Spotting a Fraud or Spying out the False Circumcision

Here is an old warning with as much meaning today as in the day it was written.

“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;”

Paul warns the Philippian church to beware! There were people who were frauds among them. He says that he has often told them about these frauds that try to derive their righteousness from the Law. He later declares that these people are actually enemies of Christ.

“whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”

How can we know how to spot such frauds? Who are they and why are they in the church? We gain insight as we see the characteristics of the ungodly openly portrayed by them.

To Timothy Paul says these types are = always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. – These men would puff themselves up in their study of God’s Word but it would not produce in them the knowledge of the truth that produces a changed life. They were experts at study and failures at living truth.

Again to Timothy Paul describes these types = holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. – The power of God is to transform lives. It brings people to Christ and moves them beyond where they are. These types denied the power of God. I must believe it came from never experiencing the power of God in their lives. Only those who have never tasted God’s power could deny it.

Paul again warns - But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

There are imposters among us. A false circumcision, a false church, goats mixed in with the sheep, tares sown in the church by the devil himself. Spotting them will help us avoid them and to move on into fruitful service. Once we spot such a person how do we determine for sure they are one of the false circumcision? Jesus Himself gives us some assistance in answering this question. In Matthew 25 He tells us how He will separate these at the end of the age – sheep on one side and goats (false circumcision) on the other. In the end it appears the only difference between the two is what they did or didn’t do!

We don’t have to guess or judge, we just need to call people to a decision to act in obedience to what they acknowledge. Sheep obey and goats run away!