Becoming like Christ is one of the glorious promises of the gospel. So in this week’s text, Paul urges the Philippians to follow his example in pursuing Christlikeness and warns them from those who don’t.
A worthy example
“Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example that you have in us.”
In the preceding passage, Paul declared he was not perfect. He still struggled with sin and once said, “For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do…Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:19,24). But despite his imperfections, Paul tells the Philippians to imitate him. The one thing Paul did was to press on and become like Christ. Now he is calling his beloved brethren to do the same; to imitate him as he is imitating Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Paul is not setting himself as a perfect example, but as an imperfect one striving for perfection, a flawed sinner pursuing Christ’s flawless holiness. He is saying, “imitate Christ and imitate me to see how I do it.”
But why go through Paul? Isn’t Christ our supreme model for godly living and Scripture enough? Yes, and yes. Believers, however, also need living examples of fallible men and women who struggle to live the Christian life. We cannot get that directly from Jesus because he lived perfectly and never sinned. So we need older imperfect models who know how to walk the path of holiness while struggling with sin to show us the way.
Paul offers himself an example because he is ahead of the Philippians in the Christian race and can guide them. And by imitating him, the Philippians can learn how to live in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Christians today still have Paul’s example through his divinely inspired writings. And though Scripture is sufficient for all instruction on godliness (2 Timothy 3:16), it is good for us to have living examples. This is why Paul tells the Philippians to observe those who live according to his teachings.
He previously cited Timothy and Epaphroditus as models and explained how they imitated Christ. And now, he encourages the congregation to discern others who are spiritually mature and observe their ways.
We also ought to determine the spiritually mature among us. We have the teachings of Scripture as a standard to recognize those running their race well, and we should sit at their feet and learn from them. It also means that we must live so that we can also serve as examples for others.
Enemies of the cross
“For many of whom I have often told you, and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.”
Paul wants the Philippians to be discerning because everyone is not who they seem. There are wolves and goats disguised as sheep in the flock of Christ, and believers must learn to discern the genuine from the fake. We must learn to recognize godly men who walk according to God’s Word from those who only pretend. Paul calls these pretenders enemies of the cross of Christ.
This term does not appear anywhere else in Scripture, so it is uncertain who they are. But since the cross of Christ represents the gospel—the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, enemies of the cross oppose the teachings of the gospel.
They could have been the opponents Paul mentioned in Phil 1:27, the Judaizers (Phil 3:3), all the above, or another group like gentile unbelievers. Whoever these enemies of the cross are, they grieve Paul. He warns the Philippians with tears because they spread destructive heresies. They were probably church members who pretended to be disciples of Christ, but inside they were ravenous wolves bent on devouring unsuspecting sheep (Acts 20:28-30).
Today, the church also has enemies of the cross in its rank; those who profess Christ but practice godlessness. And here is how Paul describes them.
Their end is destruction. Paul is not saying the enemies of Christ will cease to exist. The Greek word for destruction means ruin or loss; it is cut off or severed from what should have been. So the end Paul has in mind is their eternal destination, which is hell. The cross is the only means of salvation, anyone who opposes it will suffer in hell away from the presence and glory of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Their God is their belly. The enemies of the cross serve their appetites and fleshly desires instead of Christ (Romans 16:18). They do not deny themselves as Jesus taught. Instead, they indulge their lusts and despise the authority of the Lord (2 Peter 2:10)
They glory in their shame. Enemies of the cross are lovers of themselves. They boast about their accomplishments and seek their vainglory. They turn people away from the cross by putting the spotlight on themselves.
Minds set on earthly things. The enemies of the cross only care about this life. They do not care about eternity because they love the world and all the things in it. They reject Christ, who is the light of the world, because they love the darkness rather than the light (John 3:19).
Citizens of heaven
“But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Paul now describes genuine believers and shows how they are in stark contrast with the enemies of the cross.
Our end is Heaven. Paul tells the Philippians that their citizenship is in Heaven. The Greek word for citizenship means a colony of foreigners. The term referred to people who lived in one place but were citizens from another. For instance, the Philippians were Roman citizens, but they lived in Philippi. Paul uses this concept to remind the Philippians that they are also sojourners in the world (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). Their citizenship and actual home is in Heaven, where God dwells. After this life, the cross’s enemies who are citizens of the world will perish with it, but believers will spend eternity in Heaven in God’s presence and glory.
Our God is Jesus Christ. Enemies of the cross worship themselves and only live to satisfy their desires, but true believers worship Jesus Christ and eagerly wait for His return. Christ chose us out of the world, and we are no longer ruled by it or the things in it—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and pride of life (1 John 2:16). We put it to death and live for Christ, who is our life (Col 3:4-5), we do not live according to our flesh, but the spirit of God (Romans 8:4) and do everything to God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
We glory in the Savior. False believers glory in their shame, but true believers glory in Christ Jesus, who saved us from God’s wrath by taking on the punishment for our sin. He continues to save us from the power of sin by sanctifying us through His Spirit and will soon return to finish His good work and transform our bodies of sin into bodies of glory.
Our minds are set on things above. With our citizenship, our Lord and Savior, and inheritance in Heaven, true believers set their minds on things above, not the things on earth (Col 3:2-3). We “look not into the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18). While the enemies of the cross focus on this world, we look beyond the sun and eagerly await the return of our glorious Savior.
Until that day comes, Paul tells the Philippians to stand firm in the Lord. Like soldiers guarding a post during a battle, we must stay alert and watch out for the enemies of Christ. We must not abandon our post to follow false teachers and their heresies but stay firmly planted in the Word of God.
Heart check
One major problem of Christians today is that we have forgotten that this world is not our home. We are getting too comfortable here, and we do not long for eternity as we should. As a result, we spend our energies trying to fix a dying world and get distracted by things that will not matter in eternity.
We are aboard a sinking ship where many of the passengers do not realize it. Our task as those who know this truth is to tell the lost about the only way out. But too many believers are out there trying to patch holes and rearrange the deck instead. We must not get so distracted with things of the world that we neglect the duty our King has given us, which is to preach the gospel and make disciples.
We also must continually be aware of the glories of Heaven and how they pale compared to our greatest joys under the sun. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, the first petition was “Your kingdom come.” Is it something we earnestly pray for? Do we yearn in pain for Christ’s return, or do we enjoy His delays because of the earthly pleasures we have here? God has given us many good things under the sun, but we must never enjoy them so much that we do not eagerly wait long for Heaven and its glorious King.
What are your thoughts on this week’s study? Share in the comments below!
Recommended resources
- Following Godly Examples – John MacArthur
- Fleeing from Enemies – John MacArthur
- Focusing on Expectations – John MacArthur
Next study
Readings
Read and study Philippians 4:2-4:9.
Memorization
Philippians 4:2-4:9 if you are doing the challenge, if not verses 6-7.
Questions for reflection
- Paul commands believers to rejoice always; why is it so important? How can you have more joy in your life?
- Why do you think God does not want us to be anxious?
- What makes you anxious? How can you overcome it with Paul’s prescription?
- Do you pay attention to your thoughts or the things you consume (books, lyrics, movies)? What can you do to only think about the things Paul mentions in verse 8?
