Enemies of the Cross
Philippians 3v18-19
22nd September 2023
Paul wrote in Philippians 3v10-11 about wanting to know Jesus better, to experience more of the power of Christ's resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death. In verses 12-14 he acknowledged that he still had a way to go, and declared his determination to press on. In verses 15-17 he urged us all to follow his example. Now he writes:
Philippians 3v18-19
For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,
many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is
in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
When he wrote this, he must have been thinking about people in the church community, people who turn up on Sunday morning and profess to be Christians. We know that because the Philippian church didn't need to be told that there are plenty of people who fit Paul's description outside the church.
Paul describes these enemies of the cross within the church community, saying, "their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.". I don't think he's talking exclusively about gormands and gluttons. Giving excess attention to over-eating or "fine dining" is just an example of the sort of attitudes he's describing. These people like to indulge the flesh. They don't care about their sin. They focus on earthly things. Their attitude is the opposite of the attitude Paul has described in verses 7-14. They don't prioritise knowing Jesus better. They don't focus on the power of Christ's resurrection. They want no part at all in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. They don't intend to become like Christ in his death. They like money, pleasure and comfort. They don't want to take up their cross daily (Luke 9v23). They don't want to die to self; they want to pander to self.
It breaks Paul's heart that some people who claim to be Christians, some of whom may have had significant influence in the church, live like this. These people present such a serious problem that he'd told the Philippians about them often before, with tears.
He says there are many of these people, and that they live as enemies of the cross of Christ. He says that their destiny is destruction. Strong words indeed! This shows that these people were not Christians. Not every person who attends on Sunday morning in born again. Not every person who claims to be a Christian, or who believes himself to be a Christian, has truly been saved. Some are still in their sins and, therefore, bound for destruction.
It's worth remembering that not every non-Christian who attends a church can be said to live as an enemy of the cross. Some are God-fearing men and women, actively seeking the salvation that you and I have been granted. But some people you and I will meet at church are truly enemies of the cross. They reject the idea that they need to be forgiven, that Christ died in their place to make atonement for their sins, that only through faith in His redeeming blood can anybody be saved. They refuse to repent of their sins. They think of themselves as good people. They see the church as a club, or a performance, or an immersive experience, not as the community of God's holy and redeemed people, gathered to worship our Saviour.
It's heart-breaking that wicked people can insinuate themselves into the community of the church, can pass themselves off as real Christians, and can adversely affect the fellowship and even the policy of the church, and, worse still, the doctrine of the church. It's heart-breaking that their behaviour can bring the church into disrepute.
It's also heart-breaking that some people genuinely believe they're Christians when they're not. The fact that they go to church regularly and join in the prayers and the singing, can help them to believe the falsehood that they are Christians. Whether they're hypocrites, deliberately continuing a life of sinful self-indulgence, or where they're God-fearing people, seeking to honour their creator, who have not yet understood the Gospel of peace, they're heading for destruction unless God brings them to genuine repentance and faith.
We should weep and pray for everybody who doesn't have the wonderful joy of truly knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. We should also weep and pray that God keeps the churches safe from the enemies of the cross who live within them. And we should pray for church leaders, whose responsibility it is to protect the true sheep from the ravening wolves.
And it is an absolute scandal that some church leaders are enemies of the cross, more interested in money and success than in self-sacrifice. Pray that they repent.
Next week: our citizenship is in heaven