WAGE THE GOOD WARFARE! (SPIRITUAL WARFARE, PART 2)

2 Corinthians 10:1–6 is a super important New Testament passage in which the apostle Paul teaches about spiritual warfare, especially its ultimate aim.

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (ESV)

The Holy Spirit teaches us four truths in this great text:

1. Spiritual warfare is "not according to the flesh," which means it's:

• Not fought in the interest of fleshly needs or desires,
• Not fought by the methods of the flesh, which means it's not fought by physical force or violence,
• Not about forcing anyone to do anything because nothing is spiritual unless it’s freely offered!

2. Spiritual warfare has "divine power to destroy," which means it's:

• Not weak or inferior to fleshly warfare in the least—the Almighty fights for us!
• Fatal to the strongholds of evil, which include unbiblical ideas, arguments, and opinions. Without these, Satan's kingdom cannot continue.
• Imperative that true believers challenge evil, error, and false teachings boldly and courageously wherever we encounter them. 

3. Spiritual warfare aims to "take every thought captive," which means:

• The aim of spiritual warfare is complete and absolute loyalty to King Jesus–body, soul, and spirit–resulting in total obedience.
• Soldiers of Christ cannot and will not compromise biblical truth.
• The war starts in our own hearts! I won't effectively convince others to renounce all loyalties except to Jesus until I have. 

4. Spiritual warfare "punishes every disobedience when it's complete." This confuses believers and scares the world; the former unnecessarily, and the latter appropriately (Prov. 1:7; Heb. 12:29). It means:

• Church discipline through the biblical process and the Christian discipline of the world through unified Christian judgment and corporate prayer are effective means of withdrawing God's special protection from wayward believers and general grace from those in the world so that, being made more vulnerable to Satan's abuses, they learn the error of their ways and repent.
• "Punishing every disobedience" isn't the role of individual Christians, it’s the work of the church as the church.
• The church is God's army and needs to be unified to achieve the ultimate victory! If the church can't agree about God's will enough to exercise its disciplinary authority from the Lord consistently, the final victory will be delayed (Ephesians 4:11–12; 2 Peter 3:11–12).

Another super important New Testament passage about spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6:10–20.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (ESV)

I want to draw your attention to the source of the bold spiritual soldier's strength. It's not the soldier. It's his or her God. There are three Greek words for strength in the original for "be strong" and "strength of His might." "be strong" is ἐνδυναμοῦσθε a form of ἐνδυναμόω (endynamoō). It means empowered, strengthened, made able; increase(d) in strength. It's a present, passive, imperative verb, which essentially commands us to bring ourselves under submission to the Lord and the result will be that He makes us strong. "Strength of His might" is the Greek phrase, κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. κράτει is a form of κράτος (kratos). It can be translated as strength, power, force, or dominion. τῆς (tēs) is the definite article. αὐτοῦ means "of Him." ἰσχύος is a form of ἰσχύς (ischys) and is the strength with which we love the Lord in fulfillment of the Great Commandment (you shall love the Lord your God with all your... strength). It refers to power or ability over things afforded by one's strength. So, I will humbly interpret the meaning as, "You be empowered through your relationship with the Lord to fight the good fight trusting in and relying on His mighty power over all things without thought to your own strength or weakness." 

We aren't fighting alone or in our mortal weakness. We have been authorized to call on God's power to wage spiritual warfare to the extent we remain in submission to Him. I don't have space (and you likely don't have the patience for me) to list everything this doesn't mean, and I'm afraid some believers sometimes overstep their boundaries as if they have authority from God that not even archangels claim for themselves (Jude 8–13). Submitting to God means making an ever-growing effort to obey what is written in the Bible trusting in the Holy Spirit's personal guidance through it. The Lord Jesus said, "I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me" (John 8:28 ESV). We're called to imitate Christ. "Speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent." The Bible doesn't say much about believers rebuking Satan. It says a lot about rebuking humans in error, exposing unfruitful works of darkness, and speaking the truth in love (2 Timothy 4:2; Ephesians 5:11, 4:15). The Lord will take care of Satan, it's our job to resist him (1 Peter 5:9).

Pray to the Lord to protect you from Satan and all his evil spirits (Revelation 12:7, 9) and He who has the authority to do so will rebuke them and protect you from them (Matthew 6:13). Focus on your mission (Jude 20–22). It's to win the hearts and minds of your fellow human beings trusting that God is working with and through you (Matthew 28:18–20). Preach the word boldly not fearing the consequences (Matthew 10:26–33). That's what it means to trust in the power of the Lord's dominion (and He has all power —Hebrews 1:3).

Put on the whole armor of God, not just a piece or two. Put on the belt of truth. Believe in the truth and live by it alone. The Bible is our only certain guide through life. Everything else is doubtful. Put on righteousness as a breastplate. If your heart isn't dedicated to doing right and resisting wrong, you'll fall in battle. Make your feet ready to share the gospel of peace. In other words, embrace the mission; march towards the front. Sharing the gospel is your purpose in life. If you're not getting up every day determined to go and preach the peace of God that comes only through faith in Christ, you're not fighting the good fight no matter what other justice you may fight for. Faith is your shield. If you waver in your trust, the Devil will pierce you with his fiery attacks. But, take courage, if you continue in faith, his attacks can't hurt you in any lasting way. Put salvation on as your helmet. Knowing you're saved and why (1 John 5:13) gives you peace of mind and the courage to fight on, certain of victory no matter the odds. Sharpen your sword. Study your Bible. Learn it well. It's the only effective offense you have. Without the ability to teach and explain the Bible, you'll never destroy a single stronghold of the Enemy. 

So, take heart, be brave, fight on, and continue in prayer, because the power to win is in the Lord's arm, not yours. But if we will "wage the good warfare" in and through His power, it's our feet that the Lord will use to crush Satan in the end (Romans 16:20). 

More to come.

---JLP