Paul seems to be concluding his letter in Philippians 3:1, but he will reiterate some of these words later in Philippians 4:4.

Perhaps because of news that just came to him, Paul suddenly warns the Philippian Christians of some “dogs” (read Philippians 3:2). These “dogs” are not the type of bad people we might be envisioning, such as murderers or criminals.  On the contrary, they were Jewish Bible teachers who claimed to believe in Jesus.  But Paul scathingly denounces them and their teaching as contrary to Christianity:

• They are "evil workers."  Jewish religionists often called pagan witches or priests "workers of evil."  Paul turns this derogatory term back onto them again.
• They are the "false circumcision."  This is literally "the castration."  These men insisted that Gentile Christians become Jewish, including physical circumcision, in order to belong to God.  Paul sarcastically calls them "castrators" to emphasize the harm they are inflicting on their followers.  In another passage, he says that they should castrate themselves (see Galatians 5:12).

Paul not only emphatically rejects them and their teaching; he also emphatically affirms that he and the Philippians do genuinely belong to God (read Philippians 3:3). 

Circumcision in the Old Testament was a symbolic act that marked Jewish males as members of God's people, the nation of Israel.  It also reminded them of their need for a deeper circumcision – to have heart transplants so that they could love and serve God from their hearts by the power of His Spirit (see Deuteronomy 30:6 and Ezekiel 36:26-27) – which God promised to provide through His Messiah.

Paul says that he and the Philippian Christians are the "true circumcision" because they glory and boast in Jesus as the Messiah, and because they serve God by His Spirit, rather than putting "confidence in the flesh" through boasting in their national descent.

Identity And Its Basis

The terms "we are…", "boast", and "confidence in" all relate to the issue of identity, specifically, to the basis of our identity.  Circumcision was not a hygiene practice; it was an identity-marker for these false teachers.  Paul is saying: "They are taking their identity from their national descent, religious observances, and moral performance.”  To take your identity from something or someone means that you define yourself by it, that you derive your validation, worth, and status from it. 

Humans are insatiable identity-seekers.  For humans, life is an identity project.  Other animals, even the high primates, do not seem to suffer from identity angst or crises like humans do.  But this is one of the great themes of human history and art and literature: 

"Who am I?" 

"Do I matter?"  

"Is my existence justified?"

We are unable to self-generate identity.  We need to be validated by someone or something outside of ourselves.  That is why we talk about "taking our identity from…"

According to the Bible, there are ultimately only two bases for your identity:

Option 1: Finding Our Identity Through Religious or Secular Performance

Option one is to seek God's or people's validation through your comparative accomplishments and affiliations.  Paul calls this "putting confidence in the flesh."  "Flesh" here does not mean the physical body; it refers to fallen humans' inclination toward finding our validation in the things we do and who we associate with.  The Old Testament calls it "making a name for yourself."

Many cultures seek God's validation through religious affiliation or performance; see Luke 18:9-12 for an example of this.  That is what these false teachers were doing and advocating for. Nowadays, this might look like boasting about growing up going to church, having pastors in your family, being baptized or confirmed, not struggling with sin habits like smoking or cursing or womanizing, leading a thriving ministry, and so on.   All other world religions advocate validating their identity this way.

In Western culture, most people seek people's validation through secular affiliations and accomplishments.  In the 1981 British movie "Chariots of Fire," Harold Abrahamson, an Olympic sprinter, describes to his girlfriend what the upcoming race is for him: "I'll raise my eyes and look down that corridor…with ten lonely seconds to justify my whole existence".

You can see how his athletic performance is more than recreation or even a job – it is the basis of his identity.  

You might think this is a sad reality, but maybe this is the way you view your degrees, your job title, your salary, your children's performance, your social standing, your physical appearance, the fact that you are a vegan, or are a citizen of a first world country, or a Democrat or a Republican or a Libertarian.  Maybe this is the significance of your gender or race or sexual orientation, or certain cultural preferences, or that you are a recovering addict or cancer survivor.  These things, though small comparatively, are legitimate things that one might feel proud of, but when they become the resume for your identity, and when you advocate this to others, you are doing what these false teachers in Paul’s day did.

The only alternative is to let God bestow His validation on you through Christ.  Paul calls this "boasting in Christ."  The Old Testament calls it "being called by the name of the Lord."  

Option 2: Finding Our Identity Through Christ

Read Philippians 3:4-6.  Paul refutes the false teachers' identity deception autobiographically.  They could not accuse Paul of being critical out of jealousy.  He was not just wishing to be some Jewish religionist; he was a greater success than any of them.  His resume alone proves how successful he was:

He had an impeccable qualifications:

• "Circumcised the 8th day" – He had been circumcised on the right day (see Leviticus 12:3).
• "Of the nation of Israel" – He was a pure-bred Jew, a member of the chosen nation.
• "Of the tribe of Benjamin" – He knew his tribal origin, which many Jews by this time had lost knowledge of.  Benjamin was one of the two southern tribes which had been more faithful than the other ten of the northern kingdom.
• "A Hebrew of Hebrews" – This probably means that he was a "Hebraic" Jew – he grew up in a strictly orthodox home where Hebrew was spoken and the Old Testament Law was strictly observed, unlike most Diaspora Jewish homes.  It may also mean that he was fluent in the Hebrew language, the original language of the Old Testament, though it was largely a dead language by Paul's day.

He also had impeccable performance record:

• "As to the Law, a Pharisee" – This was the strictest sect of Judaism, with only 6000+ being rigorous enough to make their ranks.  In addition, Paul tells us elsewhere that he was educated by Gamaliel, the greatest religious scholar of his day (see Acts 22:3), and that he was one of the most zealous of all Pharisees (see Galatians 1:14).
• "As to zeal, a persecutor of the church" – He was consistent with his religious convictions.  If Pharisaism was true, then Christianity must be false and dangerous, so he moved to eliminate it in accordance with his religion.
• "As to the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless" – Paul measured up to the external standards of ethical righteousness demanded by Pharisaism; no human could reproach him for his ethical life.

In other words, Paul was the "golden boy" of first-century Judaism.  He would have been considered the best of the best for this identity-base.  It is difficult to explain why he gave all of this up, unless he found another identity-base that was far better.

Read Philippians 3:7-9a.  Paul says that his new identity "in Christ"  spiritually identified him with Christ and completely outclasses his old identity.   He emphasizes this in several different ways:

His new identity has "surpassing value" compared to his old identity. The word he uses both here and later in chapter 4:7 is the Greek word,  huperecho, meaning to be superior in rank, authority, and power.

He claims that his new identity has exposed all the items of his former resume as "animal dung," meaning worthless and destable.  This does not mean that all of the items on his resume were evil; it means that their value as an identity is considered dung compared to his new identity.

And this was not just a passing perception at his conversion; it has stood the test of time. Noting the verb tenses he writes in, he has both already given it up, and he continues to do this.  If anything, this perspective has grown over the years.

What makes this new identity so superior?  Two facets form the heart of Christianity:

1. It bestows upon him total and permanent right standing before God, completely apart from any religious or secular performance.  Imagine starting each day knowing that God Himself regards you as His beloved son or daughter, with the very same approval with which He regards His Son Jesus (see Matthew 3:17).  There is no success or failure that could take place today that has the power to alter this standing in the slightest.  You can move through the day not for people's or your own approval, but from God's approval.  This produces a psychological poise and stability that is just the opposite of the angst that comes from "being on trial" for your identity every day.
2. It gives him personal access to Jesus as the Messiah, so that he can know Him relationally (see Philippians 3:8).  Paul is not referring just to the personal encounter that he had with the risen Jesus when he was first converted.  He is referring to ongoing and increasing relational intimacy with Jesus through His Spirit.  Imagine experiencing ongoing affirmation of Jesus' love (see Romans 5:5 and 8:15), increasing intimacy of communication with Him (see Romans 8:26-27), and increasing personal empowerment by Him (see Philippians 3:10a).  This produces a confidence to face life's difficulties, challenges, and disappointments that is just the opposite of living by your own or other people's resources.

Best of all, it is a free gift that he received by simply putting his faith in Jesus as Messiah (see Philippians 3:9).  All of this is available to everyone who receives Christ (see John 1:12)!  Are you weary of your old identity?  Instead of just pursuing a different version of the same old identity, why not receive Christ and have God bestow on you this new identity?   Like Paul, you will never regret this decision!

A One-Time Gift To Receive, A Daily Decision To Affirm

Do you have this new identity and yet  still live out of your old identity?  That is what Paul is trying to prevent the Philippians from reverting to.  This is the foundational, ongoing decision in your Christian life, requiring daily affirmation because:

• We are all daily susceptible to identity amnesia.  We tend to wake up each day forgetting who we are.  So, we need to engrave the truth into our hearts and minds about who God says we are and begin each day by affirming this before Him to ourselves.
• We all live in a world that daily seduces us back to finding our validation in our deeds and accomplishments.  It will keep presenting us with new and different projects.  It will use our memories, people's statements to us, family and peer pressure, etc. to keep us deceived and imprisoned within our old identities.  So we must ask God daily to help us discern these seductions, and, like Paul, affirm in faith that they are dung compared to our new identity in Christ.