mean things positively sinful, but things that come in between the runner and

his goal; `every weight' as Hebrews 12 suggests.  `Earthly things' are in the

original ta epigeia (Phil. 3:19).  `Things on the earth' are ta epi tes ges

(Col. 3:2).  `Earthly things' are spoken of in John 3:12, James 3:15, 1

Corinthians 15:40, 2 Corinthians 5:1 and in Philippians 2:10 and 3:19.  In

each case, `earthly things' are set over against `heavenly', `from above' and

`celestial'.  Those who may have been persuaded that the `earth' not `heaven'

is the sphere of blessing for all the redeemed should heed this warning.

`Our citizenship is (huparchei) in heaven'.

Those, therefore, who mind earthly things, are those who do not act in

accordance with their heavenly citizenship (Phil. 3:20) and whose example and

teaching will `beguile' them of their reward.  This must be shunned by all

who seek the prize of the high calling.

The example of Abraham, as set out in Hebrews 11:8 -16, who desired a

better country, `that is, an heavenly', can be added to that of the apostle

here.  If the last of the list of five things to avoid can describe those who

are believers, let us return to the head of the list and ponder again the

dreadful words, `the enemies of the cross of Christ'.  James declares that

friendship with the world makes one `the enemy of God' (Jas. 4:4), but will

it be denied that such friendship is possible to a child of God?  One may

become an enemy in the eyes of another by telling him unpalatable truth (Gal.

4:16), and enmity can be exhibited and maintained by a middle wall of

partition (Eph. 2:15).  A believer can, therefore, by adopting some attitude

make himself an enemy of the truth for which the cross of Christ stands.

To many, the cross of Christ is seen only in an evangelical light, the

central testimony to unsaved sinners.  To those who see no further than this

aspect of the cross, those referred to in Philippians 3:18 cannot possibly be

believers.  To those who have examined the place which the cross occupies in

Paul's testimony and have seen its essential message to the believer who is

already saved, the warnings of these verses will present no problem.  We have

demonstrated the many ways in which the epistle to the Hebrews runs parallel

with that to the Philippians, and the only reference to the cross in that

epistle is found in Hebrews 12:2, in direct connection with `running the race

which is set before us'.  This is the last reference to the cross in the New

Testament, the earliest references (Matt. 10:38; 16:24) which relate to the

cross, speak also of discipleship and future reward.  Paul uses the doctrine

of the cross to counter the fleshly wisdom of the Corinthian believers (1

Cor. 1:17,18; 2:2), he teaches the Galatian believers that by the cross the

world and its boasting are repudiated (Gal. 5:11; 6:12,14), and that the

emancipation of the believer, together with the complete reconciliation of

the One Body, are accomplished by the cross of Christ (Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20;

Those who are `otherwise minded' and whose associations with the world

and the flesh run in opposition to the `one thing' that characterized the

apostle's testimony, would be, though believers, `enemies' of all that the

cross of Christ stood for, and so become examples for the Philippians to

Promise.  The Greek words epaggelia and epaggelma are translated `promise'

and epaggellomai, exomologeomai and homologeo are translated by the verb `to

promise'.  While there are a number of promises mentioned in the New

Testament two features are characteristic of them all.