the true worship of God, which is only possible through the influence of his Holy Spirit (John 4:23; Romans 8:26), who "helps our infirmities" of supplication. It is the characteristic of saints that they "pray in the Holy Ghost' (Jude 1:20).
2. Their entire dependence is in Christ Jesus. "Who glory in Christ Jesus." This is the essential distinction of the Christian. "Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). He does not glory in rites or ordinances, but in a personal Redeemer, who saves him from his sins.
3. They have no confidence in mere external privileges. "And have no confidence in the flesh." The primary allusion here may be to circumcision, but the clause points to the merely outward and earthly in religious form. The Judaists gloried in the flesh. "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also" (2 Corinthians 11:18; Galatians 6:13, Galatians 6:14).—T.C.