Friend or Foe?

 Philippians 3:18
¹⁸ For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.

 I find this verse very interesting. Again it’s one of those verses if you read it very quickly you may miss the meaning. I used to tend to read it as there are those who are just plain enemies of Jesus and those people to me would be very obvious. They would be atheists, agnostics, and all the really bad people.  Like in the Revolutionary War you had two sides, one wore blue the other red they lined up across from each other and fought. You knew who the enemy was. But when you read it slower and take in all in it’s much different, more like the war on Terror. You it’s much harder to tell friend from foe.  The first clue of this difference  should have been when Paul says with tears in his eyes. This tells me that the enemies list contains people that he really cares about. Secondly it does not say enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. This means people who add or take away from how Jesus’ death on the cross provided for salvation of those he chooses. The people who add are the religious that think that by living a good life, by doing good things that’s how they get into Heaven. Then there is the other side who say that because that Jesus died on the cross they are saved so they can live however they want. Both sides are dead wrong. So the people Paul has tears for are people who claim to be, and really think that they are Christians but are not.

This saddens me as well there are churches everywhere who have enemies of the cross in them. This even includes Pastor’s, leaders and teachers. It is sad indeed.

Are you an enemy of the cross? Are you sure? To be sure you need to sit under good biblical teaching, study God’s word and stay in constant prayer. Because salvation comes solely from the work of Christ on the cross, there is not one thing that you can do to earn it and you need to live a good life because of it. Choose your side carefully because when you read the Bible it tells you which side wins.

 “The enemies of the Cross of Christ” are bright with the whitewash of outside godliness, while they are rotten within. ~ Charles Spurgeon