Title /Philippians 3:17-4 ..
An exemplary Christian
First, live a life that exalts the cross.
At that time in Philippi, there were those who act as enemies of the cross. The cross of Christ is meaningless because their actions are, in effect, enemies of Christ. They are selfish, worldly, ritualists, enemies of the cross. Looking at their characteristics,
First, as the ruiners, "our end is destruction" ' ' The end is an inevitable ultimate fate rather than just an end point. If the cross is the only salvation (Acts 4:12), the fate of the enemy of the cross is, of course, destruction. Next, as carnivores, they are those who have made ships their gods. They ate and drank only to satisfy the appetite and taste of their physical instincts. Ovulation refers to all human desires. They put their desires in God's place instead of God, and they do their best to pursue them. In the words of Cykrub, "My flock of beasts are sacrifices to me. They are not to some gods, but to my belly, the greatest god." Because he eats and drinks every day and does not think about any problems, this is the god of the wise. to be. It is no exaggeration to say that Rome was destroyed at the table -"the table of the Roman Empire". The Christian life is not a life of desire. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
That is why we should act with pride as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. At that time, the Philippians were ruled as a Roman colony, but as a city belonging to Rome, they took great pride in acquiring Roman citizenship. To say that the citizens of heaven live without pride is not enjoying true freedom. As citizens, we must live a life of hope. Not only do we long for the spiritual blessings of heaven, but we must live the creative life that the Lord gives us on this earth now. The creative life is a new life every day. When you are given a day, you design it and actually live it.