Delicate Christians

Scripture:

^{Phil. 3:18} For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 

Observation:

The Apostle Paul was concerned that the followers of Christ might not remain strong throughout their journey. Referring to this passage, John Wesley said that these people were “delicate Christians.” They were afraid of the pressure that they received from the world. 

The Romans made fun of these believers and the fact that they followed a man who died on a cross. Crucifixion was a death that was reserved for the lowliest of society, and here these “Christians” worshipped a man who died in this way. They may have found a way to de-emphasize Christ’s death and only focus on his life. I doing so, Paul knew that they were trying to make this “Christianity” more acceptable in society, but also losing sight of the central act of Jesus. 

The reality is that Christians are always called to be “friends with the cross. They must identify with the message and the reality of the crucified Christ” (Gorman 2004, 444). Anything less would result in a “delicate Christian.” 

A delicate Christian was more concerned with the attitude and response of the world than they were with identifying with Christ. They refused to accept a life-style of self-denial, one in which they were to “take up the cross and follow Jesus” (Matthew 16:24). The cross was to be both their salvation and their way of life. Without the cross, the way of life, their personal appetites became their glory. The very things that should have caused them shame, were the things in which they began to glory. 

Application:

John Chrysostom preaches a message on this passage that has poignant word for us today:

Your belly is given to you so that you may nourish it, not so that it may burst. Your body is given you that you may rule it, not so that you may have it as a mistress. It is given that it may serve you for the nourishment of the other members, not so that you may serve it. Do not exceed these bounds. The sea in flood does not so much harm to the boundaries as our belly does to our bodies and our souls. The flood overwhelms only part of the land. The god of the belly overwhelms the whole body. Set self-constraint as a bound to it as God sets the sand to the sea…To “glory in their shame” means to take pride in what they ought to conceal. For it is bad enough to do shameful things. But if the doer is ashamed, it is only half so terrible. When, however, someone preens himself on his own shame, that is the extreme of shamelessness…Let us build houses: where? On earth. Let us procure fields: on earth again. Let us get power: on earth again. Let us get glory: on earth again. Let us be rich: always on earth. These are the ones “whose god is their belly. (Chrysostom:  HOMILY ON PHILIPPIANS 14.3.18–21.)

Delicate Christians are afraid that their faith may be an embarrassment in the world. The world mocks the people of faith and instead of standing firm, the delicate Christian tries to determine how close they can live to the world to be found acceptable in the eyes of others. When the church tries to gain acceptance from the world, she will become an enemy of the cross of Christ. Suddenly the work of Christ becomes devalued as the opinions of the world gain value in the eyes of the church.

Our appetites begin to take over our lives, sometimes without us realizing what is happening. Who hasn’t experienced “creeping weight gain?” It’s that day that you get on the scale and realize that over the last 30 years, you’ve been slowly gaining weight and wonder how you got to that place. The same thing is happening in our spiritual lives. We are experiencing creeping distance between ourselves and the cross. Our appetite for acceptance, power, success and rewards can turn us into delicate Christians, those who are easily blown over by any type of resistance. 

Faithfully following Christ means that we must embrace the cross of Christ and live a life of self-denial. In this we can glory, and Jesus will be lifted up. We don’t have to live as delicate Christians, but the very opposite, as strong and durable followers of Christ in this world, as we daily take up our cross and follow him.

Prayer:

Lord, may the cost of your cross be a continual reminder of the life I am to live in you. Amen.