Beware of Dog!

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh” (Philippians 3:2).

“Beware of Dog!” The kids in the movie “The Sandlot” knew this sign meant immediate danger and certain death. It warned of the creature they called “The Beast” lurked on the other side of the fence, massive canine who tear them apart limb by limb. A few centuries earlier, Paul posts a similar sign for his friends back in Philippi. We must be on the lookout because there are packs of vicious dogs who aren’t behind a fence. They are roaming around. They are on the hunt. But these dogs aren’t four-legged furballs. These mongrels are false teachers looking to chew up and tear apart the followers of Jesus. Forget about “The Beast,” Smalls. These dogs can do real damage.

From his prison cell in Rome, Paul writes to the church back in Philippi, a small Macedonian seaport. He first hit town during his second Good News tour of the Mediterranean rim (Acts 16:12-40). God used the apostle and his posse to plant the first church ever on European soil. They are clearly some of Paul’s favorite people on the planet. Do you ever have friends that every time you think of them you can’t help but smile? That’s how the man from Tarsus sees this crazy bunch of believers. After writing letters to put out fires in other churches over in Ephesus and Colossae as well as a note of correction to his buddy Philemon, the apostle grabs his pen one more time. It’s time to catch up with the folks in Philippi. He just loves what Jesus is doing in and through them. It gives him great joy in the joint. But while he’s writing, he takes just a moment to warn them about a pack of wild dogs who are on the loose.

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh” (v2). At first glance, it’s easy to think the apostle is warning us about three different dangers. Dogs. Evildoers. Mutilators. But he’s actually telling us to keep our eyes peeled for one herd of spiritual predators. Three times in this verse he sounds the alarm using the Greek verb blepo. It can mean to simply see with your eyeballs. However, in certain situations the term means to be aware of, take notice of, regard, take heed, watch out for something dangerous. Jesus warns His crew, “Be on your guard (Gr. blepo)” because things are going to get crazy after His resurrection (Mk 13:9). Don’t miss the fact Paul delivers this verb not once, not twice, but THREE times in this verse. Red alert! Battle stations! This is what police calls a BOLO. We need be on the look out! My old football coach used to tell us to have our head on a swivel. Paul tells his readers to keep their eyes peeled. Trouble is on the way!

The apostle warns both the Philippians to keep their eyes peeled for a group of false teachers called the Judaizers. These knuckleheads travel around and twist the Gospel insisting that the followers of Jesus need to be circumcised. You see, back in the earliest days of the church there was a HUGE controversy about what to do with non-Jewish believers. To this point, the only people placing their trust in Messiah Jesus were Jews. But Christ invites everyone to God’s party. There’s this group of Jewish disciples who insisted that everyone had to become Jewish before following Jesus. That means following the Torah, the law of the Old Testament. That means bringing sacrifices to the temple in Jerusalem. That means…GULP…getting circumcised. I gotta tell ya, this is NOT exactly seeker friendly! But this is exactly the message Judaizers are spreading among the first Gentile believers. And it is exactly the kind of stupidity Paul is trying to stuff a sock in to everyone who will listen. Beware of dog!

The author first calls these false teachers “dogs” (v2). Hey, I’m a dog lover. Shouldn’t Paul be looking to adopt these lovable pooches? Shouldn’t he be trying to find Fido a new forever family? Not so much. You need to know folks did NOT consider canines to be man’s best friend back in the first century. They were wild, predatory, and vicious scavengers. So there term here is anything but a compliment. Far from it. And it was a one of the nastiest putdowns you could ever stick on a human being. It paints the picture of someone who is unholy and impure. A pervert. A rebel. A person of an impure mind. In a hit song which prophetically predicted Jesus’ crucifixion, King David sings, “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me” (Ps 22:16). In one of the last scenes in Scripture, John takes one last look outside the pearly gates of heaven on earth to see those who don’t make it in. “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev 22:15). You don’t want these dogs in your house. Ever.

Next Paul sounds the siren to watch out for “evildoers” (v2). The term here literally means “wicked workers” or “laborers of evil.” It may be the only time these words are combined in the New Testament but this idea is old school. Once again, David included wicked workers in the longest song he ever wrote. Psalm 119 is an epic jam. Kind of like “Stairway to Heaven.” But I digress. The king sings about these filthy operators, “Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God” (Ps 119:105). Paul warns the Corinthians to be on the look out for “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2Cor 11:13). These rabid dogs like to make everyone think they were working hard for righteousness. But they are in reality wicked workers. They’re trying to please God through their own hard work. They draw attention away from Jesus, who He is and what He’s done. They preach a message of do-it-yourself salvation. Instead of “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30), they crack the whip and insist we must keep on working.

Here’s the deal. We can’t add a single thing to what Jesus did for us. Nothing. Tullian Tchividjian gives us the only math we need for the final. He says, “Jesus + Nothing = Everything!” Throwing anything else into the equation nullifies the result. We place our trust in the fact Jesus lived the perfect life we failed to live. He died the death for our sin we should have died. He rose to new life we don’t deserve. We trust in His work on our behalf. I can’t save myself through reading the Bible. I can’t save myself by following the rules. I can’t save myself by going to church. I can’t save myself. And neither can you. Period. End of discussion. Everything else is just wicked working. The prophet Isaiah went so far as to say, “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Is 64:6). He literally says the best we can offer God on our own is like a filthy menstrual cloth. Yeah, pretty disgusting stuff. Don’t fall for anyone who tells you we must add anything to what Jesus has already done for us. They’re wicked workers who must be avoided at all costs.

Finally, Paul warns us to beware of “those who mutilate the flesh” (v2). He uses the Greek word katatome, which means to cut up severely, hack, chop, or cut something off. It’s the only time we find it in the NT. Keep your eyes out for the mutilators. Watch out for the hackers. Beware of the choppers. A bad golfer is a hacker. An incompetent doctor is a hack. The apostle wants everybody to steer clear of anyone who demands a rather personal surgical procedure in order to ensure entry into God’s kingdom. This is hyperbole for unneeded circumcision as opposed to the true work of Jesus on our heart. A few years back, the leaders in the home office of Jerusalem put their heads together over this whole Gentile-followers-of-Jesus controversy. Eventually, Jesus’ kid brother James said physical circumcision zero to do with trusting in God (Acts 15:1-29). Later, Paul tells about the time one member of his posse who wasn’t forced to go under the knife because he was a non-Jew. “But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek” (Gal 2:3). 

While the apostle drops one little line warning about these dangerous dogs, evildoers, and mutilators here to the Philippians, he’s dealt with these knuckleheads before. They sold their spiritual snake oil to folks in Galatia and Colossae. They duped folks into believing Jesus may have gotten you into God’s kingdom but you must do everything to stay in. That includes circumcision. Paul had some rather sharp words for the Judaizers in his letter to the Galatians. “I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!” (Gal 5:12). If they’re so hot about cutting off the foreskin for God, why don’t they just whack the whole thing off! I’m telling you, you REALLY ought to read your Bible. 

These dogs are still on the prowl today. These evildoers are at work. These mutilators keep their blades out to this day. Don’t fall for their garbage. Trust in Jesus and what He’s done on our behalf. In the meantime, take a lesson from Smalls and boys of “The Sandlot.” Beware of Dog!