The early church had many of the problems our churches have today. In Philippians 3, the church was warned of three particular dangers. The three “beware”s (Philippians 3:2) they were cautioned of were:
- “… of dogs”. Although Gentiles were often called “dogs,” it would hardly be likely that Paul, a missionary to the Gentiles, would warn the Philippians (many of whom were converted Gentiles, to look out for themselves. He may have been referring to the false shepherds (pastors) that were only in the ministry for themselves, as described in Isaiah 52:8-11: “The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, … All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.”
- “… evil workers”. These may be the same villains who were self-purposing ministers, sowing their wrong doctrines and leading the “sheep” astray. They could have been “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
- “… of the concision …”. “Concision” means cutting off. The Philippians were to beware of those still adhering to the law. Instead of cutting away the sins in their lives as Paul was teaching (Philippians 3:3), they tried to stick to the Old Testament laws to please God.
As taught in Ephesians 6, there is a spiritual war going on. We have to be watchful for the enemy, no matter where he hides. Sometimes we find him operating even in good Bible-believing churches. That is why it is important to read and know the Scriptures for ourselves to discern when false doctrines are taught.
