In case you have not noticed, we are all, as believers especially, involved in the great controversy, which rages all around us and, indeed, in us as well. We all, in one way or another, experience the reality of this cosmic struggle, and we will until the day we die, whenever or however that happens.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
The most deadly spiritual weapons are ideas, good and bad. Satan uses criticism, betrayal, embarrassment, fear, peer pressure, and a host of similar tools that Christians should never employ. We are, instead, to use love, mercy, peace, gentleness, longsuffering, kindness, and self-control. Our most powerful weapon, judiciously used, is “the Word of God” wielded by the Spirit (Eph. 6:17, AMP), because only God can bring the truth home to a person’s heart. We are merely the instrument that God uses to accomplish His purposes.
Because the battle is spiritual, we’re in a war of ideas and values. Yet, Christ has won the victory at the cross for us, and as long as we stay connected to Him, we can never be defeated, even if we are killed. Paul surrendered his life to whatever happened to him here on earth, however unjust, because he entrusted his life and his future to a higher court.
As Christians, we should not fight so much for our rights as for what is right. It’s not “might makes right,” but “right makes might.” Submission to God’s will is honorable; in fact, it is the only way to be victorious in the war in which we find ourselves. Jesus, of course, is the quintessential example of submission to the will of God, as Paul will bring.
Uniting Heaven and Earth, Christ in Philippians and ColossiansFirst Quarter Sabbath School, Whalen, C, 2926, General Conference of Seventh-day Day Adventists.
Leave a Reply