much does He find in Christendom as a whole? This is a solemn thought which should

exercise the minds of all believers. When will Christians realize that they cannot worship

God with the senses all alone? There is so much sensual worship in the churches today

that it is difficult to find any who are concerned with true worship in the spirit. That the

senses can be employed in some degree in the outward expression can never produce

acceptable worship by themselves. We do well to keep this constantly in mind.

We should note too, that latreuo, the word translated worship, is rendered "to serve",

16 times, and "do service" once. So that we must not limit the context to worship only,

but also include the thought of acceptable service. Such service can never come from

"the flesh". It can only proceed from the "spirit" or the new nature bestowed on the

believer by God Himself (II Pet. 1: 4). Christian service done in the strength of the flesh

will be counted as "wood, hay and stubble", to be consumed as worthless in the day of

Christ's testing the work of believers (I Cor. 3: 12-15).

Another mark of the true church is that each member rejoices or boasts in Christ Jesus

and has no confidence in the flesh (3: 3). Kauchaomai "to exult or boast" is almost

exclusively a Pauline word, being used by him over thirty times. The statement in

Philippians shows up the innate tendency of the human heart, to secure by its own effort

and merit, approval and acceptance with God. To place one's confidence or trust in

anything outside of Christ is to have "confidence in the flesh". This is a lesson that so

few seem to learn, but it is basic to all growth in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

There was a time when Paul himself had not learned this lesson, as he is now going to

tell us. If he is going to set aside personal advantages of birth and up-bringing, it is not

because he did not possess them. He did, in full measure, but he was going to cut the

ground from under the Judaizers, by showing how empty and futile this was in God's

sight or with spiritual growth in view. He now turns back to his pre-Christian life and

declares to the Judaizer and all who boast in self or self-made religion that if there was a

competition between them, he would emerge as head of the list. He was indeed a true,

full-blooded Jew and he details seven points to illustrate this.

(1) "Circumcised the eighth day", according to the provisions of the law (Lev. 12: 3).

This proved that he was no ordinary proselyte, circumcised after his conversion to

Judaism. He was so from birth, and thus put into covenant relationship with God from

the beginning of his life.

(2) Of the race of Israel, the elect nation that God called out from all other nations and

endowed them with such mighty privileges as Rom. 9: 3-5 clearly shows. When

contrasting himself with some of his opponents in the Corinthian church, he could say

"Are they Hebrews? so am I . Are they Israelites? so am 1: Are they the seed of

Abraham? so am I" (II Cor. 11: 22).

(3) Of the tribe of Benjamin. In spite of its smallness (Psa. 68: 27) the tribe of

Benjamin was regarded with esteem. Situated in the south, it probably resisted pagan

influences from the north and it had the privileges of containing the holy City and the