Our Mighty Weapons

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

In the days of the judges in Israel, God allowed enemies of Israel to remain to test His people.  God wanted His people to know war, and the second generation of Israelites born in Canaan knew nothing of it (Judges 3:1-4).  It may seem a strange thing God would want His people to know war, but the way they were to fight was different from everyone else.  It was never about global domination, but possessing the land allotted by God for them.  Since God promised to fight for His people, the way to victory was found in seeking God and obedience to Him.  The walls of Jericho were not breached by elaborate war machines or the ingenuity of men, but through faith and obedience to God.  David defeated the giant of Gath not with a sword or spear but faith in God and willingness to meet the one who defied God with a sling and stone picked up from a brook on the way.  It was God - not Israel's great military might or weaponry - who caused terror to fall upon the enemies of Israel and turned their swords upon one another.  The children of Israel needed to know how to battle trusting God as they remained obedient to Him.

I believe people who comprise the true church of Jesus Christ today find themselves in a similar position as the second generation born in Canaan.  Though countless believers in the world today suffer oppression and persecution for their faith in Christ, there are many Christians who remain unfamiliar with war.  There are battles in our own lives we do not know how to fight, and we look with concern at the mighty cultural forces rising in society which furiously oppose God.  The great temptation Christians face is the one the children of Israel needed to learn to avoid, the seeking and reliance upon worldly means to achieve "victory."  There is a temptation to launch campaigns against those who oppose biblical morality, to leverage media to spread the word, to contribute financially to activists, labour for political sway, and push legislation to protect ourselves and interests.  This only scratches the surface of the carnal (fleshly, temporal) weapons people use in the world to get their way.  I am not claiming any of these approaches are wrong in themselves, but they are all wrong if they are substitutes for faith in God and obedience to His Word.

Paul understood this very well.  He lived in a degenerate culture filled with political intrigue, scandalous sin, and the rife persecution of Christians.  There was undoubtedly a temptation for Christians to use the very means those in the world employed so effectively.  But Paul realised the way a Christian deals with conflict is to be completely different from the world, for our God fights our battles.  Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, demonic forces which incessantly labour out of sight to oppose God and destroy His people (Ephesians 6:12).  The conflict we face is primarily a spiritual one.  The only way we can learn to fight and prevail against the onslaught of our enemy (which again are not governments, worldviews, or people but are satanic) is to use the mighty weapons God has provided to pull down strongholds, cast down arguments which oppose God, bring thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, and maintain the righteous integrity of the church.

God has given Christians the indwelling Holy Spirit who girds us with armour and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Prayer is a primary means of rightly fighting the war which rages around us today.  Ephesians 6:18 exhorts us to be "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."  Instead of praying to carnal ends, according to sight or our fleshly desires, we are to pray according to the will of God revealed in scripture.  IF we believe in the power of our God and the effectiveness of the mighty weapons He has provided, we will make constant use of them.  Worldly weapons have limitations:  there are only so many rounds in a clip, effectiveness of firearms depends upon the aim of the shooter, and a blunted blade is ineffective.  Those who kill with the sword can also die by the sword.  Those who trust in the LORD find themselves eternally victorious even if it seems we are "losing" a culture war.  Fighting a culture war according to the culture is a losing proposition, but the victory of Christ through faith cannot be stripped away - even by Satan himself.

The battle is the LORD's, and this is not a call to careless passivity:  we have received our orders from the Most High, and we are called to fight His battle His way.  Instead of wringing our hands about the state of things, taking up worldly weapons to do battle, or digging in underground with the hope of remaining hidden, God wants us to learn of war so we might walk in victory and freedom.  We can pray like we have already won because God already has.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is a fitting exhortation:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  In the joy of the LORD is our strength.