Philippians THREE:4-11

In this passage St. Paul opens up to us with his Jewish claim. No one, he says, can claim a greater heritage, a greater right to boast of his Jewishness, than he. Notice vs. 5. “Hebrew of Hebrews” according to one commentator, means that he has no Gentile ancestors. Not even Jesus can claim that! Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba were not Israelite women. If that is what Paul is actually claiming, then he has more claim than David. Continue reading

Philippians THREE :1-3

When I first looked at vs. 1-3 my thinking was about legalism. I’ve pondered this and I still think that’s the issue. In Paul’s day it centered on the Circumcision Party…God was setting His People, the Hebrews, the Israelites, apart from the rest of the world. He wanted them to understand that they were different. They belonged to Him. Circumcision marked them as His. Continue reading