Those who deny the atoning death of Christ are not merely opposed to the cross; they are actually living, day by day, as enemies of the cross. Paul wanted the Philippian believers to live according to the pattern he had set them (3:17); these people who were antagonistic to the cross lived in a different atmosphere and had entirely different motives. The apostle then proceeds to give us a vivid description of these enemies of the cross. He says, first, that their end is destruction (3:19). Whatever