Watch Out

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” (Philippians 3:2, KJV)

When I was in the Army Ranger School, we learned combat patrolling. In the training, we had two graded combat patrols. One 7-day patrol was in the mountain phase and another 12-day patrol was in the Florida (swamp) phase. On several occasions, I was chosen to point man. On point, I had to be keenly aware of many things. One was to keep us going in the correct direction, another to watch out for obstacles, and most importantly to watch out for the enemy forces.

Paul in this verse tells the Philippians to “beware” of  the “dogs,” “the evil workers,” and the “concision.” The word “beware,” blepo, literally means to see or discern with the eye, figuratively meaning to see or perceive with the mind’s eye (Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon G991). Just as I was to look intensively for the enemy, and obstacles while on those combat patrols, we as believers are constantly be on the watch for many dangerous things in the Christian life. What are the three things for which Paul warns us to be watchful?

The first are the “dogs.” The word “dogs,” kuon, metaphorically refers to a man of impure mind (Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon G2965). Today we live in an evil and sex driven world. It is not much different today than it was in the pagan world of Paul’s day. Evil lurks in the minds of people and this evil can even infiltrate the church. This is not just referring to sexual views, those with evil views of any sort. The church and church people must watch out to ensure that they are not swayed by the contrary views of the world.

The second are the “evil workers.” The “evil workers,” kakous ergatas, are those who do things that spring forth from an evil fallen nature. These can infiltrate the unsuspecting church and cause much damage to those within the body if they are not detected. They are not concerned with how their evil deeds are perceived by the Lord or by the body of Christ. The church must watch out for these and take the appropriate steps to deal with such people.

The third is the “concision.” What does Paul mean by this word? The word “concision” is not a normal word that we would use in the current day. The word translated “concision” is, katatome, referring to something cut up or mutilation (Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon G2699). Paul here referred to those who are commonly known as the Judaizers, legalists, or the party of the circumcision. These were those who followed Paul around and attempted to undermine the gospel of grace, by faith in Christ alone. They taught that to be justified a person needed to believe in Jesus but also follow the Mosaic law, which included circumcision. Paul argued vehemently that a person was justified by faith in Jesus and His atoning work alone, where he died for our sin, was burred, and rose again the third day. The church was to watch out for these types of false teachers who could subtly infiltrate and pervert the doctrine of salvation. This heresy can easily infiltrate the church today by emphasizing man’s works over the work of Christ in all aspects of the Christian life.

So, the church and parishioners must remember that a little leaven will leaven the whole lump. The influences to get the believer and the church off track are many and active today. Let us guard ourselves against the evil influences of the world, the evil workers who want to infiltrate our lives and churches, and those who would promote doctrines contrary to the truth of the gospel.