Phil 3:1-4 (NIV) Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
NOTE: I really think that verse 1 precedes verse 2 with reason, and not as a totally new thought. An attitude of rejoicing is a protection against the Judaizers. They believed that you needed to be a Jew to be saved. You needed to be circumcised and required to obey the law. But the issue is not just salvation because by implication it refers to how you live your life as well. Typically (but not always), those who emphasize the law are legalistic. They put confidence in the flesh for the relationship with God. They focus on the do's and don'ts of the law and not on the relational part of their faith. They are confident in their relationship when they feel they have checked off certain activities, and so they ultimately are putting their confidence in the flesh. And to a certain degree, that takes the joy out of our relationship with God which is not dependent upon externals but on the spirit, our heart response to Him.
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