by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
Scripture warns against those who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ<\/em>.” Paul writes, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things<\/em>” (Philippians 3:18-19). Elsewhere Paul writes that those who cause divisions “do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive<\/em>” (Romans 16:18). There can be specific applications of this (e.g., Judaizers, perhaps those greedy for food, or immorality). However, the concept is still that there were those who were allowing their own desires to take precedence over the will of God. The only thing that mattered to them was their desires, so they gloried in their shame. Sadly, there can be those who give the appearance of wisdom in what they say and do, but they are promoting a “self-made religion<\/em>” that has “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh<\/em>” because, in reality, they are “not holding fast to the Head<\/em>,” Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:16-23). They are enemies of the cross.<\/p>\n Contrasting this selfish spirit of fulfilling their desires and having minds set on earthly things, Paul speaks of dying to the elementary principles of the world and recognizing heavenly citizenship (Colossians 2:20; Philippians 3:19-20). The enemies of the cross set their minds on this world to serve self. Citizens of heaven set their minds on things above because “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God<\/em>.” Then, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory<\/em>.” Therefore, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you<\/em>…” (Colossians 3:1-5). Do you see where this is going?<\/p>\n The fight we will always have is a spiritual battle with self, urged on by the devil. We may sometimes mask our selfish desires with a self-made religion that sounds good, but our self-affirmations and selfish ambitions betray us. We demand rights and fight for entitlements. We worship God as is convenient for us. Our personal happiness is paramount, and we use our freedoms to fight for our desires. Are we portraying the picture of those whose god is their belly and setting their minds on earthly things? Or are we showing what it means to die to self and live for Christ?<\/p>\n This concept of dying to self should not surprise us because it runs throughout Scripture. I have often remarked that the most difficult command in Scripture, at least for me, is found in this: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me<\/em>” (Luke 9:23). Self-denial is a prime trait of a child of God, though it comes with a heavy price: self must die! This is not easy.<\/p>\n Think of the ways this theme is stated:<\/p>\n “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God<\/em>” (Colossians 3:3).<\/p>\n “How can we who died to sin still live in it?<\/em>” (Romans 6:2).<\/p>\n “He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised<\/em>” (II Corinthians 5:15).<\/p>\n “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me<\/em>” (Galatians 2:20).<\/p>\n “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires<\/em>” (Galatians 5:24).<\/p>\n “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world<\/em>” (Galatians 6:14).<\/p>\n “We know that our old self was crucified with Him<\/em>…” (Romans 6:6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Many more passages can be cited.<\/p>\n Self-denial is not a passing concept in Scripture. It is at the crossroads of our service to the Lord, the decision point where we demonstrate how serious we are about our faith. Becoming an enemy of the cross means making oneself more important than the Lord. To set our minds on earthly things is to run contrary to our heavenly citizenship. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God<\/em>” (Romans 8:5-8).<\/p>\n This will always be the critical fight. Will we deny ourselves to take up the cross and follow Jesus? How we answer this will define the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer Scripture warns against those who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.” Paul writes, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Elsewhere Paul writes that those who cause divisions “do not serve our Lord Christ,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[763,1347],"class_list":["post-86143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-decisions","tag-self-denial"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33561,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-christ-die-for-sinners-if-we-dont-inherit-sin-from-adam\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":0},"title":"How could Christ die for sinners if we don’t inherit sin from Adam?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I came across your website doing a bit of research regarding sin and the choices we make. I am a little confused by your statement that we are not born sinners. I am under the understanding that sin has been passed on through Adam and Eve, e.g. irrational\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38480,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/set-your-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":1},"title":"Set Your Mind","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer How Christians think and what they think about are critical in determining how they live. Once we decide that we will live for Jesus and sanctify Him as Lord in our hearts (I Peter 3:15), we are making a priority out of thinking about things that are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/focus-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37727,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-greater-progress-of-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":2},"title":"The Greater Progress of the Gospel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer One of the highlights of Paul's attitude is that he was always more concerned for the spread of the gospel than for his own personal agenda or safety. He was willing to die for the Lord if it meant that the gospel would be proclaimed and more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Paul-in-Prison-300x207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4838,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/have-we-forgotten-our-shame\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":3},"title":"Have We Forgotten Our Shame?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 44 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is surprising the odd ideas people have about forgiveness \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Forgiveness is the dismissal of any debt or obligation to me \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I cannot forgive someone\u2019s sin. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0a.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is only something God can do, because our sins incur a penalty, which God \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88417,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-freedom\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":4},"title":"The Meaning of Freedom","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Freedom has long been a cherished ideal, and people typically are willing to pay a high price for its benefits. We celebrate freedom in many ways-through memorials, cookouts, music, fireworks, and other traditions. People have lived and died for freedom, and this should certainly be appreciated; we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58582,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-pattern-of-departure-from-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":86143,"position":5},"title":"A Pattern of Departure from God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 51, Dec. 18, 2009. Jeremiah the \"weeping prophet,\" was sent to warn God's people to return to the Lord. His pleas to them, his tears for their rebellion, fill the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. He writes that Israel had forgotten\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}