12/20/05 Philippians 3:3

Philippians 3:3 (KJ21)
For we are the Circumcision who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh—

Philippians 3:3 (NIVUS)
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—

Philippians 3:3 (NAS)
for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

Philippians 3:3 (NLT)
For we who worship God in the Spirit are the only ones who are truly circumcised. We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us.

Adonai called the patriarch Abraham to leave his family and to go to another land, which is known today as Israel. Circumcision was instituted to show that Abraham and his clan belonged to the One True God. It was an outward sign of an inward faith.

You, as a child of God and a member of the Lord's Church, have been spiritually circumcised. You have been separated from the unclean multitude of people and have been totally consecrated to God. The Lord has circumcised your heart, cutting away impurities and removing sins.

You are now the Almighty's servant, one who has given himself to worship. Your first and foremost wish is to minister for and to the Lord. Through the breath of His Holy Spirit, you offer gifts of praise to the Most High God. You glory, boast, and rejoice in the One who has saved you from your sins--Jesus Christ, the Anointed of God. Through His power and might, Yeshua, the Lord, upholds and preserves the universe that He created.

As your relationship with the Lord Jehovah grows, you learn that you cannot trust or put confidence in your flesh, the part of you that is still influenced by the sin in the world. You no longer exist merely as a fleshly human being, but your citizenship is now in Heaven, the realm of God. That is now where you put your trust and confidence. You hope in the salvation that Jesus bought for you. You wait patiently and expectantly for its total manifestation in your life; for you have been circumcised by His Spirit and His word.