Another threat to the joy and spiritual development of the Philippians was people who advocated lawless living. This is, of course, the opposite extreme from what the Judaizers taught (v. 2). Paul warned his readers of this danger next. These verses give the reason for Paul's exhortation in verse 17.
3:18 Who these enemies were becomes clear in the next verse. Here we learn that there were many of them though they were probably not in the Philippian church or Paul would probably have addressed them differently. These individuals caused the apostle much grief because they misled Christians. Perhaps he described them as enemies of the cross because what they taught was contrary to the spirit of obedience to God that had led Jesus to the cross (cf. v. 10).
3:19 The context does not specify whether these people were Christians or not, but antinomianism was common among both groups in Paul's day as it is today.137Consequently we should probably understand "destruction"in a general sense. The same Greek word (apoleia) occurs in 1:28 where it probably refers to unbelievers and eternal destruction. Nevertheless believers can experience premature death as discipline if they continue to resist the will of God (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16).
Three characteristics mark these people (cf. vv. 2-3). First, they give free rein to the satisfaction of their sensual appetites and do not restrain the flesh (cf. Rom. 16:18; 1 Cor. 6:13; Jude 11). Second, they find satisfaction and take pride in things that they do that should cause them shame (cf. Eph. 5:12). Third, they involve themselves almost totally in physical and material things, things pertaining to the present enjoyment of life, to the exclusion of spiritual matters. In short, their ritualistic observances had taken God's place in their lives. They had become idolaters.
"He [Paul] is probably describing some itinerants, whose view of the faith is such that it allows them a great deal of undisciplined self-indulgence. . . . In any case, they have not appeared heretofore in the letter, and do not appear again. They have served their immediate purpose of standing in sharp relief to Paul's own walk' and to his heavenly pursuit, so crucial to this letter, and toward which Paul now turns once more as he begins to draw this appeal to an end."138
