Many Dangers, Many Warnings

3:18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ...

Paul was not afraid to call a spade a spade. Neither was the Lord he served (see Matt.23:1-33). We have seen Paul use strong language already in 3:2:

"Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision."

Remember in both of these cases that he is speaking of those who claim to be Christians (I think he’s talking about the Judaizers in both passages, but we’ll get to that later). And yet in 3:2 he calls them dogs and here he says they are enemies of the cross of Christ. What about all the commands against being judgmental? What about speaking with grace and seasoning our speech with salt?

Ordinarily our calling as Christians is to speak graciously to and about others. But there is one time when it is wrong to do so. It is when God’s little ones are being threatened. That is why Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites and a brood of vipers . That is why Paul calls these folks enemies of Christ. This is why Peter calls some men "dogs that return to their vomit and pigs that wallow in the mud." (2Pet.2:22)

For some it is easy to call people names. In their minds, there is nothing more Christian than calling a spade a spade. It certainly belongs above loving your neighbor in priority. They do it in the morning. They do it in the afternoon. They do it in the evening. They do it left-handed and right-handed. They do it when they sit in their house and when they walk by the way and when they lie down and when they rise up. They do it in their dreams while they sleep. But notice how rarely it is done in the Bible by godly men. And notice here that Paul doesn’t speak this way lightly, he does it with tears !

But this is not the only time Paul speaks this way. He says there are many who walk like this, and he says he has told them about these men often . He loves his spiritual children in Philippi so much that he is very zealous that they be protected from these destructive influences. He knows that how one deals with Christ is a matter of life and death. So he calls a spade a spade, with a tear in his eye.

Dear Father, forgive me for the reckless ways I have used my tongue in speaking of others. Forgive me for how meager my love is for Your people. Forgive me for the times when I haven’t had the love to call a spade a spade. Help me to discern properly between Your misguided friends and Your dangerous enemies. Help me to be courageous in the face of wolves and tender in the face of sheep. Help me to speak the language of Christ - to warn the unruly and encourage the timid. Help me not be controlled by my own impulses, but by the love and discernment of Christ.