The Essence of War was a two part article published recently. Feedback on that article suggested two flaws or inadequacies. One asked for a \u201cBattle Plan\u201d. The other, thought the focus should have been more on prayer and weaponry or at least their role should have been highlighted. Taking these comments seriously, I would like to try and give some further explanation.<\/p>\n
First, it needs to be understood that The Essence of War<\/em><\/a> was not seeking to paint the whole picture. It was focussed on calling Christians to wake\u2013up to the fact that there is a war raging. This may seem very obvious to some Christians. However, let me assure you that I have run into many who either do not understand that they are in a war or who, having grasped the concept, have little clue about the nature of the battle.<\/p>\n Second, the issue of Christian warfare is a big topic. At best, I hope here to scratch out a useful outline that may give direction and help people to engage in the battle effectively.<\/p>\n Third, please be prepared to sacrifice some sacred cows, jettison long held fallacies, and, most of all, adopt the \u201cBerean Attitude\u201d (Acts 17:11). One of the reasons that the Church is so befuddled today can be summed up in the term \u201cBiblical illiteracy\u201d. In short, as part of our compromise, Christians have stopped reading and, in particular, understanding the Bible. It would seem that they would rather read a book about<\/em> the Bible, than put the effort into reading and understanding the Bible itself. The remedy can only be to re-immerse ourselves in God\u2019s expired (breathed out), Holy Spirit authored, Christ magnifying Scriptures; accompanied by a simple yet fervent prayer that God would give us understanding and wisdom.<\/p>\n 1. Christian Warfare<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n A. Spiritual Warfare<\/strong>:<\/span> The first issue necessary to understanding Christian Warfare is indeed to understand the terms. You will note that I have not, in general, used the more common term \u201cSpiritual Warfare\u201d. I avoid this term because it has become loaded with the terminology of the \u201cother\u201d. By this I mean that there has been an increasing trend in Christian circles to see everything as belonging to another realm or another time. Thus, many Christians, for instance, no longer believe that God reveals His wrath in time and space. They claim that God will only judge at the end of time.1<\/sup><\/span> Now it is true that there is a judgement at the end of time. However, Romans 1:18 clearly tells us that the wrath of God is<\/em> being revealed from heaven. Another instance would be the way in which Christ is seen only as love and peace. Yet Scripture posits that Jesus is in fact God\u2019s Judge (Acts 17:30-31). We have, in modern Christianity, seemingly lost the ability to hold two truths together. The ultimate example of this would be in regard to the character of God. We seem unable to hold together the myriad and perfect attributes of God as they are revealed in Scripture. This being the case, it is not a wonder that we have trouble with lesser concepts.<\/p>\n The same can be said in regard to Christian warfare. Through the influence of faulty theologies that see the Old and New Testaments as in some way opposed to each other (discontinuity or radical discontinuity), it has become popular to understand that the Old Testament was filled with fleshy<\/em> warfare \u2013 swords, shields, warhorses \u2013 whereas the New Testament is spiritual <\/em>warfare \u2013 prayer and evil spirits.<\/p>\n I would like to posit at the outset that such a delineation is an outright fallacy and a case of wrongly dividing the word of truth (Contra 2 Timothy 2:15). It is errors like these that, over time embedding themselves into Christian doctrine and teaching, have really robbed Christians both of the will and ability to understand and engage in Christian Warfare.<\/p>\n The simple reality is that both Testaments teach exactly the same point<\/em>. It is, at best, the emphasis that differs.<\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. <\/span><\/strong>O<\/span><\/span>f course there are a growing number who deny God\u2019s judgement completely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Essence of War was a two part article published recently. Feedback on that article suggested two flaws or inadequacies. One asked for a \u201cBattle Plan\u201d. The other, thought the focus should have been more on prayer and weaponry or … Continue reading