Introduction
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he states the following:
2 “ Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 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, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” 7 “ But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:2-11 (NASB; bolding added)
I have heard preachers proclaim on the basis of this passage that Paul has come to reject his Jewish heritage and practices because he has become a “Christian”. After the revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul supposedly realized that his life in Judaism was a legalistic striving for perfection and righteousness which was impossible to attain, so he dumped it all as worthless garbage.
In view of the fact that Paul nowhere in the NT teaches that Jewish Jesus-followers are to renounce circumcision and Torah-observance, it seems appropriate to ask some questions about the validity of the above interpretation. Continue reading “Does Paul Reject His Jewish Heritage in Philippians 3:2-11?”