Ian & Jocelyn Barker

Paul exhorts the Philippians to follow his pattern of godly living. Evidently there are those in their midst who walk in a way that is not to be followed. Paul weeps because of these people as they are “enemies of the cross of Christ”. Their end will be destruction but those who set their minds on heaven will be transformed into the likeness of Christ’s body of glory.

What is this “pattern” that they have in him? Paul has been encouraging them to have an attitude of humility and obedience to Christ (2:5-11). He has shared how he has been filled with joy and rejoicing in the midst of suffering and persecution. He has demonstrated that his goal in life is to know Christ and complete the journey so that he will enter into the glory of the resurrection. His pattern of living is a focus on Christ, on the hope of eternity, and to have an attitude of humility towards one another.

In verses 18-21, Paul contrasts the lifestyle of the unbeliever versus the lifestyle of the believer, and the destination of these two people. The unbeliever focusses on the things of this earth and their present needs. They are enemies of the cross of Christ because they scoff at the notion that they need forgiveness for sins or that their is a coming judgment. They see the cross as foolishness.

But we as believers are citizens of heaven who “eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our lives are not rooted in this age, nor do we find fulfillment in this age. We understand that our present “humble state” is not our end but is the necessary prerequisite to the glory of our resurrection. Following the pattern of Paul, though the world calls it foolish (1 Cor. 1-2), is our hope because Christ will come to glorify those who have humbled themselves and embraced the power of the cross.