Category: Sanctification

Spiritual Warfare – Part 8

Introduction

       We are living in a day when much hatred and division centers around the color of one’s skin or the political party with which one associates. The truth of the matter is that one’s skin color or political party is not what drives these conflicts. I believe the apostle Paul would want us to understand that behind these divisions and hate there is an unseen enemy who knows our histories and our weaknesses, and he is bent on getting us to fight one another instead of taking a stand against his kingdom of darkness. This foe would like nothing more than for people to think he does not exist.

       But the apostle Paul would have us believe otherwise. In his letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus he concludes with ways to protect themselves from spiritual attacks. He instructs his Christian readers (including you and me), to wear the whole armor of God so we may stand against the “wiles” or deceitful methods of the devil (Eph. 6:11). He wants us to understand that our battle is not with “flesh and blood” (i.e., human beings regardless of their skin color or political differences, etc.), but with the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, we are to take up the whole armor of God so we may stand against the enemy “in the evil day” when all of hell attacks us (Eph. 6:13).

       Just as a soldier needs to know the strategies of his enemy, so Christians need to understand the schemes or “wiles” of the devil (Eph. 6:11). Some of the “wiles” of Satan may include the following: [1]

  • Deception: Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and he deceived Eve with bad doctrine (1 Tim. 2:14). Hence, Christians are to wear the belt of truth to expose Satan’s lies and replace them with God’s life-giving truth (Eph. 6:14a).  
    • Deviation: The devil wants to conform us to his world system and cause us to deviate from God’s will (Eph. 2:1-3; I John 2:16; 5:19b). He wants us to lower our standards of righteousness by tempting us to open our lives to a little sinfulness or worldliness. He may whisper in our ears, “It won’t hurt you to try that. Everyone else is doing it. Go ahead and do it. It’s fun.” This is why we need the protection of the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14b).
    • Division: The book of James informs us that the kind of wisdom that causes strife, envy, and self-seeking (power struggles) in our homes, churches, and workplaces originates from hell, and it is earthly, sensual, and demonic (Jas. 3:14-16). Therefore, we need to wear the sandals of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15).
    • Doubt: Satan caused Eve to doubt God’s Word (Gen. 3:1). This is one of his primary attacks against Christianity as a whole and the individual Christian in particular. Anderson writes, “When the Age of Reason rose up, European scholars discounted anything supernatural, which included a written revelation (the Bible) from a supernatural being (God). Thomas Jefferson swallowed the poison of doubt and decided to create his own New Testament by pulling the miracles of Christ out of the Gospels. If we doubt whether the Bible is God’s Word, why should we live by it or obey it?” [2] Hence, we need to take up the shield of faith to renew and strengthen our faith in the Lord and His Word (Eph. 6:16).
    • Disillusionment: Satan tries to put thoughts in our minds to make us think that his thoughts are our thoughts. When Job encountered severe trials, Satan used Job’s wife and friends to encourage Job to give up on God. They reasoned that any God-fearing believer assumes God will bless him for his obedience, not realizing that is the essence of legalism. We can never put God in our debt (cf. Rom. 4:4; 11:6). The other misunderstanding is to look at our trials as curses instead of blessings. God’s plan for our Christian growth is to mold us and sculpt us into the likeness of His Son. Often trials are the best ways to get us there. But the devil will try to give us thoughts that are contrary to God’s thoughts. And so, we are to wear the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17a).
    • Discouragement: One of the “devices” (noēmata) of Satan is extreme sorrow or discouragement over our failures (cf. 2 Cor. 7:7-11). When the Christian community treats a repentant Christians like a leper, his discouragement may cause him to give up completely. Satan will use discouragement to keep a believer from reading or memorizing the Bible. Hence, we are to take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17b). 

           Paul addresses six pieces of armor in the order that a Roman soldier would put them on (Eph. 6:14-17). The first three pieces of armor are introduced with the verb “to be.” The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace we have with us all of the time [3] (“having girded… put on… shod…” – Eph. 6:14-15). [4] This is the state we are always to be in. But the last three pieces of armor – the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit – we are called to take and use as needed [5] (“taking … take…” Eph. 6:16-17). [6] Today, we will look at the second of these last three pieces of armor, “the helmet of salvation” (Eph. 6:17a).

    The Location of the Helmet

           The placement of the fifth piece of armor is very significant. After putting on his belt, breastplate, sandals, and taking up his shield, the Roman soldier would put on his helmet to protect his head, especially his brain, because injury to one’s head can be lethal.

           And the world recognizes this. Whenever we are in a situation that could be dangerous to our heads and brains, we are often required to wear a protective helmet. For example, construction workers wear a hard hat to protect their heads from falling debris in a construction area. Motorcyclists wear a helmet to shield their brains from serious injury in case they are in an accident. Those who refuse to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle are flirting with tragedy because the likelihood of being killed in an accident increases significantly when a motorcyclist does not wear a helmet. [7]

          In American football, [8] a player wears a helmet to absorb the impact of colliding with another player so that the brain is not injured. Because the understanding is, if the brain is injured, bodily function is impeded. When you have players, whose heads are constantly absorbing violent collisions on the playing field, experiencing concussion after concussion, the brain can be severely damaged. And if the brain gets damaged, bodily function is impaired.

           The apostle Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:17a that the mind must be protected to absorb the shocks of being hit in the spiritual realm by the enemy. If our minds are not protected from these blows, our spiritual lives can be greatly impaired.

           Some of us know people who have contracted a debilitating disease known as Alzheimer’s whereby the brain is not able to function as it once did. And it progressively deteriorates over time so that the person is not able to care for themselves. The worse the brain problem gets, the less the person with Alzheimer’s can control.

           The less control you and I have in our Christian lives is because spiritual Alzheimer’s has set in. The mind is no longer functioning as God wants it to, impeding the soul from doing what it should, which results in the physical body being out of control.

           The apostle Paul is saying that Christians are to have a helmet on in this spiritual battle which takes place in the invisible realm if we are to have victory. Paul is dealing with a context of us being under attack.

           In an American football game, the quarterback is the leader on the football field. He is calling the play and setting the agenda, and he is always under attack. The defense is always trying to get to him, sack him, knock him down, move him out of the pocket, confuse him, and intimidate him so they can make him ineffective and inefficient.

           Sitting high above the quarterback in a booth is an offensive coordinator (OC). The OC’s job is to assess the schemes of the opposing team and speak to the quarterback about what he ought to be doing in light of those defensive schemes. In view of the attacks of the opposing team, the OC gives plays to the quarterback through a technological wonder called a one-way radio system in the quarterback’s helmet. So, with his helmet on, the quarterback receives instruction about how he is to function in light of the attack he is facing.

           The reason why the OC is the one who gives instructions to the quarterback is because he is sitting high and looking low. He has a bird’s eye view up there in the booth of how the enemy is attacking down there on the football field. He can analyze the enemy’s movements so he can inform the quarterback through his helmet, what the deliverance ought to be for the pressure he is now under.

           The apostle Paul says we are to put on the helmet which means our minds are to be properly programmed. If the mind is improperly programmed, then it will function improperly. That is, if we are thinking wrong, then we will act wrong, and experience spiritual defeat amid the spiritual battle (cf. Prov. 23:7).

           Our spiritual enemy is attacking us on the field of life. God wants us to put on the helmet of salvation so He can speak to us in our minds because He is seated high above everyone and everything else (cf. Eph. 1:20-21). God can see the field of life better than we can see it. He can examine it better than we can. God knows the enemy’s schemes and He knows how to overcome them.

           But we must wear this helmet of salvation so God can protect and direct our thoughts. [9] Our thoughts are a very important part of our whole person and being. Satan wants to control our minds. He wants to put his thoughts into our minds and deceive us into thinking that his thoughts are really ours so we will live life his way, rather than in the way God has prescribed in His Word. The Devil engages in mind control. Once he is successful in doing this, he wants to torment us with these thoughts, causing us to experience defeat instead of victory.

           This part of a Christian’s person comes under severe attack in spiritual warfare. Satan wants to control our thoughts. He wants to put his thoughts within our minds as he did with Peter (cf. Matt. 16:21-23). [10] Many times, these can be hideous thoughts. Thoughts that are totally foreign to what we would normally think.

           For example, a Christian may have intrusive thoughts about murder. He or she may suddenly think about murdering their own family, their loved ones, members of God’s family, or even themselves. Should this surprise us that he who “was a murderer from the beginning” would give us these kinds of thoughts (John 8:44)?

           One Christian man shared with a Christian counselor that he suddenly had thoughts crowding into his mind that he was going to molest a little child. Thoughts that were totally foreign to this man. These thoughts caused the man to initially think he was going crazy until he understood that Satan is eager to put his thoughts into this man’s mind.

           The Devil delights in giving us thoughts to curse God, to tear up our Bibles, to engage in uninhibited sexual activities that are repugnant to God. He may introduce nagging thoughts to us that tell us what a terrible person we must be. Thoughts that say, “I’m dumb, I’m ugly, nobody loves me, or I can’t do anything right.” There is no limit to the kinds of wicked thoughts that our enemy will introduce to us. 

           What do we do with thoughts like this? First, we need to understand that these thoughts may come from the kingdom of darkness. Secondly, we need to take up our helmet of salvation to resist these thoughts. All of us need a resistance prayer to respond to Satanic, intrusive thoughts. A prayer that goes something like this: “In the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood, I come against the power of darkness that just put that wicked thought in my mind. And I command you to leave me and go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends you.”

           We are not to accept these intrusive thoughts as our own. Especially if they are foreign to our common way of thinking. Some power of darkness is trying to convince us that we are a terrible person. If Satan tells us we are a terrible person, we must confront such an accusation with the truth. For if we are a child of God through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone (John 1:12), we are not in any sense a terrible person. We are a “saint” in Christ (I Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1b; Eph. 1:1b), forever “sanctified” or set apart positionally from our sin and shame through the “once for all” sacrifice of Jesus Christ (cf. I Cor. 6:11b; Heb. 10:10, 14), so there are no grounds for accusation or condemnation (Rom. 8:31-34). Hence, those wicked thoughts do not belong to us. And we are privileged to wear our helmet of salvation.

           We must be tenacious in resisting these thoughts from the kingdom of darkness. Satan will not give up easily. So, we must persist in resisting these wicked thoughts. Don’t stop with one resistance. Each time a wicked thought comes into your mind, continue to pray, “In the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood, I come against the power of darkness that just put that wicked thought in my mind. And I command you to leave me and go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends you.”        

    Ways that Satan Attempts to Control our Minds [11]

           The first way Satan tries to control our minds is through what James calls being  double-minded: “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Jas. 1:6-8). Satan will do his best to make a Christian a spiritual schizophrenic with two minds. With our mind we want to love and serve the Lord, but also with our mind many times we want to toy with the things that are not of God.  Instead of relying solely on God’s wisdom (Jas. 1:5), the double-minded believer wants to rely on human wisdom. He wants to act independently of God. James warns us that this is an “unstable” existence.

           A divided mind is a very serious emotional state; but it is even more serious spiritually. We need to pray like King David prayed, “Unite my heart to fear Your name.” (Psa. 86:11b). David wanted God to bring a unity or single-mindedness to his heart, so the Lord was the center of everything in his life. 

           A second way the Devil attempts to control our minds is through a carnal mind. A carnal mind is an enemy of God. The apostle Paul tells us this in Romans 8. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:5). When Paul speaks of the carnally minded here (“set their minds on the things of the flesh”), he is referring to a believer who places himself under the law to try to become holy as Paul had tried to do only to experience spiritual defeat (cf. Rom. 7:4-25).

           “While striving for holiness under the law, Paul had focused on the commands (e.g., ‘lust’) so that his mind-set was fleshly: ‘I must steer clear of all lust.’ This fleshly orientation doomed him to commit the very sin he sought to avoid.

           “Simply put, if one lives with a fleshly orientation—even if it is the result of a vigorous effort to keep the law—he is going to fail because he has the wrong mind-set.” [12] [emphasis added]

           “6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:6-7). These two mind-sets, “to be carnally minded,” or “to be spiritually minded,” are polar opposites. The first mind-set is in the sphere of “death” and results in “death.” But the “spiritually minded” believer experiences “life and peace.”

           “The trap into which a Christian falls when he is principally concerned with the law itself is that he cannot escape a preoccupation with the spiritual deadness within and around him. The mind-set of the Spirit, however, lifts his preoccupations to the level of supernatural life and peace.” [13] [emphasis added]

           Carnal mindedness is described in Galatians by Paul when he writes, “19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…” (Gal. 5:19-21). Carnal mindedness focuses on the fleshly desires of our sinful nature. The longer a Christian sets his mind on his sinful flesh, the more likely his fleshly mind becomes a demonically dictated thought process. Satan uses this carnal mindedness to control a believer’s thoughts.

           The third way Satan will attempt to control our thoughts is through his version of “God-is-our-enemy–thoughts.” The Devil enjoys putting thoughts in our mind that say, “God is your enemy.” “God is not playing fair with you.” “He could make it different, but He is not.” “You ought to get angry with God.“ “If God truly loved you, He wouldn’t let you go through so much pain and suffering.” When we have thoughts like that, do we know where they are coming from?

           God cannot be anything but good (Psa. 106:1), gracious (Psa. 111:4), holy (Isa. 6:3), just (Isa. 45:21), kind (Joel 2:13), loving (I John 4:8b), merciful (Ps. 103:8), and righteous (Psa. 11:7). Regardless of what we are experiencing, God is Who He is because He cannot be anything but that.

           But Satan will come along when life is not what we hoped it would be, and he tries to rule our mind with wicked thoughts about God being our enemy. And these thoughts can easily make us angry toward the Lord.

           Fourth, the Devil can also try to rule our minds through deceiving, lying thoughts. Such was the case with Ananias and Sapphira. Satan filled their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land they sold for themselves (Acts 5:4, 8-9). It cost both of them their lives.

           Whenever we are tempted to lie, we can be assured that Satan is involved in that temptation. Jesus said the devil “is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

           Fifth, Satan will also try to control our minds through fearful thoughts. The Bible tells us the that our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8b).

           “Do you know how a lion uses his fearsome roar to frighten his prey? I’m told that the old male in a lion pride goes upwind of a herd of gazelles or whatever and lets out a roar. The terrified animals take off in the opposite direction, where the rest of the pride is waiting to gobble them up.

           “If we were to hear a lion roar, most of us would run. If he roared again, we would run again. Pretty soon we’re being directed by fear.” [14] [emphasis added]

           In the verse prior to I Peter 5:8, Peter writes, “…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Pet. 5:7). We can cast all our cares or concerns upon God because “He cares for you.” This phrase can be translated, “You are a matter of concern to God.” [15] 

            Christians who are engaged in intense spiritual warfare, especially those who facing Satanic frontal attacks, may conclude, “God doesn’t really care about me. If He did, He wouldn’t let me languish in this terrible bondage.” [16] [emphasis added]

           If we believe God doesn’t care about us, we will be plagued by all kinds of fear. Satan loves to put us in bondage to fear. He will even use violent fear and panic to immobilize us.

           But at the moment we feel that panic and fear, is the moment to use our helmet of salvation and pray, “In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood, I command the wicked power of fear to leave my presence and go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends you.” God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). The helmet of salvation enables our thoughts to be our own and to be like those of Christ.

           Thoughts that are projected into our minds by the enemy need to be recognized quickly and decisively! We need to understand this. We don’t have to accept those thoughts from Satan as our own.

           For example, one Christian young man was deeply troubled. Every time he began to pray to God, thoughts would enter his mind that said, “Pray to Satan…Pray to Satan… Pray to Satan.” He was tormented by these thoughts so much so that he became convinced he was going crazy. But once he understood where these thoughts were coming from, and resisted them, he was totally set free from those intruding thoughts. [17]

    The Person of Salvation

           This fifth piece of armor is called “the helmet of salvation.” What is salvation? The Bible informs us that salvation is a Person. David wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psa. 27:1). The Hebrew word translated “salvation” is yeshu’ah. Yeshu’ah is the Old Testament word for “salvation,” and its basic meaning is “deliverance.” The English word Jesus, which means “God is salvation,” is also derived from this Hebrew word. Hence, David is saying, “The Lord [Yahweh] is my light and my Jesus [Yeshu’ah].” (Psa. 27:1). Salvation is a Person.

           This is why Simeon prayed in the temple as he held the Baby Jesus in his hands, “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation…” (Luke 2:29-30). Christ is our salvation. He is a Person.

           Thus, when we put on our helmet of salvation, we are putting on the Lord Jesus Christ to protect our mindsfrom the intruding thoughts of Satan and also to fill our minds with His thoughts. [18]

           The Lord Jesus is much greater than the Devil. Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father in the heavenly places, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion,” including Satan and his demonic armies (Eph. 1:20-21). Jesus sits in a position of authority and power that is far greater than the kingdom of darkness and we are seated next to Him (Eph. 2:5-6).

           The apostle John tells us that this same Jesus indwells us: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you [Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit] is greater than he who is in the world [Satan].” (I John 4:4; cf. Gal. 2:20). Hence, we do not need to fear nor succumb to Satan’s attacks because Jesus in us is far greater than the Devil and his demonic armies who are in the world.

           The Greek word translated “salvation” (sōtēria) in the New Testament basically means  “deliverance.” [19] The apostle Paul refers to this helmet as “the hope of salvation,” that is, the hope of deliverance (I Thess. 5:8b). Why? Because Satan wants to convince us that our situation is hopeless. If we conclude that our situation is hopeless, that we are trapped in our bondage and there is nothing we can do, then we only have two choices: We can either abandon ourselves to the sin or get ready to check out of this life. [20]

           The type of deliverance Jesus provides is determined by the context. As our “Salvation” (Psa. 27:1), the Lord Jesus provides three types of deliverances as they relate to our spirit, soul, and body (I Thess. 5:23).

    Our Past Salvation

           The first type of salvation is our past salvation (a.k.a. justification) whereby our spirit is delivered from the penalty of sin forever when we believed in Jesus for His gift of salvation (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9). When we were born again by believing in Jesus (John 3:3-18), we received “a new spirit” (Ezek. 36:26) that “was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24) and was “perfected forever” (Heb. 10:14). Our spirit “cannot sin because” it “has been born of God” (I John 3:9).

          Satan wants to steal the assurance of our past salvation. Since he knows we cannot lose eternal life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:35-40; 10:28-29; 11:25-26; et al.), he tries to rob us of our assurance that we are God’s child. He may put hideous thoughts in our minds and then accuse us, saying, “No true Christian would never entertain such wicked thoughts.”

           Satan will use false teachers to try to steal our assurance of eternal life. The apostle John addresses this in his first epistle. John’s readers were being told by the antichrists (false teachers) that Jesus was not the Christ Who guarantees a future resurrection and never-ending life to all who believe in Him. But John refutes this by saying, “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.” (I John 2:25). Instead of listening to the falsehoods of the antichrists, John redirects his readers to the unchanging “promise” of God which guarantees “eternal life” to all who believe in Jesus (cf. I John 5:1, 13; John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:35-40, 47; 11:25-27; 20:31). This is the message they heard from the beginning of their Christian experience. This is how they began a personal relationship with God. Assurance of eternal life is found in God’s promises, not in the lies of false teachers which denied that eternal life is through simple faith in Jesus.

           There is much confusion today about assurance of salvation. Some insist that assurance of going to heaven is based on our performance and whether we measure up to certain tests concerning the quality of our Christian experience. [21] But if we look to our performance or experience, we will never be certain we have eternal life because we always fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23; I John 1:8, 10). Whenever we take our focus off Christ and His finished work on the cross (John 19:30), we are more likely to doubt our salvation. Even on our best day, we still fall short of God’s glory.

           John wants his readers to look to the unchanging promises of God for the assurance of their salvation. “God’s promises don’t change. That’s why the promises of God are the foundation for our assurance of salvation. People who want to teach that 1 John is a book of tests to determine whether you are a Christian or not have gone completely against what John himself uses as his source of assurance: the promises of God.” [22]

           Why does John remind his readers of their secure relationship with Jesus? “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.” (I John 2:26). John did not want his readers to be deceived by the false teachers who tried to undermine their assurance of salvation. Knowing they have eternal life simply be believing in Jesus for it would enable them to effectively resist these antichrists who taught John’s readers they were not genuinely saved because they lacked a secret knowledge which only the false teachers could give them to have eternal life. John understood if a Christian doubts his or her salvation they are more vulnerable to losing their fellowship with God and the apostles. Hence, I believe John would agree with the apostle Paul, that Christians must take up the helmet of salvation, so they do not lose the hope of their past salvation.  

    Our Present Salvation

           The second type of salvation is our present salvation (a.k.a. sanctification) whereby our soul is being delivered from the power of sin as we hear the word and do what it says (Phil. 2:12; Jas. 1:21-22). Just as we were justified and reconciled to God through faith in Jesus’ death, so now we are to be saved from the power of sin (God’s present-day wrath – Rom. 1:18-32) through faith in Jesus’ resurrection life (Rom. 5:9-10). This is a lifelong process called discipleship which begins at conversion and ends when we go to be with Jesus in His heaven (John 8:31-32; 13:34-35; 14:1-3; 15:1-8).

           Reimer writes, “To really understand your identity, you have to properly divide soul and spirit. Your spirit has been made new. You are a new creation in Christ. You have received a new spirit and a new heart (Ezek. 36:26). Your spirit has been perfected in Christ. You have received every spiritual blessing you need in the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:3). You are adopted into the family of God (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:15). You are heirs of God…

           “These are all the claims of Scripture for who you are in Christ. Your spirit has been purified, purged, renewed, born again, and transformed. But your soul… well, that can still be a bit of a mess.

           “Your soul can have hurts and bitterness. Your soul can still have sin and demonic strongholds. Your soul can have fears and faulty beliefs about who you are. Your soul can still feel condemnation and shame.

           ”Sanctification, or the process of becoming like Jesus is simply becoming who you already are. You have to work out in the realm of the soul what has already taken place in the heavenly realms through the work of Christ in your spirit.

           “Your soul is where your mind, your will, and your emotions still hold sway over the reality of your daily existence. For example, you may know cognitively that you are loved, but because you grew up in an abusive home, or because of your own sinful behaviors, you don’t feel loved. You don’t act as if you are deeply loved. Your soul still feels shame, you may even feel unlovable, and you feel distant from God. Until you deal with the issues of your soul, you will not experience the fullness of God nor the intimacy with Him for which your heart longs.

           “Working out your identity is learning to become who you already are. This battle for your identity is a critical part to your spiritual maturity.” [23] [emphasis added]

           Satan wants to deceive us into thinking that the power of sin has not been broken in our lives. That we are still slaves to sin. He loves to whisper lies that say, “You can never change.” “This isn’t that bad.” “God gave you this desire, so use it.” “Everyone else is doing it.” “You deserve to feel pleasure.” “You cannot cope with your pain without doing this.” “God doesn’t want you to experience this because He knows you will become more like Him knowing good and evil, etc.” 

           The Bible describes the victory Jesus has already won for us, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2:15).

           “It is more natural to view the principalities and powers here as the defeated foes, driven in front of the triumphal chariot as involuntary and impotent witnesses to their conqueror’s superior might.” [24][emphasis added]

           “The picture, quite familiar in the Roman world, is that of a triumphant general leading a parade of victory…. To the casual observer the cross appears to be only an instrument of death, the symbol of Christ’s defeat; Paul represents it as Christ’s chariot of victory.” [25] [emphasis added]

           The death of Jesus did three things to the spiritual rulers of darkness. It disarmed them, displayed them, and dethroned them.

           How did Jesus do this? [26] Jesus “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Col. 2:14). When a person was executed under Roman law, the sentence was attached to the accused’s cross (see John 19:19). But Jesus took our sentence away, effectively nailing our certificates of debt to His cross. He paid our penalty in full (John 19:30); He died for our guilt and shame. God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21).

           Satan now has no legitimate grounds to accuse us of wrongdoing before God because Jesus already paid our sin debt to God in full. That is why Paul writes, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2:15). A fallen angel is no match for the Son of God, Who took away Satan’s power. Satan is the accuser of Christian brothers and sisters (Rev. 12:10). He accused Job (cf. Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5) and Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1). But in light of the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, Satan’s accusations are empty now.

           If somebody has a gun pointed at you, whether or not it’s loaded is a huge deal. The devil doesn’t want us to know that his gun has been emptied by the cross of Christ. Now, if we don’t know that, we are still going to cower and run, living in fear and shame. But we don’t have to listen to the devil any longer. Though he is right about our sin, our sin debt has been paid by Christ in full. We are free to live for God now. Satan still has power, but he no longer possesses final authority in our Christian lives.

           Thus, when the devil tempts us to sin, we can respond by saying, “Jesus has already broken the power of that sin through His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:10-11). Therefore, it has no power over me.”

    Our Future Salvation

           Our third type of salvation is our future salvation (a.k.a. glorification) whereby our physical body is delivered from the presence of sin when Jesus comes back for His church (I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:8b-10; I John 3:2-3). The apostle Paul writes, “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (I Thess. 1:10). The Greek verb translated “delivers” [ruomenon] means to “rescue from danger.” [27] This deliverance or rescue is from the Tribulation “wrath to come” on earth (cf. Rev. 6:1-18:24) which is the theme of this epistle [28] (cf. I Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-5:11, 23). How does Jesus deliver Christians from this coming Tribulation wrath on earth?

           Paul explains in First Thessalonians 4:13-18. The apostle does not want his readers, including us, to be ignorant concerning believers who have died lest we “sorrow as others who have no hope.” (I Thess. 4:13). Paul understands that an ignorant believer can easily become a hopeless believer. [29] He then provides the order of events in the Rapture or sudden removal of the church from the earth.

           First, we see the return of Christ in the air with Christians who have died. “For if [or since] we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” (I Thess. 4:14). The rapture of the church is just as certain as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At one point in time the death and resurrection of Christ were prophecy. But now they are history. We can believe the Rapture with equal certainty.

         When Paul refers to “those who sleep in Jesus,” he is talking about Christians who have died (cf. John 11:11-12). What happens when a Christian dies (see pic)? His spirit goes immediately to heaven, but his body “sleeps” in the grave. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:8). To be absent from the body in death is to be present with the Lord Jesus in heaven.

           The second event is the resurrection of the bodies of Christians who have died. “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.” (I Thess. 4:15). The bodies of Christians who have died will be resurrected first by Jesus, so that their spirits, which are now with Christ, can re-enter their bodies permanently in resurrection. Notice that Paul included himself in these verses – “we who are alive and remain…” He expected to be “alive” when Jesus returned. He believed the Rapture could take place at any time and so should we.

           “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (I Thess. 4:16). In the Rapture, it is the Lord Jesus Himself that is coming, not the Holy Spirit or God’s angels. There will be a magnificent sound much like a shout, like the voice of an archangel and like the sound of a trumpet all in one, and only those who have placed their trust in Christ as their Savior will hear it. For the Bible says, “The dead in Christ will rise first.” Only those who are “in Christ” through believing in Jesus, will respond to this sound. Those who have not believed in Jesus Christ will be left behind.

            Notice that Christians who have died will return with Jesus (I Thess. 4:14b) and receive a glorified resurrection body (“the dead in Christ will rise first” – I Thess. 4:16b) that is incorruptible (sinless) and imperishable (eternal), like the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. I Cor. 15:35-51; Phil 3:20).

            Next is the removal of living Christians. “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:17a). The words “caught up” are from the Greek word haparzō which means “to snatch up or take away suddenly.” [30] Paul describes it like this:  “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Cor. 15:52). In the time it takes you to blink your eye, the Lord will snatch all believers in Jesus off the earth to meet Him in the air – not one will remain behind.

           Finally, we see the reunion of both living and dead believers with the Lord in the air. “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:17). This sudden removal of all Christians from the earth is intended to comfort believers in Jesus. That’s why Paul writes, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thess. 4:18.) If the rapture is at the middle or end of the seven-year Tribulation period of intense and unusual suffering on earth, there would be little comfort and encouragement in this. But the prospect of Christ coming at any moment is a much greater comfort.

           Paul alludes to putting on “as a helmet the hope of salvation” (I Thess. 5:8c). The Greek word translated “salvation” (sōtērias) in First Thessalonians is not deliverance from everlasting punishment in hell, but deliverance from the Tribulation wrath on earth. “9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (I Thess. 5:9-10). Christians will not go through the Tribulation because “God did not appoint us to wrath.” Thus, this “salvation” is deliverance from God’s Tribulation wrath on the earth via the Rapture of the church “through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

           Our precious Lord’s death (“Christ, who died for us”) guarantees that all Christians will be caught up to be with Jesus, “whether we wake or sleep,” spiritually (I Thess. 5:10; cf. I Thess. 5:4-7). Knowing and believing this truth acts as a protective helmet against Satan’s attacks. The Devil wants us to doubt that we will be delivered from God’s coming wrath through the Rapture of the Church. He has convinced many Christians that they will go through the Tribulation period. Some believers think we are now in the Tribulation.

            Satan wants us to conclude that Jesus is not coming back in our lifetime because he understands that we will then be more likely to live his way instead of God’s way. Jesus warned of this faulty conclusion when He told the parable of the faithful servant who became an evil servant (Matt. 24:45-51). Christ spoke of “a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household” (Matt. 24:45). If that servant remains faithful in light of his master’s soon return, his master “will make him ruler over all his goods” when he comes back (Matt. 24:46-47).

           But Jesus warns, “If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’” he will be in danger of mistreating “his fellow servants” and living a self-indulgent life (“eat and drink with the drunkards”), resulting in a severe rebuke (“the master of that servant… will cut him in two,” cf. Heb. 4:12-13) and intense grief (“weeping and gnashing of teeth”) over the loss of eternal rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matt. 24:48-51; cf. Matt. 25:30; I Cor. 3:15; I John 2:28). [31]

           Even though it has been nearly twenty centuries since Jesus ascended to heaven, no Christian should dare to conclude that Jesus “is delaying His coming” for His church. That is what Satan wants us to do. He knows that if we lose sight of the nearness of Christ’s return, we will also lose hope.  

           The helmet of salvation provides hope for the believer. The hope that one day all the projected thoughts from the powers of darkness will be removed forever when the Christian is given a new resurrection body which will no longer be subject to sin and death.

           The promise that Jesus Christ could return for His church at any moment is one of the greatest reasons for us to live for Jesus now. Focusing on Christ’s any-time-return “purifies” us inwardly so we can have confidence and not be ashamed before Him when He appears (I John 2:28; 3:2-3).

    Conclusion

           Satan does not want us to put on the helmet of salvation because…

    • He wants us to live in the past filled with our sin and shame. But when we put on the helmet of salvation, the Lord Jesus instructs us to learn from the past, not live in the past because He has delivered our spirit from the penalty of sin forever the moment we believed in Him for His gift of salvation (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9; 4:23-24; cf. Ezek. 36:26).
    • He wants us to believe that we are still slaves to sin who can never change. But when we put on the helmet of salvation, Christ tells us that we can change because our soul is being saved from the power of sin which was broken through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Rom. 6:10-11). We must simply hear and do what Christ tells us (Jas. 1:21-22).
    • He wants us to doubt Jesus will return for His church in our lifetime so we will lose hope and live under his control instead of God’s. However, when the helmet of salvation is put on, we become watchful for Jesus’ soon return for His church when our physical bodies will be saved from the presence of sin forever (I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-5:11; I John 3:2-3). Focusing on Christ’s any-time-return “purifies” us inwardly so we can have confidence and not be ashamed before Him when He appears (I John 2:28; 3:2-3).

           As with the other pieces of armor, we put on the helmet of salvation through prayer (Eph. 6:18).

           Prayer: Father God, I recognize that my mind is a particular target of Satan’s deceiving ways. Thus, I cover my mind with the powerful helmet of salvation which protects and directs my thoughts, so my life is filled with hope. Thank You for the assurance that my spirit is saved from the penalty of sin forever when I put my faith in the Lord Jesus alone for His gift of salvation. I praise you for Jesus’ death and resurrection which broke the power of sin. By Your grace I pray for my soul to be saved from the power of sin as I yield to the Holy Spirit’s power to obey what Your Word says. And thank You Lord for the hope that my physical body will be saved from the presence of sin when Jesus gives me a new glorified resurrection body when He comes back for His church. Please show me any thoughts I am entertaining right now that are from the enemy. In the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood, I come against the power of darkness that just put that wicked thought in my mind. And I command you to leave me and go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends you.

    FOOTNOTES:

    [1] Adapted from David R. Anderson, Position and Condition: An Exposition of the Book of Ephesians (Grace Theological Press, 2017 Kindle Edition), pp. 369-370.

    [2] Ibid.

    [3] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2665.

    [4] The first three verbs in Greek (perizōsamenoi… endysamenoi… hypodēsamenoi… ) are aorist middle participles which means they have already been put on by the soldier or Christian.  

    [5] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2665.

    [6] The Greek verb translated “taking…” (analabontes) is an aorist active participle, meaning the Christian is taking the shield of faith as needed and the last Greek verb translated “take…” (dexasthe) is an aorist middle imperative which is used of the last two pieces of armor and means for oneself to take them up as needed.

    [7] Retrieved on March 5, 2025, from an article entitled, “Motorcycle Helmet Laws and Safety Statistics 2024,” at lawtigers.com. The article states that “in states with universal helmet laws, 55 percent of motorcyclists killed in 2021 were not wearing helmets, compared to 9 percent in states with universal helmet laws.” 

    [8] The following lengthy discussion about the use of a helmet in American football is adapted from Tony Evan’s video message entitled, “The Helmet of Salvation,” on youtube.com.

    [9] Many of the following paragraphs are adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled “9. Head First Into Battle… Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted.

    [10] For a more detailed treatment of Matthew 16:21-23, see “Spiritual Warfare – Part 2” in Ropp Update & Reflections (July 2024).

    [11] Much of this section is adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled “9. Head First Into Battle… Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted.

    [12] Zane C. Hodges, “Romans,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1045.

    [13] Ibid.

    [14] Jim Logan, Reclaiming Surrendered Ground (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), pg. 182.

    [15] Ibid.

    [16] Ibid.

    [17] Adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled “9. Head First Into Battle… Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app.

    [18] The first three paragraphs of this section are adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled “9. Head First Into Battle… Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app.

    [19] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: Third Edition, 2000 Kindle Edition, pp. 985-986.

    [20] Logan, Reclaiming Surrendered Ground, pg. 185.

    [21] Anderson, Maximum Joy: I John – Relationship or Fellowship? 2013 Kindle Edition, pg. 15 cites John MacArthur, Jr., Saved without a Doubt (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications, 1992), pp. 67-91; Tom Constable, Notes on I John, 2022 Edition, pg. 46 cites James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979); John F. MacArthur Jr., The Gospel according to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988); John R. W. Stott, Basic Introduction to the New Testament, 1st American ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964); and Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 2 vols. (Wheaton: Scripture Press Publications, Victor Books, 1989).

    [22] Anderson, Maximum Joy: I John – Relationship or Fellowship? 2013 Kindle Edition, pg. 128.

    [23] Dr. Rob Reimer, Soul Care: Seven Transformational Principles For A Healthy Soul (Carpenter’s Son Publishing, 2016), pp. 37-38.

    [24] Tom Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Colossians, 2023 Edition, pg. 61 cites F. F. Bruce, “Colossians Problems,” Bibliotheca Sacra 563 (July- September 1984):198-199.

    [25] Ibid., cites Curtis Vaughan, In Ephesians-Philemon. Vol. 11 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 12 vols. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978), pg. 202.

    [26] The following three paragraphs are adapted from Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pp. 2701-2702.

    [27] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: Third Edition, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 907.

    [28]  Robert Wilkin, “I Thessalonians,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1463.

    [29] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2727.

    [30] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: Third Edition, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 134.

    [31] Hal Haller Jr., “Matthew,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition, 2019 Kindle Edition, pp. 179-182.

    Spiritual Warfare – Part 6

    Introduction

           As the celebration of Jesus’ birth approaches, I am reminded of that first Christmas which is recorded from a human perspective in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels (Matt. 1:21-2:12; Luke 2:1-20). It is presented as a very peaceful event involving Mary and Joseph, some angels, shepherds, wise men, and the baby Jesus. The angels praised God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). Hence, most Christmas celebrations today focus on the peace that surrounded the birth of Jesus, assuming He would bring peace “on earth” during His First Coming. 

            But at the beginning of the week before Jesus’ crucifixion when Christ triumphantly entered Jerusalem, a multitude of His followers praised God, saying: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). Notice they say, “Peace in heaven,” not “peace on earth.” The first coming of Christ would establish spiritual peace “in heaven” between God and humankind (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:16-18). But it won’t be until Jesus’ Second Coming to earth that universal peace “on earth” will be established by King Jesus during His thousand-year reign on earth (Rev 20:4-6; Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6b-7; Mic. 4:1-5). 

           In Revelation 12:1-5, the apostle John shares a version of the Christmas story that is from heaven’s perspective, and it is the opposite of peace (see above picture). This version of the Christmas story involves three main characters: the woman, representing the nation of Israel who endured much pain in bringing the Messiah into the world (Rev. 12:1-2; cf. Gen. 37:9-11); the Child, representing the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:2, 5); and the dragon, representing the Devil (Rev. 12:3-4a, 9).

           When Jesus is born into the world, Satan is there with his army of demons represented by “a third of the stars of heaven” (Rev. 12:4a), waiting to destroy Him: “And the dragon (Satan) stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child (Jesus) as soon as it was born” (Rev. 12:4b – parenthesis added). While shepherds are watching, angels are singing, and wise men are worshipping, Satan is waiting to make his move. The attempt to kill the Child John sees in this vision is probably a reference to king Herod’s brutal attempt to kill Jesus (cf. Matt. 2:16).

           The next verse says, “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.” (Rev. 12:5). In this version of the Christmas story Jesus goes from being born at Bethlehem, to ruling on the throne of the universe. John uses this one verse to summarize the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and future reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan not only used Herod in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus, but He would later use Judas to betray Him, Pilate to condemn Him, and the Roman soldiers to crucify Him. All the fury of hell would be released against the Child born on that silent night.

          The rest of Revelation 12 talks about the last half of the Tribulation period when Satan and his fallen angels are cast down from heaven and persecute the people of God – the nation of Israel (cf. 12:7-17). Since Satan could not destroy the Christ Child Who is now on His throne in heaven, he is going to go after what is dearest to the Child – His own people. This is why there is so much opposition against God’s people today, especially His Jewish people, and it will only intensify as the Second Coming of Christ to earth draws near. If the Devil can destroy Israel before Jesus returns to earth with His Bride, the Church (Rev. 19:7-21), then there can be no triumphant return of Christ and Satan will rule the earth.

           John’s version of the Christmas story reminds us we are in a struggle with a dragon. It is a struggle we can’t win; it is a struggle Jesus already won. You see, if you are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, Satan is going to attack you. “Satan” means adversary. During this Christmas season (and all our lives), he wants to rob us of the joy and peace of Christmas by reminding us of our sins and shortcomings. He will accuse us of the times we have lied and been unfaithful, of the times we’ve lost our temper and broken our promises.

    The Armor of God

           How can we deal with this intense spiritual battle whereby the enemy seeks to rob us of God’s peace? The apostle Paul instructs his Christian readers (including you and me) to “put on the whole armor of God” so we may stand against the “wiles” or trickery of the Devil (Eph. 6:11). Paul describes the armor that Roman infantrymen wore in the order they would put it on.

           The soldier first puts on his belt which represents the Christian’s belt of truth (Eph. 6:14a). Since Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), this first piece of armor is essential to protecting us from Satan’s deceptions and lies. We learned that truth is God’s viewpoint on a subject. It is the absolute standard by which reality is measured in its original form.Truth points us in the direction that God wants to lead us.

           After putting on his belt, the soldier then puts on his breastplate which protects his vital organs in his chest region. “The breastplate” we are to put on is “righteousness” (dikaiosunē) which refers to the quality of “being right.” [1] God’s truth is the informational base that tells us the right thing to do. The truth points our heart in the direction of God’s righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is our response to God’s truth or viewpoint on a matter.

           When God’s truth and righteousness are operative in our lives, it will lead to the next piece of armor which has to with our feet or shoes (Eph. 6:15). Why is this so important?

    The Importance of Our Feet

          In the 21st century, we have shoes for every occasion. There are dress shoes, casual shoes, work shoes, and many kinds of athletic shoes. There are shoes for cold weather, warm weather, and rainy weather. We have indoor shoes and outdoor shoes. There are specialty shoes like dance shoes (ballet,  tap, etc.), work boots (steel-toe, waterproof, etc.), and orthopedic shoes. Some of you may have a closet full of shoes that are designed to adorn your feet. The fact that we have so many varieties of shoes today demonstrates the importance of our feet. [2]

          It is also a very serious thing to have feet that hurt. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to focus on an objective when your feet are hurting? When your feet hurt, you hurt are over. When our feet hurt, we do not make a good soldier. This is why our military places great emphasis on examining the feet of a soldier. They understand that a person’s feet need to be comfortable to be a good soldier. God understands this more than anyone. [3]

    The Soldier’s Sandals

           God wants His people to wear a certain kind of shoes all the time because they will address an important issue regarding spiritual warfare in our lives. After a Roman soldier put on his belt and breastplate (Eph. 6:14), he then puts on his sandals: “And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” (Eph. 6:15). The Greek word translated “shod” (hupodeō) is a compound word meaning “under” (hupo) plus “to bind/tie” (deō)or “to bind/tie under or beneath” [4](sandals). [5] It refers here to what you are wearing on your feet at all times. [6]

           The word translated “preparation” (hetoimasia) refers to the state of “readiness.” [7] If we are wearing these shoes, we will be ready for the Devil’s attacks against us. We will be prepared to deal with our enemy’s methods of deception.

            To properly understand this piece of armor, we need to realize that the Roman soldier had what modern-day American football players have. They had cleats or spikes coming out of the bottom of their shoes. “Roman soldiers wore sandals with cleats built in to help them have firm footing and to stand their ground under attack.” [8] These spikes on the bottom of a soldier’s sandals gave him stability and mobility on the battlefield. They kept him from slipping and sliding when he was under attack.

           If we were in a battle in Paul’s day, we had better be well-shod. There would be nothing worse than losing our footing with an enemy standing over us with a sword in his hand. [9]

           Paul has already emphasized the need to be stationary in battle by using the word “stand” (stēnai) or a form of this word (antistēnai/stēte) four times (Eph. 6:11, 13-14). Why? Because the Devil wants to knock us off our feet. He wants to knock us to the ground and keep us there. He desires to remove us from our place of stability.

           When Paul says to have our feet “shod,” he is talking about placing ourselves in a stationary position so that when all hell breaks loose “in the evil day” (Eph. 6:13), Satan cannot knock us down or knock us out. Why? Because what we are wearing on our feet gives us stability and sure-footedness.

           If you are like me, you know what it is like to be knocked over by the evil one. Our circumstances have knocked us over. Our finances have knocked us over. Our relationships with certain people have knocked us over. Our jobs have knocked us over. Our feet have slipped, and we are going down.

           So, what this third piece of armor teaches us is that God wants to create stability or sure-footedness for us so that when we face a Satanic full-frontal attack, we can stand firm. Evans explains, “Through the cross and resurrection of Christ, victory is already won. The devil has lost. The only power he has is the power you give him. We are to stand firm in Christ’s victory. Paul tells the Ephesians over and over: stand (6:11, 13-14). In other words, stay in the area where victory has been achieved under the cover of God’s armor. When you stand under an umbrella, it doesn’t stop the rain. But it does stop you from getting wet. You have to dress for success in this thing called the Christian life.” [10] [emphasis added]

    The Purpose of Satan’s Attack

           Remember that the Devil is a thief (John 10:10a). He knows he cannot take away our salvation because we are secure forever in Christ after we believe in Him for His free gift of eternal life which can never be lost (cf. John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph. 1:13-14; I John 5:13). Since the evil one cannot keep us out of heaven, he wants to make us experience hell on earth. [11] How does he do this?

           This third piece of armor teaches us that Satan wants to rob us of God’s “peace.” The opposite of “peace” is anxiety. The Devil wants God’s children to live with anxiety and fear. He knows that whatever we fear, we give control to. Hence, the purpose of the enemy’s attacks is to keep God from controlling our lives, so our salvation is not manifested through us. He wants to keep us defeated and discouraged.

           But God wants His people to have feet that are not hurting in the area of “peace.” The Lord understands that one of the Devil’s strategies is to rob God’s people of His peace. Satan wants to promise us peace through his “wiles” or trickery. He will promise us peace through counterfeit religions, drugs, education, entertainment, materialism, the occult, and sex outside of marriage. Often times we discover that we have less peace than we did before we pursued the enemy’s counterfeit peace. It is that way with everything Satan promises to use to give us peace. Instead of giving us peace, Satan’s ways lead us into bondage and death.

    What is Peace?

           But God’s “peace” is real, and it protects us from the activities of the kingdom of darkness. But what is this “peace” God wants us to wear all the time? The Greek word for “peace” (eirēnē) in Ephesian 6:15 refers to a “state of concord, harmony, or well-being” [12] between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-15) and between God and humankind (Eph. 2:16-18).

           Jesus used this word for “peace” (eirēnē) twice in John 14:27 when He referred to two types of peace. The first kind refers to His work on the cross. “Peace I leave with you.” (John 14:27a). The word “leave” (aphiēmi) implies something that Jesus does. Christ’s death on the cross would provide eternal “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1) for us because all our sins would be forgiven (Acts 10:43; Col. 2:13-14). The meaning of “peace” in this case “is the spiritual well-being that results from being rightly related to God through Jesus Christ.” [13]

           The second type of peace in verse 27 is the kind that Jesus enjoyed on earth. He says, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27b). In the context (cf. John 14:21, 23), this peace of Christ’s is given to obedient believers. It arises from a life of faith in God. It refers to a calmness “that would come to their hearts from trusting God and from knowing that He was in control of all events that touched their lives.” [14]

           Christ distinguishes His peace from the kind of peace the world can give – “not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27c). The world cannot offer eternal peace with God. The world denies that people need to be reconciled to God. The world says that people are inherently good because they are created in the image of God. “Because God loves everyone,” the world says, “There is no need for reconciliation with God.” The world offers a false peace to people. Sin has distorted God’s image in people. Some churches deny this because the world has influenced them to believe that people are inherently good and do not need a Savior.

           The peace the world offers depends on one’s circumstances and is temporary. Itis deceptive and misleading. But the peace Jesus offers is the calm and tranquility of the soul that is independent of our external situation. [15]

           This peace is much like the painting above. [16] The sky is black with storm clouds. The waves are violently billowing up and down against the rocky shore. There is turmoil and chaos all around. 

           But on the right side of this portrait about halfway up the rocky cliff at the edge of this horrific circumstance of life, was a mother bird sitting on her nest protecting her young. One little light piercing the darkness of the clouds was shining down on the bird as it sat peacefully on its nest. 

           This picture portrays biblical peace. Biblical peace is not the absence of problems. It is not “when nothing is wrong, I am calm.” Biblical peace is when everything is wrong, and we are still calm. It is when circumstances or situations are not conducive to rest, but we are able to chill. Biblical peace is when there is calm on the inside while there is nothing but chaos on the outside. We do not know we have biblical peace until circumstances are not peaceful.

           When Jesus spoke of His peace in John 14:27, it was the night before His crucifixion. There was nothing peaceful about Jesus’ situation. He knew it would involve terrible darkness when all hell would break loose against Him and He would experience separation from His heavenly Father for the first and last time when the sin of the world would be placed upon Christ as our Substitute for sin (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 3:18). Yet Jesus could speak with confidence about giving His peace to His disciples the night before His brutal death on a cross. Christ lived this peace, and He wants to empower us to do the same.

    Where Do We Find this Peace?

           This third piece of armor speaks of standing in “the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). The “peace” that Jesus gives us is found in “the gospel.” This peace is not found in a pill or an injection or in entertainment or in the accumulation of wealth. It is not found in our favorite television program or movie. Nor is it found on a vacation or in an image on the computer screen. This peace is not found in a better job or in a counseling session. That’s the world’s kind of peace which is momentary.

           The peace that God wants us to continually wear on our feet is found in “the gospel.” To understand the “peace” that the apostle Paul is talking about, we need to understand the gospel. The Greek word for “gospel” is euangelion, which means “good news.” [17] So, what is the good news?

           The apostle Paul defines the “gospel” or good news by which we are saved today when he writes, “3 that Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once…” (I Cor. 15:3-6). The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. We are saved from an eternity in hell when we believe in the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection as our Substitute for our sins (Acts 16:31). At that moment of faith in Christ, we receive both the complete forgiveness of all our sins (Acts 10:43; Col. 2:13-14) and the gift of eternal life (John 3:14-16). Jesus says we are born again (John 3:3). But you may say, “I am born again but I still have anxiety and worry – the opposite of peace.” 

           One reason we may still have worry after we are born again is because we do not understand or believe the gospel. Most Christians apply the gospel only to what it takes to get to heaven. But that is just part of the gospel. The gospel also has a lot to do with living a victorious life on earth. [18]

           The apostle Paul writes, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom. 5:10). Notice that “the death of” Jesus “reconciled” (past tense) us to God so we could go to heaven (justification), but Jesus’ “life” “shall” (future tense) save us from the power of sin and its consequences (sanctification) on earth (cf. Rom. 1:18-32; 5:9). [19] Most of us know the gospel because of Jesus’ death, but we have missed the gospel of His life which progressively gives us victory over the power of sin as we learn to walk in the Spirit (cf. Rom. 6:1-8:39).

           Evans writes, “The death of Jesus reconciled us to God, but Jesus didn’t stay dead. He’s alive right now. And He’s interceding for us (see Heb. 7:25) in order to give us victory over the power of sin and its consequences. Think about it. If Jesus could take you from hell to heaven by dying, what He can do for you by living is even more exciting. Many believers who have accepted the saving death of Christ have yet to understand and access the saving life of Christ, which gives us victory in history.” [20] [emphasis added]

           Let’s look now at what our sandals of peace include. [21]

    Our Position that Protects our Mental Peace

           These sandals of peace include our POSITION THAT PROTECTS OUR MENTAL PEACE: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1). The Greek word translated “justified” (diakaioō) means to be declared totally righteous [22] by our holy God [23] in heaven’s courtroom.  The perfect righteousness of Christ in us has been imputed or credited to our account in heaven by virtue of our position in Jesus.[24] 

            “Justification is a legal concept meaning that in God’s courtroom, He pronounced us innocent of all charges. He does this through what theologians call ‘imputation’—taking Jesus’s perfect record and crediting it to our accounts.” [25] [emphasis added]

           Notice in Romans 5:1 that we are “justified” not by our good life, prayers, or religion, but “by faith.” Peace with God is “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The moment we believe in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for all our sins, we are “justified” or declared totally righteous before God as if we had never sinned.

           The preposition “with” (pros) in the phrase “peace with God” (pros ton Theon) is very important  (Rom. 5:1). This preposition used with the accusative case (ton Theon) refers to being “friendly with” God. [26] It is the promise that through justification by faith in Jesus, the enmity and hostility that existed between a holy God and a sinful people is totally removed. The war has ended between the Christian and his or her God! And we have peace “with God.”

           How does the Christian know he has peace “with” God? There is only one way to know this, and it is through faith in God’s promise. Justification before God is not a feeling or experience. It is a judicial, legal declaration from a holy God.

           “The nature of this peace is of course judicial, since justification is the act of God as our Judge. We should avoid understanding the idea as inner tranquility. The peace involved here is like that which results when two warring nations are no longer in a hostile relationship to each other.” [27] [emphasis added]

           That is why Romans 5:1 begins with the word “Therefore…” It is as though God is pointing His finger back to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross (cf. Rom. 4:24-25). “Therefore,” because of what Jesus has done, you have “been justified by faith” and you “have peace with God.” The war with God is over! The battle has ended!

           But Satan will try to rob Christians of this peace. He will attempt to make us think that God is angry with us. That God could never forgive us. That God is against us. He may whisper in our ears, “The reason you have so many troubles is because God is mad at you. He keeps punishing you because He is against you.”

           While it is true that God disciplines His wayward children (Heb. 12:5-11), His discipline of us is not evidence that He hates us or is mad at us. It is evidence that He loves us: “5 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 for whom the Lord loves He chastens.” (Heb. 12:5-6).

           Thus, putting on the sandals of peace means we have an intellectual understanding of what God’s Word says – that the believer in Jesus has “peace with God.” If we are to “stand” against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:11), we must know this positional truth, review it, and abide in it daily, never turning aside from it even during Satan’s most vicious or subtle attacks.

    The Possession of Peace

           But our sandals of peace also include our POSSESSION OF PEACE. This can be seen in Philippians 4. “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7). This aspect of our sandals of peace protects our emotional peace (“anxious”). God wants the Christian to not only have legal or mental peace (“peace with God”), but to also have emotional peace (“peace of God”).

          How do we gain this relationship of peace? It comes through the practice of prayer. When Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing…” (Phil. 4:6a), he is saying not to lose your emotional peace even though you may be facing a worrisome situation. Don’t try to resolve your anxiety by worrying about the situation. Instead, he says to resolve this worrisome situation with “prayer” (Phil. 4:6b). Talk to God about what makes you anxious. When was the last time we got alone with God and talked to Him about what we are worried about? Talking about it helps to diffuse the power of worry. But it does not stop there.

           Then God says, “in everything by… supplication” (Phil. 4:6c). The word “supplication” means to tell God what you need. Few people ever identify what they need because they are so busy worrying.

           For example, some of us may be worried about our health. So, we talk to the Lord about that. And as we do that, ask God to help us identify the underlying need. Perhaps we need protection from illness especially during the aftermath of COVID. Or perhaps we are afraid of death because we are not prepared for it. So, we need assurance of life after death. Ask God to give you the assurance that there is everlasting life both now and after death through believing in Jesus (cf. John 11:25-26). Thus, talk to the Lord about what you need from Him.

           Next, God says, “with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6d). One of my mentors taught me that the word “requests” refers to our heart’s desires which align with God’s will. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” The Hebrew word for “delight” (anog) can mean “to be soft” [28] or lean toward God. Just as a house plant leans in toward the sunlight coming through a window to get nutrients from the sun, so we need to lean into God during these challenging times to nourish our souls, and He promises to give us the desires or dreams of our hearts. So, talk to God about your desires or dreams. Ask God what He wants to do in your life.

           Notice that God wants us to pray with “thanksgiving.” He wants us to have a thankful heart. Why? Because when we trust God to supply our needs and wants in advance during difficult times, we can accept those circumstances and respond more appropriately. Also, gratitude stimulates the release of dopamine (happy chemical) in our brain which decreases our stress and enhances our sleep.

           As we talk to God about our anxiety, needs, and desires with thanksgiving, He promises that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). The “peace of God” is like a deep calmness in the midst of life’s storms. For example, the water underneath the surface of the ocean remains calm during a storm (see above pic). We can experience a deep-seeded calmness in our souls when we surrender to God in prayer as we face these challenging times.

           The phrase “will guard,” pictures an armed soldier walking back and forth in front of the city gate, protecting the occupants inside the city from intruders. God’s peace constantly protects those who choose to talk to Him about their worries and ask Him for what they need and want.

           Do we know this experientially? Are we practicing this kind of prayer? We live in a day of cell phones. If someone wants to get a hold of us, they send us a text or call us on our phones. Our phones alert us through vibration or a distinct sound that someone wants to talk to us.

           This illustrates how God sometimes wants us to talk to Him in prayer. One of the ways God may alert us to His desire for us to talk to Him is by allowing us to feel uneasy or anxious about something. This may be His way of inviting us to spend time alone with Him in prayer. Putting on the sandals of peace includes practicing this kind of prayer.

    The Protection of Peace

           Our sandals of peace also include THE PROTECTION OF PEACE. The apostle Paul writes, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:9). Paul is not talking about the “peace of God” in this verse, but “the God of peace.” This aspect of peace results when believers walk in obedience to God (“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do…”). Paul says that when we follow the godly example of another believer, we can experience “the God of peace” being with us.

           Bubeck suggests that “the God of peace” refers to the protection of our will. The strong powerful nearness of God to us (“the God of peace will be with you”) will protect our will. It is that “peace” which God brings to us when our enemies greatly outnumber us and are about to destroy us, and the God of peace says, “No more! You cannot touch him! He is mine!” [29] 

           There are many examples of this in the Old Testament when God’s people, Israel, are surrounded by their enemies who greatly outnumbered them and were about to destroy them with no apparent way of escape. And God’s people cried out to Him, and “the God of peace” showed up and put their enemies to flight or destroyed them. Sometimes He did this with hornets or sounds in the treetops (or heavens) which frightened them and caused confusion or fear, so they fled and were defeated (cf. Exod. 23:22-28; Deut. 7:17-22; Josh. 24:11-12; I Sam. 7:10-11; 2 Sam. 5:22-25; 2 Kgs. 6:8-23; 18:1-19:37; I Chron. 14:13-17; 2 Chron. 31:1-22). And at other times God caused Israel’s enemies to turn against each other so they could be defeated (cf. 2 Chron. 20:1-24).

           God is so powerful that “when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov. 16:7). God is able to make our enemies be at peace with us quickly when we live in a way that pleases Him. They will have to flee simply because of Who God is.

           It is not surprising that the phrase “the God of peace” is used in the New Testament in the context of obedience and Christian growth (cf. Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9; I Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20-21). If we are hurting in our peace, it is important to examine our obedience to God. Are we trying to walk our own way instead of God’s way? Are we seeking our own pleasure instead of God’s?

           The Lord may let us walk our own way, but please know that “the God of peace will be with” us. He wants us to be near to Him but that cannot be our experience if we are walking our own way instead of His way.

    The Person of Peace

           These sandals of peace also include THE PERSON OF PEACE. “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (Eph. 2:13-14). Our sin not only separates us from God, but it also separates us from the people of God. The Ephesians were Gentiles who were called “Uncircumcision” by the Jews who are referred to as “the Circumcision” (Eph. 2:11).

           In their unsaved condition before the Cross, Ephesians 2:12 tells us that Gentiles “were without Christ,” having no corporate national hope centered on the promise of a coming Messiah, as the Jews did. They were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel” in that God excluded them in having a part in what He planned to do in and through the nation of Israel. The Gentiles were “aliens” from Israel in this sense. [30] Nor did Gentiles have a direct part in the “promises” of God to Israel contained in the biblical covenants (e.g., Abrahamic – Gen. 12:1-3; 13:15-17; 15:17-21; 17:1-22; Mosaic – Exod. 19:1-24:8; and Davidic – 2 Sam. 7:12-17; I Chron. 17:3-14; 2 Chron. 7:17-18; 13:5; 21:7;  Psa. 89:1-4; et al.). As a race of people, the Gentiles had “no hope” of a corporate future promised by God to which they could look and in which they could hope, as Israel did. [31] And worst of all, they were “without God in the world.” The Greek word translated “without God” (atheos) is where we get our English word “atheist” from. Before the cross, Gentile unbelievers may have worshiped many gods, but they were without the one and only true God. [32]

           “But… the blood of Christ” not only brought us “near” to God, but it also brings Jews and Gentiles (“you who once were far off”) near to one another (Eph. 2:13). How did this take place? “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (Eph. 2:14). Jesus is “our peace” Whose atoning sacrifice on the cross has made Jew and Gentile “both one,” having “broken down the middle wall of separation.”

           What is this “middle wall of separation”? The next verse tells us: “…Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” (Eph. 2:15). Jesus “abolished in His flesh” by dying on the cross “the enmity” or hostility that was created by the Jewish “law of commandments contained in ordinances.”

           The Mosaic Law had been the cause of the hostility between Jews and Gentiles. It was the “barrier” that separated Jews and Gentiles. Its dietary distinctions, and laws requiring separation in particular, created hostility between Jews and Gentiles. Jesus Christ broke down the barrier and the hostility that resulted from it by terminating the Mosaic Law. When Jesus Christ died, He fulfilled all the demands of the Mosaic Law (cf. Col. 2:14). When He did that, God ended the Mosaic Law as His rule of life for the Jews. The word “abolished” (katargeō) means to “cause something to come to an end or to be no longer in existence, wipe out.” [33] The Mosaic Law ceased to be God’s standard for regulating the life of His people when Christ died (Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:24-25; et al.). [34]

           God did this through His shed blood on the cross to “create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” Christ died in our place “to make one body out of the two very distant groups. When a Jew or Gentile trusts in Christ for eternal life, he is placed in union with other believers in the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ by His death removed the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles. By faith they become one new man, the Body of Christ, the Church. Christ is the end of the Law to all who believe (Rom. 10:4). 

           “God reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to Himself in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity (between Gentiles and Jews who believe in Christ). The Law that divided is removed, and Jews and Gentiles are in one body together.” [35] [emphasis added]

           Christ, Who is “our peace,” died “that He might reconcile” Jews and Gentiles “to God in one body,” the church, “through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” created by the Jewish Law (Eph. 2:16).

           This Person of peace protects our spirit. It has to do with our spiritual relationship with Jesus. [36] Our Christian faith is not primarily a system of dogmas and doctrines. It is primarily a relationship with a Person – Jesus Christ. This is a relationship that we enter into through faith alone in Christ alone (Eph. 1:13-14; 2:8-9). As we grow closer to Jesus, the more we can experience Him as “our peace” and the more we can live peaceably with other Christians. Satan seeks to divide Christians, so they do not express the image of God by living peacefully in unity with one another. But Jesus Christ is “our peace” and He is the source of reconciliation and restoration of peace within His body, the church.

    Conclusion [37]

           God wants His peace to be the norm for His children on the battlefield. When God’s truth is operative in our lives, it will point us in the direction of His righteousness. We are faced with a myriad of choices and decisions in life, but how do we know we have made the right choices or decisions? How do we know we are moving in the right direction? How do we know we have the right perspective on a matter? God’s peace will confirm it. The Lord will give us a deep-seeded calm to move forward (“feet” suggest movement) with a decision even though hell may be breaking loose in our lives.   

          But if anxiety or worry is our normal way of operating, then we are not wearing the shoes God has given us. Please note that I am not talking about certain times of worry because we all battle that in our flesh. But if worry is normative for us then these shoes or sandals of peace are not being worn on our feet.

           Are we wearing our sandals of peace every day? Do we take time to put them on? Are we taking time to remember and review that we have “peace with God” now because God has declared us (not made us) to be totally righteous (“justified”) the moment we believed in Jesus (Rom. 5:1)? Are we experiencing the emotional “peace of God” through prayer and the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives (Phil. 4:6-7)? Through obedience, are we experiencing “the God of peace” (Phil. 4:9) Who makes even our enemies to be at peace with us (Prov. 16:7)? And are we getting to know the Person of “our peace” (Eph. 2:13-17) more intimately, so we can live more peaceably with our brothers and sisters in Christ? In the midst of war, God wants us to stand victoriously in “the gospel of peace.”

           Submarine crewmen do not get nervous when there is a storm at sea because they can go deep down where the waters are calm. Fish do not have anxiety attacks when it is storming because they know that severe storms will only reach approximately three hundred feet below sea level, [38] so they go down three hundred and one feet where it is peaceful.

           When our world gets chaotic, it is time for us to go deep into the spiritual realm where God says there is peace and calm. God will give us “perfect peace” when our mind is focused on Him (Isa. 26:3). Instead of retreating to the world for its false sense of peace, we need to redirect our attention to the mind of God. When our thoughts agree with God’s, we will experience His peace.

           For example, [39] when the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who had  been promoted “over the affairs of the province of Babylon where they were captives” (Dan. 3:49), refused to serve the gods of Babylon and worship the ninety-foot-tall gold statue (Dan. 3:1) of king Nebuchadnezzar, they were told by the king they would be “cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:15). When these three young men heard this news that they were about to be burned alive – which, by the way, would normally obliterate anyone’s sense of peace – they responded to Nebuchadnezzar saying, “16 O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 If not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Dan. 3:16b-18).

           Their response infuriated Nebuchadnezzar, so he commanded his servants to “heat the furnace seven time more than it was usually heated” (Dan. 3:19b). The king was extremely upset that these Hebrew men feared their God more than the king’s death threat, so he had them tied up and thrown “into the midst of the burning fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:20-21). The flames of the furnace were so intense that the mighty men carrying them were “killed” (Dan. 3:22). Keep in mind that these three men were wearing several layers of clothing (Dan. 3:21) which were most likely flammable, so there appeared to be no hope of their survival. 

           After a while, the king looked into the furnace and he was shocked to “see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire” (Dan. 3:25a) because they had only thrown three men into the furnace. And now he sees four of them, and the three men  were no longer tied up. They were “walking” around in the midst of these intense flames full of peace and calm, “and they are not hurt” (Dan. 3:25b). How was this possible? Because there was a fourth Person with them in the fire and the kings says He had “the form…  like the Son of God.” (Dan. 3:25c). This was the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ Who joined them in this terrible circumstance. God’s presence protected them from the fire (cf. Isa. 43:2). 

           It is important to understand that God is not going to join the world to help us out if we retreat to the world to find peace. If we are conforming to the world’s values and allurements and get into a bad situation as a result, and then cry out to God, He is not going to join the world because then He would be compromising His peace to join the world’s peace. These men did not bow to the king of Babylon. They remained faithful to God even though they did not know for sure if He would deliver them from this terrible situation.  

           Instead of looking to the world for peace, God wants us to take a stand in this pagan world with our minds focused on the God of peace. When we do this, the God of peace will show up in the fiery trials of life and give us His peacewhich surpasses human understanding. His presence will remove the chains or ropes that bind us so we can move freely. His presence will deliver us from the intense fires of life.

           Some of us may be facing some very significant fiery trials right now. Maybe we have lost our job or lost our health. Perhaps we have lost a relationship with a loved one. God wants us to go deep into the spiritual realm to connect with His mind so His peace can be ours. He wants us to wear these shoes of peace at all times. 

           How do we do this? As with the other pieces of armor, we can put on our shoes of peace through prayer (Eph. 6:18).  

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are living in an increasingly chaotic world that lacks Your peace. We praise You because You not only brought us peace, but You are also our peace. Protect us from anything that would rob us of Your peace. Please help us to wear our sandals of peace every day so we may stand victoriously against the trickery of the Devil. We claim the peace with God that is ours through justification by faith alone in Jesus alone (Rom. 5:1). We desire the peace of God that touches our emotions and feelings through prayer (Phil. 4:6-7). Through our obedience, we seek the God of peace (Phil 4:9) Who makes even our enemies to live at peace with us. And we want to grow closer to You Jesus, because You are our peace. Satan and his kingdom of darkness are relentless in their efforts to keep believers divisive toward one another. As the accuser of believers, the Devil continually plants suspicions in our hearts. In the authority and name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pull down that work of darkness and bind our enemy that he might not succeed. We ask the Holy Spirit to bring to a stop all divisive works active in our lives and in all the lives of other believers. The diversity of Your body, Lord Jesus, is part of its beauty and appeal to the lost. It adds to Your glory. Help us to love one another in our diversity. In Your precious and mighty name, we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen. [40]

    FOOTNOTES:

    [1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pp. 247-248.

    [2] Adapted from Tony Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com.

    [3] Adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message, “7. Peace in the Midst of War: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app.

    [4] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 1037. 

    [5] Archibald Thomas Robertson, A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, 2014 Kindle Location 154992.

    [6] The Greek verb hupodēsamenoi is in the aorist or past tense, meaning “having shod.” As with the first two pieces of armor, this refers to the state we should always be in.

    [7] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 401.

    [8] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2666.

    [9] Jim Logan, Reclaiming Surrendered Ground (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), pg. 182.

    [10] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2665.

    [11] Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com.

    [12] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pp. 287-288.

    [13] J. Carl Laney, Moody Gospel John Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), pg. 265.

    [14] J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), pg. 440.

    [15] Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com.

    [16] This portrait is used with permission from the artist, Katrina Case (see  katrinacaseart.com). 

    [17] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 402.

    [18] Adapted from Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com.

    [19] The theme of the book of Romans is the “salvation” or deliverance from God’s present-day wrath introduced in Romans 1:16-32. This deliverance includes justification through faith in Christ’s death (Rom. 2:1-5:9a, 10a) and sanctification through faith in Christ’s life (Rom. 5:9b, 10b-8:39). See Zane C. Hodges, “Romans,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 966ff; Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2416ff; Joseph Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of The Servant Kings: Fourth Revised Edition (Grace Theology Press. 2018 Kindle Edition), pp. 198-199.

    [20] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2430.

    [21] Much of these next four sections are adapted from Bubeck’s video message, “7. Peace in the Midst of War: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted.

    [22] Tom Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Romans, 2023 Edition, pg. 77.

    [23] The Greek word translated “justified” (dikaiōthentes) is in the passive voice, indicating that God is the One Who justifies the believing sinner.

    [24] David R. Anderson, Free Grace Soteriology: Third Edition (Grace Theology Press, 2018 Kindle Edition), pp. 115-116.

    [25] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pp. 2424-2425.

    [26] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 874.

    [27] Hodges, The Grace New Testament Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1012.

    [28] Francis Brown, Samuel R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Omaha, NE: Patristic Publishing, 2020 Kindle Edition), pg. 2564.

    [29] Bubeck’s video message, “7. Peace in the Midst of War: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app.

    [30] Tom Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Ephesians, 2024 Edition, pg. 59. 

    [31] Ibid.

    [32] J. B. Bond, “Ephesians,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1367.

    [33] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 525.

    [34] Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Ephesians, 2024 Edition, pg. 63.

    [35] Bond, “Ephesians,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1368.

    [36] Bubeck, “7. Peace in the Midst of War: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app.

    [37] Much of this section is adapted from Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com, unless otherwise noted.

    [38] Retrieved on December 14, 2024, from “How do hurricanes impact the deep ocean?” at www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    [39] Adapted from Evans’ video message entitled “The Shoes of Peace” on youtube.com.

    [40] Adapted from Mark Bubeck’s prayers entitled, “Prayer for Christian Unity” and “Prayer to Wear the Armor of God,” from Spiritual Warfare Prayers pamphlet (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1997). 

    Spiritual Warfare – Part 4

    A man walks with his Bible for a spiritual battle, represented by the verse Ephesians 6:12

    Introduction

           Last time we observed that the apostle Paul prepared his Christians readers at Ephesus (and us) for spiritual warfare by talking about the spiritual blessings or resources we have in Christ (Eph. 1:3-14). Next, he prayed for us to understand and experience God’s great power in raising Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:15-23) and then spoke of the authority we have in Jesus (Eph. 2:1-6). After praying for his readers to be rooted in the unlimited love of Christ (Eph. 3:17-19), Paul advises us not to grieve the Holy Spirit by giving “place” or ground to the devil through unresolved anger (Eph. 4:25-31). Instead, we are to be “filled” or controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) in all our relationships, including relations with church members (Eph. 5:19-21), our spouses (Eph. 5:22-33), our children (Eph. 6:1-4), and our work relationships (Eph. 6:5-9). 

           After talking about all these relationships with different people, Paul wants us to understand that people are not our primary problem. Our primary struggle is in the spiritual realm. Hence, the apostle writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11). The Ephesian believers are commanded to “put on the whole armor of God,” not just some of His armor. For what purpose? That they “may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The battle that Christians face every day is “against the wiles of the devil.” The Greek word translated “wiles” (methodeias) refers to the methods or strategies of “the devil” that he employs to deceive or trick us. [1]

           It is not just “the devil” we are fighting against (Eph. 6:11). We are fighting “against the wiles of the devil” which permeate the whole kingdom of darkness. The apostle writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12). Last time we looked at the four groupings of demonic spirits in this verse. I won’t take the time to review them in this article. But the main thing to understand is that our battle is not just with the Devil, but with his entire kingdom of darkness consisting of various demonic spirits under different levels of authority, all of which are under Satan, who is “the prince” (Eph. 2:2) of this kingdom, “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. Matt. 4:8-9).

    The Whole Armor of God [2]

           Before we look in depth at the first piece of armor, the belt of truth today, we will look briefly at the “whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11) because each piece of armor will describe some of the various ways the Devil tries to deceive or trick us. He will tempt us to think in a way that is contrary to God. So, keep this in mind as we look at each part of the armor of God in the months to come, Lord willing. 

           God is the One Who gives us the armor we need to stand victoriously against the enemy. But we must choose to use it. It is like a doctor giving us medicine, but it will not benefit us until we take it. If we do not use the armor God has given us, we will have no authority from heaven (Eph. 1:19-21; 2:5-6) with which to exercise here on earth against the wiles (trickery) of the Devil (Eph. 6:13). [3]   

           The six pieces of armor that Paul presents are divided into two categories of three. He introduces each of these two categories with different verbs. The first three are introduced with the verb “to be.” The last three are introduced with the verb “to take.” Why does Paul switch verbs halfway through the armament? He wants us to understand two specific, distinct orientations to the six pieces of armor. The first three relate to a state we should always be in. The last three are what we use on an as needed basis. [4]

          It is like a baseball player who has his uniform on during the entire game because that is the state he is in. But he only picks up the bat when it is time for him to go to the plate to play offense. And he only picks up his glove when it is time for him to go to the field to play defense. [5]

            The first three pieces of armor we have with us all of the time [6] (“having girded… put on… shod…” – Eph. 6:14-15). [7] This is the state we are always to be in. But the last three pieces of armor we are called to take and use as needed [8] (“taking … take…” Eph. 6:16-17). [9]

         The first piece of armor is the belt of truth (Eph. 6:14a). It teaches us that Satan wants to deceive us or make us be deceptive ourselves. [10] Either one is deadly. The New Age movement is part of his deception. Even evolution, which is so openly taught as science in our country’s educational system, has decreased peoples’ sensitivity to God and to what is right and wrong. 

           For example, years ago if people had mentioned casino gambling, horse track or dog track racing, or the lottery, the people of Iowa would have risen up in moral indignation. And yet subtly, the enemy of our souls has been able to persuade our state government to legislate such activities which say you really can gain something for nothing. You can get rich quickly so just gamble. Thousands of people are being deceived into gambling and are being robbed of their funds. Such behavior is addictive. But it doesn’t stop there, does it?

           There are also things like methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, pornography, sexual perversion, and occult experimentation – all of which are part of the Devil’s deception. Jesus reminds us that the Devil “is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44b). And one of the ways Satan wants to bring us into bondage is through his lies. This is why we need the belt of truth.

           Satan also wants to accuse us of wrongdoing and get us to compromise. He wants to point out our faults and weaknesses in addition to our sins so we will get so focused on our failures and problems, we won’t look to Jesus. He also wants us to lower our standards of righteousness by tempting us to open our lives to a little sinfulness or worldliness. It won’t hurt you to try that. Everyone else is doing it. Go ahead and do it. It’s fun. This is why we need the protection of the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14b). 

          The next piece of armor teaches us about that which will rob us of our peace – anxiety and worry. Hence, we need the sandals of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15) –  peace with God, peace of God, the God of peace, and the Person of peace. This piece of armor teaches us that Satan wants us to live in fear and anxiety. 

           The fourth piece of armor addresses unbelief. Hence, we are to take up the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) which extinguishes all the fiery darts or arrows of the enemy. What is that talking about? It involves Satan’s temptation to get you to question God or to act independently of God. That is the way he approached Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-5). Satan got Eve to question God and what He had said and what would happen if she were to partake of the forbidden fruit. 

           The fifth piece of armor deals with mind or thought control. Satan tries to put thoughts in our minds to make us think that his thoughts are our thoughts. And so, we are to wear the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17a). This is the one of the ways he primarily attacks the thoughts of believers. When he begins to move violently in a believer’s life, one of the first things they begin to be tormented with is that maybe they are not saved. Sometimes all manner of hideous thoughts projected into the believer’s mind are Satan’s way of putting his thoughts into our thoughts, making it so confusing that we conclude that his thoughts are really ours. Then he taunts us with, “How could anyone who claims to be a Christian have such sinful thoughts as that?” 

          The sixth and final piece of armor addresses the Devil’s attempt to get us to neglect the Bible. The last piece of armor is “the sword of the Spirit, the word of God” (Eph. 6:17b). Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult for you to read the Bible? Why is it so challenging to set aside time to study God’s Word and meditate on it? Why do you never get around to memorizing the Scripture? The Devil is behind this. He wants to keep you from being in the Word of God because it will expose him as a liar and deceiver. 

            We have an enemy who is very versatile and subtle, and he has schemes that if we are not aware of them, he will soon bring us into his bondage. Thankfully God has given us spiritual pieces of armor that are strong and powerful. Let’s begin now with the first piece of armor. 

    The Importance of the Belt of Truth

           When the apostle Paul wrote the book of Ephesians, he was a prisoner (Eph. 3:1; 4:1) under house arrest in guarded rental quarters (Acts 28:30), chained to a Roman soldier (Eph. 6:20). [11] As he looks at this Roman soldier, he begins to draw a comparison between the soldier’s armor and the spiritual armor of God. He will talk about each piece of armor in the order that a Roman soldier put it on.

           The first piece of armor was extremely important to a soldier. The soldier first put on over his tunic (a loose, sleeveless shirt that reached to his knees), a belt that would hold both the breastplate and sheathe for his sword in place. [12] He would be able to tuck his long clothes into the belt so he could run and be ready to fight. [13] Without this belt on, a soldier would be less mobile and more vulnerable to attack on the battlefield. 

           Likewise, Paul emphasizes the importance of this piece of armor by mentioning it first. “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…” (Eph. 6:14a). This shows us how important the truth is in our battle against Satan and his demonic armies (Eph. 6:12). Since Satan “is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44b), it is essential that Christians wear this piece of armor to overcome his deceptions. 

    The Ruthless Nature of Satan [14]

           The Greek word translated “waist” (osphus) in Ephesians 6:14a can refer to “the place where a belt… is worn, waist” or to “the place of the reproductive organs, the loins.” [15] Some translations say, “having girded your loins with truth.” (ASV; LSB; NASB1995; RSV). By mentioning the belt first and in this way, Paul emphasizes the ruthless nature of Satan’s attack. This belt buckled around the waist and covered the soldier’s vital organs from his belt line down to his mid thighs. [16] It protected him from the violent and ruthless actions of an enemy who tried to destroy him. 

           The Psalmist had an awareness of the ruthless nature of Satan. David writes, “3b Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause… 19 Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.” (Psa. 25:3b, 19). The Devil never fights fair and is extremely cruel. He has no problem hitting us below the belt. Satan will try to hit us when we are most vulnerable, doing whatever it takes to incapacitate and eventually destroy us. 

           For example, when we are weakened by an illness or experiencing tremendous grief due to the loss of a loved one, the Devil will attack us with the purpose of destroying us. He shows no mercy to a suffering person.

           We also see the brutal, cruel, and violent ways of Satan in his appearances in Scripture. For example, the man in the country of the Gadarenes was so violently oppressed by the powers of darkness that “always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5). Satan’s torment of this man was so severe that the man constantly endured self-inflicted agony. 

           On another occasion when the Lord Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, He met a desperate father whose son had a ruthless demon. The father said to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So, I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” (Matt. 17:15-16). This wicked spirit would often come upon this man’s son when he was near “the fire” or “the water.” Why would this demon do that? Because he wanted to throw him into the fire so that violent burning would happen to this boy during his seizures. He wanted to throw him into the water so he could drown this boy. It was not enough for this little boy to have violent seizures. Satan wanted to add to his sufferings by throwing him into the fire or the water. This is how brutal and cruel the kingdom of darkness is toward suffering people. 

           What do these examples say about the kingdom of darkness? It says that Satan’s kingdom always has as its purpose to violently hurt, wound, and destroy (cf. John 10:10a). Most people who have had experiences with the kingdom of darkness have no doubt about the cruelty and ruthlessness of this kingdom. 

           This is why Christians must always be on guard against the lies of the enemy. Deception and lies always bring us into the realm of the kingdom of darkness. Satan always speaks his native language when he lies. Jesus said of the Devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44). At first, Satan’s lies may seem very appealing and even pleasurable. And when we are tempted to lie, we are never more yielding to Satan’s deceptive ways than in that moment. But in that moment, we must remember that the Devil always intends to brutalize us, oppress us, torment us, destroy us, and take away our freedom in Christ. 

    The Subtle Nature of Satan’s Schemes 

            By mentioning the belt of truth first, Paul also calls attention to the subtle nature of Satan’s schemes. Not only in John 8:44 is Satan called “a liar and father of it,” but the very last picture of Satan in the Bible also points to his subtle nature. “7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev. 20:7-10). At the end of King Jesus’ “thousand years” reign, “Satan will be released from his prison” in the abyss and will “deceive the nations” which are over all the earth “to gather them together to battle” against King Jesus and His people [“the saints”] in Jerusalem (“the beloved city”](Rev. 20:7-9a). The unbelievers in this battle led by their earthly leader “Gog” from the land of “Magog” (Rev. 20:8; cf. Ezekiel 38:2-3) will be as numerous “as the sand of the sea” and will be the offspring or descendants of the infants or children who survived Armageddon because they were below the age of accountability (Rev. 20:9b). God will intervene with “fire … out of heaven” and destroy them (Rev. 20:9c). Then “the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire … where the beast the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). Satan concluded his career by doing what was most natural for him to do. He “deceived” the nations (Rev. 20:8a, 10a). 

          The Greek word translated “deceived” (planaō) means “to lead astray, mislead, to cause someone to wander from the right way.” [17] This is Satan’s main tactic – to get us to believe his lies so he can bring us under his control. 

           We see Satan’s lies working constantly in the world, especially in the political scene. For example, under communism, the lie is the truth. According to the dogma of communism, as long as it advances the cause of communism it is the truth. [18] We also see this kind of deception in our own government here in the USA. During this presidential election year, we see candidates making promises that are contrary to their past political decisions. They present lies as though they were the truth and sadly, much of the American public believes those lies. 

            Satan’s deceptions are also evident among the religions of the world. Having worked with those steeped in Islam, I have observed that if a lie supports the cause of Allah, then it must be true. A Muslim does not hesitate to lie if it advances the cause of Islam. 

           Janosik writes, “The Islamic practice of taqiyya [deception], which allows Muslims to mislead non-believers in regard to the nature of a Muslim’s own belief in order to avoid persecution. This practice allows Muslims, both Shia and Sunni, to lie to non-Muslims in a time of war, persecution, or even minority status if the lie will protect Muslims and further the goals of Islam. In his article on taqiyya, Raymond Ibrahim quotes a Muslim authority, Sami Mukaram, who says,” [emphasis and brackets added] [19] “Taqiyya is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it … We can go so far as to say that the practice of taqiyya is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream … Taqiyya is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era.” [20]

           Mormonism initially claims to embrace Christianity. But what they don’t tell you is “Jesus Christ and Satan, like the rest of us, were spirit brothers and sons of God before the spirit of Jesus was given a body by Mary in Bethlehem. The Mormon ‘Book of Moses’ presents Satan and Jesus as contending for the privilege of taking a body of flesh in order to become the redeemer, with Jesus winning the contest. [See Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4.]” [21]  [emphasis added] 

           Mormonism also believes “all human beings and spirits, including Jesus and Satan, existed as spirit beings before being born. Physical birth gives bodies to these spirits, and an opportunity to choose right or wrong. Thus, the present life is a period of probation. The way a person lives in this life determines their status in the life after the resurrection. If the deeds of this life have been satisfactory and all temple obligations have been fulfilled, the individual becomes a god and is considered eligible to create ‘spirit children’ as God the Father did and populate a world of his own.” [22][emphasis added]

           We also see Satan’s deceptions in the world’s educational scene in such things as evolution that is so ardently taught today. Anyone who knows the truth of God (Gen. 1-2; Exod. 20:8-11; Psa. 33:6-9; Rom. 1:18-23; 2 Pet. 3:1-7; et al.), knows that evolution is a lie. [23] But still it is taught as the truth.

           We also see that schools are teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) which says that negative stereotypes are being assigned to members of minority groups to benefit white people and increase racial oppression. [24]

           Neil Shenvi defines critical race theory as “an ideology that divides the world into oppressed groups and their oppressors and aims to liberate the oppressed.” [25] Sometimes called “Cultural Marxism,” CRT borrows concepts from classical Marxism dividing the world into the “haves” and the “have nots” and attempts to right the wrongs of previous generations through a redistribution of wealth and power. Unfortunately, CRT is pitting ethnic groups against each other in hopes of correcting historic inequalities. [26]

           Biblically speaking, racism is the sin of ethnic partiality or prejudice (Jas. 2:8-9; Lev. 19:15). Racism is wrong because there is only one race, and it is the human race which is in Adam (Acts 17:26). Racism has not only caused division, but it has caused great pain and suffering throughout history. Since racism is a real sin, we should repudiate it and address it from a biblical perspective. 

           Unfortunately, CRT advocates that truth is not determined objectively outside of oneself. Instead, CRT says that truth is determined experientially by historically oppressed groups of people; thus, different groups of people can have different “truths” according to this view. 

           But truth does not work that way. Truth is true outside of anyone’s perspective. For example, two plus two equals four no matter what your skin color or any of your past experiences. Bowling balls fall from airplanes regardless of what anyone believes about gravity. 

           Christians must remember where truth comes from: the Bible (John 17:17) and Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 1:14). Truth resides in God’s Word and the Person of Jesus Christ, not in oppressed groups of people. It does not matter if older white males in a so-called domineering culture believe it, or a young black lesbian doesn’t believe it. Believing or not believing the Bible or Jesus has no bearing on the truthfulness of either. The reason for this is because truth does not reside in a person’s perspective: truth resides outside any group’s shared experience. Ultimately, truth resides in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. [27]

           Jesus did not focus on the education, ethnicity, gender, income, social identity, or the sexual orientation of a person. His love excluded no one. Jesus Christ desires “all” people to be saved regardless of their education, ethnicity, gender, income, social identities, or sexual orientations. The apostle Paul exhorts us to pray for “all” people because Jesus desires “all” people to be saved and He died for “all” people (I Tim. 2:3-6). Jesus’ love is inclusive, not exclusive. But Satan wants to deceive us into thinking otherwise.

           Satan has a subtle strategy of using deception and lies to bring us under his control. He seeks to mislead us into bondage. This is why it is so important to put on the belt of truth.

    What is the Truth? [28]

           The belt Christians are to put on is “truth” (alētheia). But what is the truth? “Truth is the absolute standard by which reality is measured. It’s not something that changes based on feelings or perspective. A person can deny that gravity is true, but if he decides to jump off a building to prove it, he’s going to find that truth doesn’t care about his feelings or perspective. Truth exists whether you embrace it or not.” [29] [emphasis added]

         Truth is simply God’s view on any subject on the front end. But often what happens is people start with man’s view and wind up with truth (God’s view) when man’s view has failed. 

           This is why the Bible speaks so much about first. “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 6:33). “He [Christ] is FIRST in everything.” (Col. 1:18 NLT). “You have left your FIRST love.” (Rev. 2:4). We always need to start first with God’s view on any subject.

           Truth is more than feelings because feelings can fluctuate. Truth is also more than facts. You can have facts and not have the truth. For example, I can say, “I have a headache. My head is really hurting me.” So, I go to Walmart and purchase some extra strength Tylenol because the fact is my head is hurting. But the Tylenol is not working. I still have my headache. So, I go to my doctor, and he does a head scan and discovers I have a brain tumor. I was treating the fact without knowing the truth. The truth was my head was hurting because of a brain tumor. Which means I was trying to solve the fact with an insufficient medication. 

           Truth is God’s view on any subject. God has spoken, He has not stuttered. There are two answers to every question: God’s answer and everyone else’s. And everyone else’s answer is wrong all the time. People can be so preoccupied with facts that they never arrive at truth. And thus, they never get solutions. 

          It is not the truth that sets us free. It is the truth that we know that sets us free. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). So, if it is truth, and you do not know it, you are still in bondage. 

          In January of 1863, President Lincoln signed and issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves throughout the Confederacy. But the slaves in Texas were not told until June 19, 1865. The information of the signing was true, but it was not passed on to everyone. African Americans in Texas did not discover this truth until a year and a half later. So, during those eighteen months, they lived in bondage with no authority to exercise their freedom because they did not know the truth. 

           The reason this is so critical in spiritual warfare is because our enemy is a liar. That is all that he does. Satan is a liar (John 8:44) and a deceiver (Rev. 12:9). And if he can use facts to trick us, he will. If we do not start with the truth, that is, God’s view on a subject, then we will automatically be in bondage. And the Devil will even use religion to keep us there. Nothing holds more people hostage than religion. 

           When Satan went to Eve in the garden of Eden, the first thing he said to her was, “Let’s talk about God.” “Has God indeed said…?” (Gen. 3:1). But do you know an important word that the Devil left out when he tempted Eve? In Genesis 2, we read over and over again, the phrase, “the Lord God (’Elōhîm Yahweh) …” (Gen. 2:4-5, 7-9, 15-16, 18-19, 21-22). When Satan spoke to Eve, he left out God’s relational name “Lord” (Yahweh). This indicates that he doesn’t mind religion as long as there is no relationship with the Lord God driving it. [30]

    Defeating Satan with the Truth [31]

           How do we defeat Satan with the truth? We daily reach out and put on the truth. The Bible gives us four expressions or citadels of truth. The first is THE PERSON OF TRUTH. The Lord Jesus Christ is “the truth” (John 14:6) and is “full of truth” (John 1:14). Hence, Jesus is the Person of truth.

           When we clothe ourselves with truth, we are putting on the Lord Jesus. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Rom. 13:14). The Greek compound word translated “put on” is enduō = en (in) [32] + dunō (go down, set) [33] and thus means “to clothe in the sense of sinking into a garment.” We can “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” by focusing our minds and morality on Him. When we live by faith in Him (2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20), studying His Word (Josh. 1:8; John 8:31-32; 15:7a; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17), talking to Him in prayer (John 15:7b; Phil. 4:6-7), and seeking to reflect Him in our actions (Col. 3:23-24; I John 2:6), we are putting on the Lord Jesus. 

           At the moment of faith in Jesus for His gift of eternal life, we are given a new nature (cf. Eph. 4:24; I John 3:9) and identity (2 Cor. 5:17), much like being given a brand-new tuxedo. Paul exhorts us to conduct ourselves according to this new nature and identity. 

           When he says not to make any “provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14b), it helps to ask ourselves, “Would I climb through a garbage dumpster while wearing a brand-new tuxedo?” No, that filthy environment would contaminate our pristine suit. Yet that is what we are doing when we make plans to gratify the sinful desires of our “flesh.” Instead, we are to put on Christ’s purity and avoid climbing through the dumpsters of sin. [34]

           However, if we have been making plans to gratify our sinful desires or we have actually been climbing through the dumpsters of sin, it is time to take our brand-new tuxedo to the cleaners and let the Lord Jesus completely cleanse it with His blood. Come back into the light by confessing our sins to God (I John 1:7, 9) and to safe brothers or sisters in Christ (Jas. 5:16), so God can heal us and restore us to fellowship with Him. 

           The second expression or citadel of truth in the Bible is God the Holy Spirit, Who is called THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH. Jesus said, “13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14). What does it mean to put on the Holy Spirit? It means that we look to the Holy Spirit to lead us in accord with the truth (God’s view on a subject) of what Jesus taught (John 14:26) and what the Bible teaches us. The Spirit of God will never lead us in a way that contradicts what Jesus taught or what the Bible says. As we read the Word of God, we ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand the truth as God intended (I John 2:20-27). We measure everything by whether or not it aligns with what the Holy Spirit has already revealed in the Bible. 

           And we are to be very careful to honor the Spirit of God. When we have difficulty understanding a Bible passage, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth (John 16:13) and to protect us from error (I John 2:20-27; 4:1-6). Instead of rushing into things, especially religious things that may seem overly ecstatic and exciting, we step back and take time to measure things to see if they are in accord with what God’s Spirit has already said in the Word because He is the Spirit of truth. He always guides us into truth (John 16:13) which is always in harmony with Who the Lord Jesus Christ is (John 15:26; 16:14; cf. I John 2:20-27; 4:1-6) and what He has done (I Cor. 12:3; 15:3-6) because Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). The Spirit of truth can show us the lies we believe that have kept us in bondage to sin and shame and replace them with the liberating truth of God’s Word (cf. Psa. 119:28-29). 

           The third expression or citadel of truth is THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE BIBLE. Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). When we put on the belt of truth, we are putting on the Scripture. That means we understand that the Bible is the “word of truth” as it is called so many times throughout the Bible (cf. Psa. 119:43, 160;  Acts. 26:25; 2 Cor. 6:7; 2 Tim. 2:15; Jas. 1:18; et al.). This is why I believe that inerrancy [35] is an essential part of our Christian faith. We can trust what the Bible says in all things. It is the Word of truth, not the Word of error. We can build our lives upon the stable foundation of the Word of truth so we can endure the storms of life (Matt. 7:24-27). 

           The word “sanctify” (hagiazō) in John 17:17, literally means to “set apart” [36] from the world or “to make holy.”[37] This is not referring to sinless perfection. It is referring to spiritual growth or maturity – progressively becoming more like Christ. How? 

           We are to be “set apart” from the world’s influence and its values “by” the Father’s “truth” which is His “word,”the Bible. Throughout the Bible we see that God’s Word is true. It is not full of errors as many claim today. We cannot grow spiritually apart from God’s Word. So, the way we grow in holiness is by renewing our minds in accordance with the truth of God’s Word (cf. Rom. 12:1-2). Disciples of Jesus must abide in His word if they are to know the truth of His word and be set free from Satan’s lies that enslave their lives to sin (cf. John 8:31-36, 44). We must feed upon God’s word to experience the victory Jesus has already won for us (John 16:33). 

           At a meeting, a Native American Indian said a black wolf lived in his heart, but when Christ became his Savior, a white wolf came to live in his heart, and the two wolves were then fighting all the time. After the meeting, someone approached him and asked, “Which wolf wins, the white one or the black one?” The Indian replied, “The one I feed the most.” If we feed upon God’s Word and do it, we are going to experience more victory over the world and Satan in our Christian lives.  But if we feed upon the lies of Satan, we will experience more defeat in our Christian lives and be conformed to the world. I like what D.L. Moody wrote on the flyleaf of his Bible. “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” That is the truth. If I let this book become more and more a part of my life it will keep me away from sin (Psa. 119:9, 11, 28-29). Or sin can keep me away from reading His word. 

           The final expression or citadel of truth in the Bible is the Church, THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH. Paul writes, “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.“ (I Tim. 3:15). Paul describes the church as “the pillar and ground of the truth.“  

           “Much as a pillar supports a roof, the local church is to hold up the truth. Without the church, there would be nothing on earth to hold up God’s truth. 

           “The ground is that on which things are built. Thus, the church is the foundation on which the truth is built. Without the church, the truth would not have a foundation on which to stand. The church protects the truth in the face of all who attack it. 

           “Biblically sound churches bless those in their location by being there. Such churches shine the truth into a dark and dying world.” [38] [emphasis added]

           This is a great reason to stay close to a local church that embraces God’s truth. We need God’s perspective especially as it relates to spiritual warfare. And a local church that is biblically sound is a great source of encouragement and protection for every Christian. 

    Conclusion

           How do we put on the belt of truth? The same way we are to put on all the pieces of God’s spiritual armor – by means of prayer. Paul concluded his teaching on the armor of God by inviting his readers to pray: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” (Eph. 6:18). How often are we to pray the armor of God? “Always.” Prayer is to be woven into all of our lives. Satan and his demonic armies never take a day off, so it would be best that we don’t take a day off from praying the armor of God. 

           “We need to stay in regular communication with God and pray in the Spirit in order to access heaven’s authority for intervention on earth (6:18). In other words, we must be on the same page as the Spirit, utilizing spiritual wisdom. The most powerful way to do that is to pray God’s Word back to Him and apply it to your situation.” [39]

           Praying the belt of truth back to God can become a wonderful worship experience. We can express appreciation for the Lord Jesus, Who is the Person of Truth, and the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Truth, and the Bible, the Word of Truth, and the Local Church, the Pillar and Foundation of Truth.

           Prayer: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray the protection of the belt of truth described in Ephesians 6:14a. I pray its protection over my personal life, my home, my family, and the ministry You, Lord, have appointed for my life. I use the belt of truth directly against Satan and his kingdom of darkness. I thank You heavenly Father for the Person of the Truth, the Lord Jesus Christ. I cling to Him Who is the truth and is full of truth, as my strength and protection from all of Satan’s deceptions. Thank You Father God for the Holy Spirit Who is the Spirit of truth. I look to You, Holy Spirit, to lead me in accord with the truth of what Jesus taught and what the Bible teaches. I ask You, Spirit of truth, to warn me before I deceive anyone and to protect me always from believing Satan’s lies. Forgive me, Lord, for not speaking the truth. Show me any way in which I am being deceived. I desire that the Bible, the Word of truth, shall constantly gain a deeper place in my life. I pray that the truth of the Word of God may be my heart’s delight to study and memorize. Thank You, Lord God, for making my local church a pillar and foundation for Your truth in my life. Help me relate to my church and give protection to others as well as receive it myself. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for showing me that my ability to be strong and to do Your will requires the stabilizing power of the belt of truth. Thank You for providing this part of the armor of God. In Your mighty name, I pray, Lord Jesus. Amen. [40]

    FOOTNOTES:

    [1] Walter Bauer,  A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 625.

    [2] Much of this section is adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled, “4. The Wholeness of the Armor: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted. 

    [3] Tony Evan’s video message at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) entitled, “The Armor of God,” on YouTube.

    [4] Ibid.

    [5] Ibid. 

    [6] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2665. 

    [7] The first three verbs in Greek (perizōsamenoi… endysamenoi… hypodēsamenoi… ) are aorist middle participles which means they have already been put on by the soldier or Christian.  

    [8] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2665.

    [9] The Greek verb translated “taking…” (analabontes) is an aorist active participle, meaning the Christian is taking the shield of faith as needed and the last Greek verb translated “take…” (dexasthe) is an aorist middle imperative which is used of the last two pieces of armor and means for oneself to take them up as needed. 

    [10]  The next several paragraphs are adopted from Mark Bubeck’s video message entitled, “4. The Wholeness of the Armor: Ephesians 6 Series,” on the BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted. 

    [11] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2629.

    [12] Tom Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Ephesians, 2024 Edition, pg. 146.

    [13] J.B. Bond, “Ephesians,” Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1399.

    [14] Much of this section is adapted from Mark Bubeck’s video message, “5. Belted Against Satan’s Belt: Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app, unless otherwise noted. 

    [15] Walter Bauer,  A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg.  730.

    [16] Bubeck, “5. Belted Against Satan’s Belt: Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app. 

    [17] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pp. 821-822.

    [18] Bubeck, “5. Belted Against Satan’s Belt: Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistry app.

    [19] Daniel Janosik, THE GUIDE TO ANSWERING ISLAM: What Every Christian Needs to Know About Islam and the Rise of Radical Islam (Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 2019 Kindle Edition), pg. 172. 

    [20] Ibid., pp. 172, 321 cites Sami Mukaram, At-Taqiyya fi ‘l-Islam (London: Mu’assisat at-Turath ad-Druzi, 2004), 7, quoted in Raymond Ibrahim, Beware Islam’s Doctrine of Deception, PJ Media, September 24, 2015: http://www.meforum.org/5522/ben-carson-taqiyya.

    [21] Retrieved on October 27, 2024, from the article entitled, “Mormonism – Does it truly follow Jesus Christ?” at www.christiananswers.net

    [22] Ibid. 

    [23] See the following helpful articles or books exposing the deceptions of evolution – Simon Turpin, “How the Apostle Peter Relates to the Age of the Earth Debate: Analyzing 2 Peter 3:1-7,” at www.answersingenesis.org; Harold Dressler, “Evolution – Still an Option?” at www.answersingenesis.org; Ken Ham, The Lie: Unraveling the Myth: Evolution/Millions of Years, Updated Edition (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 1987, 2024); Roger G. Gallop, Evolution: The Greatest Deception in Modern History (Scientific Evidence for Divine Creation), Second Edition (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL: Red Butte Press, Inc., 2011, 2014). 

    [24] Retrieved on June 2, 2024, from Wikipedia article entitled, “Critical Race Theory” at en.m.wikipedia.org.

    [25] Retrieved on June 2, 2024, from Brandon Clay and Frost Smith’s September 29, 2020, article entitled “Critical Race Theory in the Church,” at www.answersingenesis.org.

    [26] Ibid. 

    [27] The previous four paragraphs were adapted from Ibid.

    [28] Much of this section is adapted from Tony Evan’s video message at DTS entitled, “The Armor of God,” on Youtube, unless otherwise noted. 

    [29] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pp. 1820-1821.

    [30] Ibid., pg. 137. 

    [31] Much of this section is adapted from Bubeck, “5. Belted Against Satan’s Belt: Ephesians 6 Series,” on BRMinistryapp, unless otherwise noted. 

    [32] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pg. 327.

    [33] Ibid., pg. 264. 

    [34] Adapted from Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pp. 2465-2466.

    [35] Inerrancy states that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error in the original autographs, accurate in all areas it touches, and true in all it says (Psa. 119:86, 151, 160, 172; Prov. 30:5-6; Matt. 5:18; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21). The Bible is God’s complete written revelation to humankind and is the final authority for guidance in living the Christian life (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:5-6; I Cor. 13:8-13; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 22:18). As the Scriptures in their entirety point to Jesus Christ and His death for the sins of the world on the cross, they are a complete and trustworthy guide to reveal God’s plan of salvation for all humankind (Luke 24:27, 44-48; John 5:39; 2 Tim. 3:15).  

    [36] J. Carl Laney, Moody Gospel John Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), pg. 307.

    [37] Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2000 Kindle Edition, pp. 9-10.

    [38] Robert Wilkin, “I Timothy,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 1531.

    [39] Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2667.

    [40] Adapted from Mark I. Bubeck, a prayer entitled “Prayer to Know and Speak Truth,” from Spiritual Warfare Prayers pamphlet (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1997).

    A PROVERB FOR MEN STRUGGLING WITH SEXUAL TEMPTATION

    “2 Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye… 5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words.” Proverbs 7:2, 5

    The man who “keeps” or obeys God’s “commands” will “live” and experience God’s protection in his life. The phrase “the apple of your eye” refers to the pupil which is the most sensitive and carefully guarded part of the human body (7:2a). When God’s “law” becomes our most important focus, when it is what we pay the closest attention to (7:2b), it will “keep” or guard us from the many allurements of “the immoral woman” and “seductress who flatters with her words” (7:5). God’s Word instructs us to…

    1. Avoid where and when the sexual temptation is waiting – “the path to her house in the twilight… in the black of the night” (7:7-9). Establish guardrails that keep you from being tempted such as no searching online when you are alone at night, lock up your digital devices using internet filters to give you accountability when accessing the internet, avoid massage parlors, strip clubs, bars, etc.

    2. Avoid women online or in person …

    • Who dress seductively – “attire of a harlot” (7:10a)
    • Whose hearts are “crafty” or secretive/deceptive (7:10b)
    • Who are defiant (“loud and rebellious”) against God’s Word and the sanctity of marriage (7:11a)
    • Who are promiscuous – “her feet would not stay home…” (7:11b-12)
    • Who are overly aggressive, sensual, and shameless – “she caught him and kissed him; with an impudent face she said to him…” (7:13)
    • Who minimize wrongdoing by referring to their religious activity (“I have peace offerings with me; today I have paid my vows”) and entice men with a meal in her home (the animal sacrifice usually included leftover meat which must be consumed the same day in her home – 7:14; cf. Lev. 7:15)
    • Who seek to build your ego up with flattery – “So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you” (7:15)
    • Who seek to entice with you with a sensuous description of their bedroom – “I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon” (7:16-17)
    • Who proposition you – “Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love” (7:18)
    • Who reassure you of your safety from their husband – “For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the appointed day” (7:19-20)
    • Who disarm you with their “flattering lips” (7:21)

    3. Avoid seductive women online or in person because…

    • They will lead you to far-reaching consequences including bondage and death – “Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life.” (7:22-23)

    We are living in a very sexualized society today whereby pornography is very accessible, affordable, aggressive, anonymous, and appealing. Solomon’s description of the seductress is much like the digitalized pornographic women online. Satan uses the beauty of women (in person and online) to entice Christian men away from God and His design for purity in marriage and family, so he can “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10a) their lives today (1 Pet. 5:8).

    Solomon concludes these warnings by inviting us to listen to his advice (7:24):

    • Guard your heart. “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways” in your imagination or fantasies (7:25a; cf. Matt. 5:28). We are already in danger if we are fantasizing about having sex with a woman outside of marriage. When we are tempted to fantasize about her, turn to the Lord and pray for her salvation (if she is not a believer in Jesus), or for her purity (if she is a believer). Reach out to a brother in Christ to confess your struggle and pray with each other (Jas. 5:16).
    • Guard your body. “Do not stray into her paths” (7:25b). Avoid where the seductress is waiting for you whether it be online or in person. Do not go or stay near to someone (online or in person) who resembles the immoral or seductive women that Proverbs 7 describes. Ask God what your first step must be to do this. Locking up your digital devices? Getting a flip phone? Changing jobs or locations? Joining a men’s recovery group that deals specifically with porn and sex addiction?
    • Guard your future. “For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death” (7:26-27). No matter how “strong” we think we are, we must take seriously the consequences of yielding to her seductive ways. To be in “her house” and in her bed in our thoughts or in person will place us on a fast speedway to “hell” (Sheol) or the grave. If we pursue sin long enough and hard enough it will lead to physical “death.” Possible causes of death could be punishment from an angry husband, from poverty, from STDs, or from spiritual and emotional anguish.

    While King Solomon wrote Proverbs 7 warning of the allurements of seductive immoral women, he did not follow his own advice later in life. The Bible tells us, “When Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (I Kgs. 11:4). Even though God had warned Solomon not to marry foreign wives because they would turn away his heart after their gods (11:2), Solomon disobeyed the Lord and “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart” (11:3). Solomon did not just worship their false gods, he also built worship centers for the people of Israel to worship the false gods of his foreign wives (11:7-8). As a result, God “became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded” (I Kgs. 11:9-11).

    Solomon’s sexual immorality led to widespread idolatry. In many ways, viewing pornography is idolatrous. What is an idol? An idol is turning to something or someone other than God when we are anxious, bored, depressed, exhausted, lonely, self-doubting, stressed, or even wanting to celebrate. More and more Christians are turning to pornography [1] instead of the Lord to medicate or celebrate their feelings.  Pornography is an idol that is destroying the sons and daughters of God around the world.

    As long as we are living in these fallen physical bodies, there will always be the danger of being seduced by immoral women in person or online which can cause us to fall away from the Lord our God. Solomon ignored God’s design for marriage (one wife for life or until the death of one’s spouse – Gen. 2:24; cf. Mark 10:6-12; Rom. 7:2-3; I Cor. 7:10-11), and married hundreds of wives and had hundreds of mistresses.

    May none of us think we are beyond the reaches of sexual immorality and the idolatry that often accompanies it.

    In Solomon’s case, it is better to do what he says, not what he did. We must guard our hearts, our bodies, and our futures from the dangers of sexual immorality (Prov. 7:24-27). God the Holy Spirit can empower us to do this as we yield to Him in the context of a recovery community of believing brothers in Christ (Rom. 8:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:22).

    No matter where we may find ourselves in our dealings with sexual temptation, there is always hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is not uncomfortable with our sin or shame. He already knows about it, and He wants us to approach His throne of grace with confidence or boldness because He understands and is sympathetic towards our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15-16). Satan wants to convince us that God is against us and condemns us (Rev. 12:10).

    Jesus tells us that His heart is “gentle and lowly” (Matt. 11:29), not condemning (cf. John 3:17). When in the temple, Jesus read Isaiah 42:3 which described the coming Messiah: “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.” (Matt. 12:20). Jesus, the Messiah, will not treat those of us who are “bruised” with sin and shame harshly (“break” them). He comes along side of us to strengthen and heal us with His presence rather than step on us to advance His own plans. He will not “quench” what little hope (“smoking flax”) we have left inside of us. He wants to rekindle our love and passion for Him and for life itself. He does this with His gentle and gracious presence in our lives which heals our wounds and replaces our shame with dignity.

    God says He is for us and demonstrated this by giving us His best – His only perfect Son – when we were at our worst (Rom. 5:8, 10) – to take our condemnation when He died in our place for all our sins and rose from the dead (Rom. 8:31-32, 34). If God gave us His best when we were at our worst, how much more will He do for us now that we are His beloved children!?!

    Prayer: Father God, thank You for addressing sexual temptation and sin in these verses. Christian men are being sexually assaulted by the enemy in our society today. Most if a not all of us have mobile devices where we can easily access the allurements of seductive women via online pornography without anyone knowing about it but You. Before it is too late, please Father God, rescue us, redeem us, and restore us to close fellowship with You through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heal the pain that often drives us to turn to sexual sin. We all have wounds that need Your healing touch. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being gentle and gracious with our brokenness and shame so we can let down our guard and permit You to heal our wounds and replace our shame with dignity. Please break the chains that keep us bound to our shame. Help us set our minds on the things of the Holy Spirit Who reminds us that You are for us and not against us. The proof? You gave us Your best (Jesus) when we were at our worst (Your enemies), so that now as Your beloved children we can expect Your best for us daily. Please transform our ashes into beauty so we may proclaim the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

    FOOTNOTE:

    [1] Statistics indicate that 60-70 percent of men, 50-58 percent of pastors, and 20-30 percent of women in evangelical churches are sexually addicted – see Jeremy & Tiana Wiles, Conquer Series Study Guide Volume 1 (Stuart, FL: KindgomWorks Studios, 2017), pg. 21.

    Appendix 5 – Hindrances to Forgiveness Exercise

    This exercise is adapted from Michael Dye’s The Genesis Process. [1]

    All of us have been hurt and wounded by others, especially those we trusted. From beginning to end, the Bible emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. God even commands us to forgive (Ephes. 4:32). Therefore, Jesus taught us to pray, “12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors… 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:12, 14-15). Forgiveness is so important because it is connected to God’s forgiveness of us. I cannot enjoy fellowship or closeness with God the Father if I am not willing to forgive those who have hurt me. Being unforgiving connects us to our past hurts and makes it difficult to fully enjoy the blessings of our relationship with God and with other people.

    One of the ways we can know we have not forgiven someone is we keep rehearsing bitter and defensive thoughts toward those who have hurt us. We keep going “back to court” in our minds with all the things we wish we had said or want to say to them. [2] God invites us to release the hurt others have caused to us. Forgiveness requires the cancelling of a debt (cf. Matt. 18:21-35). Perhaps the person who has hurt us owes us an apology, justice, money, repentance, restoration, suffering, understanding, etc. God wants us to cancel the debt they owe us.

    There are three things that can hinder us from forgiving others: judgments, vows, and false beliefs. [3] When someone hurts us, we can hold on to judgments about them out of fear. We don’t realize it, but our judgments are an attempt to protect ourselves from painful memories associated with our abusers. We may judge their motives and try to read their minds. We tell ourselves, “He or she is evil, selfish, and does not care about me or love me.” Christ warns us about making such judgments (Matt. 7:1-2). These judgments can cause heart wounds that keep us from healing and growing. When we refuse to forgive that person, we can bind ourselves to the person we are judging and become more like that person.It is important to repent or change our minds about our judgments and ask God to release the person and ourselves from the consequences. [4]

    Not only do judgments about our offenders hinder us from forgiving them, but so do the vows we make. Jesus opposed the practice of distorting vows so they could convey or conceal a lie (Matt. 5:33-35). We can make inner vows to survive the hurts we have suffered. For example, when a person I trusted hurts me, I may make an inner vow that says, “I will never trust anyone again!” Or “If I need others, they will take advantage of me!” These types of vows can become self-curses that result in isolation and loneliness, which cause us even more pain. These inner vows can often become subconscious and do not disappear with time. They are like a contract that must be renounced or broken. It is important to ask God to forgive us and break these vows we have made. [5]

    False beliefs or lies can also prevent us from forgiving others. We may tell ourselves, “If I forgive them, they will get off the hook and there will never be any justice.” But the truth is, only God knows what is just (Rom. 12:19). Or “If I forgive, I will become vulnerable to them again.” The truth is that just because you forgive them does not mean that they are safe, and you must trust them again. They must earn your trust. For reconciliation on a horizontal level to take place, the perpetrator must apologize, repent or change his mind and behavior, and ask for forgiveness (Matt. 18:15-18; Luke 17:3-4). [6]

    Forgiveness is so important because it gives us the ability to move on in life. Being unforgiving connects us to our past hurts and makes it difficult to receive the blessings of new relationships. Forgiveness occurs when the one who was wounded cancels the debt owed to him or her. When we forgive, we are free from those who hurt us. [7]

    If you are struggling to forgive your perpetrator(s), take some time today to do this exercise: [8]

    1. Ask God to reveal to you the people who have hurt you. Make a list. Start with those closest to you (e.g., your parents, siblings, spouse, children, or a close friend; etc.). Do the exercise with them one at a time. Think about the people whom you still “go back to court with” in your mind: 

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    2. Wounds: What he or she did to you that hurt you:  abandoned, abused, betrayed, criticized, lied, misrepresented, neglected, rejected, etc. What was the wound(s)?

     ______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    3. Judgments (Matt. 7:1-2): The things you believe about them: e.g., they are evil, lazy, selfish, stupid, weak, didn’t love me, didn’t care for me, etc.). What are your judgments?

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    Repent of these judgments and ask God to release the person and yourself from the consequences (Matt. 7:1-2).

    4. Vows (Matt. 5:33-35): Vows can be like self-cures, promises you told yourself to survive the wound(s), e.g.,“I don’t need or trust anyone,” or “whatever I do, it won’t be enough,” or “all men/women are ______,” etc.

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    Renounce and repent of these vows, asking God to forgive you and to break them.

    5. Effect on You: What effect did the wound have on you (How did you cope)? Addiction, anger, anxiety, codependency, depression, food, isolation, stress, workaholism, etc.?

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    6. Their Debt: What debt do they owe you? What would they have to do for you to trust them again? Apologize, change their behavior, experience humiliation, justice, make restitution, money, repent, seek your forgiveness, suffer, etc.

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    Talk to the Lord, asking Him to make you both willing and able to cancel their debt as He has already cancelled yours to Him through Christ (Matt. 18:23-33; Ephes. 4:32).

    7. False Beliefs. What false belief or lie is keeping you from forgiving them? Say the following false beliefs below to yourself to see if they feel true. If they do, then meditate on the true beliefs until the false beliefs no longer feel true. There are blank spaces at the end where you can write in the false belief(s) and true belief(s) that are not on the list.

    False belief: If I forgive them, they will get off the hook and there will never be any justice.

    True belief: Only God knows what is just (Rom. 12:19).

    False belief: Forgiveness means I must pretend that nothing ever happened.

    True belief: Forgiveness is not denial. You must tell yourself the truth about what they did and how it affected you to really be able to forgive them from the heart (Matt. 18:35; John 8:32).

    False belief: If I forgive, I will become vulnerable to them again.

    True belief: Just because you forgive them doesn’t mean that they are safe, and you must trust them again (Matt. 18:15-18; Luke 17:3-4).

    False belief: My unforgiveness punishes them and is justified because I am right; they will never see their wrong and repent if I let go.

    True belief: The truth is, it is God’s mercy and kindness that leads us to repentance. Only He knows what will change them (Rom. 2:4; Ephes. 4:24-32).

    False belief: _____________________________________________

    _____________________________________________

    True belief: _____________________________________________

    _____________________________________________

    False belief: _____________________________________________

    _____________________________________________

    True belief: _____________________________________________

    _____________________________________________

    8. Forgiveness Prayer (Matt. 6:12, 14-15). If you are ready, insert the name of the person you have chosen to forgive into the following prayer of forgiveness. You may want to say it in your own words but be sure to include all the elements.

    Forgiveness Prayer:

    Father God, Your Word says that to be forgiven, I must forgive. And so, I come to You in the name of Jesus, in obedience and love, and I bring (name) _____ before You. I cancel _____ debt to me (e.g., apology, change of behavior, humiliation, justice, restitution, money, repent, seek forgiveness, suffer, etc.). I choose to forgive this hurt against me, and I ask that You not hold these sins against _____ on my account. I release _____ from any desire on my part to see _____ punished. In fact, as You have told me to do, I bless _____ in Your Son’s name, Jesus. You know _____ desires, needs, and hurts. You know what would bless _____. And so, I ask that You pour out Your love and healing to _____ and bring _____ Your highest good, because Your name is Good and Love, and You are not willing that any should perish. Now also, Father, please heal my heart and set me free to love _____ as You do. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

    9. The Truth sets you free (John 8:36): Pray and ask God to show you this person as He sees them. Ask Him to show you what is true. One of the great mysteries of God is that He loves the perpetrator as much as the victim. Write down any insights God gives to you as you pray.

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    10. Is there anything God wants you to do to heal this relationship? Check with your counselor or discipleship group before you take any action.

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

    FOOTNOTES:

    [1] Adapted from Michael Dye’s The Genesis Process: For Change Groups Books 1 and 2 Individual Workbook (Michael Dye/Double Eagle Industries, 2012), pp. 123-133.

    [2] Ibid., pp. 123-124.

    [3] Ibid., pp. 126-128.

    [4] Ibid., pg. 129.

    [5] Ibid., pp. 127-128, 130.

    [6] Ibid., pg. 128.

    [7] Ibid.

    [8] Adapted from Ibid., pp. 129 -133.

    Overcoming the Weight of Shame (Revised)

    “27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. 28 My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously.” Psalm 119:27-29

    The Lord has been teaching me a lot about shame the past few years. Having grown up with shame-based lies in America and having served as a missionary in a shame-based country for several years, this issue of shame has weighed heavily on my soul. In this devotion I will address shame in a Christian’s life.

    It is important to understand that shame is not from God. When God made the first man and woman, they were naked and unashamed before the Lord and one another (Gen. 2:25). Even after Adam and Eve sinned, God did not come to condemn them with shame, He came to cover their sin and shame (Gen. 3:9-21). For example, when Adam told God, “I was afraid because I was naked” (3:10). God replied, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat” (3:11)? God never told Adam and Eve they were naked. This was the natural consequence of their sin. Satan also reveals our shame to us when we sin (true shame) or don’t sin (false shame). His accusations against believers produce shame in their lives. The Devil uses shame to isolate Christians from God and one another. Like a roaring lion who focuses on those who are isolated and weak, Satan focuses on believers who are alone and weak (cf. I Peter 5:8).

    Guilt says, “You did something wrong.” Shame says, “You are wrong.” Satan uses shame to condemn us and keep us from drawing near to God and one another. 

    In my devotions this morning, the Lord led me to revisit some verses I wrote about 3.5 years ago to help me overcome my battle with shame. The Psalmist writes, “Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works” (119:27). We need God to help us “understand” or discern the pattern (“way”) of His commands (“precepts”). Take time to invite God to help you understand how to apply His Word to your deep struggle with shame. The Lord wants us to focus (“meditate”) on the “wonderful works” He is doing deep inside of us rather than on our sin and shame. Shame tends to focus on behavior and external reformation. God’s grace and truth focus on the heart and inward transformation. Before God can change our behavior, He must change our hearts (cf. Mark 7:14-23). 

    As God leads me to deal more deeply with my shame, I discover that my “soul melts from heaviness” (119:28a). The word “melts” (dalaph) means “to drip or leak because cracks are not mended.” The idea is that our soul is broken and unable to retain what God gives us. Shame keeps us from believing the truth about God’s love and acceptance of us. As a result, our soul is broken and weighed down with the “heaviness” of sadness and shame. And a cycle of shame develops whereby we mess up, confess our sins, and then try harder, only to repeat the same sin because we continue to believe the shame-based lies that fuel our shame. And we stay bound to this cycle of shame. We cannot break this shame cycle until we deal with the wounds that the shame-based lies are attached to. It takes God’s Spirit to heal these wounds to our souls.  

    Few things are more unbearable than the heaviness of shame. It is a burden that God never intended for people to bear. Yet Satan will use shame to keep us from becoming the people God  intended us to be. What is God’s remedy for this weight of shame in a Christian’s life?

    “Strengthen me according to Your word” (119:28b). We do not have the strength to overcome this weight of shame on our own. Only God has the power necessary to win this battle. The word “strengthen” (qum) means “to arise or stand up.” In the context, this refers to God giving us the ability to arise from the depths of our sadness and shame by means of His “word.” The strength we need to overcome shame comes from the truth of God’s Word. If we do not make our home in God’s Word (cf. John 8:31-32), we will not win this battle with shame. No amount of determination, willpower, or “trying harder” will overcome the weight of shame. We must invite God’s Word to do that for us. How?

    “Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously” (119:29). Shame is based on lies the enemy has attached to past wounds in our lives. Lies that say:

    • “I am bad or unworthy.”

    • “No one could love me as I am.”

    • “I cannot depend on others to help me.”

    • “I am defined by my sin and shame.”

    We must ask the Lord to expose and remove the pattern (“way”) of lies that keep us enslaved to the weight of shame. And then ask Him to “grant me Your law graciously,” not harshly. The only verse of the Bible where Jesus specifically describes His heart reads, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29). Jesus says His heart is “gentle and lowly” (humble), not harsh and proud. Our pride can lead us to deal harshly with ourselves and others. But Christ invites us to “learn from”Him how to deal gently and humbly with ourselves and others so we “will find rest for” our “souls” in our discipleship relationship with Him. So, ask the Lord Jesus to gently replace the shame-based lies in your soul with His liberating truth. Truths that say:

    • “I am loved and cherished by God.” Psalm 27:10

    • “I am totally loved by Jesus just as I am.” Romans 5:6, 8

    • “I can depend on others to help me through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

    • “I am defined by the Light and Love of Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:2, 8

    I want to share a “Lies versus Truth” exercise that is adapted from Michael’s Dye, The Genesis Process: For Change Groups Books 1 and 2 Individual Workbook (Michael Dye/Double Eagle Industries, 2012), pp. 222 -228. 

    With your mentor or with a group of accountability partners, review some of the most common false beliefs or lies listed below and their corresponding truths. There are blank spaces at the end where you can write in the lies you believe and their corresponding truths that are not on the list. Say each lie to yourself and only focus on the ones that FEEL true. You will know if your heart believes it is true because it will feel true. Even if it doesn’t make sense, go with the feeling. Replacing the lies with the truth is how real healing takes place. The truth is a Person, Jesus Christ (John 1:14; 14:6), not a concept or a Book. Jesus can supernaturally speak truth into our limbic system (right brain where lies are inserted) in a way that no one else can because He is full of truth and is the truth (John 1:14; 14:6; Heb. 4:12-13). Faith in Jesus’ truth produces healing, and faith comes from hearing a personal word from God (Rom. 10:17).  

    For each lie your heart believes, say the lie to Jesus. Ask Jesus to tell you what is true. He may bring to your mind a Scripture with which to replace the lie. Meditate on that truth until the lie does not feel true anymore. Ask Jesus if there is anything else He wants to share with you. Say the lie again and see how true it feels. If it still feels true, you may need to meditate on the truth some more or even ask for help. Pray and ask the Lord to heal and seal off any wounds, demonic influences, and behaviors that the lie created. God may show you that you need to forgive the person who caused this lie to be attached to the wound he or she gave you.

    LieTruth
    1. God cannot be trustedGod cannot lie and is always faithful (2 Tim. 2:13; Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18) 
    2. God is out of control with His angerGod is slow to anger and gracious (Ps. 145:8)
    3. I am alone and unlovedI am cherished and loved by God the Father (Ps. 27:10)
    4. God could never love meGod has always loved me (Jer. 31:3)
    5. Nobody would love me as I amGod loves me just as I am (Rom. 5:6, 8)
    6. I am bad because of what was done to meI am precious to Jesus because of what was done to Him (Matt. 13:44-45; I Cor. 6:19-20) 
    7. I am unwantedI am chosen by God (Ephes. 1:4)
    8. God is against meGod is for me, not against me (Rom. 8:31-32)
    9. Someone has or will condemn meIn Christ I am free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1, 34)
    10. I am going to be separated from the love of Christ because I’m so unworthyNo one and nothing can separate me from God’s love in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:35, 37-39)
    11. I do not have what it takesI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
    12. I am defined by my sin and brokenness I am defined by the light of Jesus Christ (Ephes. 5:8)
    13. My past is a hitching postMy past is a guidepost (Ezek. 18:14, 17)
    14. I am what I do or what others say about meI am what God says about me (I John 3:1-2; 5:1)
    15. I am a sinner because I sinI am a saint (one declared righteous by God) who sins (Ephes. 1:1; I John 1:8, 10)
    16. My behavior tells me what to believe about myselfMy belief about myself determines my behavior (Prov. 23:7)
    17. Whatever I do, it will never be good enoughIn Christ, I am good enough (2 Cor. 5:21; Ephes. 1:6)
    18. I must be perfect to be safe I am hidden with Christ in God, forever safe and secure (Col. 3:3)
    19. I am a disappointmentI am a delight to God (Ps. 17:8; Zeph. 3:17)
    20. God won’t be there when I need HimGod is always available to help me (Ps. 121:1-4; Isa. 41:10, 13)
    21. I should never be angry, anxious, depressed, or lonely Anger, anxiety, depression, and loneliness are signals to draw close to God. (Ps. 4:4-5; 42:5; 72:21- 26; 2 Tim. 4:16-17)
    22. Failure is the end of the world Failure is an opportunity to learn (Ps. 37:23-24; Luke 22:31-34; Heb. 12:11)
    23. No one understands meJesus understands me because He made me (Ps. 139) and walked in my shoes (Heb. 4:15)
    24. I could never be forgivenI am totally forgiven in Christ (Ephes. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14)
    25. I am a loserI am a winner seated next to Christ (Ephes. 1:20-21; 2:5-6)
    26. I am a mistakeI am God’s masterpiece (Ephes. 2:10)
    26. I cannot changeAll things are possible with God (Matt. 19:26)
    27. If I am not in control, something bad will happenWhen I yield to Christ’s control, I can have peace (John 16:33; Phil. 4:6-7; cf. Isa. 26:3)
    28. I cannot cope without alcohol/anxiety/chemicals/food/sex/ shoppingI can cope through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
    29. I need people’s affection and approval to be completeI am complete in Christ, lacking nothing (Col. 2:10)
    30. Christians cannot be trustedI can learn to trust Christians who are safe (John 13:34-35; Gal 6:1-2)
    31. I must be liked and loved by everyoneI am likeable and loveable, but not to everyone (Isa. 53:3; John 15:18-19)
    32. Sex with a beautiful woman is the greatest sign I am loved Christ’s dying in my place for all my sin is the greatest sign I am loved (Rom. 5:8; I John 4:9-10)
    33. I am worthless I am worth fighting for (Exod. 14:13-14; 2 Chron. 20:15, 17)
        
          
        
        

    Prayer: Precious Father God, please give me the understanding and discernment to permit Your Word to speak to my deep struggle with shame. Help me focus on the wonderful work You are doing inside of me rather than on my failings and shortcomings. I confess that my soul melts from the heaviness of my sadness and shame. Please strengthen me as only You can with Your Word so I may arise out of this pit of shame. I pray Your Holy Spirit will expose and remove the shame-based lies that keep me bound to this cycle of shame and replace them graciously with Your liberating truths from Your Word so I may become the person You created me to be. Replace my false identity that is based upon shame-based lies with my new identity in Christ that is based upon Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

    What does Revelation 3:5 mean?

    When the ascended Lord Jesus Christ addressed the fifth church in Asia Minor he offered eternal rewards to the faithful “few” in Sardis. “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” (Rev. 3:4). The all-knowing Judge knew of a “few names… in Sardis who” had “not defiled their garments” and “shall walk with”Christ “in white” because they are “worthy” or deserving. This cannot refer to salvation because no one deserves to be saved from hell. The Bible clearly says that salvation is a free gift apart from any works (John 4:10-14; Rom. 6:23b; 4:5; Ephes. 2:8-9; Rev. 21:6; 22:17). Instead, walking with Christ in white is a privilege reserved for the faithful believer who is undefiled in his Christian life. 

    Then the Lord Jesus says, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before Hisangels.” (Rev. 3:5). The risen Lord Jesus promises to the “overcomer” who is “worthy” (3:4) to be honored, the following eternal rewards:

    – “Clothed in white garments.”  “White garments” are symbolic of one’s works (cf. 19:8) and are pure and free of defilement (cf. Rev. 7:9, 13; 19:14; Matt. 22:11-12). In the ancient world, white robes also connoted festivity and victory. Sardis boasted of her trade in woolen goods and dyed stuffs. Only the believers who remained faithful to Jesus Christ until the end of their lives on earth could enjoy His intimate fellowship in His coming Kingdom (“walk with Me”; cf. Rev. 7:14;22:14). 

    Bob Wilkin writes, “Would you not want to be identified as closely as possible with the Lord Jesus and glorify Him, even in your clothing? The quality of your eternal garments will be determined by what you do in this life. Once this life is over, it will be too late to influence your worthiness to walk with Christ in white.” (Robert Wilkin, The Road to Reward: A Biblical Theology of Eternal Rewards Second Edition [Grace Evangelical Society, 2014 Kindle Edition], pg. 46). 

    – An honored name that is supremely secure. When Jesus says He will “not blot out his name from the Book of Life,” Arminians teach that Jesus is saying a non-overcoming (unfaithful) believer will lose his salvation. (see J. B. Smith, A Revelation of Jesus Christ [Scottsdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1961], pp. 329-331). But this would contradict Jesus’ clear teachings in John’s writings elsewhere.

    For example, Jesus taught, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35; cf. 6:38-40; 10:28-29). Christ guarantees that those who come to Him in faith “shall never hunger” or “thirst” for eternal life again because the need He met can never reoccur. The results of believing in Christ are permanent even if we are unfaithful to Christ (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13). 

    Christ also said, “38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” (John 6:38-39). Jesus came down from heaven to do His Father’s will which was that all whom the Father had given Him should lose nothing, including their salvation. If Jesus failed to keep believers from losing their salvation, He would have failed to do His Father’s will. And that presents a moral dilemma. For if Jesus failed to do His Father’s will, then He would have sinned and could no longer be God. But Jesus Christ has never lost one believer and He never will because He is God (John 1:1; Titus 2:13) and He always does the will of His Father.

    If a believer ever lost his or her salvation, Christ would have failed to keep this promise and many more (John 3:15-18; 4:10-14; 5:24; 6:35-40, 47; 11:25-26; et al.). To properly understand Jesus’ words, “and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” (Rev. 3:5), it is important to answer an important question.

    What is the Book of Life? There appear to be several “books” or records that God keeps in heaven (cf. Rev. 20:12). Since God is all-knowing, He does not need to record things in books. People keep books for later recollection, so the figure of a “book” is an example of contextualization: giving revelation in terms the recipients can easily understand. 

    There is the “Book of the Living,” namely, those who are presently alive on the earth, including the unsaved (Exod. 32:32-33; Deut. 29:20; Ps. 69:28; Isa. 4:3). To have one’s name removed from this book refers to physical death. But the “Book of Life” in Revelation refers to all those who have believed in Jesus for everlasting life (Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27; cf. Luke 10:20; Phil 4:3). 

    Since Jesus taught that eternal life can never be lost (John 3:15-18; 4:10-14; 5:24; 6:35-40; 10:28-29; 11:25-26; et al.), it is best to understand Jesus’ words, “and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” (3:5), as a figure of speech called a litotes (cf. 2:11) which is an understatement in which a positive affirmation is expressed by negating the opposite. If it is true that one who overcomes (i.e., remains faithful to Christ) will not have his name blotted out from the Book of Life, then what happens if one does not overcome or remain faithful to Christ? Would it not follow that he would have his name blotted out from the Book of Life? If this is truly a litotes, then the answer is, “No.”

    For example, if we say, “Michael Jordan is not a bad basketball player,” we mean he is a very good basketball player. However, the reverse does not follow, “If you are not Michael Jordan, you are definitely not a good basketball player.” A litotes cannot be read in reverse (see Joseph Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of The Servant Kings: Fourth Revised Edition [GraceTheology Press, 2018 Kindle Edition], pp. 684-688, 962-963).

    Jesus is saying in Revelation 3:5, “If you remain undefiled to the end of your life, I will reward you with the opposite of having your name blotted out of the Book of Life. You will be given an honored name that is supremely secure.” Such an honored name will be forever cherished by Jesus throughout eternity, which leads to the third reward. 

    – A name that is publicly confessed or honored before God the Father and His angels. Christ said, “I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (3:5b; cf. Matt. 10:32-33; 25:21, 23; Luke 12:8; 19:17, 19). Only worthy or faithful believers will have their name publicly confessed or honored before God the Father and His angels. Having one’s name acknowledged is not the same as being declared saved. Rather, it refers to the public testimony by the Son of God to the faithful life of the obedient Christian. Conversely, not having one’s name acknowledged is to forfeit the Master’s “Well done” (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17, 19).

    The Bible teaches that believers in Jesus during this church age will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ in heaven to receive rewards according to their works (I Cor. 3:8-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12) during the Tribulation period on earth. Believers who lived in disobedience and failed to grow spiritually, like the believers in Sardis, “will be saved, yet so as through fire” (ICor. 3:15). Although they have eternal life by believing in Jesus, they will suffer the loss of rewards and be denied the praise that Christ could have given them before His heavenly Father and the holy angels if they had been faithful to the Lord’s calling in their lives. 

    Imagine being on the new earth with King Jesus in the future (Rev. 21-22), and He publicly honors you by acknowledging your name before God the Father and His angels throughout eternity. If you are the kind of person who likes to receive approval, praise, and recognition before others, this acknowledgement or confession of your eternally honored name in the future by the glorified Lord Jesus Christ, will greatly motivate you to persevere in faithfulness to the risen Lord Jesus now, no matter what the cost. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He understands our hearts and what will motivate us to live faithfully for Him, even when people dishonor or forget our names on earth now. 

    Praise Jesus for offering us eternal rewards in the future that consist of dazzling eternal clothes and an eternally honored name which will be publicly praised by Him before God the Father and His angels throughout eternity to motivate us to remain faithful to Jesus now no matter what the cost. To hear Jesus’ praise in eternity is far greater than any praise we could ever receive on earth.

    Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, only You are qualified to judge Your church. Thank You for warning us of the loss of reward and for giving us the remedy for our spiritually immature condition. Lord Jesus, we do not want to compromise our faith and waste our Christian lives by living selfishly. Please help us to stay spiritually alert and remember what we have been taught by godly teachers in the past. Thank You for offering us eternal rewards in the future that consist of dazzling eternal clothes and an eternally honored name which will be publicly praised by You before God the Father and His angels throughout eternity to motivate us to remain faithful to You now no matter what the cost. To hear Your praise, Lord Jesus, in eternity, is far greater than any praise we could ever receive on earth. May we hear and practice what Your Spirit says to us so You will receive maximum honor and glory in eternity. In Your mighty and most honorable name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.

    What Does James 2:14-26 Mean?

    I recently heard a pastor preach on James 2:14-26. He began his message saying that a pastor preached at the funeral of one of his relatives who professed faith in Christ but went on to live contrary to God’s will until the day he died. This pastor stated at the funeral that those who were Christians would see this man in heaven because of his faith in Jesus. In this message I heard recently, the pastor asked the question, “Is that true?” Will that man be in heaven who professed faith in Christ yet lived contrary to the will of God? The pastor stated his position up front and basically said, “No.” His reason? Because genuine saving faith always manifests itself through good works.

    Here is a summary of his message on James 2:14-26: First, we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephes. 2:8-9), but that faith is never alone (James 2:14-26). Saving faith always produces good works (cf. Matt. 7:16-20; John 15:1-8; Ephes. 2:10). When comparing Romans 3:28 with James 2:24, this pastor stated that James 2:24 was referring to post-conversion good works whereas Romans 3:28 was talking about pre-conversion good works.

    Second, if a person says he has saving faith but does not produce good works (James 2:14), he only has a head or intellectual faith like the demons (James 2:19), not a genuine saving faith like Abraham or Rahab (James 2:23-25). If you say you have the Spirit of God, you cannot live without good works. The presence of God’s Spirit will always produce good works.

    Third, there is a sense that genuine saving faith is a part of justification and is accompanied by good works which will accomplish final vindication. According to his view, good works must be part of a believer’s final justification before God.

    In the conclusion of his message, he asked, “What do we do with this?” First, we are to reflect on our own lives. If we say we have faith but show no good works, we are a fake Christian. We have deceived ourselves by saying we are a Christian when we are not. We are living a duplicitous life. The solution? Turn from your sin and trust Christ for your salvation.

    Second, be more fervent in evangelism. People who think they are saved but living contrary to the will of God need to evaluate their lives to see if they are truly saved. We must take this message to them.

    Third, we must see the intimate connection between faith and works. Why do we do good works? Are our good works driven by faith to please God? Or are we doing good works in our strength to impress others or ourselves?

    As I listened to this message, it raised more questions than answered. Must my life be characterized by good works to be truly saved? If so, how many good works and what type of good works are enough to get to heaven? How long can I experience failure in my Christian life and still know I am saved? In other words, what sin is too bad, too much, and too long to keep me from going to heaven? What if I live a godly life all my Christian life but fail miserably on the day I die? Am I saved? These are questions that only God can answer. Those who give specific answers to these questions are trying to do something only God is qualified to do.

    After hearing this sermon, I felt deep compassion for the people listening to this message and I thought to myself, how can anyone, including the pastor, possibly know for sure they will go to heaven when they die? If I am understanding him correctly, a professing believer cannot know for sure he is saved until the end of his life. If he or she has produced good works to the end of their lives, then according to this view of James 2:14-26, they are saved and will go to heaven. The pastor did concede, however, that it is possible to have a death-bed conversion and go to heaven without having produced good works beforehand.

    After the church service was over, I did tell the pastor that his message presented the Reformed point of view as well as I had ever heard. He thanked me and I left it at that.

    I am deeply compelled to take a closer look at James 2:14-26 to see if it is possible to know for sure one is going to heaven even if his or her life is not characterized by good works. This is a greatly debated passage among students of the Bible. Many Bible interpreters of these verses recognize the tension between faith and works. In fact, Martin Luther was so distraught over this passage that he wanted to take the book of James out of the Bible because he felt it contradicted the great truth that led to the Reformation – Paul’s justification by faith alone apart from works.

    The three primary interpretations of James 2:14-26 are:

    1. It refers to a person who was a believer but has lost his salvation. He used to have saving faith but does not have it any longer. This is the Arminian viewpoint. [1]

    2. It refers to an unbeliever who professes to be a Christian but has never truly exercised saving faith in Christ. His faith is only intellectual assent to gospel truth or head faith, not saving or heart faith which always manifests itself through good works. This is the view of Calvinism or Reformed Theology. [2] This was the position I heard in the recent sermon.

    3. It refers to a genuine believer who is not living by faith. He is not behaving consistently with what he believes. He needs to keep his faith alive and energized by putting it to work. This is the Free Grace viewpoint. [3]

    How can Christians keep their faith alive and energized? James 2:14-26 gives us two ways to do this.  

    First, GET INVOLVED WITH OTHERS (James 2:14-19). When interpreting Scripture, it is always best to begin with what is clear to interpret the unclear. Let’s begin with what Jesus taught one must do to go to heaven or have eternal life. There is no better place to discover this than the gospel of John which was written primarily to tell non-Christians how to obtain eternal life (John 20:31). Throughout his gospel the apostle John uses the word “believe” (pisteuō) ninety-nine times in the Greek Majority Text [4] and its most basic meaning is “to consider or be persuaded something is true and therefore worthy of one’s trust” [5]  

    Repeatedly in John’s gospel, Jesus taught that one must believe in Him alone for eternal life: [6]

    “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:15

    “Whoever believes in Him should perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

    “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life.” John 5:24

    “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life.” John 6:40

    “He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

    “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

    Jesus never said, “He who believes in Me and produces good works has everlasting life.” Christ always taught that faith alone in Him alone results in the present acquisition of everlasting life [7] (John 3:14-16; 4:10-14; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 11:25-27; et al.). God’s Word will not contradict itself. We must let the clear always interpret the unclear. So, what is James talking about when he says that faith without works cannot save (James 2:14)?

    In the context of James 2:14-26, James just finished talking about the dangers of showing favoritism to the rich and neglecting the poor (James 2:1-13). Such favoritism is an example of living contrary to the faith they professed. Were they really putting their faith into practice and applying their beliefs to their behavior? Their preferential treatment of some people raised this question in James’ mind. [8]

    “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14). Some versions of this verse reflect the Reformed bias of the translators by inserting the qualifying words “that” or “such” so it reads “Can that faith save him?” (NASB) or “Can such faith save him?” (NIV) instead of the actual reading of the Greek text. By inserting the words “that” or “such” in front of “faith,” the translators are saying that there are different kinds of faith, true faith that would save him and “that” faith which would not save him. [9]

    But in the Greek text there is no qualifying word (“that” or “such”) before the word “faith.” [10] When the definite article “the” (hē) precedes the abstract noun “faith” (pistis) it emphasizes the noun. [11]

    “The Greek language often employed the definite article with abstract nouns (like faith, love, hope, etc.) where English cannot do so. In such cases the Greek article is left untranslated.” [12]

    It is important to observe that “in this very passage, the definite article also occurs with ‘faith’ in vv 17, 18, 20, 22, and 26. (In v 22, the reference is to Abraham’s faith!) In none of these places are the words ‘such’ or ‘that’ proposed as natural translations” [13] by translators with a Reformed bias. This exposes their lack of consistency in translating the Greek text.

    According to the Arminian position, “if someone says he has faith but does not have works,” he may never have been saved, or he may no longer be saved. The Reformed position says, “if someone says he has faith but does not have works,” he is not truly saved because saving faith always produces good works. The Free Grace position holds that “if someone says he has faith but does not have works” there are three possible reasons why he has no works. Instead of judging whether that person is a genuine Christian, evangelist Larry Moyer encourages the Christian worker to ask the following questions to help that person assess where they are at: [14]

    Does the professing believer believe the simplicity of the Gospel? That is, do they believe that Christ paid the full penalty for their sins when He died on the cross and rose from the dead, so that God can now forgive them based on what He has done for them, not what they do for Him? A professing believer may not grow because they have not understood the gospel and believed in Christ alone for salvation and therefore do not have the Holy Spirit inside them to empower them to become more like Christ.

    Have they been trained by a disciple of Christ since professing faith in Jesus? Too often the reason a new believer does not grow is not because of the use of the word “believe” in gospel presentations, but because the church has neglected to come alongside of new believers to teach them how to live the Christian life.

    Has the professing believer believed in Christ and then fallen away from the Lord? The Bible makes it clear that believers can fall away from the Lord and live contrary to His will. Examples include King Saul (I Sam. 28:4-19), David (2 Sam. 11), King Solomon (I Kings 11:1-13), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), the Corinthian believers who were factious, immoral, and prone to drunkenness (I Cor. 3:1-6:20; 11:29-32), the Galatians who lapsed into the worst form of legalism (Gal. 1:6-9; 2:11-3:4; 4:16-5:4; 6:12-13), the Ephesians who engaged in Satanic arts for up to two years after their conversion (Acts 19:1-20), the readers of James who were arrogant, argumentative, slanderous and temperamental (James 2:1-13; 3:1-18; 5:1-6), and Demas (2 Tim. 4:10; cf. John 15:6; I Cor. 3:15; Heb. 6:4-8). The reasons a believer is not growing may be because of unconfessed sin (I John 1:7-10), disobedience to God’s commands (I John 2:3-6; 3:24), hatred toward other believers (I John 2:7-11; 3:10-15; 4:7-21), love for the world and the things of the world (I John 2:15-16), deception by false teachers concerning assurance of salvation and the identity of Christ (I John 2:18-27; 4:1-6; 5:6-13), misunderstanding his true identity in Christ (I John 3:1-9), not practicing righteousness which includes failure to love other Christians (I John 3:10-18), and not confessing that Jesus is the Son of God (I John 4:14-15).

    Which is easier to do? To say a professing Christian with no works is not saved and evangelize him? Or to say a professing Christian with no works needs us to come alongside him and help him become a doer of God’s Word and not just be a hearer only (James 1:22)? It is much easier to try to evangelize professing Christians who do not go on to grow in the Christian life than to walk with them through the discipleship process. I believe the Arminian and Reformed positions promote judging those who struggle in the Christian life more than getting more involved in their lives to teach them to obey God’s Word. 

    Clearly, James makes works a condition for salvation as the question, “Can faith save him?” (James 2:14b) expects a negative answer in the Greek text. “Of course, faith without works cannot save him.” James says a faith without works cannot save you.

    But the apostle Paul says a faith with works won’t save you. “Now to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Rom. 4:5). “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephes. 2:8-9). Paul and James seem to contradict each other. James says you cannot be saved without works. Paul says you cannot be saved by faith with works.

    The reason James and Paul differ with each other is because they are talking to two different groups. When Paul is talking to sinners about how to become a saint, he says it is by faith alone apart from works (Rom. 4:5-6). But notice who James is talking to – Christians or non-Christians?

    “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14). Notice the phrase, “My brethren…” The word “brethren” (adelphoi) is a term that is always used of genuine Christians (cf. James 1:2, 9, 16, 19; 2:5, 14-15; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19). When you read the entire book of James, you quickly discover he is writing to believers who are “brought… forth by the word of truth” [15] (1:18) and who “hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2:1). These people are brothers in Christ. They are saved from hell. So, when James talks to saints about how to experience the God Who has already saved them from hell, he says it by faith with works (James 2:14-26). If you want to know how to get to heaven, read Paul. If you want to know how to bring heaven to earth because you are already saved from hell, read James.

    So, do works have any part in getting us to heaven? No. Faith in Christ alone is the only basis of eternal salvation from hell. Eternal salvation is a gift, not of works lest anyone should boast. No person can take credit for his salvation from hell because it is apart from works. “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” (Rom. 11:6). If works are made a condition for getting to heaven, then eternal salvation can no longer be said to be attained by grace. So, James cannot be talking about eternal salvation by grace because God’s Word does not contradict itself.

    So, what kind of salvation is being addressed in James 2:14? [16] Faith without works cannot save us from what? The word “save” (sozō) means “deliverance.” [17] in the New Testament and it does NOT always refer to salvation from hell. In fact, 70% of the time the word “save” in the New Testament refers to deliverance from circumstances. For example, when Jesus’ disciples were about to drown in the midst of a storm at sea, they said to Jesus, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (Matt. 8:25). They were referring to being saved from physical death. In I Timothy 2, when Paul was talking about the role of men and women in the church, he said, “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” (1 Tim. 2:15). The context is talking about women being restricted from teaching or leading men in the local church. Hence, Paul is talking about women being saved from this restriction through childbearing, that is, she is able to teach and lead her children and be fulfilled doing so if her children continue in these godly virtues.

    James 5:15 says, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” Is James talking about being saved from eternal damnation? If so, then we would need to include anointing with oil and prayer as a condition for eternal salvation as James 5:14 suggests. Clearly James is referring to being delivered from physical death caused by the sickness.

    What James is telling us is that faith without works will not save us from what he has already discussed in the book. First, faith without works won’t save us from A LIFE RUINED BY SIN. James 1:19-22 says, “19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James tells the saved how to save their souls from a life ruined by sin. They must be doers of the word and not merely hearers.

    James warns his readers, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:15). If believers pursue sin long enough and hard enough, it will ruin their lives and the lives of those around them. So, the way to be saved from a life ruined by sin is to do what God says to do.

    Secondly, faith without works will not save us from AN UNFAVORABLE JUDGMENT AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. “12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13). The Bible tells us that all Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ after they die or are raptured to have their Christian lives evaluated to determine what if any rewards they will receive (Rom. 14:10-12; I Cor.3:8-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-11). If we are critical and merciless toward people now (James 2:1-11), then God will show less mercy to us when He judges our lives in the future (James 2:12-13). So, can faith alone save us? No, James says faith without works cannot save us from a life ruined by sin or from an unfavorable judgment in the future at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

    James then gives an illustration of this. “15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:15-16). Just as words of assurance from some ungenerous believer cannot save his naked and starving Christian brother or sister from physical death, so too, faith without works cannot save our lives from the consequences of sin. Correct beliefs, such as Jesus is God, the Bible is God’s inerrant Word, or salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, cannot save us from a life ruined by sin any more than warm wishes will save a needy brother from physical death.

    You can have accurate theology and be useless to God and others. There are Christians who have sound theology, but they are useless to God! They can dot their i’s and cross their t’s but they are not seeing their souls saved from the power of sin. They are not seeing their lives transformed by the grace of God. Why? Because their orthodoxy has not become orthopraxy. Because they are not putting their faith to work. Sometimes we say, “I’m waiting on God.” But could it be that God is waiting on you? If we want to keep our faith alive in these uncertain times, we must go beyond the well wishes and desires to help others and actively get involved with them.

    For example, we can say, “I love people of all colors,” but if we are not actively getting involved with people from other cultures or ethnicities, we are not demonstrating the truth of our words. Our faith will not grow in this area if we are merely hearers and not doers. 

    Notice that James is talking about helping a needy Christian “brother” in these verses. He is not talking about giving handouts to some stranger who is begging for food or clothing. We are to give priority to believers first. This was especially true in James’s day when Christians were actively being persecuted by the Roman government. We need to balance this with other Scripture. Galatians 6:10 says, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Second Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” Free food (or clothing or money, etc.) should not be given to those who can work but choose not to. To do so rewards laziness and irresponsibility. God wants us to get involved in needy peoples’ lives, starting with the church.

    If you are feeling down, one of the best ways to get picked up is to focus on the needs of other people. Just talking about it isn’t going to benefit the needy people in your church or community. We must put our faith into action. The more you get involved with needy people, the stronger your faith will become in the Lord.

    Look at what James says next, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17). Faith without works is a “dead” or useless faith that has lost its fervor or fire for Christ. Faith without works is unproductive just as idle words are useless to a brother or sister in need.

    The word “dead” does not mean one’s faith was never alive. For example, when you see a “dead” animal on the roadside, does that mean that animal was never alive? Of course not. Likewise, when James says a genuine Christian’s faith is “dead,” he is not saying it has always been “dead.” It must have been alive first before it could become “dead.” When believers fail to put their faith to work, their faith will become “dead” or useless to God and others over time.

    For example, if all we ever do is talk about reaching and teaching people for Christ, but we never act on it, then our faith becomes useless to others. Reaching and teaching people for Christ is what the United States of America needs more than anything right now during these troubling times. Until people obtain peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1), they are not going to have peace with themselves or other people regardless of the color of their skin (cf. Ephes. 2:8-18).

    A dead faith means the believer has lost his fire or fervor for Christ. If I were to visit another church and upon leaving, I said to my wife, “This church is dead,” I’m not saying there are no born-again Christians there. I am saying that church is not on fire for Christ. Our faith won’t do anyone any good if we don’t exercise it.

    What does a dead body and a dead faith have in common? Both are immobile and inactive. They also tend to decay and stink. If we fail to do good works, our faith will lose its vitality, it will weaken, and eventually decay and stink. Like a dead car battery, it is useless. It was once alive, but it has become dead or useless due to a lack of use. But the way to jump start a dead faith is to put it to work.

    In James 2:18-19, James encounters a skeptic. This skeptic insists that there is no connection between faith and works to justify his carnal lifestyle (James 2:18-19). This skeptical person objects to James’s view of faith and works by saying it is absurd to see a close connection between faith and works. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). In other words, this person says, “Let’s say you have faith and I have works. You can no more start with what you believe and show it to me in your works, than I can start with my works and show what it is that I believe.”

    Then in James 2:19 the objector tries to illustrate that there is no connection between faith and works, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:19). The skeptic is saying that the demons believe in the oneness of God, the same way James does, who does good, but they only tremble instead of doing good. He is saying that faith cannot be made visible in works! Why would someone argue this way? Because his beliefs are not supported by his behavior. “Faith and good works are not related to each other so don’t criticize me if I don’t practice what I preach.”

    Some use James 2:19 to say that believing in Christ is not enough to be saved from hell because the demons believe in God but are not saved because they have not submitted to God or obeyed Him. It is important to understand the following simple observations about James 2:19: [18]

    1. THIS VERSE IS NOT ABOUT SALVATION FROM HELL BECAUSE JESUS DID NOT DIE FOR DEMONS, HE DIED FOR PEOPLE (Rom. 5:8; Heb. 2:16). Therefore, demons are not savable. Demons are unsaved because they willfully rebelled with Lucifer against God (Isa. 14:13-15; Ezek. 28:11-19) and are condemned to everlasting fire in hell prepared for the devil and his demons (Matt. 25:41; cf. Matt. 8:29; Jude 1:6). This is why demons “tremble” when they think about God. Their trembling has nothing to do with lacking insufficient faith. Jesus’ work on the cross did not save demons. His work on the cross destroyed the devil and his power (Heb. 2:14-15). Nowhere in the Bible does God offer demons eternal life because demons are not savable.

    2. BELIEF THAT GOD IS ONE IS NOT SAVING. What makes faith saving is the object of faith, not the amount or duration of faith. Demons really do believe there is only one God which is monotheism. But believing that God is one does not get anyone to heaven. Therefore, this verse is not to be used evangelistically. There are many world religions (e.g., Islam and Judaism, etc.) that believe God is one, but you will not see them in heaven because they have missed the object of saving faith – believing in Jesus Christ alone, Who died for their sins and rose from the dead, to give them everlasting life (I Cor. 15:1-6; John 3:14-18; 6:47; 14:6 20:31; Acts 4:10-12; 16:31; Ephes. 2:8-9). What makes saving faith saving, is the object, not some special kind of faith. Not all facts about God are saving. Believing in Christ for eternal life is a saving fact. Believing that God is one is not a saving fact.

    3. SINCE THE WORDS OF JAMES 2:19 BELONG TO A SKEPTIC, THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED TO PROVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL POINT. Bing writes, “a quick survey of commentaries shows the difficulty of properly interpreting this verse in the context of James 2:16-20. At question is when James’ words end, and the objector’s words begin and end. If, as some argue, verse 19 is spoken by an objector to James, should it be used to prove a crucial theological point? Also, if it is from such a difficult passage to interpret, should it be used as a primary text to prove or disprove anyone’s salvation? Much clearer passages dismiss works as necessary for obtaining eternal salvation (e.g., Rom. 4:4-5; Ephes. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-5).” [19] Using this verse to dismiss the use of the word “believe” in gospel presentations misunderstands the author’s intended meaning and leads to misapplication.

    The second way to keep your faith alive in uncertain times is to GIVE GOD YOUR OBEDIENCE (James 2:20-26). In James 2:20-25, James refutes the skeptic’s arguments by referring to two supreme examples of faith’s connection with works. The way to fire up a Christian’s faith is to PUT IT TO WORK like Rahab and Abraham put their faith to work and were justified before men (James 2:23-25). “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20). James reaffirms that faith without works is dead or useless. The issue is that your faith is unproductive. The Lord is pleading with us in this passage to put our faith in gear and move out! Don’t sit back on the fact that you are saved forever and God’s never going to kick you out of His family, and therefore you become a lazy Christian.

    He then states that Abraham was justified by works. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (James 2:21). It was well known to James and his readers that Abraham was justified before God by faith alone (Gen. 15:6) about thirty years before he offered up Isaac (Gen. 22). His justification before God was apart from works (Rom. 4). If Abraham had failed to obey God in offering up Isaac, would he have remained justified before the Lord? Yes, because justification before God is always based on faith alone, not good works whether before, during or after your conversion. “5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.” (Rom. 4:5-6).

    James goes on to say in “Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” (James 2:22). Abraham’s original justifying faith was strengthened and matured by his act of obedience in offering up Isaac. How? His faith grew from a conviction that God could overcome his inability to have children to the assurance that God could actually resurrect his son’s own body from physical death. Hebrews 11:17-19 says, “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.”

    James continues, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:23). Abraham’s original justifying faith before God was “fulfilled” or “filled-full” of meaning as a result of this act of obedience. His obedience revealed his faith to men. The Scriptures were fulfilled in that Abraham showed his faith by his works. His obedience justified him before men in such a way as to show him to be righteous on a practical level. People could say Abraham was a “friend of God.” Friendship with God requires obedience. Jesus said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14). Jesus was speaking to the believing disciples when He spoke these words in John 15. They were already saved from hell (cf. John 1:35-2:11; 6:69). This is why James 2:24 speaks of two kinds of justification.

    “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24). The word “only” (monon) is an adverb and modifies the verb “justified” implied in the second clause.

    “The key to this understanding is the Greek adverb ‘only’ (monon), which does not qualify (i.e., modify) the word faith, since the form would then have been monōs. As an adverb, however, it modifies the verb justified implied in the second clause. James is saying that a by-faith justification is not the only kind of justification there is. There is also a by-works justification. The former type is before God, the latter type is before men.” [20]

    Thus, it could be translated, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not only (justified) by faith.” There is a justification by works and a justification by faith. Justification by works is before men. “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” (Rom. 4:2). People can be justified by works, but not before God. Why? Because God can see faith without works. He knows life is there apart from our works. This is why justification before God is always by faith alone in Christ alone (Rom. 4:5; cf. Gen. 15:6). But people cannot see faith apart from works. Hence, justification by works is before men, justification by faith is before God. James never speaks of justification by faith and works before God. He doesn’t say Abraham was justified by faith and works at the same time, nor does he say Rahab was.

    “Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?” (James 2:25). The story is clear. The Israelites were going to take Jericho. The Jewish spies came in to spy out the land. Rahab, “the harlot” – the prostitute, the hooker, the whore – the woman who lived a life of failure – hid them and then secretly sent them out so they could escape. Rahab’s physical life was saved because she had works. God saw Rahab’s faith when she “received the spies” (Heb. 11:31). But men could not see her faith until she acted on it by “sending them out another way” (James 2:25b). Rahab was truly a friend of God because she was their friend. While all of Jericho perished under God’s judgment, Rahab lived because her faith lived! So yes, faith can be shown to men from our works. Abraham did it and was called the friend of God. Rahab did it by sending the spies away safely. 

    We are called to act upon the faith that we have. We can know what is right. We can already be saved from hell. We can come to church two or three times a week. We can be on our way to heaven and yet not experience heaven as a part of history! Until we act upon the Word of God and start living it out, what does it profit? Faith without works will not profit a brother or sister in need of food or clothing nor will it profit the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

    “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26). James compares faith to the body and works to the spirit. When does a human body die? When it loses its spirit which keeps it alive. When does a Christian’s faith die? When he stops using it. Like a muscle, if you stop using it, it atrophies and withers away. You won’t experience the transforming power of God if you stop putting your faith to work! Just as the human spirit gives life to the body, good works give life to your faith (James 2:26). You can have correct belief and lots of Bible knowledge, but if you stop acting on that belief and knowledge, your faith will weaken and become a creedal corpse.

    A little girl who really believed in prayer, had a brother who made a trap that caught little sparrows, and she prayed that it would fail. Suddenly, for three days her face was radiant when she prayed and her absolute faith in the futility of the trap was so noticeable that her mother asked, “Julia, how can you be so confident?” Julia smiled, “Because, dear Mama, I went out three days ago and kicked that trap to pieces.” She literally put her faith to work.

    If we are going to keep our faith alive in these uncertain times, we must put it to work. Not by kicking traps, but by meeting the felt needs of the people God is calling us to reach – by introducing them to Christ and by discipling them and sending them out to do the same. We can decide today how we will live our lives in these chaotic times. Will you choose to keep your faith alive and vigorous by putting it to work in obedience to God? God wants our faith to thrive, not die. What about you?

    In the message I recently heard, I understood the pastor to say that genuine saving faith is a part of justification and is accompanied by good works which will accomplish final vindication. I call this backloading the gospel. That is, one must manifest good works as a necessary proof of genuine salvation. This is also known as Calvinism or Reformed Theology. [21] Those who backload the gospel by requiring good works to stay saved represent Arminianism.  There are other teachers who mistakenly frontload the gospel by requiring good works to go to heaven (Roman Catholic & Traditional Protestantism). Whether you frontload or backload the gospel with good works, you are still teaching you MUST HAVE GOOD WORKS to ultimately go to heaven. Consider these options in this chart which are taught today:

    ScenarioFaith in Jesus Christ + good works = maybe heavenFaith in Jesus Christ = maybe heaven if you maintain good works, confess your sins, remain faithful, etc.Faith in Jesus Christ = salvation + good works to ultimately arrive in heaven
    ProponentsRomanism & Traditional ProtestantismArminianismCalvinism/Reformed Theology

    Each of these scenarios requires good works to ultimately arrive at heaven. This is NOT GRACE. “But if it is of works, it is no longer grace.” (Rom. 11:6). Good works are not the means of obtaining or maintaining salvation from hell but are designed to be the result of receiving God’s free gift of salvation (Ephes. 2:8-10). When good works are required to enter heaven, how will you ever know when you have done enough?

    Faith in Christ alone will still take us to heaven (John 6:47) even if it does not produce good works through a life of obedience. But faith without works will not save us from the damaging effects of sin now (James 1:15, 19-22) and an unfavorable experience at the Judgment Seat of Christ in the future (James 2:12-13). When we do the Word of God and not just hear it, people are able to see what we believe and benefit from our actions (2:14-20). James illustrates this principle with the lives of Abraham and Rahab (James 2:21-25). Both were justified before God through faith alone, but both were also justified before men through a faith that was made visible through good works. When we put our faith into action through obedience to God’s Word, our faith is energized and we develop a closer relationship with Christ (James 2:26; cf. John 14:21; 15:14) that other people can see and benefit from.

    I pray the church would return to the true gospel which says faith alone in Christ alone gets us to heaven (John 3:15-18; Ephes. 2:8-9). But bringing heaven to earth is through the discipleship (sanctification) process and it is based upon faith plus works (Matt. 28:18-20; James 2:14-26).

    Failure to distinguish salvation from discipleship (see chart below) has caused much confusion among Christians and non-Christians.

    When Christians use discipleship conditions to tell a non-Christian how to get to heaven, they are making it more difficult for that unsaved person to be saved since they are missing the object of saving faith – believing in Jesus Christ alone for His gift of eternal life. They also undermine the assurance of salvation among Christians because it is impossible for them to know if they have done enough to know for certain they will go to heaven. God does not want His children doubting they are saved because they will live by fear instead of by faith (I John 5:13; cf. 2 Cor. 5:6-8). May all Christians repent or change their minds and submit to the Lordship of Christ by proclaiming the object of saving faith to a lost world – believing in Christ alone for His free gift of eternal life. And after a person believes in Jesus alone for eternal life, may Christians disciple or train that new believer to follow Jesus as His disciple all the days of his or her life (cf. Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27, 57-62; 14:25-33; John 8:30-32; 13:34-35; 15:1-8) so they may glorify God now (Matt. 5:16) and throughout eternity with the eternal rewards they will receive at the Judgment Seat of Christ (I Cor. 3:8-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-11; Rev. 4:9-11).

    Prayer: Precious Lord, this message really cuts deep into my apathetic heart. My knowledge of the truth can grow greatly, but if I do not put it into practice, my faith becomes dead or useless to You and to others. No wonder I have lost my fervor for You Lord Jesus. My head is swollen with Bible knowledge, but my heart is cold because I have not applied what I already know to be true. Thank You for exposing the judgmentalism of my heart. I have avoided my own responsibility of putting my faith to work by focusing on the shortcomings of others who profess faith in Jesus without any accompanying good works. Only You can determine if a person is truly saved from hell because only You can see a person’s faith in Christ apart from any works. This world would be a much better place if all Christians would put what they know into practice. Lord, I want to be a part of the solution to the world’s problems by putting my faith to work. It is so easy for me to sit back and criticize others for doing very little while I, too, talk about faith more than I live it out. Forgive me, Lord, for being preoccupied with myself and what I know to be true instead of putting it into practice. Please show me whom You want me to get involved with so they can benefit from my relationship with You and come to know You as their Savior. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

    FOOTNOTES:

    [1] Proponents of this view are James Arminius, The Works of James Arminius: The London Edition 3 Vol., (Baker Books, 1986); William J. Abraham, Wesley for Armchair Theologians (Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox Press, 2005); Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation edited by Clark H. Pinnock and John D. Wagner (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2015); Kenneth J. Collins, The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley’s Theology (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997);  Kenneth J. Collins, The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007); F. Leroy Forlines, Classical Arminianism (Nashville, TN: Randall House Publications, 2011).

    [2] Proponents include Donald W. Burdick, “James,” in Hebrews-Revelation Vol. 12 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981); John Calvin, Acts of the Council of Trent: with the Antidote, 6th Session, can.11; Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982); Buist M. Fanning, “A Theology of James,” in A Biblical Theology of the New Testament Edited by Roy B. Zuck (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), pp. 417-35; John F. MacArthur, Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993), pp. 139-155; John F. MacArthur, Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus (Nashvile: Thomas Nelson, 2003), pg. 93; Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000); Joseph K. Pak, “A Study of Selected Passages on Distinguishing Marks of Genuine and False Believers,” PhD diss., (Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001); John Piper, “Battling the Unbelief of Bitterness (1988, Sermon 658),” http://www.desiringgod.org/resourceLibrary; John Piper, Beyond the Gold (Desiring God Radio, May 14, 2006); John Piper, The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T.  Wright (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2007); Paul A. Rainbow, The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification (Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2005); Alan P. Stanley, Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? The Role of Works in Salvation in the Synoptic Gospels (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publishers, 2006).

    [3] Proponents include Joseph Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of The Servant Kings: Fourth Revised Edition (Grace Theology Press, 2018 Kindle Edition), pp. 401-430; Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (B & H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2019), pp. 2867 – 2890; John F. Hart, “How to Energize Our Faith: Reconsidering the Meaning of James 2:14-26,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 12, no. 1 (Spring 1999); Zane C. Hodges, Dead Faith: What Is It? (Dallas, Redencion Viva, 1987); Zane C. Hodges, “James,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition Edited by Robert N. Wilkin (Grace Evangelical Society, Kindle Edition, 2019), pp. 541-562; R. T. Kendall, Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979); R. T. Kendall, Once Saved, Always Saved, Reprint (Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media, 2004 ed., London: Hodder and Straughton, 1984); John Niemela, “Faith Without Works: A Definition 1,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 6, no. 2 (April 2000); Robert Wilkin, “Another View of Faith and Works in James 2,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 15, no. 2 (Fall 2002).

    [4] John 1:7, 12, 50; 2:11, 22, 23; 3:12(2), 15, 16, 18(3), 36; 4:21, 39, 41, 42, 48, 50, 53; 5:24, 38, 44, 46(2), 47(2); 6:29, 30, 35, 36, 40, 47,  64(2), 69; 7:5, 31, 38, 39, 48; 8:24, 30, 31, 45, 46; 9:18, 35, 36, 38; 10:25, 26, 37, 38(3), 42; 11:15, 25, 26(2), 27, 40, 42, 45, 48; 12:11, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 44(2), 46, 47; 13:19; 14:1(2), 10, 11(2), 12, 29; 16:9, 27, 30, 31; 17:8, 20, 21; 19:35; 20:8, 25, 29(2), 31(2).

    [5] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: Third Edition revised and edited by Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000 Kindle Edition), pp. 816-817.

    [6] Scripture quotations in this article will be from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

    [7] In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus came so that those who believe in Him may have eternal “life” as a free gift and experience it more “abundantly” both now and in eternity. When eternal life is addressed as a present possession it is always received as a free gift by believing in Jesus alone (John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:35, 40, 47; 11:25-26; cf. I Tim. 1:16; I John 5:13). But when eternal life is referred to as a future acquisition it refers to an eternal reward (a more abundant experience of that life both now and in eternity) that is based on obedience to Christ’s Word and sacrificial living for Him (John 12:24-26; cf. Matt. 19:28-29; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30; Gal. 6:7-9; I Tim. 6:12, 19).

    [8] Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on James, pg. 49.

    [9] Davids, The Epistle of James, pg. 120.

    [10] Mē echē mē dynatai hē pistis sōsai auton?

    [11] Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on James, pg. 50.

    [12] Hodges, “James,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, pg. 549.

    [13] Ibid.

    [14] R. Larry Moyer, You Can Tell It! Seminar On Personal Evangelism Instructor Manual, EvanTell, Inc., 2003, 46-47; Larry Moyer, Free and Clear: Understanding & Communicating God’s Offer of Eternal Life, (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997), pp. 108-113.

    [15] The Greek word translated “brought forth” (apokueō) is the same word used in James 1:15, “And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth [apokueō] death.” “Sin, James is saying, ‘gives birth’ to death, but God ‘gives birth’ to believers!” (Hodges, “James,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, pg. 544.)

    [16] The Bible refers to three types of salvation (see diagram below): Past salvation refers to being saved from the penalty of sin the moment a person believes in Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:16-17; Rom. 4:5; Ephes. 2:8-9) and is called justification. Present salvation involves being saved from the power of sin in the Christian life (Mark 8:34-38; Phil. 1:19-20; 2:12-13; James 1:21-22; 2:14-26) and is called sanctification. Future salvation is when we will be saved from the presence of sin (Rom. 8:18-23; Heb. 1:14; 2:3-5; 9:28; I Pet. 1:5; I John 3:2) and is called glorification. Always pay attention to the context to determine the tense of salvation.

    [17]  Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, pp. 982-983.

    [18] Adapted from Charlie Bing, “Demon Faith and the Misuse of James 2:19,” GraceNotes – no. 47 at gracelife.org.

    [19] Ibid.

    [20] Hodges, “James,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, pg. 552.

    [21] Proponents of this view include John McArthur, R.C. Sproul, James Montgomery Boice, John Piper, etc.

    I John 4 – Part 5

    “4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 5:1a Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” I John 4:21-5:1a

    When I was conducting discipleship training seminars in the Philippines, I would sometimes be asked by participants, “What if a person professes faith in Christ but does not go on to grow spiritually or produce fruit in their Christian life, are they truly saved?” This question assumes that a genuine Christian will grow spiritually or produce good works, and if he or she does not, then they are not saved. This kind of thinking is common among those who believe the book of I John was written to provide tests to see if you are genuinely saved and going to heaven when you die. 1 Those who hold this position would say if a professing Christian does not love his Christian brother, then he or she is not truly saved.

    When I was asked this kind of question, I would encourage our seminar participants not to judge the professing Christian who doesn’t go on to grow in the Christian life. Instead, I encouraged them to ask the professing Christian three questions to help that person discern their own spiritual condition. 2

    Does the professing believer believe the simplicity of the gospel? That is, do they believe that Christ paid the full penalty for their sins when He died on the cross and rose from the dead, so that God can now forgive them based on what He has done for them, not what they do for Him? A professing believer may not grow because they have not understood the gospel and believed in Christ alone for salvation and therefore do not have the Holy Spirit inside them to empower them to become more like Christ. If they do not understand the gospel, it is essential that we share the clear gospel of Christ with them so they may believe in Christ alone who died for their sin and rose from the dead to receive His gift of eternal life and the Holy Spirit to help them begin growing in the Christian life (cf. John 3:14-16; 7:37-39; I Cor. 15:3-6).

    Have they been trained by a disciple of Christ since professing faith in Jesus? Too often the reason a new believer does not grow is because the church has neglected to come alongside of them to teach them how to live the Christian life. It is much easier to say a struggling new believer is not saved and evangelize him or her than it is to get more involved in their lives and disciple them. Also, it is unrealistic to expect new believers to be where we are at in a few weeks when it has taken us several years to grow to where we are at now.

    Has the professing believer believed in Christ and then fallen away from the Lord? The Bible makes it clear that believers can fall away from the Lord and live contrary to His will. Examples include King Saul (I Samuel 28:4-19), King David (2 Samuel 11), King Solomon (I Kings 11:1-13), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), the Corinthian believers who were factious, immoral, and prone to drunkenness (I Corinthians 3:1-6:20; 11:29-32), the Galatians who lapsed into the worst form of legalism (Galatians 1:6-9; 2:11-3:4; 4:16-5:4; 6:12-13), the Ephesians who engaged in Satanic arts for up to two years after their conversion (Acts 19:1-20), the readers of James who were arrogant, argumentative, slanderous and temperamental (James 2:1-13; 3:1-18; 5:1-6), and Demas (2 Timothy 4:10; cf. John 15:6; I Corinthians 3:15; Hebrews 6:4-8).

    It is important to warn the Christian who has fallen away from God of the painful discipline of God now (cf. John 15:6; Heb. 6:7-8; 10:26-31; 12:5-11, 28-29) and the painful loss of eternal rewards in the future at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matt. 8:12; 22:11-13; 24:48-51; 25:24-30; Luke 19:20-26; Rom. 14:10-12; I Cor. 3:8-15; 4:5; 9:24-27; 2 Cor. 5:9-11; I John 2:28; 2 John 1:8; et al. ).

    Asking these three questions will help you discern what the professing believer needs. Don’t just assume they are unsaved because they are not manifesting enough fruit. Meet them where they are at so you can more effectively impact their lives.

    The book of I John informs us that the reason a believer is not growing is because he or she is out of fellowship with God (1:1-4ff). This may include having unconfessed sin (I John 1:7-10), disobedience to God’s commands (I John 2:3-6; 3:24), hatred toward other believers (I John 2:7-11; 3:10-15; 4:7-21), love for the world and the things of the world (I John 2:15-16), deception by false teachers concerning assurance of salvation and the identity of Christ (I John 2:18-27; 4:1-6; 5:6-13), misunderstanding one’s true identity in Christ (I John 3:1-9), not practicing righteousness which includes failure to love other Christians (I John 3:10-18), and not confessing that Jesus is the Son of God (I John 4:14-15).

    In our study of I John, we finished the body of the epistle (2:28-4:19) which ended with the words, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (4:19). 3 The way we make our love for God visible is by loving other Christians (I John 4:12-16). Some Christians may read 4:19 and say, “It is easy for me to love God because He does not have any faults or imperfections. But loving my Christian brother or sister is another story because I have seen them up close and they are full of faults.” 4

    John responds to this type of thinking when he writes, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (I John 4:20). John reminds his readers (including us) that a Christian cannot claim to “love God” and at the same time he “hates his brother.” Such a claim is false (“he is a liar”). However, it is understandable for a believer to think it is easier to “love God whom he has not seen” than to “love his” Christian “brother whom he has seen,” especially when he does not like what he sees in a fellow Christian. 

    “If I can see a physical being and am not willing to meet his physical needs, how can I possibly love a spiritual being whose needs I cannot see? That’s his reasoning. God’s commands draw our love for God and our brothers together. If we don’t keep His commands, we don’t love Him. And He commands us to love other believers. So, if we don’t love other believers, we don’t love God. Thus, to claim to love God when I don’t love my brother/sister makes me a liar.” 5

    It is important to know that our love for God is not measured by what we say (“I love God”), but by what we do 6 (“let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” – 3:18). Nor is Christian love an emotion.

    “The word for love throughout John is agapē, a word found only once in all of secular Greek, that is, Greek outside the Bible. And the amount of non-biblical Greek literature we have must be a thousand times more than the amount of Greek we have in the Bible, but this word agapē occurs in that literature only once. That should be a clue to us that this kind of love is only from God. And the issue here is not whether we feel warm and fuzzy toward God, but cold and callous toward our Christian brother/sister. The issue is action.” 7

    John has made it clear that loving God involves obeying His commandments, especially the command to love one another (I John 2:3-11; 3:16-24; 4:7-21; cf. John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:10-14). If a believer does not obey God’s commands, He does not love God no matter what he says or feels. Hence, a Christian who says, “I love God,” but does not obey God’s command to love his Christian brother, “is a liar” (4:20).8

    In addition, God commands us to love both Himself and our fellow Christian brothers and sisters: “And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (I John 4:21). Notice the word “commandment” is singular and includes loving God and one’s Christian “brother” or sister. We cannot claim to love our invisible God if we do not love our fellow believer standing in front of us (4:20). We must not deceive ourselves. God’s commandment has interwoven loving Him and loving His children (4:21). We cannot disconnect them. 9

    Imagine someone telling you that he or she loved your head, but they hated your body. How would you feel? It would be hurtful, would it not!?! The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ “is the head of the body, the church…” (Col. 1:18; cf. Col. 1:24; Ephes. 1:22-23; 4:15; 5:23, 30). Christ is our head, and His church is His body. How would Jesus feel if we said we love Him, but we detest His body? This would deeply hurt our Lord. When we are unloving toward other Christians, we are unloving toward our head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

    John anticipated his readers (including you and me) asking, “Who then is my Christian brother or sister?” John writes, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…” (I John 5:1a). John defines a Christian brother or sister as “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ.” The word “whoever” includes everyone with no exceptions. When the apostle uses the word “whoever,” he is inviting every person to become a Christian regardless of their country, culture, color, good works, lifestyle, or obedience. This includes the worst of people and best of people and everyone in between.

    What does John invite every person to do to become a Christian? BELIEVE. In fact, the words God uses most in evangelism in the New Testament are the words “believe” 10and “faith.” 11 Often times, however, Christians substitute other words or clichés to communicate the most important message given to humanity. Instead of using the words God uses most, they tell a non-Christian to accept Christ, be baptized, turn from your sins or be sorry for your sins, confess your sins, pray the sinner’s prayer, give your life or your heart to Jesus, ask Jesus into your heart, confess Jesus is Lord, follow or obey Jesus, commit your life to Christ, submit to Jesus as your Lord and Master, or surrender your life to Christ.

    I am not suggesting that no one has been born again when these clichés are included in a gospel presentation. In fact, there have been times in my own life when I have used some of these phrases. I like what evangelist Larry Moyer has said, “God can still use a crooked arrow to hit a target.” God can still use our unclear gospel presentations to help people come to Christ. But why use an unclear phrase or cliché which will do more to confuse a lost person than clarify what he must do to obtain eternal life? Would it not be better to use the clearest presentation possible so that the unsaved person has the best opportunity to respond to the gospel the way God wants him to respond?

    The word translated “believes” (pisteuōn) in I John 5:1 means to be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ and is therefore worthy of your trust. 12 To believe “Jesus is the Christ” is to believe that He is the promised Messiah-God (“Christ”) Who guarantees a future resurrection and never-ending life to all who believe in Him (cf. John 11:25-27). The one who believes Jesus is the Christ “is born of God.” The phrase “born of God” refers to new birth.

    Some theologians or Bible students will respond, “Oh, yes, there needs to be a confession of faith in Christ, but the person also needs to manifest fruit or good works or his or her profession of faith is false. A good root produces good fruit.“

    There is a problem with this response which I will now illustrate. I live in the Midwest where deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall. Our state’s tree is the oak tree. During the winter, you could not tell if an oak tree was dead or alive simply by looking at its outward appearance. No one could tell if an oak tree is dead or alive in the middle of winter here … except God. Since God knows everything, He can see the root when all we can see is the fruit. Just because there is no fruit for a period of time does not prove there is no root. 13

    Since God can see faith alone with no accompanying outward manifestation, he only requires faith alone in Christ alone to be justified before Him (Rom. 4:5; Gal. 2:16) or have eternal life (John 3:15-16; 6:40, 47; et al.). But for people to see another person’s faith, it must be accompanied by works. This is why the Bible distinguishes justification before God (faith alone – Rom. 4:5; Ephes. 2:8-9) from justification before man (faith plus works – James 2:14-26). Justification before God is necessary to get to heaven. Justification before people is necessary to bring heaven down to earth (i.e., discipleship or spiritual growth).

    Since Christians are not all-knowing like God, we are to take a person’s confession of faith in Christ as true. This is what Jesus did in John 11. After Jesus claimed to be the resurrection and the life, and He guaranteed a physical resurrection and never-ending life to those who believe in Him (John 11:25-26a), He asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b). Christ is seeking a confession from her. He is not asking her to change her life or produce good works. Martha replies, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27). Neither she nor Jesus analyzes her faith to distinguish head faith from heart faith. Martha confidently affirms that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” What Martha believes about Jesus is exactly what John says in His purpose statement is all that a person must believe to have everlasting life (John 20:31). She knows she has believed in Christ, the Son of God, and therefore she is certain she has eternal life.

    Does Jesus correct Martha’s response? Does He caution her to wait and see if her faith is real (as so many do today) through the manifestation of good works or fruit first before making such a confession? Does He ask her if she believes in her “heart” and not merely in her “head”? He does not because as long as any sinner comes to believe that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life,” that is, “the Christ, the Son of God,” he or she knows they have everlasting life.

    John then writes, “And everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” (I John 5:1b). The apostle is telling us that our love for God’s children is not based on their lifestyle or performance. It has nothing to do with their worthiness or deservedness. Our love for God’s children is based on our love for the Father of these children.

    “If we love the ‘Begetter,’ we should love the ‘begotten.’ If we love the Father, we should love His children. No love for the children? Then, no love for the Father.” 14

    As I read David Anderson’s commentary recently on I John, I was reminded of people who prayed for our family while all of us were living overseas in the Philippines. Even though some of these prayer partners had never met our children, they still cared enough and loved them enough to ask how they were doing and how they could pray for them. The reason they cared enough to pray for our children and ask about them was because for some unknown reason they loved their father. My children were an extension of me. It did not matter how well my kids behaved or how deserving they were. These prayer warriors simply loved my children because they loved their father. To love the father is to love his children. 15

    This is what the apostle John is saying in I John 5:1b. We are to love God’s children because we love the Father Who has begotten them. When we love God the Father, we love those who are born of Him. Whoever believes Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Begetter also loves all who are His begotten.

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your amazing love for us that sent Your only perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross to pay the full penalty for all our sins so we may be born into Your forever family the moment we believe Jesus is the Christ. Although You are unseen, we can make Your love visible by loving one another. Loving You involves obeying Your commands, especially the command to love one another. If we claim to love You Whom we cannot see and disobey Your command to love Your children whom we can see, we are deceiving ourselves. Loving other Christians is not based on their performance or worthiness, but on our love for You, the Father of those You have begotten. Forgive us for thinking more of ourselves than You and Your begotten children. And please help us show Your love to one another as You have shown to us through the Lord Jesus. In His mighty name we pray. Amen.

    ENDNOTES:

    1. David R. Anderson, Maximum Joy: I John – Relationship or Fellowship? (Grace Theology Press, 2013 Kindle Edition), pg. 15 cites John MacArthur, Jr., Saved without a Doubt (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications, 1992), pp. 67-91.

    2. Jeff Ropp, The Greatest Need in Evangelism Today is One Word: BELIEVE (Jeff Ropp, 2014), pp. 35-36 cites Larry Moyer, You Can Tell It! Seminar On Personal Evangelism Instructor Manual (EvanTell, Inc., 2003), pp. 46-47; cf. Larry Moyer, Free and Clear: Understanding & Communicating God’s Offer of Eternal Life, (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997), pp. 108-113.

    3. The majority of Greek manuscripts contain the word “Him” (Auton) in 4:19. See Zane C. Hodges; Robert Wilkin; J. Bond; Gary Derickson; Brad Doskocil; Dwight Hunt; Shawn Leach; The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition (Grace Evangelical Society, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 601.

    4. Anderson, Maximum Joy, pg. 225.

    5. Ibid., pp. 225-226.

    6. Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (B & H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 2949.

    7. Anderson, Maximum Joy, pg. 225.

    8. Hodges, The Grace New Testament Commentary, pg. 601.

    9. Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, pg. 2949.

    10 Matt. 18:6; 21: 32(3); 24:23, 26; 27:42; Mark 1:15, 9:42; 15:32;16:16(2), 17; Luke 8:12, 13; 22:67; John 1:7, 12, 50; 2:11, 23; 3:12(2), 15, 16, 18(3), 36(2); 4:39, 41, 42, 48, 53; 5:24, 38, 44, 45, 46, 47(2); 6:29, 30, 35, 36, 40, 47, 64, 69; 7:5, 31, 38(2), 39, 48; 8:24, 30, 31, 45, 46; 9:35, 36, 38; 10:25, 26, 37, 38(3), 42; 11:25, 26, 27(2), 42, 45, 48; 12:11, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 44(2), 46, 47; 13:19; 14:12; 16:9, 27; 17:8, 20, 21; 19:35; 20:29, 31(2); Acts 2:44; 4:4, 32; 5:14; 8:12, 13, 37(2); 9:42; 10:43, 45; 11:17, 21; 13:12, 39, 41, 48; 14:1, 23, 27; 15:5, 7; 16:1, 31, 34; 17:4, 5, 12, 34; 18:8, 27; 19:2, 4, 9, 18; 21:20, 25; 22:19; 26:27(2); 28:24(2); Rom. 1:16; 3:3, 22, 4:3, 5, 11, 17, 24; 9:33; 10:4, 9, 10, 11, 14(2), 16; 13:11; 15:31; I Cor. 1:21; 3:5; 7:12, 13; 9:5; 10:27; 14:22(2); 15:2, 11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 2:16; 3:6, 9, 22; Eph. 1:13, 19; Phil. 1:29; I Thess. 1:7; 2:10; 4:14; 2 Thess. 1:10; 2:12,13; I Tim. 1:16; 3:16; 4:3, 10; 6:2(2); 2 Tim. 1:12; Tit. 3:8; Heb. 11:31; I Pet. 1:21;2:6, 7; I John 3:23; 5:1, 5, 10(3), 13.

    11. Matt. 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 7:50; 17:19; 18:42; Acts 6:7; 14:22, 27; 15:9; 16:5; 20:21; 24:24; 26:18; Rom. 1:17; 3:3, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30(2), 31; 4:5, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16 (2); 5:1, 2; 9:30, 32; 10:6, 8, 17; 11:20; 16:26; I Cor. 15:14, 17; Gal. 2:16 (2); 3:2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 22, 24, 26; 5:5; Ephes. 2:8; Phil. 3:9(2); Col. 1:4; 2 Thess. 3:2; 2 Tim. 3:15; Tit. 1:4; Heb. 6:1;11:31; James 2:1, 23, 24; I Pet. 1:21; 2 Pet. 1:5; I John 5:4.

    12. Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: Third Edition (BDAG) revised and edited by Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000 Kindle Edition), pp. 816-817.

    13. Adapted from Anderson, Maximum Joy, pg. 226.

    14. Ibid., pg. 227.

    15. Ibid.

    The Anchor of our Souls

    “19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20

    An anchor was a popular image in the ancient Mediterranean world. Because that economy depended on shipping, the anchor came to symbolize safety and steadiness. The writer of Hebrews used the word to remind believers that God has given us a hope that holds firm in any storm.

    Hope is a healthy attitude. In the book of Hebrews, “hope” (elpidos, 3:6; 6:11, 18-19; 7:19; 10:23; 11:1) is the confident expectation of God fulfilling His promises. 1 Anticipating good from God brings comfort to the mind and heart. In contrast, a state of hopelessness is a terrible condition in which to find oneself. It is overwhelming and depressing to think that what you are facing cannot be changed or resolved. For the person who has lost all hope, life looks like a long, dark tunnel going nowhere.

    The author of Hebrews was writing to Christians who were facing hardship and persecution because of their Christian faith. Some were tempted to abandon Christ and return to Judaism because they had lost hope. He is urging them to persevere by returning to the hope that they have in Jesus Christ to inherit the promise of ruling with Him.

    He uses a metaphor used only here in the Bible (6:19) of an “anchor” (ankyran). But instead of going down into the ocean, this anchor goes up into the heavens, behind the veil, where Jesus has entered as a Forerunner for us. He has become our High Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. The main reason a ship needs an anchor is to ride out storms so that it is not blown off course or into the rocks or reefs nearby. Even in a safe harbor, a ship needs an anchor so that it will not drift, hit something, and sink. Whether in the storms of life or in the harbor during the calm times of life, we all need an anchor for our souls so that our lives are not destroyed.

    The writer of Hebrews wants his readers to be “diligent” or hard working to the end of their Christian lives (6:11) so they won’t be sluggish (6:12) like he said they were earlier (5:11). Remaining diligent to the end of their lives will enable them to “inherit the promises” of God, especially the reward of ruling with Christ as His companions (Heb. 1:4-5, 8-9, 13-14; 3:1, 14; cf. Psalm 2:7-8; Matthew 19:28-29; Luke 22:28-30; Rom. 8:16-17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:25-27; 3:21). How can we remain faithful to Christ so we can inherit the promise of ruling with Him?

    First, we must rely on the promises of God which cannot fail (Heb. 6:13-15). This is what Abraham did during the storms in his life. Abraham’s life is the story of God initiating and promising, with Abraham responding in faith. God appeared to Abraham while he was still named Abram, living in Ur of the Chaldees. He commanded Abram to leave his relatives and that city and go to a place that God would show him (Gen. 12:1-3; cf. Acts 7:2-3). Abram’s obedience was not easy. In that day, you didn’t just pack up a moving truck and head out on the highway, keeping in touch with the folks back home through frequent emails and phone calls. To move hundreds of miles away meant permanent separation from family and friends. There were unknown hardships to be encountered. Would the people of the new land be hostile or friendly? Could you provide adequately for your family there? What about learning the new language? There weren’t real estate offices to help you get resettled into a new home. Where would you live?

    But Abram obeyed (Gen. 12:4).God had promised to multiply Abram, making him the father of a great nation (Gen. 12:2; cf. 13:15-16; 15:5). His name, Abram, meant, “exalted father,” but his wife Sarah was barren. They were getting up in years but had no children despite God’s promise. Can you imagine the encounters he had as he and Sarah moved into Canaan? This seventy-five-year-old man says, “Hello, my name is Abram [exalted father].” The Canaanite responds, “Nice to meet you. How many children do you have?” “None yet.”

    But then God added insult to injury. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, reaffirmed His promise to multiply him exceedingly (Gen. 17:2-4), and then changed his name to “Abraham,” meaning “father of a multitude” (Gen. 17:5)! He has been waiting for twenty-four years since God first promised to give him a son. He still has no children, except for Ishmael through Hagar. But now he tells everyone that God has given him a new name, “father of a multitude”! It would be like a bald man named Harry, and God says, “Let’s change your name to Bushy-haired Harry”!

    Years after God blessed Abraham with his promised son, Isaac, he was then told by God to sacrifice Isaac. “Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” (Gen. 22:2). Can you imagine how difficult this must have been for Abraham? He had waited twenty-five years for Isaac to be born. And now God wants him to kill his only son on the altar of sacrifice?!

    But Abraham obeyed. Why? The Bible tells us: “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham was still trusting God to fulfill His former promise regarding his descendants by expecting Him to raise Isaac from the dead. Now we are ready for Hebrews 6:13-15.

    “13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.’ 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Heb. 6:13-15). The phrase “God swore by Himself” signifies that He binds His word to His character. The “promise”to which the writer referred here was the one God gave Abraham after he had obeyed God by offering up Isaac.

    In 6:14 when the writer of Hebrews quoted from Genesis 22, the Lord is referring to the messianic aspects of God’s promise. “16 By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:16-18). Just as Abraham’s obedience would reap future blessings in the Messiah’s kingdom, so too, Christians who persevere in obedience to Christ would also reap blessings in His coming kingdom – especially the reward of ruling with Jesus (cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:25-27; 3:21).

    The writer was calling his readers to do what God called Abraham to do when He instructed him to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah. They too needed to continue to trust and obey, as they had done in the past, even though circumstances appeared as if their perseverance would result in tragedy. 2 The lesson for us is there has never been anyone who trusted in God’s promises and was finally disappointed. God may delay the visible answers to His promises because He always answers in His time, not in ours. We may not see the answer until we are in heaven. But He is utterly trustworthy to keep His Word. If He has promised eternal rewards to the one who perseveres to the end, you can count on it as absolutely true!

    The second way to remain faithful to Christ is to rest in the Person of God Who cannot lie (6:16-18a). The author now focuses on “the oath” that God made to Abraham. “For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.” (Heb. 6:16).  When a person wants to end an argument, one way to do so is to appeal to a higher authority with an oath. For example, some people do this by saying, “I am telling the truth so help me God.” Even God used “an oath” to guarantee His promise to bless Abraham greatly (Gen. 22:16).

    “God swore on Himself by Himself and ended any further discussion with His legal affirmation. His promises are as true as He is. Those who believe Him and endure will receive the rewards of His faithfulness.” 3

    “17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie.” (Heb. 6:17-18a). This messianic hope was not only certain for Abraham, but also for the Christian “heirs” who remained faithful to the end. So, the promise and the oath are the “two immutable [or unchanging] things” since “it is impossible for God to lie.”If God lied, He would deny His very nature as the God of truth, Whose very word is truth (Isa. 65:16; John 14:6; 17:17). If God has said that we will rule with Christ if we remain faithful to Him (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:25-27), then it is true, and we dare not question Him!

    We are all prone to bend the truth when it suits our purposes. But God is not like us. It is impossible for God to lie. He has never lied in all of eternity. When we doubt His promises, and especially His promise of ruling with Christ, we are in effect calling Him a liar! Our hope of reigning with Christ if we remain faithful is certain because God’s Person is incapable of lying. God’s doubly strong promise to Abraham, then, can be a “great (doubly strong) consolation” to us, now, because God has also promised us future blessings. Specifically, He has promised that we will receive the reward of ruling with Christ if we remain faithful to Him until the end of our Christian lives (cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:25-27).

    The third way to remain faithful to Christ is to run to our hope which is anchored in the priesthood of Jesus Christ (6:18b-20). The figure that closes verse 18 is an Old Testament one. “…We might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (Heb. 6:18b). When we are tempted to give up on God during trials, we can “flee for refuge” to the promises of God. We can “lay hold of” them, just as a fearful person in Israel could flee to the altar of burnt offerings, take hold of its horns, and be safe from his assailants (cf. I Kings 1:49-51; 2:28-39). The cities of refuge also provided safety for the Israelites (Num. 35:9-15; Joshua 20). But we have a much better “refuge” than the Israelites did in Judaism. Our refuge is anchored in the Priesthood of Christ. The “We… who have fled for refuge” implies not every Christian takes refuge in the Lord. We have already seen that this is true (Hebrews 6:1–9). Some Christians produce thorns and thistles for the Lord – they turn their backs on Him with hardened hearts.

    In 6:19-20 the writer uses another type of figure to illustrate our hope in Christ. He uses the idea of an anchor which is securely dropped in the harbor. “19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb. 6:19-20). In the first century, sailors would carry their ship’s anchor in a smaller boat called a “forerunner” and deposit it on the shore, so that the ship would not drift away as waves beat against it.

    “The Greek word for forerunner was used in the second century A.D. of the smaller boats sent into the harbor by larger ships unable to enter due to the buffeting of the weather. These smaller boats carried the anchor through the breakers inside the harbor and dropped it there, securing the larger ship. Forerunner presupposes that others will follow. Thus, Jesus is not only the believer’s anchor, but He is like a runner boat that has taken our anchor into port and secured it there.

    There is thus no doubt as to whether this vessel is going into port. The only question is whether it will go in with the sleekness of a well-trimmed sailing vessel or like a water-laden barge. Believers who have such a hope in the presence of God should come boldly before the throne of grace (see 4:14-16).” 4

    But instead of going down into the ocean, God’s anchor goes up into the heavens, behind the veil, where Jesus has entered as a Forerunner for us to firmly plant this anchor of hope in heaven for our storm-tossed souls. It should keep us from drifting away from God (cf. 2:1). Our anchor rests firmly in the Holy of Holies (“behind the veil”), in God’s presence in heaven, with Jesus. The “veil” was that thick curtain that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the Jewish tabernacle or the temple. The veil was what separated the place of worship from the inner room where God dwelt with His people.

    “In the context of Hebrews this hope (elpis) is the blood of Christ. In contrast to the Levitical sacrifices, the author declares in 7:19, ‘there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.’ It is Christ’s blood (not animal blood) that has entered the Presence behind the veil, that is, into the heavenly tabernacle and the very presence of God (cf. 9:11-12). The ones entitled to strong consolation are those who continue holding fast to this hope. Indeed, it is an anchor of the soul that only the priest according to the order of Melchizedek can provide. Those who turn away from this and retreat back to some form of Judaism will find no consolation there.” 5

    What Hebrews 6:19-20 is saying is we have a hope, anchored in the blood of Jesus Christ. And because of Jesus, we as Christians can come before God at any time. We can because of the high priestly ministry of Jesus, which He is doing right now, on our behalf. We can know the high priestly ministry of Jesus right now in our lives. How? He has torn the divider between us and God as our Father. The veil was torn when Jesus died for us (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). We can now enter the holy of holies; we can unite with the Lord and know His compassion and His care. We can grow in our relationship with Him to the point where we know what makes His heart beat faster with joy or what causes Him to be sad or angry. We can know He is using us to do ministry. In all of this, we can know we are walking side by side with Him as His companions—where we know at our core, we are partnering with Him as His companions. 6

    The main reason we need an anchor is to keep us from drifting into things that would destroy us, especially during storms. Abraham had his storms as he waited on God. In two different moments of weakness, he thought that powerful men would take his wife from him, which would have nullified God’s promise of a son through her. And so, he lied that she was his sister. At another moment of despair, he went into Sarah’s maid, Hagar, and conceived Ishmael. But despite these failures, he continued to trust God Who would fulfill His promise.

    We can face many different types of storms that threaten to rob us of hope in Christ. There are storms of deceit in which false teachings try to blow us off course (Eph. 4:14-15). These teachings may say all Christians will receive the same rewards by their position in Christ so there is no need to persevere to the end. Or they may deny that there are rewards in heaven. We must resist these lies by holding firmly to the promise of ruling with Christ as His companions (Heb. 1:8-13; 2 Tim. 2:12).

    There will be storms of doubt, when we question Christ’s future victory over His enemies and our ruling with Him in His glorious Kingdom on earth. We can weather them by coming back to the truth of His promise to bless obedience (Heb. 10:35).

    There will be storms of difficulties, where we wonder why God is allowing them and question whether He loves us. We weather them by remembering that God, Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, will now freely give us all things we need to live a life of faith for Him (Rom. 8:32)! If God did not spare His only Son when we were His enemies, how much more will He give us now that we are His beloved children so we can reign with Christ in the future?!

    There may be storms of defeat, where we fall into sin and dishonor our Lord and Savior. We can weather even these storms if we realize that our High Priest is praying for us, that our faith may not fail, and that by His grace, we can be restored and encourage others to hold fast to Christ (Luke 22:32).

    Where is your anchor? Where is your hope and security? For some people, it is in the temporary things of this earth. Such things as your appearance, achievements, approval, or affluence all of which can change. The writer of Hebrews invites us to move our anchor to heaven in the Person of Jesus Christ. You can do that by believing in Jesus Who shed His blood on a cross for all your sins and rose from the dead so you may have everlasting life and a future home in heaven (John 3:14-15; 14:1-3; Rev. 21-22). Then you can go directly into God’s heavenly throne room any time through prayer to receive whatever is needed for you to remain faithful to Christ and inherit His promise of ruling with Him as His companions in the world to come (Heb. 1:2-13; 3:1, 14; 4:14-16).

    Prayer: Father God, we praise You for Your unchanging promises to which we can flee for refuge when we face storm-tossed times. Thank You for the everlasting hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ Who entered the Presence behind the veil in the heavenly tabernacle as our Forerunner to firmly plant this anchor of hope in heaven for our storm-tossed souls. Our eventual arrival in the port of heaven is guaranteed by this anchor which was deposited there. Having such a hope in Your presence, Father, invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace at any time to receive the grace and mercy we need to remain faithful to Jesus until the end of our lives on earth. Then we may inherit Christ’s promise of ruling with Him as His companions in His coming Kingdom on earth. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.

    ENDNOTES:

    1. Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (B & H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 2835.

    2. Tom Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Hebrews, 2015 Edition, pg. 70.

    3. Rick Oglesby, Among the King’s Companions: Position Yourself Today to Be Among Those Who Rule With Christ (Rick Oglesby, 2018 Kindle Edition), pg. 72.

    4. The NKJV Study Bible formerly titled The Nelson Study Bible New King James Version, Edited by Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007), pg. 1955.

    5. J. Paul Tanner, Robert Wilkin; J. Bond; Gary Derickson; Brad Doskocil; Zane Hodges; Dwight Hunt; Shawn Leach; The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition (Grace Evangelical Society, Kindle Edition, 2019), pp. 520-521.

    6. Oglesby, Among the King’s Companions, pp. 81-82.