Dogs

Philippians 3:2-6 - Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 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—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

Galatians 5:15 - If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Romans 2:29 - No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

Galatians 6:15 - Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Conclusions:

• Seeking to attain status with God and man by mere observance law breeds a self-righteous, critical spirit
• Circumcision’s true inner meaning is realized only in believers, who worship God with genuine spiritual worship and who glory in Christ as their Savior rather than trusting in their own human effort
• Everyone is a boaster, either in Christ or in himself
• Flesh is weak human nature
• Although the term flesh in Paul’s letters often refers to sinful human nature, it speaks here of the frailty of human nature: It is not worthy of our confidence; it cannot save
• The true sign of belonging to God is not an outward mark on the physical body, but the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit within—what Paul meant by circumcision of the heart
• In Christ man undergoes a transformation that results in an entirely new being
• Creation again takes place
• Put a new spirit in you means transform your mind and heart
• In Ezekiel 36:26 God declared that He would bring about the change
• What He requires of His people He always provides
• Flesh in the Old Testament is often a symbol for weakness and frailty; in the New Testament it often stands for the sinful nature as a God opposing force
• In Ezekiel 36:26, flesh stands for a pliable, teachable heart.

Application:

• Do you seek to attain status with God and man by mere observance of law?
• Do you trust in your own human effort or do you glory in Christ?
• Is the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit within you?
• Have you been transformed into a new being?
• Has God Transformed your mind and heart?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible