Spiritual Warfare

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

2 Cor 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.

In the long past “aions” of time there have been two “spiritual forces” of power [S# 1849 "exousia" authority of God] and the power of Satan; that war against each other for control of the Universe; including Heaven, Earth and the Elements between. Eph. 2:1-3. The first of these powers is God [S# 430 The plural Hebrew "Elohiym" Jehovah, The Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Spirit through which the Father works in Earth. The second power is Lucifer Isa. 14:12-20 that we know as the Dragon, Serpent, the Devil and Satan. Rev, 12:7-12. This power was cast out of Heaven into the Earth after the "War in Heaven" described in Revelation chapter # 12. With a warning to all on Earth that he has "come down with great wrath" with the intent to destroy all of the good that God created.

Both of these forces are "spirits" and cannot be seen; but the beauty of Gods creation and the wreckage that Satan has caused are easily visible.
Gen 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man [S# 120 Adam] of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul“. So mankind is made of three parts; Body, Spirit and Soul. The body is the sensual part of mankind. Both the male and female bodies were designed to physically attract each other. They were so designed that by a physical sexual union of the two they could reproduce their on kind. And this “offspring” would reflect the “genes” [physical [attributes] of both the parents. The “spirit” was the life giving part that caused the lungs to breath and the heart to pump blood through the arteries and veins to all parts of the body including the brain that directed every motion of the body to be alive. The soul was and is the invisible part that reflects the identity and character of the person and is eternal. At the death of the body this soul returns to God that gave it. Since the soul is also an invisible inanity it is also referred to as a spirit in scripture.
Paul in Romans chapter # 7 teaches concerning the Christian struggle with the problem of life and describes it as a “battle between the law of God and the flesh“.
In verse # 15 describes his life as the life of “two men”; one of them trying to keep and live by the righteous law while the carnal man or the flesh fights continually to satisfy his lustful desires. In verse # 17 he goes so far as to say; When I sin [S# 266 "hamartia" sin nature or man of sin] it is not me that sins, but the sin nature that I can’t control. In verse # 24 he declares; “I am a wretched man! Who shall deliver [save] me from this death? Then in verse # 25 he reveals the answer; “I thank God that this deliverance comes through the Anointed Jesus our Lord I serve the law of God while the flesh still desires to live by the law of sin. Chapter eight verses # 1 and 2; Paul now shouts the “victory”; “Rom 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
He uses the marriage of a man and woman and the binding law that holds them together. In marriage; a woman is bound by the “law of her husband” as long as he lives. If she marries a second man [or has a relationship with] while her husband is alive; she is guilty of either adultery or fornication. But if her husband dies, she is freed from the “law of her husband” and she can marry again without guilt. 7:1-3. The same principle applies to a Christian; Until we are saved we are “bound by the law of the “flesh“; [the carnal mind, our mortality[ the motions [acts] of sins that worked in our members [body parts] to sin and bring fruit “unto death“. Verses # 4-5. But now we that are Christians have been delivered from the law are now “dead to the letter of the law, but now we serve God through the “newness of the spirit“.
Romans 8:1-10 describes the life of a person who has been redeemed from the curse of the law. Verses 5-8 tells us that those who are after the flesh do mind [obey] the things [lusts] of the flesh. Verses 7-8 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
James writes in James 4:1-3 ” From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts”. The Greek word for “members” is S#3296 “melos” and means “limbs or body parts”. Paul writes in 1 Cor 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular”. Jesus spoke in Matt. 18:2-9; that if a “body part” becomes offensive it is to be “removed and cast away” to prevent the whole body cast into hell.
Peter writes in 1st. Peter 2:11 “I beseech you as strangers and Pilgrims, abstain from “fleshly lusts that war against the Soul“. These “lusts” or works are named in Gal. 5:19-24 and advises that the Christian who is “in Christ has crucified the flesh with its affections and its lusts.
One of the main problems of the Christian life is the “misunderstanding” that in the regeneration process; God takes “complete command” of the Christian’s body and the person is freed from all responsibility of “right living“; When in fact we are commanded in 2 Cor 6:17-18 “Wherefore come out from among them,[ those who worship false Gods] and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty“. Paul also gives testimony in Gal 2:20-21
” I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain”.
Sin is any violation of the “law of God. James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”.
Satan uses the “mind” to introduce temptation to the mankind. And at the same time, the “Spirit of God” speaks to the “conscience” [mind] of man telling him, this action if performed is a “sin against God“. Thus, a war of the mind begins and a decision of direction must be made. Rom 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.
In Romans 7:12- Paul describes further this “war” that was within him. He has become “two persons” living in the same body. Because the law of the Spirit directs him one way and the “law of the flesh” [carnal mind; nature] directs him another way working “death in him”.And what his “inner spirit” says no to; the flesh [natural carnal man that is sold under sin 7:14] tells him it is OK and is not a sin. Verse # 17 Paul declares that “after he commits the “act of sin” it his not him that is guilty; but the sin [nature of] that dwells in him. The only answer is to “Crucify the flesh with its affections and its lusts. Gal. 5:24. In Gal. 6:14 Paul states; “By the cross the world [S# 2889 "kosmos" the adorning world, Including the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ" (cf. Winer's Grammar, 26): John 7:7; 14:27 (John 17:27"
(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, PC Study Bible formatted Electronic Database.
Eph 2:13-19 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God".
In teaching and preaching about the power of the "law of sin and death" we must be able prove that because that we have been "born of the Spirit" we are no longer of the "world because we live in the world. "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world". 1st. John 4:4. And the words of Jesus John 8:34-32 " Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth [continues to practice and "live in sin"] sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”.
Paul writing in 1st. Cor. 15:13-26 about the resurrection of the dead at the coming of Jesus declares that the end will come when Jesus delivers up the “kingdom” to God the Father and has put down all rule and all authority and power. For Jesus must reign, til he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death”
So Christians can shout into the face of the enemy in battle; I have read the promise of Jesus in Rev 22:12-17 “And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”

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Crucifixion as described in the Bible. The story of the Cross and Crucifixion

 

THE STORY OF THE CROSS AND CRUCIFIXION                                                                    Capital punishment was widely applied in ancient times; it can be found (c.1750 B.C.) in the Code of Hammurabi. From the fall of Rome to the beginnings of the modern era, capital punishment was practiced throughout Western Europe. The modern movement for the abolition of capital punishment began in the 18th cent. with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria’s Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1764). In Great Britain, Jeremy Bentham was influential in having the number of capital crimes reduced in the 18th and 19th cent. Some of the first countries to abolish capital punishment included Venezuela (1863), San Marino (1865), and Costa Rica (1877). Current International Practice As of 2004, 81 countries had entirely abolished the death penalty, including the members of the European Union. Some other countries retained capital punishment only for treason and war crimes, while in others, death remained a penalty at law, though in practice there had not been any executions for decades. Among countries that retained the death penalty for ordinary crimes were many in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The United States and China were believed to impose capital punishment most frequently. In the United States Since the 1970s almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate regarding the constitutionality, effect, and humanity of capital punishment; critics charge that executions are carried out inconsistently, or, more broadly, that they violate the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the Eighth Amendment. Supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit executions. In the 1972 case of Furman v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment as then practiced was unconstitutional, because it was applied disproportionately to certain classes of defendants, notably those who were black or poor. This ruling voided the federal and state death penalty laws then in effect but left the way open for Congress or state legislatures to enact new capital punishment laws, a process that began almost immediate From Columbia Encyclopedia. Execution by Crucifixion as described in the Bible. Cross: S# 4716 Greek “staruros” NT:4716 “denotes, primarily, “an upright pale or stake.” On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, “to fasten to a stake or pale,” are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed “cross.” The shape of the latter had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3 rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the “cross” of Christ“. (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.) The word cross is used 27 times in the N.T. First by Jesus in Matt. 10:38 and 16:24. See also Mk. 8:34 and 10:21 and Lk. 9:23 and 14:27. In these scriptures Jesus is speaking about “bearing the burden or the persecution of becoming a Christian and not bearing a “Physical Cross”. This could also require death by crucifixion, stoning or some other method of taking life. A great error was permitted in enter into the Church Doctrine of the cross @ 213 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Caesar Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus[2] (27 February c. 272[1] – 22 May 337), commonly known in English as Constantine I, or Constantine the great professed his conversion to the Christian Faith after seeing a vision of a “flaming Cross in the sky and hearing a voice saying; “By this sign you will conquer the world”. He had the sign of the Cross placed on the “Battle Flag” and the shields of his soldiers and began his conquest in the name of Jesus. The Roman Church soon adopted this symbol as a rallying sign for the Church. After the Protestant movement began no one was concerned about the “true story of the cross” and different designs were admitted into the different sects of the Christian faith. See below: Cross 1. The forms in which the cross is represented are these: 1. The crux simplex (I), a “single piece without transom.” 2. The crux decussata (X), or St. Andrew’s cross. 3. The crux commissa (T), or St. Anthony’s cross. 4. The crux immissa (t), or Latin cross (from Easton’s Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) The Punishment; There were various methods of performing the execution. Usually, the condemned man, after being whipped, or “scourged,” dragged the crossbeam of his cross to the place of punishment, where the upright shaft was already fixed in the ground. Stripped of his clothing either then or earlier at his scourging, he was bound fast with outstretched arms to the crossbeam or nailed firmly to it through the wrists. The crossbeam was then raised high against the upright shaft and made fast to it about 9 to 12 feet (approximately 3 metres) from the ground. Next, the feet were tightly bound or nailed to the upright shaft. A ledge inserted about halfway up the upright shaft gave some support to the body; evidence for a similar ledge for the feet is rare and late. Over the criminal’s head was placed a notice stating his name and his crime. Death, apparently caused by exhaustion or by heart failure, could be hastened by shattering the legs (crurifragium) with an iron club, so that shock and asphyxiation soon ended his life. With much prayer and study of the Word I am fully convinced of the fact that Jesus was Crucified as a common criminal on a “tree or pole” and the Church has no need to “enhance or elaborate” on the story. Let’s just teach and preach the word as it was written in the Book. John 12:32-33 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die“.

The Story of the Cross © copyright 2009 godswordtooyou.com revashelton@aol.com