Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Spiritual warfare Message-ID: Date: 30 Aug 90 07:30:36 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 58 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) writes: >I'm curious about something. How many of you out there accept the >premise of spiritual warfare? That is that Christians are engaged in a >fight against spiritual wickedness, demons, and satan. > >If not, why not? If you do, why do you? I'm not interested in opening >up grounds for another verbal battle or flame fest. I am interested in >hearing what others have to say and the reasoning and Scriptural support >for each position. > >May His joy be yours, > >Gene I accept the premise of spiritual warfare. If I can believe in a literal resurrection of Jesus's body, I can believe in angels; it's not that hard. If I can believe in angels, it's not that hard to believe that some of them went sour (for what reason, I don't know, but then why does anyone go sour?). If these angels are as powerful as the Bible says they are (e.g., in the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, 1 angel slew about 200,000 Iraqi, I mean *Assyrian*, soldiers), then the bad ones are to be feared. But not feared too much, for I think it was John who said, "Greater is he that is in us, then he that is in the world," and Jesus said, "I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it." Daniel talks about the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece, forces behind the earthly rulers. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 also go behind earthly rulers to the demonic (actually diabolical) power behind them. I realize it's in the vogue in educated circles to say that these and similar passages were just ignorant, fanciful portrayals of human evil; however, even though I am not an inerrantist, I find it much easier to follow what the Bible says than what the educated vogue says. Why should I doubt what my Lord says: "I saw Satan fall from heaven," or "You will have power over evil spirits," etc? As far as personal experience is concerned: I have very little, at least that I know of. A couple of friends of mine were miraculously healed, and I believe them even though I didn't see it. I've read some stuff about satanism and the occult, but I never played with a ouija (spelling?) board, or went to a seance. Basically, it is logical to think that any enemy of God would want to thwart God's purposes for us. I believe Satan's strategy is to try to destroy our faith, to prevent us from acting in faith, because it is only grace through faith that saves us. Our warfare consists of putting on the 'whole armor of God' (Ephesians 6): the helmet of salvation (to keep our wits about us), the breasplate of righteousness (God's righteousness, which we can only receive through faith), the belt of truth (cold, hard truth, which holds it all together), the boots of the Gospel of peace (with which we can go anywhere to spread the good news, even bars filled with prostitutes), the shield of faith (which we use actively to extinguish the lies, taunts, and threats launched at us by the evil one), and the sword of the spirit (i.e., God's word, which, though it doesn't talk about every issue under the sun, enables us to face anything in life). Our warfare is offensive, not defensive; Paul never said to put on the backplate of righteousness. I could ramble on and on about spiritual warfare, but I think I just ought to get right down and do it.