Philippians 3:5
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Paul sets out his inherited and earned claims to religious confidence as an Israelite circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, and a Pharisee toward the law. That standing meant lifelong training in Jewish faith and tradition, strict keeping of the letter and ceremony of the law, prominence as a promising defender taught in Jerusalem by the foremost rabbis, and elevation to power in the Sanhedrin after Stephen's death. Before conversion he rested his hope of justification on flesh, forms, ceremonies and good works, counting himself blameless while persecuting the church, which left him without true righteousness because he had rejected the One who gave the law its worth. When Christ met him on the way to Damascus his life was changed, and all that legal righteousness became loss and refuse beside knowing Christ and receiving God's righteousness by faith. Those distinctions of birth, tribe, heritage and party are the things behind him that he forgets as he reaches forward to the prize of God's high calling in Christ, turning from ambition to join those he had persecuted and to devote his teaching, life and suffering to Christ.
Paul's Heritage and Zeal
Paul's list in this verse sets out the grounds on which he could once have placed confidence in his human religious standing: circumcision on the eighth day, descent from the stock of Israel, membership in the tribe of Benjamin, identity as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and position as a Pharisee with respect to the law. These credentials describe his life before conversion, when he trusted in the flesh and sought to keep the letter of the law perfectly.
As a Pharisee he was formed by lifelong Jewish training, religious faith, and devotion to the traditions of his people. His standing reflected rigorous commitment to the law and strict observance of the ceremonial law, with an honored place among its defenders. Jewish leaders regarded him as a promising defender of their faith because his identity had been shaped by upbringing, patriotic commitment, and devotion to the law and traditions.
That standing made him prominent and promising as a defender of the Jewish faith. He was a Roman citizen by birth yet a Jew by descent, educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent of the rabbis, and regarded by the rabbis as a young man of great promise, with high hopes cherished concerning him as an able and zealous defender of the ancient faith. His position made him prominent among the Jewish leaders aroused to check the spread of the gospel, and after the death of Stephen his elevation to membership in the Sanhedrin placed him in a position of power.
Before conversion he trusted in the flesh, in forms and ceremonies, and in his good works for justification. His inherited standing, strict observance, and zeal for the law, including persecuting the church, gave him a false hope that was of no avail disconnected from faith in Christ. Although he considered himself blameless in legal righteousness and in performing the deeds of the law, he had rejected the One who gave the law its value.
Counting Loss to Gain Christ
On his way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Christ, Christ revealed Himself to him and changed his life. The circumcision, descent from Israel and Benjamin, standing as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and position as a Pharisee toward the law had been grounds for confidence in his religious standing and trusting in the flesh before his conversion. Afterward the righteousness he had valued as based on the law, gained by trying to keep the letter of the law perfectly, became worthless, loss and dung beside knowing Christ and receiving the righteousness of God through faith. His own righteousness proved to be unrighteousness, and no treasure was held equal to the gift of the knowledge of Christ.
After the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin he saw his errors, confessed his unworthiness, and pleaded for acceptance through the merits of the crucified and risen Christ. As a proud Pharisee he had trusted his good works for justification and had persecuted those who believed in Jesus and delivered them to death, but then he forsook his former ways and professed faith in Jesus. Christ and His righteousness became more precious to him than everything else. His zeal had been misdirected while he held an honored position before he accepted the gospel, for he thought that persecuting Christ's followers was service to God, but Christ showed him that he was persecuting Him in His saints. He then joined the people he had once sought to destroy, turned from ambition and preferment, and devoted his teaching, life and suffering to Christ, trusting the Saviour's grace to save even him who had persecuted the church, with the deep longing of his soul to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
The Israelite birth, Benjamite tribe, Hebrew heritage and Pharisee standing belong to the things behind him that he forgets while reaching forward and pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. They belong to the call to be thus minded, to walk by the same rule, and to follow his example. They belong to refusing encouragement to the enemies of the cross of Christ who mind earthly things and whose end is destruction. They belong to having conversation in heaven and looking for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven to change the vile body to be like His glorious body by His power to subdue all things, and so to stand fast in the Lord.