Philippians 3: 2-11 ~ Watch out for those dogs, those workers of 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 could have such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has grounds for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Who are those dogs Paul was referring to? Well, we know that sincere Christians rejoice in Christ Jesus; giving Glory to God. In Isaiah, we read that the prophet calls the false prophets dumb dogs… Isa 56:10; to which the apostle Paul also seems to refer to in Philippians. Dogs, for their malice against faithful professors of the gospel of Christ, barking at them and biting them. Those who bark at the gospel, those who urge human works in opposition to faith in Christ; Paul calls them evil-workers.
But, doesn’t God love all people? His loving devotion endures forever, right? So how could there be any dogs out there and if they are and there are why wouldn’t God love them too. He is the creator of all things. The answer is He does… but they don’t love Him back in return…
Indeed, God loves all His creation but only those who love Him can and will inherit the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God was not made for dogs. It was made for His Son and those who believe in His Son … so, we too share in the Kingdom of God… Hallelujah! Glory to God.
You see folks, many people behavior like dogs, like Pavlov’s dog if you know that experiment… indeed like dogs there are people who follow the scent, or are looking for the handout, eating it up and looking for more. They go about sniffing behinds, and barking out loud for what they want when they want it. Its not a pretty picture but surely we can observe such behavior today.
Those people deny the power of Jesus Christ God incarnate; they deny their being alive in Him… they are children of the flesh, so they behavior like a dog. After all, it’s a doggie dog world isn’t it? Yes, it is.
Come out of her… commands the Lord before its too late. Repent and renew your mind in Jesus Christ. You were created by God, the almighty God, Lord of Lords and King of Kings… Glory to God.
Matthew 15: 26-28~ …But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.…
What does that mean? It means that it is not right to take from the bread from the children of God and toss it to the dogs… but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table… So, those dogs that Paul speaks of are those who bark at the gospel, those who urge human works in opposition to faith in Christ…evil-workers. Yes, even those dogs will eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.
Yes, the best food should be given to the children of God; but in that reading from Matthew, the woman begs to let the dogs beneath the table eat the crumbs. Her faith was in believing that God sent His son because He so loved the world… therefore, anyone regarded as a dog, a pagan/Gentile, as unworthy of everything still has access to the bread of life for if at any moment they too be transformed by the renewing of their mind through the almighty power of God the Son Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit… Glory to God, Glory Glory Glory!
Total transformation is a choice… you decide to stop being a dog once you have tasted the bread of life. You Give your life to Jesus and love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because, dogs [metaphor for those who deny Christ] who remain dogs cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
But indeed, the Gospel has the power to change… it is the bread of life that everyone desires to eat; even dogs. Reading from Romans 9:8…So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
Romans 10:8-10 ~ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming… that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
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