Enemies of The Cross

Enemies of The Cross

An Urgent Call to All Who Are Rejecting Jesus Christ 

It is a sobering moment when one realizes they are living as God’s enemy. Nevertheless, many people do just that, live rebellious lives in blatant defiance of God’s word, will, and love. They may not stand on the street corner with a sign declaring “I am an enemy of God,” but their shameless and ungodly lifestyle clearly marks them as an “enemy of the cross.”

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul spoke of these lost souls while urging the believers to keep their eyes on his godly way of life and not follow after the ungodliness of those who openly reject God. Let’s take a closer look at this passage.

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:17-21)

It is clear from verse 18 that Paul has a heavy heart and shed many tears for God’s enemies of which he was once the worst, having persecuted the follows of Jesus unto death prior to his own salvation experience. Paul can not help but well up with tears as he speaks of those who have rejected the truth and remain on the path of destruction. He is very aware of the dreadful outcome awaiting all who fail to turn to God in sincere and true repentance.

In Matthew 12:30 Jesus tells us that “whoever is not with me is against me…” leaving no middle ground. Either we are His followers or His enemies. Following the same vein of thought in Romans 5:10, the apostle Paul refers to the unsaved as “enemies” of God. Therefore, anyone that has not surrendered and submitted their lives to the Lordship of God’s Son is God’s enemy. Again, it is a sobering moment to realize that by ignoring or rejecting God’s call to repent and follow His Son, we remain enemies of God. Moreover, it is beyond human logic that Christ loved us (his enemies) so much that He would take upon Himself our cross, suffer and die to rescue us (his enemies) from our sins.

The apostle Paul mentions 4 characteristics in verse 19 that are indicative of God’s enemies, three of which keep them from seeing the truth and turning to the one true God and Savior.

Their God is There Stomach

Metaphorically, not the literal stomach. Aristippus (435–356 BC), a student of Socrates, taught that pleasure and happiness was the highest pursuit of life, also know as Hedonism. The unsaved are ruled by the appetites and cravings of their sensual desires. Pleasure is of the utmost importance. Nothing is denied their insatiable desires for pleasure. It is the “lust of the flesh” (1 John 2:16) that demands whatever it wills. Some will say, “not true,” but they are living in denial. Nevertheless, pleasure seeking is a full-time occupation that leaves no time for the one true God. There is time for festivals, banquets, concerts, celebrations, socializing, entertainment, sporting events, clubs, leagues, travel, vacationing, and a host of other pleasurable activities that must be tended to, but no time or desire to serve God.

Their Mind is Set On Earthly Things

Their minds are strictly focused on earthly things, but not the things of God. They see no real value in spiritual pursuits that so often seem to require time, energy, and resources, but no tangible or material return. The God of material prosperity must be served because it produces tangible and practical outcomes. Heavenly and spiritual things seem to have no real appeal to those whose minds are set exclusively on earthly pursuits. The unsaved are completely unaware of God’s promise to provide:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

Their Glory is Their Shame

The glorification of shameful and disgraceful behavior is the staple of unbridled liberalism and a godless society. Sodom and Gomorra gloried in the shameful practice of sexual perversion until the day God’s wrath fell. When the hidden sins of darkness are shamelessly celebrated in broad daylight the wrath of God is imminent. Just as the shameless inhabitants of those ancient cities were destroyed by sudden and utter destruction, so shall it be with those who are opposing God and refuse to repent. The apostle Paul was deeply distressed over the plight of the unsaved and he spent his life trying to reach them with the good news of God’s salvation through our Lord and Savior.

Their Destiny is Destruction

There are two destinies at the end of our earthly life—heaven and hell. All who have turned to Christ and are born again are destined to an eternal life in the presence of their Lord and Savior.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21)

All others will be cast into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Again, it is, for this reason, the apostle Paul has a heavy heart and sheds tears of sorrow, knowing that eternal damnation is awaiting all who have rejected the Son of God and chose to live unrepentant and unregenerated lives.

Conclusion

It is easy to flatter ourselves into thinking we are not all that bad, and certainly not an enemy of God. We may survey our lives and conclude, while we are not perfect, we are not so sinful as to deserve being called an “enemy of the cross.”  We are quick to give ourselves a passing grade and dismiss God’s charges against us. We cleverly assume that our good appearance is enough to conceal our hidden sins that no one really knows about. In our minds, all appears well—but may I remind you of something God’s word teaches us?

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

If we choose to trust our own reasoning and feelings rather than taking to heart what God has said about our unrepentant lives, we will remain lost in a cloud of self-deception. Moreover, it is unwise to trust the opinions or guidance of those living in darkness to lead us into the light—they too are blind and do not know the way. It is also possible to think that God is pleased with our way of life because His judgment has not fallen upon us, but we would only be confusing God’s patience (2 Peter 3:9) with His approval, they are not the same. It is a dangerous thing to travel down life’s path, led by our sensual appetites, fixated on worldly pursuits, shamelessly celebrating what is forbidden, and all the while headed pell-mell toward eternal damnation.

In another passage, Paul writes to Timothy:

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. (1 Timothy 5:24)

The obvious sinner is easy to identify because they are shameless in their defiance of God. Their sinful existence is an open book for all to read. Not so with those who cleverly conceal their sins (trail behind) and masquerade as the righteous. In both cases, they are headed toward God’s judgment day. One is a blatant enemy of the cross and the other grossly deluded into believing he is not God’s enemy and has fooled God.

As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)

Isn’t it time to get real with God?

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