PROF.
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN
WARFARE (PART 1)
MEANS, OBJECTIVE AND AUTHORITY
Devotional
Text: 2 Cor. 10:3-6
Introduction:
According to Wiktionary of the English Language, “warfare is the
waging of war or armed conflict against an enemy, or military operations of
some particular kind, e.g. guerrilla warfare. The Bible portrays a similar
concept in Christian Warfare, apart from its spiritual undertone. For instance,
the Christians are referred to as, “Soldiers of the Cross”, as the church on
earth, is described as, “Church Militant”. These suggest that the Christian church is in a
sort of military operations, but its warfare does not target human beings,
since they are not the enemies or adversaries in the conflict, (Eph.6:12).
GENERAL
REMARKS
(1) Christian
warfare seeks to destroy the strongholds of Satan, (II Cor. 10:4).
(2) Christian
warfare is mighty through God, (vs. 4).
(3) Christian
warfare uses only spiritual weapons, (vs. 4).
(1) Christian
warfare is against spiritual wickedness and not human beings, (Eph. 6:12).
MEANS OF
CHRISTIAN WARFARE
By means of Christian warfare, we mean the instrument for the
attainment of the objectives of the warfare. Without mincing words, God is the
Absolute means of the Christian warfare, and, this is cited in the devotional
text of the lesson, which states that, “the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God … (2 Cor. 10:4). This point to the biblical
truth that God is the central point of all the resources of the Christian
warfare, as He is the Supplier of every energy and spiritual equipment required
for the warfare. This informs the fact that in Christian warfare:
(i)
without Him, we can do nothing, (John 15:5)
(ii)
is not by might, nor by power, but My Spirit, says the Lord,
(Zech. 4:6), etc
(iii)
human expertise is always counterproductive, (I Cor. 1:27).
OBJECTIVES
OF CHRISTIAN WARFARE
Christian warfare has the objectives of… “pulling down strongholds
(of the devil), casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ”, (2 Cor. 10:4d-5). By way of explanation, the strongholds
of the devil are various spiritual prisons where Satan has held human beings
captive; some are prisoners of negative thoughts about God, and need to be
informed of His good plans for them. (Jer. 29:11), while others are prisoners
of unbelief and doubts, which result in failures and misfortunes, who need to
be brought to the path of faith through His word, for the blessings that come
by the Gospel of Christ, (Rom. 15:29). All the aforementioned and more, are
such things that lift themselves above the knowledge of God and need to be
brought to the obedience of Christ. Therefore, by objectives, Christian
warfare, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, seeks to:
(i)
heal those hearts which have been broken by misfortunes and
afflictions, (Luke 4:18)
(ii)
set at liberty those who Satan has kept in various spiritual
prisons, (vs. 18)
(iii)
recover the sights of those blindfolded or kept by Satan in the
prisons of doubt, unbelief and retardation, (vs. 18) etc.
AUTHORITY OF
CHRISTIAN WARFARE
The authority of Christian soldier, in the Christian warfare, is
the Lord of hosts (I Sam. 17:45), who says, He has given us authority over all
the power of Satan, the arch-enemy of God and man, (Luke 10:19), and declares
that in His Name, we shall cast out demons …. (Mark 10:18). The assertion
above, strictly and biblically, as well as dispensationally implies that no
other name or attachment to the Name of Jesus, or physical staff, apron,
bangle, olive oil or any form of religious relic or ornament is at present,
required in the execution of war against Satan and his kingdom, except the Name
of Jesus Christ.
For, the authority of the Christian soldier of today is not in the
religious staff, in the similitude of that of Moses, but in the Name of Jesus,
it is not in religious apron of certain pastors, erroneously believed by some
to carry the power of God with it, but in the Name of Jesus, it is not in some
kind of religious bangles, which are mere merchandize of certain false apostles
of today, but in the Name of Jesus.
The authority of the Christian soldier engaged in the Christian
warfare is equally not in olive oil sold for money by some unscrupulous
religious leaders, to the un-informed and unsuspecting Christians and members
of the public, but in the Name of Jesus, which is the Absolute Authority for
use in Christian warfare, and exercised by simple word of faith, (Rom. 10:8,
Gal. 3:1-5). In this connection, therefore, this lesson restates that the Name
of Jesus is the only Authority in Christian warfare by which:
(i)
demons are cast out during any war against Satan and his kingdom,
(Mark 16:17)
(ii) healing is
realized during battles to save the sick person beaten down by demons, (vs. 18)
(iii) poison is
destroyed in an effort to save the life of someone affected by it, during fight
against the kingdom of darkness, (vs. 18).
In
conclusion,
let it be placed on record that without the Lord of hosts (Jesus) at the
forefront of the Christian warfare, all efforts amount to window-dressing, as
no objective of the exercise would be achieved. And, finally, let it be noted
differently that the Name of Jesus is, and remains the only staff of authority
in Christian warfare, as any other attachment remains misleading, and comes
from the evil one, no matter who applies such method(s). PLEASE BE GUIDED.
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