Articles
The War We Wage
“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
Throughout the text of Ephesians 6:10-17 (the “armor of God” passage) our marching orders are laid down in plain and simple terms: we fight against the devil, and our victory is found in resistance against his schemes and total dependence on God. There are several lessons that must become apparent about our combat, though:
It is spiritual in nature, and only carnal as a by product. Too many of us have failed to grasp this, and have spent much of our time and energy fighting the physical manifestations of this war while neglecting the spiritual causes. Modesty, for example, is a battle that is lost if we think forcing people to wear “modest” clothes is all we need to do to overcome the devil. Until the heart is changed, the battle is never won (1 Peter 3:3-4).
The devil is our enemy, not each other. There is a tendency to fight against the tools of the devil (false teachers, immoral influences, etc.) rather than the source of all the evil. Paul even goes on to say, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…” (Ephesians 6:12). Remember that God wants all people to be saved, so it is not humanity itself that we are pitted against (1 Timothy 2:4).
Our desire should not be to overcome or defeat people, but to release them from corruption. Instead of seeing others as enemies, we should treat them compassionately, as those who are deceived and held captive (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We are able to do this only when we have to come to grips with our sins – we too were once held captive to do the work of the devil (Ephesians 2:1-3).
In a sense, Christianity seems like a paradox to an outsider. While we are called to be soldiers for God’s cause (2 Timothy 2:3), we are also told to conduct ourselves without bitterness and anger (Colossians 3:8-11) and to seek the renewal and healing of the world. We fight, not so we can destroy, but so we can build up. In this most definitive sense, then, our battle is not a physical one!
