Philippians 3

http://www.esvbible.org/Philippians+3/

Paul warns the Philippians against false teachers and those who teach circumcision. Circumcision was just a representation that the Jewish men were God's chosen people. Now, all Christians are the true circumcised whether or not they have the physical markings of it. We should not place faith in physical things like that because that is not what will take us to Heaven. Paul says there is no greater source to speak this that himself. He was circumcised on his eighth day. He is a descendent of Israel through Benjamin. He was enthusiastic for his people by persecuting the church. He kept the laws very well and lived up to standards so high that he was a Pharisee. After he realized that the only thing that could truly get him to Heaven was faith in Jesus Christ, nothing else mattered. All of his past and how hard he worked to keep the laws perfectly meant nothing. Everything new in his life means nothing because of Jesus. It's better to know Jesus than to know everything else in the world. We cannot gain God's approval from following laws; we can only receive His approval through faith. And after we affirm our faith n Jesus, we should have faith that we will become like Him after death: raised from the dead. Paul says that despite how much he has learned of Jesus, he cannot claim to have reached the goal, but he keeps running and doesn't look back. Whoever has mature faith should think this way, and if you don't, God will change the way you think.

Paul asks the Philippians to imitate him and send all of the glory back to God. There are false teachers out there who only what to gain for themselves. Their emotions are their gods, and they need to be followed to feel fulfilled, but these people will be destroyed. We, as followers of Christ, look forward to the great prize: eternal life with God.