Spiritual Warfare
by Dr. Phil Stringer (Florida)
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4)
* * *
The scriptures make it clear that Christians should expect to find themselves in the
middle of serious spiritual warfare. Notice the terms of violence and combat in II
Corinthians 10:3-6 (used here in a spiritual sense):
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds;)
5 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;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is
fulfilled.
This passage clearly refers to a spiritual battle and to spiritual weapons available to
the believer. Evil imaginations are seen as the opposing weapons that Christians must
overcome. The battlefield is seen to be the hearts and minds of men (not a physical
battlefield or even a legislative one). The battle is won when people are persuaded into
obedience to Christ.
Ephesians 6:10-18 describes the spiritual weapons available to Christians as they fight
the Culture War:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil.
12 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.
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Sometimes Christians seem overwhelmed as they look at the cultural forces arrayed
against them. Government agencies with taxing and regulating power, most of the
entertainment media (movies, music, TV, and magazines), most of the public education
establishment, the overwhelming majority of the news media, and modern peer pressure seem
like formidable forces in the war against our Christian culture. However, Christians
possess weapons more powerful than the forces against them. Ephesians 6:10 makes it clear
that the issue is the Lord’s strength and the power of His might, not our strength or
power.
Verse 11 makes it clear that the issue is not the strength of our enemies, or even the
power and trickery of the Devil. This is confirmed in I John 4:4, "Ye are of God,
little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that
is in the world."
The rest of the passage (Ephesians 6) begins to list specific weapons available to the
Christian. They are all considered important and make up the whole armor of God. No
sensible warrior would want to go into battle missing parts of his armor.
Verse 12 reminds us again that this ultimately is a spiritual battle. The demonic
origin of this conflict is clearly seen here. The words "principalities and
powers" clearly refer to demonic spirits. Bible students debate the meaning of the
phrases "rulers of darkness of this world," and "spiritual wickedness in
high places." Some believe that these are also phrases that refer to demonic spirits,
others believe that they refer to human rulers under demonic influence. Either way, it is
clearly a spiritual battle.
Verse 13 refers again to the whole armor of God and the importance of Christians taking
a clear stand for the Lord.
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
The first spiritual weapon is referred to in verse 14. The phrase, "having your
loins girt about with truth," is a reference to moral responsibility. The principle
is simple: do not do anything with your loins that you cannot afford to be honest about. A
spouse should not do anything that he cannot afford to tell his/her spouse. Teens should
not do anything they cannot afford to tell their parents they are doing.
At first, moral responsibility might not seem like much of a weapon in the Culture War,
so it deserves a closer look. The lure of moral impurity is the primary temptation that
draws people into rebellion against God and into paganism. Maintaining a pure moral life
is a real barrier against being drawn into the attitude of rebellion. Furthermore, some
Christians who make important contributions in the public debate have lost their
opportunity to be a voice for the Lord because of their personal lock of moral
responsibility. Every Christian who maintains God’s moral standards is taking a big
step toward refusing to have his spiritual life "spoiled."
KEEPING YOUR HEART RIGHT
The second weapon is also referred to in verse 14, "Having on the breastplate of
righteousness." The breastplate covers the chest and protects the heart. Keeping your
heart right with the Lord keeps those who have declared war on Christianity from
"spoiling" your spiritual life. Proverbs 4:23 makes the same point: "Keep
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
Moral responsibility and a heart right with the Lord are powerful defensive weapons
against a culture in rebellion against the Lord. Such weapons have allowed men like Daniel
and Joseph and women like Esther to live in spiritual triumph and victory even in pagan
cultures like Babylon, Egypt, and Persia..
SOULWINNING
The third weapon is in verse 15: "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace." Feet and the gospel are also connected together in Romans 10:15, "And
how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things." The
principle is clear: feet are connected with the gospel of peace because the gospel of
peace is something we are supposed to take to people. The power of the gospel is a power
that the Culture War against Christianity cannot overcome. No one ever waged a more
violent or vicious Culture War against Christianity than Saul of Tarsus. But the gospel of
peace turned Saul into Paul the Apostle. Look at what the gospel did to pagan King
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4).
It is a terrible mistake for Christians to become so involved in fighting political or
legislative battles (though these need to be fought) that they forget their responsibility
to get the gospel out. Soulwinning is fighting the Culture War in the most powerful way.
FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD
A fourth weapon is introduced in verse 16 with the words, "above all." This
weapon is the "shield of faith." The faith referred to here is our faith in the
Word of God. Just as we trusted what the Bible says about salvation and eternal life, we
must trust what it says about all the details of Christian living. The fiery darts of the
wicked are the philosophies, vain deceits, traditions, and worldly ideas that are designed
to spoil the spiritual life and Christian values of believers. The shield of faith (simply
trusting what God says) protects the Christian from these fiery darts hurled by government
agencies, the entertainment and news media, and some professional educators. God’s
Word must never be subjected to the whims of the moment or the social pressures of the
day. Worldly philosophies come and go but the Word of God stands forever.
RENEWING OUR MINDS
A fifth weapon is mentioned in verse 17, "the helmet of salvation." This
refers to thinking like a saved person -- the Biblical process of renewing our minds. When
a person trusts Christ, a brand new potential becomes available to them. The thought
patterns of the old nature and the worldly principles are replaced with the doctrines of
the Word of God. This process of growth will ultimately become complete and total when we
meet the Lord. How fast individual Christians grow now depends upon their openness to the
Lord. Learning to think like a saved person protects the believer from all the principles
of vain deceit and evil imagination that are used to try to "spoil" the
believers.
THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD
A sixth weapon is also mentioned in verse 17. It is "the Sword of the
Spirit." The Lord’s primary offensive weapon is clearly the Word of God. His
kingdom is not built by physical force but by the preaching of the Word of God.
"For 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" (Hebrews 4:12).
Many Christians are hesitant to refer to the Scriptures in the public debates of the
day. They have been told to refrain from doing this. But who authorized special interest
groups to legislate the Bible out of public life? The Founders of our country constantly
referred to the Bible in the public debates of the day -- indeed, our system of government
could not have been designed without reference to the Scriptures. The power of the
Scriptures speaks for itself, and Christians must realize the power of this weapon that
the Lord has entrusted to us. "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and
like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29)
PRAYER
A seventh weapon is in verse 18. The weapon of prayer is mentioned in great detail.
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Prayer is tragically
underrated even among long-time Christians. Think of the effect of Stephen’s prayer
upon Saul of Tarsus, of Samson’s prayer in the Philistine temple, of Daniel’s
prayer in the lion’s den. Prayer is God’s way of allowing us to communicate to
Him and request His specific activity. Prayer frightens those who are in rebellion against
God, and they campaign endlessly against public prayer. Someone has suggested that if the
modern ACLU had its way, they would have to build lions’ dens in all our public
schools.
Phrases like "all prayer and supplication" and "always" are used to
describe the prayer life of concerned Christians. There is no way to over-estimate the
importance of prayer in the modern Culture War. No Christian is ever weaponless. Even when
the Word of God has been taken from him, he can still pray. When his God-given freedom has
been stolen from him, he can still pray. The Christian can intercede with God for and
about those who should "spoil" his faith. God hears the prayers of his saints,
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). "The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
Ephesians 6:18 also refers to "watching" in connection with prayer.
Christians must learn to pay close attention to what is going on around them. They must
learn to be prayerful as they face the challenges of the day. The verse also mentions
"supplications for all saints." As individual Christians each face a unique set
of cultural challenges, they should pray for one another and call down the blessings of
God upon one another.
There has been much talk in the United States about people being afraid that the
churches will take over the government. But who has all the bazookas, machine guns,
missiles, airplanes, explosives, and atomic bombs? The churches of America are no threat
to force the government into anything.
What those in rebellion against God are really afraid of is that Christians will
persuade people to follow the Lord. Preaching, prayer, personal morality, and witnessing
are all weapons that they cannot compete with on equal terms. The new pagans all want to
advance their agenda with the force of government.
• They want the force of government to remove the Bible from public life.
• They want the force of government to prevent public prayer.
• They want the force of government to make Christians pay for their
neighbors’ abortions.
• They want the force of government to make everyone express approval
of homosexuality.
• They want the force of government to teach all children, including the
children of Christians, Jocelyn Elders style: bizarre theories about
teenage moral impurity.
Christians must stand up to these attacks with the weapons provided by the Lord. Moral
responsibility, hearts right with the Lord, sharing the gospel, trusting and using the
Word of God, thinking like Christians, and prayer are the most powerful weapons in the
Culture War.
Those who wish to destroy Christianity are under-equipped. Laws, prisons, weapons of
physical warfare, brain-washing, control of education, and the media have never been able
to destroy the work of God. The testimony of the Scriptures, as well as of church history
is clear: Christians are better armed. It is our responsibility to avail ourselves of our
spiritual weapons in the spiritual warfare.
Dr. Phil Stringer is Executive Vice President at Landmark Baptist
College, Haines City, Florida.
