Qualifications for Heaven
The British ocean liner, the R.M.S. Lusitania, was struck by a torpedo from a German submarine on May 7, 1915. It appears that in an effort to minimize panic, the captain, William Thomas Turner, created a false sense of assurance. Shortly after the torpedo struck the liner, a female passenger called out, "Captain, what do you wish us to do?"
He replied, "Stay right where you are, Madam, she's all right.""Where do you get your information?" she asked. "From the engine room, Madam," he said. But the engine room clearly had told him no such thing. The woman headed back toward the stern, and as she walked she told other passengers "The Captain says the boat will not sink."
The remark was greeted with cheers and many people who had been endeavoring to get a place in the boats, turned away in apparent contentment." Turner's words merely confirmed what the passengers and crew already believed, or wanted to believe: that no torpedo could cause the ship mortal damage. Of the 1,959 passengers aboard the Lusitania, 1,198 perished.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is calm and joyous, but in the first verses of chapter 3 the tone changes, he becomes harsh. Paul is passionately concerned about certain dangers and he speak out strongly about them. Philippians 3:1 is a transition verse; He moves from an exhortation to conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent with the gospel (2:12-18) to a warning about a very dangerous heresy (3:2).
He says “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord”(3:1). Rejoicing in the Lord is a fitting theme for the whole letter. Throughout Philippians, Paul emphasizes the theme of joy. Paul follows his command to rejoice with the qualifier “in the Lord.” He shares with the Philippians the principle of being able to rejoice in the Lord not in circumstances.
Paul's situation was really bad. He was in prison waiting for possible execution. Yet, the whole letter exudes joy. What was the source of his joy? Certainly it was not in his situation. He found his joy in a relationship, the relationship with Jesus Christ. He tells the Philippians to seek joy in the Lord. Circumstances change from time to time, the exciting records we set will be broken by others someday. Riches can fly away (Prov. 23:5) and friends can disappoint (Ps. 55:12-15).
God is not a man that he should lie, what he has said he will do and what he has spoken he will make good (Num 23:19). Not one word failed of all his good promises which he promised his people Israel (1 kings 8:56). He does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man (1Sam 15:29). Jesus Christ does not change; he is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). If we are faithless, he remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).
He is always present, ever loving and in full control of things; He is stable and reliable. This means that the joy resulting from a relationship with him will be present regardless of circumstances. You can rejoice in Him when the clouds are dark. The joy in the Lord arises from believing that all that comes your way is either appointed or permitted by him and in the end it will work together for good.
Rejoice in the Lord is a command given to Christians. The psalmist says “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11). The World has its own joy but it’s fleeting ; the joy in the Lord is stable and lasting. Abiding joy shows that we do trust in a God whom we really believe is in control.
Paul could rejoice in hardships because he knew whom he had believed in and was persuaded that He was able to keep what he have committed to Him until that Day (2 Tim 1:12). When the Psalmist was in trouble, his enemies asked him, “Where is your God?” He encouraged himself “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him (Ps. 42:10-12).
When Habakkuk’s fields failed him he said “Though the fields yield no food …Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Hab. 3:17-18). These people knew their God well and they knew that he was faithful no matter what. They did not understand what was going on by they knew that God was fully in charge; they found joy even the difficult circumstance.
Paul tells the Philippians “For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe”. Paul has repeatedly told these Philippians to rejoice in Christ. He admits that he is repeating himself and he makes no apologies for doing so. Repetition is justified because rejoicing is fundamental to the believer’s life. Major truths need to be repeated for emphasis, impact, and retention.
In verse 2 Paul warns the Philippians about a heresy. Judaizers taught that salvation is a combination of God’s grace and human effort. They taught that salvation by faith is not enough; one must do other things to earn a place in Heaven. They also taught that one can make it to Heaven by meticulously following a long list of religious rules and regulations.
Three times Paul uses the word “beware!” to warn the Philippians about this heresy. Beware of the dogs: Beware of the evil workers: Beware of the mutilation. He uses three distinguishing characteristics to describe a single religious group. First, Paul refers to the Judaizers as “dogs.” This was a very derogatory term, routinely used by the Jews in referring to the Gentiles.
Dogs were scavengers who roamed the streets feeding on filth and garbage; they were vivid images of the unclean. The Jews called Gentiles “dogs” because they did not believe in the one true God. The great irony of Paul’s rebuke is that he turns the table on the Judaizers and declares “You are the ones who have rejected God! You are leading people astray through your false teaching. You are the dogs!
The Judaizers are next called “evil workers.” Can you imagine what it would feel like to be called an “evil worker” when you prided yourself for doing “good works”? They emphasized righteousness with God by works. Paul would admit that they have a concern for works, but they were evil workers. They exaggerated the importance of trifles to the detriment of truth.
Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees was that they were legalistic– only concerned with the external appearance rather than the inward change. He clearly said that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3-5). It’s significant that these words were spoken to Nicodemus a teacher of the law. As far as observing the law was concerned he was doing it to the letter. But Jesus told him-you must be born again if you want to see Heaven.
Religious practices and church traditions will not save anyone. Being the most active member in the church will not save anyone, baptism without salvation will not save anyone. Religious rituals will not save anyone - one must be born again to enter Heaven. Yet thousands are living in false security and dying in what will one day prove to have been false hope.
Circumcision was the Judaizers’ greatest source of pride. They believed that one cannot be saved unless he first transformed to a Jew through circumcision. To Paul that circumcision was only a mutilation. He told the Romans that “he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision which is outward in the flesh; But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Rom 2:28-29).
Paul then defined true circumcision as those who worship God in the Spirit as opposed to the fleshly and external worship. True worshipers rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. There is a distinction between those who are religious and those who are righteous, between those who have an outward mark that identifies them with God and those who have had an inward change.
The righteous do not rely on their ancestry (born in Christian family) or the posts they hold in church or completion of required religious rituals or good works. They understand that they are saved by the grace of God and are transforming into the image of Christ day by day (2 Cor. 3:18); that is the qualification for Heaven. Therefore let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering his rest, any one may seem to have come short of it (Heb 4:1).
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