Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers

 

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers

 

(Philippians 3:1-6)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. 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.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: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Paul is in prison. He is imprisoned and his physical freedom is restricted, and his body as well as his mind suffers. Referring to 2 Timothy 1:15, it is said that when Paul was imprisoned, all the people in Asia (the church members in Asia Minor who believed in Jesus under the influence of Paul) turned away from him. This must have made Paul depressed. He must have been worried that his efforts had been in vain. At that time, Timothy was ministering in the church in Ephesus, Asia Minor, so he must have been influenced by this atmosphere.

However, he said, “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.” The Bible tells us to rejoice because those who are in Christ have eternal hope even though they may experience physical tribulation and suffering.

The Apostle Paul emphasizes “beware” three times in verse 2. “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision”

Regarding dogs, Matthew 7:6 says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, least they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”And in Matthew 15:26-28, “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter, she was made whole from that very hour.

This is a conversation between Jesus and a Canaanite woman. A Canaanite woman had her daughter possessed by a demon, and she pleaded with Jesus to heal her. But she said in 15:24, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She described the Canaanite woman as a dog. The Canaanite woman knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and she can find its meaning in the words, “Son of David.” Yet, Jesus deliberately turns away from the woman. But she replied, "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters 'table." Here we see that salvation is preached from Jews to Gentiles. Dog means stranger.

When the Bible refers to a dog, it indicates the behavior of a dog. In Proverbs 26:11, “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”

This is the word that God has given to those who believe in freedom from the law, which is true of those who again live by the law. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” In “Do not give dogs what is holy,” what is holy is the word of God. It means the gospel that those who repent and enter into Christ will be saved. In other words, there is no need to give this gospel to those who say they believe in Jesus but say they must keep the law. Since Israel came out of Egypt, God does not allow those who want to return to Egypt to enter Canaan.

The subjects of 『Beware of Dogs』 were legalists who emphasized religious rituals and practices. This is because they infiltrated the church and deceived the members. When Paul went on a mission to Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Corinth, the Jews who had left Jerusalem were living in those regions. They are those who have been taught that they must be circumcised according to the tradition of the law and keep the Sabbath in order to be saved. So, some Jews who joined the church argued that they had to be circumcised by Gentiles to become God's people. Hearing this, some Gentile Christians were circumcised.

『beware of evil workers』. Evil workers are those who do evil. Evil workers are those who distort salvation. They lie that there is salvation in all religions. The postmodern era we live in is dominated by relativism and pluralism. Relativism denies one absolute truth and insists that each local culture has its own truth and should respect each other. A circle has one center. Dawon means that there are several centers. People with this view believe that believing in Jesus is not the only way to be saved, and Christianity is not the only way to salvation, and each religion has the truth and there is a way to salvation. They deny that we are justified before God through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

『beware of the concision』 is the meaning of circumcision. Ceremonies such as circumcision are not a problem for us today. However, we need to be wary of emphasizing certain religious rituals or practices over beliefs. Most church members believe that they are “saved by faith,” not by works. Even though they believe so, they see themselves through the law and think they must do something to avoid sinning. This is to think and act legally, even when you say that you do not follow the works of the law. Why are you doing these things? Because he did not die with Jesus. He who is not dead to the law with Jesus cannot escape from the law. He does so by saying that he is saved by faith, even though he is not free from the law. They are double-minded.