Tuesday: The Great Controversy in Paul’s Letters
Read Romans 13:11-14, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. How do these verses compare with Ephesians 6:10-20? Why do you think Paul uses this kind of imagery?
In his letters, Paul frequently employs military language and imagery, inviting believers to mimic exemplary, soldierly behavior. While Ephesians 6:10-20 represents his longest and most concentrated use, military language exhibits one of his major ways of understanding the gospel story.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Having conquered the “rulers and authorities” at the cross (Colossians 2:15, ESV), the exalted Christ now works out the results of that victory from His position as exalted Lord over the powers (Philippians 2:9-11). Recruiting His followers as combatants in the cosmic war, Christ leads the armies of light toward a grand day of victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Romans 16:20). Gathering up Paul’s uses of military symbolism, we see that he understands the conflict between good and evil to be “a long-running cosmic war: battles ebb and flow between two armies which face each other down through the ages until one wins the final confrontation.” — Peter W. Macky, St. Paul’s Cosmic War Myth: A Military Version of the Gospel (New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1998), p. 1.
Paul’s frequent theme of cosmic war is also part of the fabric of Ephesians. In his call to arms (Ephesians 6:10-20), Paul draws together elements of the cosmic conflict, that he has already used: God’s empowering of believers with immense “power” (Ephesians 1:18-20; Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 3:20); Christ’s victory and exaltation over the powers (Ephesians 1:20-23); believers as a resurrected army of the once-dead but now empowered by their identity with the exalted Christ and able to fight against their former, dark master (Ephesians 2:1-10); the church’s role in revealing to the powers their coming doom (Ephesians 3:10); the use of Psalm 68:18 to portray Christ as the conquering, divine Warrior (Ephesians 4:7-11); and the call for believers to “put on” gospel clothing (see Ephesians 4:20-24). When called to put on God’s “full armor,” we are well prepared to understand the central role of cosmic conflict, but, also, we are to remain firm in the assurance that we have of participating in Christ’s ultimate victory.
| What are some of the ways that you personally have experienced the reality not only of this cosmic conflict, but of the victory we can claim for ourselves in Jesus? Why is understanding His victory for us so foundational to our hope and experience? |
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We are part of The Great Controversy.There is a conflict waging all around us.It is beyond our sight.We should stand against Satan's schemes.We cannot stand against these schemes on our own.We are to incorporate truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation and the Word into our lives.The armour is ready,we just need to take it up.We are not to be distracted or get caught off guard in this spiritual battle.We are to be watchful.
I’m getting together a flyer to hand out to family members at the closing ceremony for my mother’s wake
I appreciate your timing of this note
I plan on using it on the flyer to my mainly Catholic family
Their beliefs on death are misguided by this world
Thanks
Would you be willing to share what you have prepared for your family?
Dear Brother Terrance,
I'm sorry for your Loss. We will be praying for you, in your endeavor to witness to your family. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and be ready to comfort those who want to know more through the Love of Jesus Christ.
God's blessing to you All!
What kind of General is this who died to gain victory? What kind of glory is there in a horrific death? Who is this one who humbly delivered himself to death to achieve success?
Jesus represents the world's conquest in reverse: he was hated because he loved, suffered to offer relief, and died to give life.
Jesus' ways of fighting evil on this planet were improbable in the eyes of the most strategic war generals.
Who is this whose most cosmic-destroyable-atomic weapon was PEACE?
Hi All!
I gave a comment last night, during our "Unchained" series, that "Even after Jesus resurrected Himself from the dead, He still did NOT retaliate, or condemn those that crucified Him". Most of us, if our enemy, or foe, allows us to get back up, we would strategically be planning something to seek some kind of revenge on them, even if only with our words.
But God, our Lord Jesus Christ, did not do that; He did not even go to see those "crazy religious Leaders" that took Him to Pilate, and He did not go to Pilate either, after His resurrection. He told Mary to go and tell His disciples to meet Him. He had the strategic plan of giving His Gospel Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to His Disciples, who would give it to His people from that age to this age.
Jesus know that we would need the Whole Armour of God, in this generation, to fight off the fiery darts of the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. So, instead of wasting His time trying to prove to the "religious leaders", in His resurrected form, that He was right all along, He went straight to His Disciples, and made them Apostles, and trustees of His Word, to give to all of His believers.
I think that if He has gone to the "religious leaders", they still would not have believed Him. They probably would have told the people that it was His ghost that came to them; they knew full well that there is no such thing as ghosts, but they would have use that Lie as a strategic plan to prevent others from converting to Jesus' side. It is amazing what the forces of darkness will use to prevent the children of God from seeking and believing the full Word of God. Our bible says that Jesus is the Word of God, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", John 1:1-2. It's amazing that both Genesis 1 and John 1 begins with the words, "In the beginning...".
We have three more nights in our online Series, "Unchained", Hope and Healing from Addiction. Here's the URL for this series, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4musFo1FHhE. This series is 10 Live Testimonies from 10 different people, on how Jesus delivered them from their various addictions. If you are not able to attend, please pray for us; or share this link with someone you know. You can also go back and watch the last 7 days of the series; it has been a blessing to all that has attended.
God's blessings to you All!
God has already secured the victory for us in Christ. We can overcome anything by his power (Philippians 4:13). It is with this knowledge that I can have confidence that anything I ask in His name, He will give me according to His will (John 14: 13-17).
How have I personally experienced this kind of victory? Many times. One example: many years ago, I was not a Seventh Day Adventist, but I was a recently born again Christian in a Sunday church. I wanted to give up drinking wine when I went out for dinner with my friends because I felt that it wasn’t godly to imbibe anymore. I prayed earnestly that God would remove the desire from me. And he did.
That same year, I also asked God to help me with my struggle over giving so that I could return a faithful tithe and not worry about not having enough for myself at the end of the month. And He did.
And there are others.
Maybe we all need to get to where Job said "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Maybe this was what the Apsotle was trying to get believers of his day to get to, in their daily walk with God? Yet, Job's trials came to an end and God blessed Job more than before his trials and during his trials gave him.
"but I will maintain my own ways before Him"?
Question in the lesson ask: Why is understanding His victory for us so foundational to our hope and experience?
His victory allows us to have victory. His victory gives him the right to be our substitute. He stood in our place, he faced the devil, he took the our DNA, and he had to depend on divine power outside of himself to get the victory, just like you and I have to. His victory is the foundation for giving us victory.