THE BATTLE GROUND
In II Corinthians 10:3-5 God tells us the main battle field between the flesh and the spirit.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
In verse 3 God points out that, although our flesh is crucified with Christ, we are still dwelling in the flesh. There is no big surprise there. The problem is our battle is really not with our body, although God, actually, illustrates the Christian life as a struggle with our body[1]. However, the real struggle takes place in the mind. Verses four and five point this out. Several things are important to be noted in these verses.
Two Points to Ponder
First of all we notice in verse four that we have weapons in this warfare. We will learn exactly what they are a little later. Secondly, we find out that we are the ones that should be on the attack. We are the ones that should be pulling down the strongholds of the sin nature rather than simply defending against the attacks of sin. Matthew 16:18 adds that it is the gates of hell that are on the defense.
The Battle for the Mind
In verse five we see that for which we are fighting. We are fighting for our thoughts. We are fighting imaginations. Instead of being slaves to our own imagination, we are to fight against these thoughts and imaginations that fight against the knowledge of God. Did you get that? The flesh is fighting to keep us from thinking about God. So we are fighting to replace these imaginations and thoughts with godly thoughts and imaginations. In Romans 1:21-22 God says this about men’s thoughts and imaginations:
“When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” However, there are some very important defensive maneuvers that God has given to us in this battle for the imaginations and thoughts of our minds.
Confession and Forgiveness
Forgiveness is our first line of defense in our battle with the flesh. Forgiveness is vital to have fellowship with God, and the Christian receives forgiveness by confessing his sins. It has often been rightly taught that, while obedience to God gives us the fruit of the spirit, confession cleans the plate on which the fruit is served. Confession of sin, the means to forgiveness in the Christian life, should, consequently, be the first step in the Christian life after we receive salvation.
However, there are a number of misconceptions about forgiveness attached fallaciously to salvation. When forgiveness of sin is preached rather than payment for sin, much confusion can take place. We have a tendency to refer to any number of things that happen close to the same time of salvation by the same words. Justification, redemption, reconciliation, regeneration, imputation, propitiation, sanctification, adoption, and forgiveness are almost all used interchangeably. In fact there are over seventy things that happen to a believer the moment he trusts Christ as his Savior[2], and they are all done by God! The only thing required of us is to believe that Jesus does all the work to accomplish those things[3]. In other words, we trust His death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient to accomplish those things, (whatever they are). However, they all have very different meanings. Few are synonymous with eternal salvation, but since most happen at the same time as eternal salvation, they are often used in the place of salvation. Forgiveness is one of these terms. Is it doctrinally accurate to offer forgiveness when we are offering someone the free gift of salvation? Is it wise? Is it more easily understood, or could it be more confusing? In Matthew 6:14-15 God says:
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Here Christ teaches clearly that if you do not forgive others, you cannot receive forgiveness yourself. In Matthew 18:23-35 we read the story that Jesus teaches about a servant receiving forgiveness, then, when he does not forgive his fellow, his forgiveness is withdrawn.
In I John 1:9 God tells us:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God makes it clear that forgiveness is conditional upon our confessing our sins, and James 5:16 stresses that to receive forgiveness, your confession must be to others—presumably to the person you have wronged[4].
In Mark 2:5, Jesus pronounced forgiveness for the sick man upon seeing his faith[5], while in Luke 23:34 Jesus asked for forgiveness to be extended to the ones that were crucifying Him when He said:
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Now, what all of these verses are talking about can be rationalized away, but the end result, no matter what they are talking about, becomes clear that one who attaches his salvation to forgiveness can become very confused. Do I have to forgive others in order to receive salvation? If I do not forgive others after I have received God’s forgiveness, can I lose my salvation since forgiveness can be reversed? Do I have to confess my sins to get saved? Do I have to continue to confess my sins in order to stay saved? Do I have to make a public confession of my sins to receive salvation? Do I even receive forgiveness when I trust Christ as my Savior at all?
Now I would wager that you know the answer to all of these questions, if I were a betting man. However, my point here is singular. Asking a person to pray for forgiveness when we want them to get saved can lead to great confusion later as they run across these verses. Having been an English teacher for nineteen years in the past, I remember some of my first lessons. I started teaching elementary English to junior age students. We had a chart that we were supposed to use that showed the possessive personal pronouns. We were supposed to tell the kids that they must memorize these pronouns. They are: My, Mine, Your, Yours, Its, Her, Hers, His, Our, Ours, Their, and Theirs. That was all well and good except for the fact that “my,” “your,” “our,” and “their” are never used as pronouns. They are adjectives. So later, when I taught junior high and high school, I had to unteach what I had taught them in elementary school. It may be that way if we mix forgiveness of sin with Christ’s payment for sin.
Does Jesus speak of forgiveness when referring to salvation? It would appear that He spoke of forgiveness and salvation in back to back statements at the very least, but that does not mean they are the same thing. Are they the same? Do they happen at the same time, and do they have the same conditions?
What Is Forgiveness?
First of all, what is forgiveness? It is basically an attitude. It indicates ceasing of hostilities or at least ceasing of a hostile attitude. It is probably more closely related to reconciliation than any of the other words we used in the ponderous list earlier. It does not indicate action, necessarily. A person can be forgiven, and still have to pay for crimes committed. You probably have seen news reports that show victims of crimes stating that they have forgiven the perpetrator. However, the judge still sentences the guilty person. Forgiveness does not pay the penalty.
God’s Forgiveness
Forgiveness by God started before we were saved. It was His forgiveness that made it possible to love the sinner and provide salvation for him. Without forgiveness, God could be thought of as one holding a grudge against us. However, He has no grudge. How do we know? We know, because He has forgiven us. It is conceivable that God could have paid for our sin by dying on the cross, because He is righteous and that would be the right thing to do; but still hold a grudge against us. On the other hand, He could have forgiven us, because He loves us, and that is what you do for people you love; but because of His holy, righteous, just nature, not be able to allow us into His heaven. Bottom line, He died for us at least partly because He had forgiven us. What is forgiveness for? The definitive chapter concerning this is I John chapter one. In this short chapter of ten verses God says that He is telling us these things so that we can have fellowship. So forgiveness is necessary for fellowship.
Let us see if we can put some of these things together. God wants to have fellowship with all of mankind.
I heard one denominational leader say that that was the very reason that God created us. He created us for the purpose of having fellowship with Him. No. While God desires to have fellowship with us, to be honest, God did not create us for that. He created us to please and glorify Him according to Isaiah 43:7[6] and Revelation 4:11[7]. To be sure, God wants to have fellowship with us, and He has definitely created us with that capacity. Therefore, He provided a means to make fellowship possible. However, that was not why He created man.
God forgave man, and, because mankind has been forgiven (like the men who nailed Him to the cross), He proceeded to do what it would take to have fellowship with us. Originally, this involved His dying and paying for all of our sins.
Prerequisite for Fellowship
The first thing that must take place for us to have fellowship with God is we must trust Christ as our Savior. When we accept His death payment for our sin, which was made possible because He had forgiven us, we are reconciled[8] to God. That means we are brought back into a right relationship with Him. Forgiveness already took place even before we were born. That is what made it palatable to God to offer us the free gift of eternal life.
After we are saved, we still may not have fellowship with God. As a believer, the first step in having fellowship with God is confession of sins. Notice that confession of sins is for fellowship, and it is for the believer. The confession of sin should be to God and to the other person or persons against whom we sinned. Your fellowship with God is conditional upon your fellowship with others. That is why you must confess your sin and forgive others when they confess their sin to you when they have wronged you[9]. Let me say that for your spiritual health, you should forgive others when they wrong you, before they confess to you, mostly because they probably never will. Do not let bitterness or lack of forgiveness stand between you and your fellowship with God. Your happiness, peace of mind, and love in this life are dependent upon your fellowship with God.
After you are saved, and then after you have confessed your sins and forgiven others for the things they have done to you, there is still one more thing that you must do to have fellowship with God. You must obey Him. Lack of obedience is sin, and sin is what breaks our fellowship with God as well as with others. Fellowship with God is how we get the fruit of the spirit which includes love, joy, and peace. So you see, fellowship with God is very desirable. You cannot have the fruit of the spirit without it.
When we fall out of fellowship with others, the last part of this process starts all over again. When we sin, that breaks our fellowship with God and the person we sinned against. So, we need to get right with God again. We do not have to get saved again, but we must renew our fellowship with Him. So we must confess our sin to God and the person we have wronged. Then we need to obey God. You can tell when you need to confess, because the first thing that happens to a person who falls out of fellowship is he no longer appears to be happy. He seems troubled. He starts missing church services, and, eventually, God will chasten him. Of course, he can avoid chastening by getting back in fellowship with God and the person that he has wronged.
A Few Points in Review
1-The lost person who has not trusted Christ as Savior has already had his sins forgiven initially. The reason I bring this up, is many people attach forgiveness of sins to salvation. This initial forgiveness of sins was, actually, extended prior to salvation. The idea was that God wanted to have fellowship with mankind, but sin broke that possibility, because sin separates man from the holy, perfect God. God forgave that sin and took our sin upon Himself, so that He could pay for it Himself. He did this, because He loves us and had forgiven us even before we were saved. You do not have to ask for this forgiveness, because it has already taken place. The issue in salvation is not whether God forgives us or even if we accept His forgiveness, but the payment for our sin and our acceptance of that. There, obviously, is forgiveness very closely related to salvation, but to equate the two is to bring about confusion, because there is the need for continued forgivenesswhich is not unilateral like the initial forgiveness, but is conditional upon confession of sin.
2-Confession of sin or of Christ are not part of getting saved, but part of continued fellowship after a person is saved. This brings us to the second point in review. While confession of sin is required to receive forgiveness after we are saved, to attach confession of sins to salvation is to attach fellowship to salvation. That makes salvation depend on works.
3-Confession of sin is a lifelong endeavor (as is confession of Christ). Some attach confession of Christ to salvation. They sometimes point to Romans 10:9. However, Romans quits talking about personal salvation at the end of chapter five, and begins talking about the Christian life in chapters six, seven, and eight. Chapters nine, ten, and eleven are talking about Christian responsibility. There are a host of errors that will be taught if this is not understood. “Thou” is plural in these verses, as is their translation “you.” We might translate the word “thou” as “you all” or “your people.” This might be poor grammar, but it might give you an inkling about what it is talking about. God is telling us here that we should spend a lifetime of confession to salvation. Confession is definitely a work not required for our own salvation. Confession is for other people to understand salvation by our witness, not a condition for us to get saved. We can see that demonstrated clearly in John 12:42, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they be put out of the synagogue:” Here we see that there were believers who did not confess Jesus in any way. Yet, there is absolutely no distinction made between their belief and the belief of others who did stand up for the Lord. Their faith was not defective; their actions (works) were. The word “believe” is the same in this verse as in the other almost one hundred times in the book of John that indicates that only belief is required for salvation. So this same belief that secures everlasting life in John 3:16 is the same belief that does not produce confession in John 12:42.
Some might say, “Of course, they are different. One type of faith produces fruit, and the other type of faith does not.” No. Faith secures eternally life, and works produce confession and, consequently, fruit. But isn’t confession for salvation? Not for ours, but for others’ salvation. We confess so that others might believe. Remember, there is no such thing in the Bible as saving or unsaving faith. There is only faith. Sometimes it may be strong or weak, but there is never any question as to whether it can save. The reason for that is faith is a gift from God. Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given to every man the measure of faith. All faith comes from God, and every man has been given faith, so all men have the faith necessary to save them. If the faith should be defective, that is God’s fault, and God does not have any faults. The problem is the object of their faith. What are they trusting to get to heaven? Are they trusting Jesus to get them to heaven, or are they trusting their own efforts or intentions?
4-A saved person may not be forgiven. He must confess his sins and obey God. Can a saved person not be forgiven? Well, you might say that He is, because God forgave mankind corporately when He chose to provide salvation for mankind. However, personally, he may still not be forgiven. Some time ago it used to be fashionable when beginning to witness to someone to begin with the words. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” That is where initial forgiveness comes in. You could say, “God loves you and forgave you for everything that you have ever done wrong.” Then you could go on to explain that forgiveness was not what was needed to get to heaven. The payment for sin is what was required. After a person has received salvation, he can still wrong God. God forgave us (mankind) before we were even born, but after we have been born we have sinned against God. That payment for sin has been completely paid. It does not in any way affect our salvation. However, it does affect our relationship or fellowship with God. Consequently, we need to receive daily forgiveness. When we do not maintain our fellowship with others and with God by confession and obedience, then we continue in our Christian life unforgiven. We are still saved, and our sins are still all paid for, but we are unforgiven.
In Conclusion:
God created mankind with the capacity to have fellowship with Him.
Man sinned and broke that fellowship. Because of the adversary relationship that man caused between God and himself, there was and is nothing that man can do to have fellowship with God.
The only way to have fellowship with God is to be sinless, and nobody is.
So, rather than God being mad at us, He forgave us. Then He did what was required to take care of our sin. When we get to this point, we are certain of going to heaven, and have the capacity to have fellowship with God. However, daily sin still comes between us and God. It does not affect our salvation, but it does break our fellowship with God. So we must constantly confess our sin to receive His forgiveness and break down that barrier of sin between us and God. If we sin against another, we must make that right with them so that we do not have a sinful barrier between us and God.
After sin is no longer hindering our relationship with God, we must be obedient to Him. Then we have fellowship with God.
What does all of this have to do with forgiveness? The very purpose of forgiveness is to provide a way for us to have fellowship with God.
OUR ARMOR
The second line of defense after forgiveness is our armor. The main passage to which we refer when considering our armor is Ephesians 6:10-20.
In this section about the armor, we expect to review the importance of this spiritual warfare, the weapons of the opposing army in this war, the enemies fighting against us, our own armor, and reintroduce some of our weapons. However, the main thrust of this section will be to acquaint us with our armor.
Ephesians 6:10-20 says this:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Verse ten of this passage sets the stage by expressing the importance of these truths. The word “finally” is not expressing the end, but rather the culminating crux of the situation. He is emphasizing the finality of failure in this area. This is a matter of life and death, literally. Then God tells us to battle in His strength, rather than our own fleshly strength.
In verse ten we also see two things. First we are commanded to put on the whole armor. The English gives a very good rendering of the Greek word, however, the words “whole armor” are translated from one Greek word, πανοπλίαν[10]. The first three letters give a clue as to the idea of “wholeness.” They form the prefix “pan” which means “Involving all of or the union of a specified group.”[11] This emphasizes the point that we must take on all of the whole armor of God.
We can see the importance of this in sports. Sports teams have scouts that evaluate the weakest points of their opponent so that they can attack the weakest point. So it is in war. However, in war victory can be a matter of life and death. So it is with the warfare of the flesh and the spirit. Satan will direct his attack to take advantage of the weak spots of the believers.
In verse eleven we understand that God is ready to expose the “wiles of the devil.” The word for “wiles” is μεθοδείας[12]. This Greek word is pronounced something like “methodeias.” Eias is simply the suffix, so the root work is pronounced “method.” So God is about to reveal Satan’s method to us.
Against Whom Are We Fighting?
In verse twelve we see a somewhat controversial and surprising statement. Against whom are we fighting?
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
There are many good Bible teachers who believe that this statement refers to the teaching that Satan’s[13] fallen angels have a sophisticated organization[14] and rank in his army. This should give us pause. Satan is not just running around willy-nilly poking people with a pitch fork as he tries to get people to sin. He has an organized ingenious plan to defeat our purposes.
Satan’s Primary Tool
However, I do not really think that these facts are what God is talking about here. I believe that Satan is, actually, behind the workings of much of human government. There are two reasons why I feel this way. First of all, the idea about angels personally interacting with man came from ancient documents written between fifty to two hundred fifty years before the time of Christ. All of these ancient documents are heretical. Most of them were found among the Dead Sea scrolls but they included the teachings of the origins of mysticism and Gnosticism. I am resistant to basing my beliefs on heretics and mystics. Some of the heretical teachings included the idea that angels had fathered children[15]. Enoch saw them in heaven when he ascended up in a vision and then wrote about it. Howbeit, the book of Enoch was not written until 3,750 years after Enoch lived, so the book, while quite old, was, obviously a fabrication. These heretics also taught that angels and human soldiers[16] would fight side by side against the forces of Satan.
The second reason I feel this is speaking of the fact that Satan is orchestrating the events carried out by what he can control of human government is because of Satan’s history, and governments’ increasing antagonism toward Christianity. I asked myself, “Why would God make such a statement?” It was to prepare us for the battle for which we need the armor of God.
We understand that the spiritual war is a battle for the mind. So how might government affect the battle for our mind? Our mind is programmed by our five senses, but primarily by what we see and hear. Who dictates what we can see and hear? Under the guise of free speech the government has opened the air waves and performance venues to pornography, vulgarity, profanity, and immorality, while forbidding any condemnation of sexual perversion, murdering the most innocent among us, and exposure of and violent religions. Yet they defend people’s rights to ridicule Christian doctrine, beliefs and lifestyles.
In our nation’s first government document for example, the Declaration of Independence[17], it is declared that: “All Men are created,” and that “…they are endowed by their Creator.” Yet, contrary to our first legal document, we are forbidden from teaching that “We hold these Truths to be self-evident that all Men are created.”
The first amendment to our Constitution, without which the Constitution would not have been ratified, stated: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of (religious) speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…” These words were written to protect religious and political freedom of speech. Censorship of pornography, vulgarity, profanity, or immorality were not the purpose of the first amendment, nor was there any mention of separation of church and state in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. That perversion came a century later.
The government has decreed that we must allow homosexuals to teach in our public schools, we must teach “alternate lifestyles,” tolerance of sexually perverse choices, and the religion of evolution. We must turn a blind eye toward underage sexual activity, and provide contraceptives and abortions for children that are too young to take an aspirin without a signed note from their parents.
The point is, our battle is with ungodly government, but make no mistake about it; the devil and his workers are working feverishly behind the scenes of government to win the battle for our minds.
The realm of Satan’s working is introduced in Ephesians 2:2 where God says, “In time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Satan works in the course of this world. So according to Ephesians 6:12 we are battling, “Not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
To understand the methods of Satan, we must see his chosen purpose. In II Corinthians 4:4 we read that he is trying to “blind the minds[18]” of unbelievers. He does that in three main ways. First he simply tries to keep believers quiet about the plan of salvation. Government is making every effort toward this same end. If he cannot keep us from sharing the gospel, then he will try to get us to hide the gospel with an unclear or unscriptural presentation. In II Corinthians 11:3-4 God tells us that Satan tries to corrupt the gospel by getting away from the simplicity of it.[19]Usually, he tries to get his ministers to add some form of human righteousness to God’s work on the cross.[20] Finally, if he cannot keep you from sharing the plane of salvation clearly with the lost, then he will try to get you to lose your believability by getting you to commit some open sin. We will speak more about this last point as we learn about feeding the flesh.
Does Satan work through government? Isn’t God the ruler of the universe? Didn’t He create the principalities for His glory? In Colossians 1:16 we learn that God did indeed create the governments of both this world and the spiritual realm. “By him (Jesus Christ cf. verse 13 & 15) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Furthermore God is sovereign over these realms. Daniel 2:20 & 21 says:
“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever:… He removeth kings, and setteth up kingdoms.” and in 4:17 God says, “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”
However, God has explained that He sets up men according to the wickedness of the people. If the people are bent on following the ways of Satan, then God will give them a man to rule them that will obey the direction of Satan. Consequently, Satan told Jesus in Matthew 4:2-11, “The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” So now the principalities and world’s governments are for the most part under Satan’s authority. That is what we find in Ephesians 6:12:
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
It is interesting that, when we study the fall of Satan or Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12-17, we usually stop at verse fourteen just after we see the five “I will’s” of Satan’s prideful heart’s desire (cf. Ezekiel 28:17[21]). In verses sixteen and seventeen, God reveals that the results of Lucifer’s fall is played out before governments and rulers:
“They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof.”
These verses, actually, demonstrate Satan’s activities now, but transcend time to his future end that is described in the complete book of Revelation, but is culminated in Revelation 20:7-10:
“When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
In Luke 4:5-7 God says:
Satan “Shewed unto him (Jesus) all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”
In Ezekiel 28:2 God demonstrates Satan’s relationship with government when speaking of the King of Tyrus. Interestingly enough, he calls him the prince of Tyrus instead of the king:
“Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God.”
The reason that God only calls him a prince is because the real king of Tyrus was Satan himself and God demonstrates that clearly by referring to the fall of Satan in relation to the King of Tyrus according to Verses 12-15:
“Ezekiel 28:12: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus… Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God… the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub…Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.”
In Daniel 10:13 God points out:
“The Prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, (the arch angel) one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”
In Revelation 2:13 God sympathizes with the Christians in Pergamos, because He said:
“Thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is.”
So Satan is actively involved with the government of men, and is the master-mind behind many of the leaders’ agenda. He uses government to try to abridge and regulate the things that will strengthen believers’ spirits such as church, public media, literature, and canvassing, while he promotes ungodly philosophies[22] in the name of science falsely so called[23], and profanity, vulgarity, pornography, and immorality in the name of free speech. Therefore, God warns us in I Peter 5:8-9:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” In II Corinthians 2:11 we are encouraged by God that we do not have to be ignorant of His devices: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
In Genesis 3:1-6 we see Satan’s first work against a human when he confronted Eve and enticed her to sin. The first thing he did in verse three was he caused her to question the word of God:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
The next thing we see happening is Eve added to what God had said in verses 2-3:
“The woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die,” (Compare Genesis 2:16-17[24]).
In Genesis 3:4 we see that the old serpent, the devil told the first lie:
“The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”
Areas of Attack
In I John 2:14-17 God tells us the three areas in which we will be attacked:
“Love 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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (1), and the lust of the eyes (2), and the pride of life (3), is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Notice that these are the very three areas in Genesis 3:6 that Satan used to influence Eve to sin:
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (1), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (2), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (3), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.”
It is also significant that these are the same areas in which Satan tempted Jesus[25]. So the spirit is at war with the flesh as we studied in Galatians 5:17[26] and Romans 7:23[27].
Do not misunderstand. Satan is not omnipresent. He cannot get into the mind of a believer and insert thoughts there. However, he uses government approved, controlled, and censored media, and the world’s advertisements, programming, and philosophies to program our thoughts, imaginations, and lusts. Then what should be our attitudes toward government officials and the perversions happening in our society?
First we must be in subjection to the government that God has allowed to rule over us. Titus 3:1 tells us: “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work.” We should use our attitudes toward government as opportunities to demonstrate our Christian faith. In Daniel chapter six we learn about Daniel and the lion’s den. Why was Daniel cast into the lion’s den? Because he prayed. Now if our government should forbid our praying in public, most believers would not care. However, there are some that would defy the law and pray in public anyway, as well they should. However, if you are not praying in public now, do not be a hypocrite and start praying in public after it becomes illegal. Daniel had been praying on his terrace long before the decree was made that it was illegal. If it became illegal to leave a tract with your tip at a restaurant, do not start giving out tracts if that has not been your habit in the past. That would be hypocritical. If the government made it illegal to attend church, that is not the time to start attending church.
The apostles were arrested for preaching in public. What was their response when they were ordered not to? In Acts 4:19-20 they said this: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” In Acts 5:29 they said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” On the other hand Paul said this about the rulers themselves: “Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.”[28] In Matthew 22:21 Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Finally, God tells us in Romans 13:1-7:
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
So God established government to protect the good and punish evil. Remember, the government of which God was speaking here was the same government that was at that time or soon would be killing Christians because of their beliefs. Therefore, what should we do? First of all we should pray for them. In I Timothy 2:1-2 God says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Secondly, we should submit ourselves to their authority. I Peter 2:13-14 says, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.”
So we must understand that government is generally not Christian friendly, therefore, we should not expect it to be. Instead, we must put on our armor so that we can be able to live a quiet and peaceable life and receive praise of the same as we faithfully and inoffensively share the plan of salvation.
We should note that the armor of God deals primarily with the characteristics of a godly life, not tactics of legal wrangling or military strategy. So what is the armor of God?
Ephesians 6:13-17:
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
In verse 14 we see that the girdle or belt is truth. Your belt is that on which your weapons are hung. Without truth, no one that knows us will believe what we have to say about the gospel. The belt is also that which is used to prepare you for action. When a soldier was going to run or fight, he would reach down between his legs and grab the bottom of the back of his garment. Then he would pull it up in front of him and tuck it in his belt, kind of like a diaper, to get it out of the way. Now he was ready for action.
The second thing in verse fourteen was the breastplate of righteousness. It could be made of leather, chain mail, or bronze, and would protect the vital organs. If we as Soldiers for Christ do not keep a righteous testimony before the world, then we will not be able to bear fruit by winning souls, because they will not believe our witness. We will be fruitless or dead.
In verse 15 we are told that our feet should be shod with preparation of the gospel. The phrase “of the gospel” is an adjectival prepositional phrase modifying the noun “preparation.” The main idea is that your feet should be shod with preparation. You should not enter into the battle haphazardly, but should enter in prepared for the battle. How do we prepare for the battle?
In Proverbs 16:1 God tells that we need to be prepared to give an answer:
“The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.”
In the previous chapter of Proverbs God tells us how to get the answer. In Proverbs 15:28 God tells us:
“The heart of the righteous studieth to answer.”
In I Peter 3:15 He commands us to be ready to give an answer to every man:
“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”
That is why it is so important for us to study God’s Word as we will see again when we study about how to feed the spirit. God commands us to study in II Timothy 2:15 where God says:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
As you study, you will find that there are some things that are hard to be understood[29]. God gives us the solution to this problem as well. In James 1:5 God promises:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
It may be several months down the road, but there will be times that you are studying God’s Word and it will seem like a light will come on. That passage that you failed to understand earlier will all of a sudden make sense. Then you may very well be surprised that injust the next few days someone asks you a question about that very thing or that very verse.
If we are commanded to study, and, of course, we are, where does God come into the equation? How does the Holy Spirit give us the answers we need? In John 16:13 Jesus tells us:
“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
As we study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of truth, will guide us. This is called the doctrine of illumination. Even when we study God’s Word, there will be times that people ask us questions that we cannot answer. If we have not studied the answer to that question, then that is our fault, but many times God knows that the person asking really does not want to hear the truth. They just want to get us off track or stump us with a difficult question. So, if they ask you a question about that which you have studied, but you cannot remember the answer, do not worry about it. God has promised to help you remember the things which you study. God did not want you to waste time with that particular question at that time. God promises in John 14:26:
“The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
So if you have studied the answer to their question, and just cannot remember the answer at the time you are asked, that is because the person who asked the question did not really need to hear the answer.
In Ephesians 6:16 God tells us about the shield of our armor. When we think of a shield, we usually think of a small defensive apparatus that is buckled on the soldier’s arm. That was actually called a buckler. The shield spoken of here differed from the buckler in that it was almost as tall as a man. The soldier would hide behind it and it was usually carried by another soldier or an armor bearer. The picture here is the shield of faith is strengthened by the assembly. The shield was of little use by a soldier when he was fighting by himself, but together, as they assembled together, they would form a kind of wall behind which the soldiers would fight. So the shield of faith was strengthened and helpful only as it was used in conjunction with the assembly.
In verse 17 we learn about the helmet of salvation. The helmet not only protected the head of the soldier, but it would reveal his rank. The king’s helmet would many times incorporate a crown. The helmet or crown would be the tallest part of the soldier so his rank could be easily seen by his soldiers. Usually, a soldier’s rank was earned by experience and victories. In the case of a Christian, the crown could be thought of as the encouragement of the experience of having led people to Christ. This will make us more bold in our witness. In Philippians 4:1 Paul calls those he had lead to the Lord his crown:
“My brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”
And in I Thessalonians 2:19 he says:
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?”
The final piece of our armor is the only offensive piece. That is the sword. What is our weapon as we fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil? It is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 agrees:
“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
In verse 18 we are encouraged we are instructed that for which we should pray. Prayer is how God’s troops communicate with their commander. The subject and purpose of prayer will be explained in greater detail again as we study about how to feed the spirit.
Satan uses government to restrict our religious beliefs and convictions on the job, in public, with our children and their education, and even in our worship, beliefs and teachings in our church and families. He does this by transferring power and authority from local government and locally elected officials to appointed officials in a central federal government that is not subject to reelection.
Therefore, we need to be faithful to the assembly to be better trained to answer every man, and so we can be encouraged to be more faithful in our witness. And we need to protect our relationships to government and others by putting on the whole armor of God.
[1] I Corinthians 9:25-27 “1Co:9:25: “Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
[2] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation (Findlay: Dunham Publishing Company, 1917) pp. 59-67.
[4] James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
[5] Mark 2:5 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
[6] Isaiah 43:7 “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
[7] Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
[8] Romans 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
[9] Matthew 6:15 “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
[10] Jay P. Greene, Sr., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Third edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), p. 603.
[11] The American Heritage Dictionary Second edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985), p. 896.
[12] Jay P. Greene, Sr., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Third edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), p. 602.
[13] Oliver B. Greene, The First Epistle of .Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, (Greenville: The Gospel Hour, Inc. 2011), p. 221.
[14] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee Volume V, (Pasadena: Through the Bible Radio, 1983), p. 279.
[15] Peter Shafer, The Origins of Jewish Mysticism. (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2011), p. 74.
[16] William S. LaSor, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament (Grand Rapids: William E. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972), p. 83.
[17] The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United states of America p.1
[18] II Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
[19] II Corinthians 11:3-4 “As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted (away) from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
[20] II Corinthians 11:13-15 “Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.”
[21] Ezekiel 28:17 “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”
[22] Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
[23] I Timothy 6:20 “Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”
[24] Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
[25] Matthew 4:4-8 “When the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (the lust of the flesh). But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple (lust of the flesh), And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him (lust of the eyes) all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.”
[26] Galatians 5:17 “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
[27] Romans 7:23 “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
[29] II Peter 3:15-16 “Our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures.”