Watch Out and Boast in Christ

In today’s episode of Coffee with the Superintendent, we open Philippians 3 with a sharp warning that protects the joy Paul just commanded. He tells believers to watch out for those who would turn faith into a flesh-based scoreboard, measuring standing with God by external markers and religious credentials (Phil 3:1–2). From there, Paul draws a clear New Covenant line: the true people of God are not defined by marks in the body but by worship empowered by the Spirit, a confidence rooted in Christ, and a refusal to trust in human status (Phil 3:3).   Paul then places his own résumé on the table to prove the point. If anyone could claim “confidence in the flesh,” it was him: heritage, law-keeping, zeal, and outward blamelessness (Phil 3:4–6). Yet he calls it all loss compared to Christ (Phil 3:7). This is the heart of New Covenant living: identity is no longer built on what we have achieved, inherited, or displayed, but on what Christ has fulfilled and secured. You will be challenged to examine what you are tempted to boast in, and to re-center your confidence where it belongs.   In the Second Pour, we celebrate alumni birthdays for Daronte McKethan and Brandon Young, enjoy pasta with meat sauce for lunch, and encourage our families to be strengthened in mid-week Bible studies at Berean Baptist Church.