Rejoice In Spirit

By Tammy Lacock

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:1-3)

Warren Litzman begins a new study of the Apostle Paul’s message of Christ with Philippians 3:1-3. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he reminds the Church to rejoice and delight in the Lord as he writes again and again of our new life in Christ, now joined in one spirit with Him. By reiterating this message throughout his letters, he says we are kept safe by this knowledge.

Many will try to explain away our new life in Christ Jesus. Yet, Paul says we are kept safe from those who try to pervert the true message of Christ, that of being born again. When we believe in Christ as our Savior, our old lives have died with Him and we receive HIS life; we are risen with Him, born again into HIS new life. Being born again, we enter the spirit realm, and are circumcised to the flesh, born of God’s Spirit, one with the Spirit of Christ. We are the true circumcision. We worship God in spirit and place no confidence in the flesh. This means we have moved from being slaves to sin and law (that circumcision is necessary for salvation) to living in grace to serve righteousness from our hearts. We aren’t saved by anything we do or don’t do. Christ did the work on the Cross. By his death and resurrection, we are saved, reborn in spirit, one spirit with Him. 

Rejoice in Him!