Commentary on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians

Comm on Phil, Col, Thes
contrast— We have no confidence in the flesh For under the term flesh he includes everything of
an external kind in which an individual is prepared to glory, as will appear from the context, or, to
express it in fewer words, he gives the name of flesh to everything that is apart from Christ. He
thus reproves, and in no slight manner, the perverse zealots the law, because, not satisfied with
Christ, they have recourse to grounds of glorying apart from him. He has employed the terms
glorying, and having confidence, to denote the same thing. For confidence lifts up a man, so that
he ventures even to glory, and thus the two things are connected.
4 Though I might also He does not speak of the disposition exercised by him, but he intimates,
that he has also ground of glorying, if he were inclined to imitate their folly. The meaning therefore
is, “My glorying, indeed, is placed in Christ, but, were it warrantable to glory in the flesh, I have
also no want of materials.” And from this we learn in what manner to reprove the arrogance of
those who glory in something apart from Christ. If we are ourselves in possession of those very
things in which they glory, let us not allow them to triumph over Christ by an unseemly boasting,
without retorting upon them also our grounds of glorying, that they may understand that it is not
through envy that we reckon of no value, nay, even voluntarily renounce those things on which
they set the highest value. Let, however, the conclusion be always of this nature — that all confidence
in the flesh is vain and preposterous.
If any one has confidence in the flesh, I more Not satisfied with putting himself on a level with
any one of them, he even gives himself the preference to them. Hence he cannot on this account
be suspected, as though he were envious of their excellence, and extolled Christ with the view of
making his own deficiencies appear the less inconsiderable. He says, therefore, that, if it were
coming to be matter of dispute, he would be superior to others. For they had nothing (as we shall
see erelong) that he had not on his part equally with them, while in some things he greatly excelled
them. He says, not using the term in its strict sense, that he has confidence in the flesh, on the ground
that, while not placing confidence in them, he was furnished with those grounds of fleshly glorying,
on account of which they were puffed up.
5. Circumcised on the eighth day It is literally— “The circumcision of the eighth day.” There
is no difference, however, in the sense, for the meaning is, that he was circumcised in the proper
manner, and according to the appointment of the law 173 . Now this customary circumcision was
reckoned of superior value; and, besides, it was a token of the race to which he belonged; on which
he touches immediately afterwards. For the case was not the same as to foreigners, for after they
had become proselytes they were circumcised in youth, or when grown up to manhood, and
sometimes even in old age. He says, accordingly, that he is of the race of Israel He names the tribe
174 , — not, in my opinion, on the ground that the tribe of Benjamin had a superiorityof excellence
above others, but for shewing more fully that he belonged to the race of Israel, as it was the custom
that every one was numbered according to his particular tribe. With the same view he adds still
farther, that he is an Hebrew of the Hebrews For this name was the most ancient, as being that by
which Abraham himself is designated by Moses. (Genesis 14:13.) 175 The sum, therefore, is this —
173 “Circoncis deuement et selon l’ordonnance et les obseruations de la loy;” — “Circumcised duly and according to the
appointment and the observances of the law.”
174 “Il note la tribu et le chef de la lignee de laquelle il estoit descendu;” — “He names the tribe and the head of the line from
which he was descended.”
175 See Calvin on the Corinthians, vol. 2, p. 357, 358.
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John Calvin