Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ: The identity of the enemies is not certain. They may have been:
Jews or Jewish Christians who were proud of their circumcision (as in 3:2) and who emphasized Judaism in a way that did not agree with the message of the cross of Christ;
false believers living in a worldly and immoral way (see 3:19); or
people who claimed to believe but rejected Paul’s teaching that the good news centers on Christ’s death on the cross (see 1 Corinthians 1:23; compare Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8).