Who is the enemy of Christ according to StPaul?

Answer 1

Satan?

According to Paul, the enemy of Christ is the person who makes him or herself an opponent of the truth of the central Christian teaching about Jesus Christ and His death on the cross and His glorious resurrection in terms of how this is applied to the Christian life. This is never a mere belief or the following of Jesus as a religious 'guru' or wise teacher but of the direct application of the meaning of the cross to the life of the Christian in renouncing the world and all its ways and being born again to a new life with God.

Paul outlines this in Galatians in a number of places and mentions it also specifically in the following passage (in context) from Philippians.

Philippians 3:3-21 (King James Version)3For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

These enemies of the cross of Christ, as the context of the passage makes clear are those who follow the things of this world rather than the Christian teachings of the cross, which includes renunciation of worldly lusts and pleasures and absolute devotion to Jesus Christ.

It also needs to be made clear that this is not just Paul's teaching alone but it the central Christian teaching as both James (the brother of Jesus and leader in the Jerusalem church) and John the beloved disciple speak in a similar vein. James says:

James 4:4 (King James Version)4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.1 John 2:15-17 (King James Version)15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Paul is thus expressing a central Christian teaching about what it means to be a Christian. People who do not follow this and are 'worldly' are according to this uniform Christian teaching making themselves the enemies of Christ and the enemies of God.