Philipians 3:2-3 “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh”.

The term ‘dogs’ was used in Psalm 22, the prophetic psalm, predicting the events that will happen at the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, multiples of years later.  
Psalm 22:16 “For dogs have compassed me: The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: They pierced my hands and my feet.” Who are the dogs in this context? We can identify them in the fulfillment of this prophecy by their activities. The prophecy of Psalm 22:16 also called them the ‘assembly of the wicked’, and ‘those who would pierce his hands and feet’. And that’s exactly how they manifested: Matthew 27:20 “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus”.

So the Chief priests and the Sanhedrin and the Elders of the Jews foot this bill perfectly by their resolve to kill Jesus. You would think that “dogs” traditionally referred to Gentiles, (after all Jesus used it in that context – Mt 15:26), here it is not the case.

Even when Pilate, a gentile washed his hands of such wickedness, the elders of the Jews owned up the crucifixion: Matt 27:25‭-‬26 “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified”.

By this token, whenever the term ‘dogs’ is used in the New Testament, it refers to enemies of the Cross of Christ, both Jews and Gentiles who have one common agenda, that is to oppose the gospel. Peter referred to them in Acts 4:27: “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,”
So, in our opening texts, “beware of dogs” refers to all those in religious or civil authority today who oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Beware of them does not mean you should be afraid of them, NO. Rather it is a  FOREWARNING TO BE MINDFUL AND PREPARED FOR THEIR OPPOSITION. They hold tightly to the terrain with their false religious authority, and any preaching or teaching to the contrary will surely incur their wrath. Nevertheless, to get the gospel across, you must overcome this barrier.

Reminds me of when the people of Israel were to pass through the land of the Amorites.  They sent appeals and entreaties to Sihon, the King of the Amorites, giving him all assurances that they meant no harm and shall do no harm. But Sihon still refused, and put up a deadly fight. (Judges 11:20). But God gave Israel victory.

You cannot be apologetic to anybody for coming into the knowledge of the truth. Neither should you be shy in declaring it.

So we see that even though the term dogs was used by Jews to refer to gentiles, and in some other instances sinners, Paul in this context was referring to those opposed to the Gospel and the Church.

Now, let’s go further and review a second category whom he called the “evil workers”. Who are evilworkers?

Philippians 3:18. “…for many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ…” The evilworker rips you of the salvation you have already freely received, and sets you on a wild goose  chase after it with your good works. To the evil worker, the gospel is a prescription of steps and principles one must follow to get to God. Christ and the finished work of the Cross is minimized. The foremost group of evilworkers are the Judaizing brethren. These claim to have Christ but their heart is with Moses.

“Moses said so-so-and-so, what do you say?” They asked Jesus.

They also withstood Paul and accused him of lasciviousness, and that his preaching gave untoward liberty and license to men and women to sin. Paul called them ” false brethren” who are out to oppose the liberty in Christ. He gave them no space to sell their hypocrisies. Gal 2:4-‬5  “…and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

We still have them in today’s church. They are so schooled in sin-consciousness that any teaching about the grace of Christ’s redemption looks like blasphemy to them. Any teaching or preaching that is not calling out men’s sins is not spiritual enough as far as they are concerned. Give them the pulpit for just 30 minutes, they’re able to get a whole congregation of the already saved to begin to doubt their salvation. Some will even start filing out for altar-call and others rolling on the floor crying for salvation. That is an evilworker at work.

Another group of evilworkers is the ‘hidden adversary’. On the surface they look like Christian workers but their motives are amorphous and often clandestine. Paul also had a running battle with these folks but he nevertheless pushed forward with the truth.

Phil 1:15  “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice…”

This category of gospel opposers is more difficult for any pastor or leader to deal with. Identifying them is difficult, and tougher still is the art of containing and minimizing the harm they can do to the flock of Christ.

And finally, beware of the “Concision”. Who are those?  Paul’s appeal is drawn in a great measure from the apostle’s own feelings and experience, and is one which the Philippians could not but feel, for they knew him well. Paul witnessed first hand their overbearing influence on himself (Acts 21:20-24) and upon Peter (Acts 11:3).
He warns them against the Jewish teachers who urged the necessity of complying with the Mosaic laws, and who appear to have boasted of their being Jews, and to have regarded themselves as the favorites of God on the account of the flesh-cutting rites of circumcision according to the laws of Moses.

The evil in the circumcision doctrine is not chiefly in the physical mutation of genitals. No. It is in the party-spirit it created. It is in the entitlement mentality it gave the Jews. Paul confessed that he too being a Jew held so tightly to such entitlement in the past, but now counts all loss (dung), for the advantage of knowing Christ. Philippians 3:4‭-‬9 “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: 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, 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:”

Jesus himself warned also of this corky mentality of the Jews as a hindrance to their receiving God’s offer of true salvation. Matthew 16:6‭-‬ “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees… 
In today’s church what are the things that relect this same ‘party-spirit’ and ‘entitlement’ feelings in a believer? What are the relics of Circumcision amongst the NT church?

Any doctrinal practice that makes you feel superior to others and gives you some feeling of entitlement to God’s approval is a relic of circumcision. Tithing (you guessed right) is one of such, especially the teaching that once you pay tithes, God is bound to protect your goods. And that those who do not pay are prone to the devourer.

Other relics of circumcision are found in the use of elements- baptism, bread & wine holy communion, feet-washing and similar carry-overs from the Old. On the surface, these look pious and utterly harmless. But inherently, such create a differentiation that is often at the expense of brotherly love and commonality amongst brethren.

Today, the physical cutting of flesh is still in place, but for medical reasons rather than spiritual compliances. What has replaced circumcision in the Church are these practices and observances that put a wedge between brethren.

CONCLUSION:  Gal 5:6‭, ‬11  “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased”.

– Dr Nich Mbaezue