What does “have no confidence in the flesh” mean (Philippians 3:3)?

In Philippians 3:3, Paul writes, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (KJV). Here, Paul articulates a foundational principle for believers: we are to have no confidence in the flesh.

The word flesh in this context refers to any effort, achievement, or accomplishment outside of Christ. Instead of boasting about our capabilities, we should boast about the Lord (see Jeremiah 9:24), who graciously provides “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17, ESV).

To further understand what it means to have no confidence in the flesh, we can look at the life of Paul. Before his conversion, Paul strictly adhered to the Mosaic Law, priding himself on his spiritual and ethnic privileges (Philippians 3:4–6). On the road to Damascus, however, Paul had a fateful encounter with the risen Lord, who transformed Paul into a preacher of the faith he once tried to destroy (Galatians 1:23). As follower of Christ, Paul counted everything in his former life as a “loss” for the sake of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7–8). Paul went from having confidence in the flesh to having confidence in Christ. This was not about demeaning himself but about God redefining where Paul’s trust and confidence should be.

To have no confidence in the flesh means to renounce self-righteousness and walk by the Spirit. In Galatians 5:16–17, Paul contrasts living by the Spirit with living according to the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other. Paul writes, “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (ESV). By advising believers to have no confidence in the flesh, Paul commands us to be led by the Spirit, who produces fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV).

Additionally, to have no confidence in the flesh means to embrace God’s sufficient grace. Again, Paul illustrates this. In 2 Corinthians 12, he speaks of a thorn in his flesh and how it taught him to delight in weaknesses and hardships for the sake of Christ. The physical malady led him to say, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (1 Corinthians 12:10, ESV). To have no confidence in the flesh, then, allows us to rely more on God’s grace. We redirect our boasting to glory in Christ alone.

To have no confidence in the flesh is to forsake self-reliance and depend solely on God. It means constantly returning to the foot of the cross, acknowledging our need for Christ’s redeeming work, and rejecting the temptation to claim any spiritual or moral achievement as our own. It also involves humbly recognizing that every good thing in our lives is due to God’s grace and not our worthiness (Ephesians 2:8–9).

To have no confidence in the flesh is to completely depend on Christ and forsake placing confidence in our own works. True circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the Mosaic Law (Romans 2:29). As believers, we must redefine our notions of success in terms of its relation to Christ and His people. As we learn to have no confidence in the flesh, we become more attuned to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, who makes us effective witnesses of the gospel. Let us, then, strive to surrender ourselves to God, living out our faith by the power of the Spirit.