No confidence in the flesh

(Philippians 3:3-7)

If there is one thing that is pushed in the world today it is confidence. People are being told and instructed to be more confident in themselves.

Whilst confidence is not a bad thing, when it goes beyond confidence and becomes arrogance then it as gone too far.

When people rely upon their own strength of will or power of the mind or many of the other things taught by the philosophers of the world, they miss the point. This is not what we are taught in the Bible and it was certainly not what Jesus taught.

No Confidence in the Flesh

The scripture today teaches that we should not put any confidence in the flesh. It was certainly the way that Paul thought, and we see other references to this position in other scriptures as well.

3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh. 4 Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, 6 as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:3-7)

Paul showed that even though he may have had reason to be confident of his place with God in his former life as a Pharisee, he did not count it as of any value at all. He considered all of his former life to be nothing in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ as his saviour and Lord.

And we should take the same approach in our walk with Christ.

There is nothing we can say, do or even be that will make us any more acceptable to Christ apart from believing with faith. It is by faith we are saved, not by works of the law or any other things.

Do you tithe regularly? Do you go to church a couple times a week? Have you gone to a bible school to become a minister? Do you work for the church? Have you perhaps even built your church or a Christian school or helped financed it? Or do you even (as I do) write a Christian blog, write and sing Christian songs, run a Christian podcast or write Christian books?

Well…I hate to say it, but none of these things can give us any additional reason for confidence if they are things of the flesh. All of these things, especially if you brag about them as being something special, are meaningless. They will not commend you to God and if you DO become arrogant over these things you will be rejected.

Being “religious” in an arrogant way rather than through humility will lead to a fall. Look at the example of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

The “religious” man who considered himself better than others because he did all those “religious” things like fasting and tithing, was rejected because he was proud and arrogant. Whereas the tax collector was humble and repentant seeking God on His terms rather than on his own terms, and he was justified.

“But I’m a good person…”

I once had a conversation with someone who was not a Christian and they said they thought they would be OK because they were a “good person.” In fact I have heard many people over the years say the same thing, believing that IF there is a God, they would be OK because they were “good people.”

Well there IS a God and He is the one who decides what is good and what is not. The problem all people who think they will be OK because they are “good people” is that they are judging what is good based upon their own morals, values and ideals.

But God is the ONLY one who determines good from evil and right from wrong.

And think about this scripture for a moment:

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. (Luke 18:18-19)

Now if Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God did consider Himself to be “good,” then who amongst mankind can claim to be good? Mankind who are born under sin can never be “good” in the sight of God unless or until they come to Christ Jesus to have their sin taken away by His precious blood.

Even among Christians, if they think they are good, they are wrong. There will be many Christians who will be rejected. Think about the parable of the ten virgins or the ten maidens in Matthew chapter 25, verses 1-13.

These ten represent the people who are invited to the marriage of the Bride (the church) to the Son of God (the bridegroom) and are invited into the kingdom of God. Everyone who comes to the Lord is invited, but as we see in the parable, half of them were rejected because they were not ready and did not prepare for His coming.

Like the five foolish maidens they probably thought they would be OK because they were “good people.” But they were wrong. They and we today need to prepare for His coming and His kingdom. We need to learn His truths and apply them in our lives and learn how to love as Christ loves us.

No-one can rely on being a “good person” in the hope they will receive the blessings of the Lord. We all need to learn and grow and follow the path that Christ sets before us. We have to come to God according to the processes and the path that He established, not the path we would like to take or that someone else suggests we ought to take. We have to find the truth for ourselves.

But we cannot put any confidence in the flesh because the flesh is opposed to God. We come to Christ in faith and by faith alone.

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