Philippians 3:18-19

Philippians 3:18: “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)”

This is a marvelous description of people that have been called “carnal Christians”. These are people who call themselves Christians but care nothing for Christ. They openly despise the Bible and think nothing of editing the Scripture to suit themselves. They mock the Lord’s commandments and refuse to obey God. They call Jesus Lord but they will not submit to His authority. They are terrified of the Second Coming and, like Satan, hope Jesus never returns. They love the things of this world and are loathe to give them up. They hate the thought of leaving this life and going on to Heaven, as if an eternity in Heaven was some kind of terrible curse. They are very much friends of the world and have only contempt for lovers of God.

These are people without any form of self-control, who have given themselves over to whatever their flesh happens to desire. They are people who love their sin and enjoy being selfish, cruel, and hostile – people who truly glory “in their shame”. Their mind is on earthly things to such a great extent that they hate the very thought of heavenly things. Whether they will admit it or not, they see Heaven as their enemy and God as their oppressor.

The church today simply calls these people “carnal Christians” and does not really believe it is a serious issue. They certainly don’t think it affects their salvation. Some people say that this is simply the world that we live in, and we can’t expect all Christians to care about holiness. The problem with this is that Paul rejects this entirely and calls these people “enemies of the cross of Christ.” There is no trace of “Well, some Christians love God and others don’t, and it really doesn’t matter either way.” They are called enemies, and Paul warns that their end is destruction.

This is a vital point, because the end of all believers is salvation and eternal life. The only people who face destruction are the lost. Paul is actually saying something terrifying: carnal Christians are not Christians at all! They are as lost as they can be.

What compounds this problem is that the church today isn’t terribly concerned about the issue. Holiness is presented as a purely optional thing, and pastors act as if it’s not necessary for anyone to repent of their sins or accept Jesus as Lord. They are not sounding the alarm that carnal Christianity is not Christianity at all – and since the church doesn’t take this seriously it’s easy to start thinking that maybe God doesn’t take it seriously either.

This is where it is so important to stay grounded in the Word and not allow our culture to influence us. We are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to have the mind of Christ. God takes sin very seriously, even if the church does not. No matter what we may be told, the Bible is clear: carnal Christianity leads to eternal death, not eternal life. You cannot be saved apart from repentance, and you cannot be saved if you refuse to submit to the lordship of Christ. If Jesus is not your Savior and Lord then He is not your Savior at all.