“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In this ongoing battle against the ravages of the old selfish nature, Paul boldly offered his readers two models…himself and his associates who lived under the authority of Jesus…and those who lived for and served themselves. 

Having shown his readers what his model was like…working hard to bring his old, rebellious nature to heel…submitting with joy to the unjust suffering his testimony had attracted…living in fellowship with God and one another…Paul reveals the model of those in the opposite camp. In this exposure, he shares the grief of his Master…not gloating about the punishment they deserve but deep sorrow for wasted lives. 

God has created every person on this earth, from the beginning of time, to express His image by the way they live…to live unhindered in His presence…and to enjoy the blessings that accompany union and fellowship with Him. 

After Adam’s rebellion, God provided a way for fallen humans to return to His original plan. By removing the sin barrier, He calls us back to Himself and restores His plan for us to live in unhindered fellowship with Him again. 

What we do with His invitation is our choice. Some return to the Lord… others turn their backs on Him, and carry on nurturing their selfish nature. Eventually…God gives them what they want. He confirms their choice to be  treated as trash. How tragic is that! 

Now let’s be honest. Apart from avoiding the damage selfishness does to us…denying the satisfaction of our bodily passions…avoiding alienating ourselves from others by tramping on them to get our own way…rejecting our inclination to inflate ourselves by our pride and arrogance…and of course, not cutting ourselves off from God by our stubborn rebellion…there is another reason for choosing to live God’s way. 

This is the reason the Bible urges us to follow the way of wisdom. 

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Scripture teaches us that all of history is divided into two “ages”…this present age and the age to come. “This present age”…the world as it is now, with its sin and death, is an invasion, an interruption in God’s perfect plan.  This world system is transient, temporary…and will finally give way to “the age to come”, the one God prepared for His people from the beginning of time. 

The true meaning of “eternal life” is “life of the age”, that is, life in the permanent age…drawing our life from God and living under His rule… that is already here and still to come. This sounds contradictory but it isn’t. 

Jesus came to earth…lived as a servant, died a humiliating death, rose again, and returned to the Father…to give us access to His life by faith in Him. This union begins now when we are born into it by faith in Jesus…while this transient age is still here where we live now and will continue to live in until Jesus returns. Hence, we who believe in Jesus, are living in two “ages” simultaneously…this present evil age which will pass away…and the age to come which is already here in part.

If we choose to live fully under our own authority…making our own rules and satisfying our own desires…we will perish along with this age when Jesus returns to purify the earth from the effects of sin. He will set up His perfect rule on a renewed earth, ruling over those who have already submitted to His authority, in union with Him and sustained by His life. Those who refuse to submit to Him will be cast out into darkness. 

Paul uses derogatory language to describe those who are foolish enough to choose death…a permanent state of separation from God and all that He is. He calls them “dogs”…not the pampered pets we have in our homes…but the filthy, wild creatures that roam the streets and feed on garbage. 

“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬

Where will these creatures live?

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…outside the city of God…in the darkness…forever cut off from God…from light, comfort, and peace. 

Paul’s warning is serious and real. Anyone who tries to lure people away from trusting Jesus alone for salvation…anyone who lives for self alone…is a “dog”… despised and worthless…part of this present age…transient and soon  to be discarded with the corrupted earth. 

The wise alternative is to submit to God’s rule, live under His authority, and become a citizen of His eternal realm.

Our destiny is our choice!

To be continued