Heavenly Warfare: November 2022
Table of Contents
The Armor of God
The world rejected Him, cast Him out and crucified Him. God “raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins ... and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.” Now we are a heavenly people of our heavenly Lord Jesus Christ who in heaven sits at God’s right hand and on earth is the rejected man. We are called by God as members of His body to stand for Him here on the earth until He comes for us. We must stand against a host of heavenly foes led by Satan. He is a crafty and wily adversary who seeks to defeat God and us, as we stand among men, to present to them Christ our heavenly head. For this warfare we need God’s power and armor. Let us put it on, keep it on, and, in “the power of His might” and “watching with all perseverance” in prayer, “speak boldly” as we ought to speak.
Christian Conflict
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:13).
As soon as a sinner has been born again by the Holy Spirit, he finds himself in conflict. When in and of the world, all was smooth, but when he became a Christian, he found many elements opposing. Now, the question is, What is the Christian’s proper conflict? The Scriptures speak of three: They are Romans 7:14-24, Galatians 5:17 and Ephesians 6:12. Let us then look at each of these conflicts and see which is the proper one for the true child of God.
The Conflict of Romans 7
In the well-known conflict of Romans 7, we have a believer with strong desires after holiness, but instead, we find he is doing the very opposite. He is compelled to say, “The good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do” (vs. 19). Can it be the mind of God that this should be the experience of His children? Surely not, for God would have us rejoice evermore — to have peace with Him and liberty in the Holy Spirit. All may have to pass through this Romans 7 experience, sooner or later, but not to continue in it.
The first step will be to ascertain who or what are in conflict. Verse 14 shows us that, on the one hand, we have the law, which is just and good, while “I am carnal, sold under sin.” Bring together these two, and what will be the result? Conflict. How can that which is carnal do that which is spiritual? The law, while it makes its demands, does not give me power to meet them, and I have no power of my own. What is to be done?
The thought of bringing the law of God down to our level is absurd, but can I bring myself up to the level of the law of God? No, for “the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death” (Rom. 7:5). From this and other scriptures, we learn that the object of law is to bring out man’s sinfulness. But again, the law is our schoolmaster unto Christ (Gal. 3:24), and therefore it has something to teach — that “in me, (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). There can be no real deliverance — no settled peace—until I have learned that there is no good in me at all and that I have no power to produce any. Then, having thus learned myself, Christ comes in and reveals Himself to me as my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Seeing, then, we carnal creatures cannot make ourselves spiritual — the question once more arises, What is to be done? Well, if two persons are walking together and they cannot agree, the only thing is to separate and each go his own way alone. This is just the argument of the apostle in Romans 7:1: “The law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth.” Many years ago, in London, England, a murder was committed, and the police secured the man who no doubt was guilty, but they did not take him to prison, nor yet before the magistrate. The simple reason why they so acted was because the man had committed suicide — he was dead. It was no use to bring him for trial; all they could do with him was to bury him. The law is powerful enough so long as a man lives, but it is powerless when the man is dead.
In Romans 6:6 we read, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him [Christ], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Our old man — what we are as children of Adam — has been crucified with Christ. Now the believer is entitled to reckon himself dead with Christ (Rom. 6:11). After we have confessed that there is nothing good in us, this is the great truth that we need to learn — that we are dead as before God — no longer in the flesh (that is, our evil nature). As to the old Adam, we are set aside, as before God, and we have no longer any standing before God in Adam, our first parent. I repeat the words “before God,” because while we are crucified and dead with Christ, yet we, in our experience, find the flesh still with us, but then we are to “reckon it dead.”
We are become “dead to law” (Rom. 7:4) and also “delivered from it” (Rom. 7:6). The law cannot have power over us, because we are dead. So long as we are in the flesh — united to the first Adam—we cannot be united to Christ, the last Adam. God set aside the old Adam and its belongings at the cross. This being done, the ground was clear for Him to introduce an entirely new creation.
This He did by raising Christ from the dead as the last Adam — the Head of the new creation. Grace has come by Jesus Christ; it gives a new nature and a power to glorify God in bringing forth much fruit. We are not under law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). We who believe in Christ have died with Him, and therefore the law cannot touch us, but the law has never yet been set aside. It is we who have been set aside and made new creatures in Christ. It is thus the believer is delivered from the terrible conflict of Romans 7.
Conflict With the Flesh
But there is a second conflict (Gal. 5:17). Here the enemies are different from those of Romans 7. There it was the law and myself, but in Galatians it is the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. The believer has received the Holy Spirit, and we desire to walk in the Spirit, bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit, but the flesh would hinder. Now, the great secret is to keep the flesh judged and reckoned dead, so that the Spirit may be ungrieved and the flesh may not work.
Conflict With Wicked Spirits
There is, however, a third conflict, referred to in Ephesians 6:12. Here the enemies are totally distinct from those of Romans 7 or Galatians 5. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” or perhaps more accurately, “wicked spirits in heavenly places.” It is not merely the darkness, but the rulers of the darkness — not merely spiritual wickedness, but wicked spirits — Satan the prince of the power of the air, the head and leader of them.
It is important to understand the range of this conflict. It is not in the world, nor in the wilderness, but it is in the heavenlies. This at last is the true position of the children of God, for they have been made to sit in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:5-6). And in proportion as we are in the conscious enjoyment of our place in Christ in the heavenlies, so we come in contact with Satan and these wicked spirits in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). Now, what provision have we to overcome these terrible foes?
God in His grace has made the fullest provision, so that we might be able to maintain the enjoyment of our place in the most intimate fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He has provided a complete set of armor. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph. 6:13-18).
Heavenly Places
It must be very particularly observed that this armor is to be used in the heavenly places, and therefore we must know our place there to take and use it. It is not to be used to get to God in the heavenlies (we do that by believing in Christ), but rather in overcoming the wiles of the devil, so that we may be able to stand and continually enjoy our place and blessings in Christ there. We are seated in Christ in the heavenly places, and it is Satan’s aim to rob us of our enjoyment of this our wondrous portion.
The Lord give us all more and more, by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, to know and enjoy and live our true standing before God in Christ. God in His marvelous grace has given the true believer in Christ the best of positions and the fullest of blessings. He has set him in heavenly places in Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwells, and made him complete in Him (Eph. 2:5-6; Col. 2:9-10).
God expects of us that we shall never be content with the enjoyment of anything less than all which He in His love and good pleasure has given us. He has blessed us freely and fully, and He counts on our ready response. There is no response that so delights Him as seeing us use and enjoy all He has so bountifully given. And, what is better than all, He would have us enjoy all things, not alone, but reverently, in intimate fellowship with Himself, without fear and trembling, resting in the full sense of His favor, and abiding in His love.
Author unknown
How an Enemy of Trees Is Stopped
“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).
As beautiful, tall and strong as a tree may appear, it has enemies quite capable of killing it. Some of these enemies are very small insects. One persistent little enemy is the bark beetle. It is one of the worst pests of spruce and pine trees in North America.
Usually these beetles come in swarms, boring through cracks in the bark and eventually boring their way into the sapwood. In a healthy tree, these beetles often become submerged in the resin that oozes out of the hole, and then they die. But in weakened and drought-affected trees, there is not enough resin to trap them. Once the beetles reach the vital sapwood, they lay their eggs in their bored tunnels. When the eggs hatch, the larvae continue to feed in the tree.
If there were no way to stop these persistent little insects, there would eventually be no pine or spruce trees left. God has provided protection for these trees by using another insect known as the checkered beetle which can catch the bark beetles in flight and eat them. Not only do checkered beetles kill the bark beetles, but they also go into the tunnels the bark beetles have already made. The checkered beetles lay their eggs alongside those of the bark beetles, and when the larvae hatch, they attack and kill the newly hatched bark beetle larvae.
God has also given another friend to the trees — the braconid wasp. In some unknown way, it locates the bark beetle larvae, even though they might be under an inch of bark. This wasp injects its own eggs into the bark beetle’s larvae. The eggs soon hatch and these larvae immediately feed on their hosts, which, of course, kill the bark beetle larvae.
The killer beetles remind us of the enemy Satan, who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). His attacks are often in some small manner that we may not even be aware of, but we say, “That doesn’t amount to much; I’m not concerned about it.” But what prayerful care we need so that Satan does not get the edge on us.
The only way we can apply the armor of Ephesians 6:11 or withstand Satan’s attacks is by turning to the Lord Jesus in every testing. “Finally ... be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). With Him taking our place before our enemy, we can say, “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).
S. R. Gill
The Power of the Lord and the Power of the Enemy
The Power of the Lord
The apostle first directs our thoughts to the power that is for us before he describes the power that is against us. To face this conflict, we must ever remember that all our strength is in the Lord, and therefore Paul says, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). Our difficulty oftentimes is to realize that we have no strength in ourselves. Naturally we should like to be strong in numbers, strong in gifts, or strong in the power of some forceful leader, but our real and only strength is “in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”
The prayer of the first chapter brings before us the power of God’s might. Christ has been raised from the dead and set at God’s right hand in heavenly places, “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:21). Now, says the apostle, that is the “exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe”(Eph. 1:19). The power that is against us is far greater than our power, but the power that is toward us is a surpassing power; it surpasses all the power that is opposed to us. Moreover, the One that has supreme power is the One that possesses “unsearchable riches,” and loves us with a love that “passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).
In the days of old, Gideon was prepared for the conflict by first being told, “The Lord is with thee”; then he was exhorted to “go in this thy might.” Gideon’s family might be the poorest in Manasseh and he himself the least in his father’s house, but what did Gideon’s poverty or his weakness matter if the Lord was for him and with him (Judg. 6:12-15)? So, in a later day, Jonathan and his armor bearer could face a great host in the might of the Lord, for, said Jonathan, “there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:6).
So we, in our day, with failure behind us, weakness among us, and corruption all around us, need a fresh sense of the glory of the Lord, the power of the Lord, the riches of the Lord, the love of the Lord, and, with the Lord before us, to go forward “in the power of His might.”
Apart from Christ we have no power. The Lord can say, “Without me ye can do nothing,” but, says the apostle, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). It is only as our souls are kept in secret communion with Christ that we shall be able to avail ourselves of the power that is in Him. This being so, all Satan’s power will be directed to putting our souls out of touch with Christ and seeking to keep us from feeding on Him and walking in communion with Him. It may be that he will seek to draw us out of communion with Christ by the cares and duties of everyday life or by sickness and weakness of the body. He may seek to use the difficulties of the path, the contentions among the people of God, or the petty insults we have to meet to depress the spirit and fret the soul. If, however, instead of allowing all these things to come between our souls and the Lord, we make them occasions for drawing near to the Lord, we shall learn what it is to be strong in the Lord, while realizing our own weakness. Then we shall learn the blessedness of the word, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee” (Psa. 55:22).
The Power of the Enemy
First, we are exhorted to remember that it is not against flesh and blood that we wrestle. The devil may indeed use men and women to oppose the Christian and deny the truth, but we have to look beyond the instruments and discern the one that is using them. A woman, in flesh and blood, opposed Paul at Philippi, but Paul discerned the evil spirit that moved the woman, and in the power of the name of Jesus Christ he entered into conflict with spiritual wickedness, commanding the evil spirit to come out of the woman (Acts 16:16-18).
A true disciple, in flesh and blood, opposed the Lord when Peter said, in view of the Lord’s sufferings, “Be it far from Thee, Lord,” but the Lord, knowing the power of Satan behind the instrument, could say, “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matt. 16:22-23).
The conflict, then, is against Satan and his hosts, whatever the instrument used. Principalities and powers are spiritual beings in a position of rule with power to carry out their will. They may be good or evil beings; here in Ephesians they are evil beings, and their wickedness would seem to take a twofold direction. In reference to the world they are the rulers of the darkness of this world; in reference to Christians they are the “spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies.” The world is in darkness, in ignorance of God, and these spiritual beings rule and direct the darkness of paganism, philosophy, science falsely so-called, and infidelity, as well as the superstitions, corruptions and modernism of Christendom. The Christian is brought into the light and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. The opposition to the Christian then takes a religious character by spiritual beings who seek to rob him of the truth of his heavenly calling, beguile him into a path that is a denial of the truth, or into conduct that is inconsistent with it.
The Character of the Opposition
Further, we are instructed as to the character of the opposition. It is not simply persecution, or a direct denial of the truth; it is the far more subtle and dangerous opposition described as “the wiles of the devil.” A wile is something that looks fair and innocent, and yet beguiles the soul from the path of obedience. How often in this day of confusion the devil seeks to lead those who have the truth into some bypath, which at the beginning deviates so little from the true course that to raise any objection to it might seem fastidious. There is one simple question we can each ask ourselves by which every wile may be detected: “If I pursue this course, where will it lead me?”
When the devil suggested to the Lord that He should turn the stones into bread to meet His needs, it looked a very innocent thing to do. Nevertheless it was a wile that would have led out of the path of obedience to God and a denial of the word which said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
To turn the Galatian believers from the truth of the gospel, the devil used the law as a wile to entrap them in legal self-importance. To turn the Corinthian saints from the truth of the assembly, the devil used the world as a wile to lead them into carnal self-indulgence. To turn the Colossian saints from the truth of the mystery, the devil used the wiles of “enticing words,” “philosophy” and superstition to entrap them in religious exaltation. These are still the wiles we have to face.
H. Smith
Put Your Feet on Their Necks
The battles that Joshua and Israel fought against the inhabitants of the land of Canaan correspond with the spiritual warfare waged against Satan’s hosts as presented to us in the book of Ephesians. Our blessings are with Christ in heaven, but there are Satanic hosts in the heavenlies who war against us, to keep us from living in the good of what is ours. Thus, we need the armor of God to resist and stand firm in what Christ has secured for us.
In Joshua 10, we have the warfare that ensued when Joshua and Israel were obligated to go up to defend the Gibeonites with whom they had made an alliance. Israel had been deceived by the subtle wiles of the Gibeonites. Nevertheless, the Lord was with Israel and defended them, giving them victory over the five kings that came up against Gibeon. These events correspond to the warfare we have with Satan’s hosts, as described in Ephesians 6. “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (vs. 11). It was Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem who led this alliance of the five kings to fight against Israel and Gibeon. His name means “lord of righteousness,” similar to a predecessor in Canaan during the time of Abraham, Melchizedek (king of righteousness). But Adoni-zedek’s righteousness was only in name and used to deceive. During Abraham’s time, the iniquity of the Amorite was not full. They outwardly owned God’s authority, but now they were unrighteous; they were so bad that God would remove them from Canaan. It was God’s time to give the land to Israel. Joshua was told to destroy them. Likewise, in Ephesians 6 we have a warfare against five enemies which war against us. They seek to hinder our appreciation of the heavenly portion. We must stand firm against them.
Five Enemies Against Us
1. Against the wiles of the devil.
2. Against principalities.
3. Against powers (authorities).
4. Against rulers of the darkness of this world (universal lords of darkness).
5. Against spiritual wickedness in high places (wicked spirits in heavenly places).
In this spiritual warfare we are to stand firm; the Lord gives the victory, even as He said to Joshua and Israel. “Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies” (Josh. 10:8-13).
The outcome was given before the fight began, so Israel could go in confidence in the Lord (not in themselves); the enemies fled from Israel. Here we see how the power of heaven was used to destroy the armies of the Canaanites by hailstones and then afterward in lengthening the day for Israel to destroy the enemy completely. What a lesson for us to stand firm before “heavenly principalities,” “authorities,” “the lords of darkness” and “wicked spirits.” They would drag us down so that we would occupy ourselves with earthly things, or anything but Christ in heaven.
Their Feet on the Necks
We would call attention to the example that Joshua made of the five kings that hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. Joshua commanded that they be sealed up in captivity during the battle that day. Afterward he brought them out before all the men of Israel and told the captains to come near and put their feet upon the necks of the five kings. “And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening” (Josh. 10:24-26). Certainly, this action would have encouraged the men of Israel to trust and follow Joshua as they conquered the land of Canaan. In applying this to our spiritual warfare, we can certainly see how the devil and the other heavenly enemies can be held under our feet through confidence and obedience to the Lord. May it encourage us not to yield to or be afraid of Satan and his host.
But the lesson given by Joshua serves as a witness to the defeated foe as well. Just as the five kings were put under the feet of the captains, so Satan’s hosts are subjugated to the believer who in obedience and faithfulness to Christ resists the artifices of their warfare. Looking at the expression “principalities and powers [authorities]” — those who are fighting against us — we notice in Colossians 2:15 how Christ has defeated them — “having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” He won the victory. Then in Romans 8:38-39 we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us, “for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Then again, we have in the prayer of Ephesians 3 the witness that the church of Christ is to the Lord’s host —those angels who serve the Lord: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him” (vss. 10-12).
Satan’s Principalities and Powers
May we be inspired to put our feet on the necks of the enemy and in confidence of victory through obedience to Christ go on in this conflict before us. The outcome is sure. Be of good courage. Put your feet on the necks of Satan’s “principalities and powers,” and demonstrate to heaven the testimony that you belong to Christ according to the manifold wisdom of God. This is His eternal purpose for you. The heavenly host thus observes this marvelous mystery of God’s plan for Christ and the church.
Satan and his host will soon be cast out of heaven. “I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:10-12). In the meanwhile, we must endure conflict and put on “the whole armor of God.”
D. C. Buchanan
The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:10-18
The helmet of salvation and the shield of faith are intimately connected, though perfectly distinct. The latter is confidence in what God is; the former in what He has done. The shield conveys the idea of a more general confidence in God Himself, the helmet of a more special personal assurance in the deliverance He has wrought for us in Christ Jesus. Thus, as we have seen, the one is over all, the other crowns all. Our defensive armor is complete. We can hold up our heads with holy boldness in the day of battle; we can meet the strongest enemy, or all the hosts of hell, with invincible courage. We have put on “the whole armor of God”; we are covered with the strength and the salvation of God. Bless the Lord! We are complete in Him, who is the “head of all principality and power.” What enemy can harm us, what enemy can reach us there? In the light as God is in the light, the rulers of this world’s darkness will never venture there. We are raised in Him even above the angels that never sinned. Wonderful, blessed, glorious truth! May we use it for His glory, the blessing of our souls, and the defeat of our enemies!
A Known Salvation
But have we well considered that our “helmet” is a known salvation? It is more, much more, than merely hoping to be saved at last. The enemy would soon cast down such a helmet from our head. But some might ask, Is it not scriptural to hope for salvation? What does the apostle mean when he says, “For an helmet the hope of salvation?” Surely nothing can be plainer than that. True, but the apostle is speaking in 1 Thessalonians 5 of the hope of the Lord’s coming, not of our forgiveness and acceptance. In this connection, it includes glory, for which, of course, we hope or wait. Some think that whenever and wherever the word “salvation” is used, it must mean the salvation of the soul from sin and hell. This is a great mistake, and it has been the means of perplexing many and leading many into false doctrine. The passage referred to is extremely beautiful. “Let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of salvation.” Those here addressed are the children of light and of the day — children that are walking in communion with God in “faith and love,” and with the bright, far-seeing eye of “hope,” fixed more especially on Christ, who is coming to take us up to be with Himself in glory. This is the true and proper hope of the Christian — the hope of the Lord’s coming. We have now everything but glory. We are still in the natural body, therefore we hope, we wait for the glorious body, but not uncertainly, thank the Lord; no, we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2; Phil. 3:21). But there is another passage which seems to teach, as many say, that a known salvation is impossible in this world—that we must wait till we come to the judgment seat before we can know for certain how it will go with us. It is this: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Now, it is alleged, we may work well for a while, but sadly fail in the end and come short at last.
Our Final Deliverance From Conflict
As in the other passage, the mistake arises from not seeing the meaning of the word “salvation.” To see its application, the connection must be considered. Both in this verse and throughout the epistle, “salvation” is regarded as a future thing. Paul himself says, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect”(Phil. 3:12). This, of course, he could not be until he was with Christ in glory. Clearly then our final deliverance from conflict of every kind is implied in the word “salvation” as here used. Hence Christ is spoken of as a “Savior” in the same chapter, when He comes to transform our bodies of humiliation. “Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Here it is not merely a question of the salvation of the soul from sin, but of the body from humiliation. The mistake arises from supposing that “salvation” has only one meaning in the New Testament. Those who think so must often feel in a difficulty. For example, in Romans 13 we read, “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” How is this to be explained? Simply by the context. There is the difficulty. We find it spoken of in connection with “the day,” but the day had not arrived — the day of glory. But it was coming nearer and nearer every day. Hence the heart is cheered and encouraged in conflict by the Spirit’s word which follows: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12).
Working Out Our Salvation
What then, we may ask, is the real meaning of these words, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”? Carefully look for a moment at what goes before and what follows after these words. Then we will find the key to the passage. Paul has left the saints at Philippi; God is with them. Not that God was absent when Paul was present; that is not the question. God never leaves nor forsakes His people. But when a father is present and doing everything for his children, they are disposed to lean on him; when he is away from them, they must think and work for themselves. Thus it was, so far, with the Philippians. “Wherefore,” he says, “my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The apostle who had labored among them was now far away, a prisoner at Rome. He was no longer present to help them with his counsel and spiritual energy. They were now cast more immediately on God Himself. Hence he says, “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Therefore, they ought to work all the more earnestly, even with “fear and trembling,” seeing God was working in them. He exhorts them to “fear and tremble,” not lest they should fall and be lost, but lest they should dishonor God by any want of zeal, diligence, earnestness or faithfulness, in the day of trial.
They had now to meet the wiles of the enemy without the aid of Paul’s presence, but God was acting in them; therefore their loss was turned into great gain. They were thrown entirely upon God for all needed help, counsel and guidance. In place of weakening the believer, it nerves him for service and warfare. At the same time, we must not forget that there is a deep and solemn warning in the apostle’s words. It is as if he had said, You have many difficulties and dangers to meet and overcome in your path through the wilderness. The conflict is a serious one: You have the efforts of a mighty, subtle and active foe to war against, and I am no longer with you to help with my counsel, to exhort and stir you up by my example. You must be more prayerful, more watchful, more circumspect, more personally dependent on the resources of God Himself. “It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Thus were they crowned, and so should every warrior be crowned, in the day of battle, with a known and an enjoyed salvation.
Salvation Known and Enjoyed
The apostle is our noble example in all this, as well as our wise counselor. It was this helmet of salvation that gave him, when a prisoner and in chains, such boldness and energy in the midst of his enemies. Undaunted by the power of the world that was arrayed before him, he lifted up his head in the conscious enjoyment of his relationship to God and earnestly wished his judges and his audience were as happy as himself. “I would to God,” said Paul to Agrippa, “that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 26:29). He was not thinking about himself, for he had nothing to fear for himself; no blow from the enemy could deprive him of his helmet. It was secured by the cross and the glory of Jesus, and brightly it shone before all. This present, known salvation set him free to think about others, care for the good of others, and appeal to the hearts of others, in words of burning eloquence. Thus may we war and fight, with salvation as our helmet, through the power of an ungrieved Holy Spirit.
Things New and Old, Vol. 14 (adapted)
The Lord's Host
It might seem a little strange that conflict has such a prominent place given to it in the epistle to the Ephesians. We find here the fullest revelation of our position and the walk of the Christian, but here also we are especially found to be in conflict, and we are called to put on “the whole armor of God.” Indeed, we never get into such a conflict as this until we know our privileges. In Galatians we have conflict, but not the privileges of the church, for the flesh is not the same thing as wicked spirits. But take the saints out of the world, make them vessels meet for the Master’s service, and that is the very reason they get into the conflict. If we have got hold of the place of privilege in which we stand, we must get into the conflict. If you cross the Jordan, you must meet the Canaanite and the Perizzite. We all know something of wilderness exercise — discovering what is in our hearts — but it is when we have got into the land that we get into the conflict.
We have “died with Him,” which is just what Jordan is a picture of, and we are “made to sit together in heavenly places with Christ.” It is the place of every Christian, but many do not realize it. Many are questioning whether they are not yet in Egypt and are looking at the blood. But in the Red Sea, I get the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the judgment which has fallen upon the Egyptians has saved me. Just as I (and every poor sinner in Adam) was driven out of an earthly paradise because of sin, so I am raised up and put into a heavenly paradise because of righteousness. Passing through the wilderness, we have exercises of heart, but then we come to Jordan, we pass through death, so to speak, and the land is ours; we eat the old corn of the land.
The Wilderness and the Land
You get the two places — the wilderness and the land — all through this epistle. He sets us there in our place (of course, we are here in our bodies), but you come to this fact: The enemy is here. We have our place in Him, but His enemies are not yet put under His feet. The effect is to put us into conflict. You will hear people talk of Jordan being death and Canaan being heaven, but, in reality, what characterizes the land is conflict.
Those who enter the land are so completely the Lord’s that He uses them for conflict against His enemies. How can they fight the Lord’s battles if they are in the flesh? So if we are to have success in these battles, we must be practically dead. The apostle fought them by keeping all that was of Paul completely down, so that nothing of Paul appeared. He always bore about in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in his mortal body. A man that is dead and risen again has nothing to do with this world. Associated with the Lord in those heavenly places, we are the witness and testimony of what He is there.
Our State and Activity
In looking at these parts of the armor, we get first the subjective parts — that is to say, our state comes first, and then comes the activity. There is no divine activity until God has been divinely active with us. Christ comes and brings all that is divine and heavenly in a man right into contact with all that is wrong in man. The truth of God now revealed in the New Testament is brought right into men’s hearts, and when it is effectually applied, I get the girdle of truth about my loins; my heart is entirely subject to a heavenly word. Whenever I get into this state, there is conflict, but now my condition is the effect of truth; the affections are right, for my heart is in the truth.
The Pieces of Armor
“Having on the breastplate of righteousness” is practical; it is not righteousness with God. But if I am going to preach Christ and one can say of me, “Why, here is a man preaching who is worse than his neighbors,” Satan will take hold of it immediately. We must have on the breastplate of righteousness; the soul and walk must be right.
Next, my feet are to be “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Selfishness is a contending thing; it says, I must maintain my rights. But the Christian carries peace, because he has peace within; he carries through the world the spirit and character of Christ. Because He had His loins girt about with truth perfectly and had on the breastplate of righteousness perfectly, He could walk through this world in perfect peace. We too can walk untouched through everything that man can bring against us, if our feet are shod.
When the heart is right in the first three pieces, we can take up “the shield of faith.” There is blessed confidence in God. Satan may do what he can; he may lurk in secret places, but he cannot break through my shield of faith. He has done his best to seduce and to dismay, but Christ in His standing for us has completely overcome him. The command is, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” not overcome him. If he is once honestly resisted, he has met Christ in us, and at once he runs away. He never can get through confidence in God, for the shield of faith is up, and he can do nothing.
Now comes the “helmet of salvation.” It is the defensive armor that comes first and the state of the soul. Many a one has gotten into activity without knowing himself, but with this “helmet of salvation” on, he can hold his head up, he knows that salvation is his, and that on to the glory is his portion. He is a man in Christ (all that is a settled thing), and now he takes “the sword of the Spirit”; he can set about the fight. The first great thing, if we are to be active in the service of the Lord, is that we are to be perfectly right with the Lord. It is the man who has the secret of the Lord in power in his own soul who can go out in service. He will not be distracted with other thoughts; he has the secret of the Lord.
Prayer
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” These two always run together. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His words: the word of God and prayer. The moment I understand that the conflict is against Satan and his wiles, I find that half the battle has to be carried on with God. We find the Lord Himself in Gethsemane earnestly praying, and when the conflict came, He was perfectly calm. Peter, who was sleeping, cursed and swore he did not know Him. True earnestness and supplication come from our being involved in God’s interests in the world.
The blessed Lord went down to where we were — was made sin for us in the lower parts of the earth, with all Satan’s power against Him. Having ascended up on high, He takes us so entirely out of the hands of the enemy that He sets us in a place where we have the same interests as Christ — a most blessed place, if only we have the power to hold it. But the more we are in the forefront of the battle, the more we are exposed to the fiery darts, and no place calls for more dependence on Christ than when we are exposed in this way. This leads us to constant, unceasing dependence and prayer, not only for ourselves, but for all saints. If I am walking with God, I will not only pray for myself, but will be in continued intercession for all saints.
When I have passed the Jordan and the reproach of this world is rolled away, I can be in the Lord’s host. In this position, it is not learning or human wisdom, but rather the wiles of Satan that we have to fear. The moment we get out of the conscious presence of God, we are in danger. But with the armor of God, we can count on God and not only walk safely, but ever be gaining ground on Satan.
J. N. Darby, adapted
The Armor of Prayer
As we have seen that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, so also we see what importance the Lord attaches to prayer! There are two kinds of prayer: that which is the expression of our wants, and that which being made in the energy of the Spirit, is therefore infallibly answered. Whether for handling the sword of the Spirit, or for prayer, the Christian life must already exist; in order to be able to pray for others, our own life must be with God. There is among Christians too little intercession, because they come to a meeting for prayer after leading a life of languishing, absorbed by present things. The consequence is, their prayers discover the weakness of the individual, and not the work of the Spirit for the good of the church. Too often it is a settling as to our own failures. If we were watchful in these things in our daily walk, our prayers would be intercessions, instead of supplications each day for our own faults. What we should desire is, that our individual prayers should be such as to enable us to pray for all saints; without this they will never have this powerful energy of the Spirit. Satan will find some means for overthrowing Christians. How desirable this makes it that there should be some who are able to bring in the aid of God! The more we are faithful as to our position in this world, the more shall we be exposed to the ambushes of the enemy, and if we do not thus keep close to God, the enemy will find some way of making havoc.
The most faithful and advanced Christians feel their dependence upon God, and on all saints. The apostolic gift of Paul depended in one sense on the prayers of the saints: God intended it to be so, in order that the church might be united in its affections (2 Cor. 1:11). The apostle was in a prominent position, and perhaps he received power through the prayers of someone such as a poor bed-ridden woman, but all hidden fruits will be seen in the last day. It is an encouraging thing to see that God honors the hidden members which are the least honorable to the eyes of the flesh. This thought encourages us to walk humbly in our place. Frequently there are persons hidden out of sight, who are the means of blessing for those who are in a very prominent place. We ought to think of the praise which God gives, and not of that of men. The only thing in our service is to glorify God. If my heart, which no one sees, does not beat, I cannot run. There are individuals who are truly the heart of the church; it is often not the things that are seen which are the most precious in the sight of God.
J. N. Darby
Firmly Grounded
It is not so difficult to understand the character of the fighting under Joshua, but we might ask, What is the character, influence, or mode of action, of these wicked spirits? Stratagem, cunning and lies are their most successful weapons. They will challenge our title, question our fitness, and in every way dispute our present possession of the heavenlies. We must know our ground well, at every point, in order to maintain it. And to this end we must be guided entirely by the Word of God, apart from feelings. We must know what it is to be in heaven as a matter of faith, while still on earth as a matter of fact. We must also understand the blessed truth of being in the presence of God in all the acceptancy of Christ, though still here in the midst of difficulties, failures and infirmities. In short, we must maintain, in the face of every foe, our present title to heaven, our fitness to be there, our large possessions as an heir of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (1 John 4:17; Rom. 8:7).
Andrew Miller
The Evil Day
Some take this “day” to encompass the whole period of the believer’s life, or more especially his seasons of trial and suffering. However, in this view we lose sight of Christ. There are others who think it refers to the entire period since Christ was crucified. I would suggest that this latter is the correct view. The absence of Christ from the earth, the presence of Satan as the “prince of this world,” and the manifestations of his power, as permitted by God, constitute “the evil day.” Christ was the light of the world while He was in it, but He was rejected and crucified, and He returned to His Father. Since then this world has been again in darkness and governed by demons, though of course God is supreme, and overrules all for His own glory and His people’s good. Satan is the god whom this world worships, and the prince whom it follows. How solemn! How awful the thought! What a dreadful place this world must be! Surely we should all care less for it than we do, if we really believed this terrible fact.
Things New and Old, Vol. 14
The Consequence of Light
The very blessings of the church (as in Ephesians 1:3) set us into a sort of conflict, which, without such blessings, we should not have. So the church is subject to more failure than either Jews or Gentiles were, because they were not called to the same blessing. A Jew might do many things that would be monstrous in a Christian, and yet find no defilement in his conscience. The veil that was over the knowledge of God being rent, the light shines out; and the consequence is that this light which has come out of the holy place cannot tolerate evil. Christians are in a more dangerous position, if not walking in the light, than Jews. Satan may draw and entice me with many things, which would have no power against me if I were not so favored. “ Be strong in the Lord “; here is the place of strength. There is no strength but in Christ — I have none at any time, except as my soul is in secret communion with Him, and through Him with God the Father. The direct power of Satan is toward this point, to keep our souls from living on Christ. Put on the whole armor of God; there is no standing against Satan without this. Strength is always the effect of having to do with God in the spirit of dependence.
J. N. Darby
The Heavenly Conflict
If a Christian man is not walking in the Spirit, if the flesh is not subdued, he cannot display to the world the temper, spirit and character of heaven; he is manifesting something else. But the conflicts of the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12) are not merely conflicts in the subduing of our flesh; they are conflicts carried on in realizing and laying hold of the things in Canaan that belong to ourselves and others. If Joshua and the Israelites took cities in Canaan, it was because they were in Canaan. Our enemies are there, and there it is we must meet them.
There are things in which we have to be faithful on earth, but there are also things that belong to us because we are sitting together in heavenly places in Christ. A man may be consistent in the one, without displaying the heavenly man. You may see some believers tolerably consistent on earth, whose souls are not seeking to realize what is theirs in Christ. Satan’s effort is always to hinder our doing that. We cannot carry the flesh into the heavenly conflict. If my flesh is not mortified, I cannot wield the weapons of that warfare. The flesh always brings in Satan’s power; he has got power against it, and God can never act with the flesh or display His power for us against our enemies where it is allowed. If we were walking as born of God and as having on the whole armor of God, the flesh being habitually mortified, Satan could have no effect. We should be able to go on in the simplicity of our own service, and he could not come in with his wiles, as in the case of Achan (Josh. 7) and of the Gibeonites (Josh. 9).
The moment we get upon heavenly ground, we see the Lord’s sword drawn, for He is the Captain of the Lord’s host. So with us; there is the drawn sword. The moment we get into heavenly places, the Canaanites are against us. The church of God should be seeking to realize by faith, while down here, all that belongs to it as sitting there in heavenly places in Christ. As soon as Joshua crossed the Jordan, it was not only Canaan, but Canaan and conflict.
Christian Friend, adapted
The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
What does “the preparation of the gospel of peace, (Eph. 6:15) mean? Not that we should be preparing the way of the gospel in an evangelistic sense (though to do that is of course very desirable), but that we ourselves should come under the preparation which the gospel of peace effects. If our feet are shod in this way we shall carry the peace of the gospel into all our dealings with men of this world, and be protected ourselves in so doing.
F. B. Hole
Heavenly Warfare
Read Joshua 5:13-15; Joshua 6:1-16
In these passages in Joshua we have a type of the heavenly warfare, and it is important for us to understand, because the child of God is never out of warfare. If you trace the path of the children of Israel you will see this is the case. There is Pharaoh in Egypt; Amalek in the wilderness; Balaam when you leave the wilderness; and in the land there is the greatest force of the enemy, the seven nations arrayed against the heavenly position (the promised land).
Wilderness Conflict
In the world, Satan is against even a poor sinner, for the apostle says, “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not“ (2 Cor. 4:3-4). After Pharaoh is overcome, you get into the wilderness and find Marah; you drink death, but you are sustained by Christ in that place. But then Amalek comes out to fight — to intimidate you — to dispute the fact that you are to take this position. Here you will find two things: one, the intercession of Christ to support you; and the other, you show fight. Joshua took men and went out to fight Amalek, and at the same time intercession was the real help.
Let me give you an illustration. The Lord said to Peter — “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not“ (Luke 22:31). There was intercession, not for his salvation — he was saved: it was that his faith might not fail. But was Peter ready for the fight? On the contrary, he trusted himself to go to the high priest’s house, and was pleased when there to find a fire. But the devil was there too. They did not see the devil, but he was there to prevent Peter from being a dependent man. That was not the heavenly battle. Satan seeks by all these snares to keep us from the place of dependence, which is needed when we are in the wilderness.
Conflict Outside the Land
Now go on to Numbers 21; there the people are outside the wilderness. Here you find a great many believers now, really established in grace, knowing what God has done for them and in them, having life in Christ, and the Holy Spirit indwelling them, as in John 3 and 4. The brazen serpent was on the very edge of the wilderness; the people are outside, as to their state, and thinking perhaps that all will be plain sailing now. Sihon king of the Amorites comes against them, they fight with him, and the Lord delivers them. That too was a battle, but it was not a heavenly battle. They are now out of the wilderness and going on to Canaan, and they have this desperate battle on the way. They are like a man in the book of Hebrews; he is going on to heaven, but not there yet. A saint soon discovers whether he is going to heaven; but there is such a thing as being in heaven and going on to it at the same time. “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,“ the author says, “striving against sin“ (Heb. 12:4). That was death — martyrdom, and no doubt many devoted men of God have had their battles this side of Jordan. They suffer greatly, but they seek a religious position here, like the two and a half tribes, who wanted a place to settle in on this side of Jordan.
Acquiring Possessions
What we discover practically in this is, that we are not to acquire possessions in these battles; though we conquer in the place, we are not to occupy the place. On the other hand, when we come to heavenly battles, all we gain is are possession — our right. For example, Luther was backed up by the Elector of Saxony, and as a result he had a status here. But that is all wrong. If you establish a religious system in the world you are all wrong. You must not acquire possession where you win the battle, unless it is on the other side of Jordan.
Conflict With Balaam and the World
Consequent upon these great battles, another terrible foe arises. That terrible foe is Balaam, and many a strong man has fallen down through him. What is Balaam? Balaam is acting on the susceptibility of your nature. You are invited out to some social party, and you accept it because it suits you naturally, and you are led away. Most of the unsuited marriages result from Balaam. If your natural attitude of your mind leads you into a circle or class of society where those likings are gratified, that is the snare of Balaam. I dread the word “social,“ for a host of mischief lies under that word. First, people are invited out, and that brings them into worldly associations with their attendant follies. Look at children, where do they pick up the notions many of them have? At school, from their companions. It is surprising what things people learn in company with others. If you were across Jordan, a dead man, you would not be invited out, for a dead man would have no interest in the things here. If we have taken the place of being dead, we have gotten greater happiness on that side Jordan than we can possibly have on this. That is the point. It is not assuming anything, but the things here have no interest for us.
Better Things Replacing Bad Things
Many of you, if invited to partake in some kind of amusement, would find it no amusement at all, and why? Because they have higher pleasures. Like the queen of Sheba, it is the better things which enable me to surrender the things here. It is of no use denouncing them. I have done it myself, but I have found it was useless. You may relieve your conscience, but you will free no one from them in that way. Let them get the better things, and the others will drop off like dead leaves. It is the same way with a small child. If you want to take a dangerous thing out of his hand, offer him something bright. That is the superior thing, the eclipsing power. I have said to myself before now, “That is a thing I can never give up,“ but it dropped off when I got the better thing, and I did not feel it because I had heavenly joys. Just as in the case of certain shrubs and trees, the old leaf does not fall off until the new one is formed. It is the expulsive power of a new Person. It is not a thing now, but a Person. A person contains much more than any number of things can contain. There is great variety about a person, and there is endless variety in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we knew Him better, and studied Him more, we should be constantly making fresh discoveries of His worth every day.
Proper Christian Conflict in the Land
We come up, then, into the land, and here is the proper Christian conflict, which is really to bring out the heavenly Christ on earth. Do you say, I am not up to that battle? I was never in it, and it is quite beyond me? Well, I say, are you set for it, or, would you like only to look at it? A good many people like to see reviews, as they set forth the idea of a battle, and I am afraid that is too much the way in which the warfare in Ephesians is read. It is only a review to many, not the real conflict.
Well, what is the conflict for? It is to be a heavenly man, for we have a heavenly country. Israel contended for the “land.“ The crusaders are to me a very interesting people, because they risked their lives in order to get the holy land out of the hands of the heathen and the Saracens. They died for it, and their wars were called “the holy wars.“ The idea was good, but it was carried out wrongly. The idea was to get space for Christ upon this earth. What would be the right thing then? The right thing is to get moral space for Christ. They fought to get Palestine for Christ. Our conflict is to stand here as heavenly men for a heavenly Christ.
It is not Christ in humiliation we are to present, but the heavenly Christ. What does Paul say? “Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more“ (2 Cor. 5:16). It is the Man in the glory we are to present. It is the corn of the land we are to feed upon, and therefore we go to the battle. Take the antitype — we are to be “strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might“ (Eph. 6:10). That is the corn of the land. we are to set forth a heavenly man in every circle and relationship here. Neither in Peter’s epistles nor in Romans do you get anything about the family. Why is this? Because there you are not high enough. You are there a delivered sinner on the earth. In Ephesians you are a heavenly man, so you can come down to the lowest point. It is the height at which you are that enables you to come down, with the power that belongs to that exalted position. He has passed into the heavens, and not merely into them, but He is higher than the heavens. Hence everything is to be done according to this position. That is the wonderful character of Ephesian practice.
Heavenly Power for a Heavenly Warfare
Nothing can be plainer than that the conflict is to bring out a heavenly man, in the several circles in which you are found on earth. I count seven circles in the Ephesians, but no matter how many there are, if you read Ephesians 4 and 5, you will find there is not a single thing there that could be carried out except in heavenly power.
Paul says, “That I may know him,“ that is as He is now. And I ask, would you not like to know Him as He is now? Do you think it would content a devoted wife or child, to be able to say, I knew my husband or my father ten years ago, but I do not know him now? Why, we never heard of such a thing. Yet that is really the way some believers think of Christ. They know Him as the Savior who died here, but they do not know Him as He is now — the glorified Man.
But perhaps you ask, Who is up to this conflict? I know how little I am up to it, but we cannot shrink from what God has called us to. We cannot shrink from Philippians 3:10 — “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.“ Again, “I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord“ (vs. 8). That was not salvation; Paul had that. True, He is our Savior, but the grace of God is so large that it would lead you on from that, to know Him as the Head of His body, the church, and when you come to know Him as your Head, oh, what happiness!
And now what you are called upon to do is to display that One upon earth, and therefore there is conflict. Satan urged man to the climax of wickedness — to put that blessed One upon the cross. Man’s first sin was to turn his back upon God; for his second, there is no excuse; he turned God’s Son out of the earth. I think people are not sensible enough of this. They do not walk about with the sense of it upon them. They admit the first, but not the second. And now what God has done is this: in His wondrous grace, He says: I have chosen you before the foundation of the world that you should be holy, and without blame before me in love. You are members of the body of Christ, and I want you to display Him here upon the earth. What is all the teaching for? What is the point aimed at in ministry? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature and fullness of Christ“ (Eph. 4:13). That is not something hereafter; it applies to us here and now. Speaking of the gifts, Paul says, you are to work on in order to reach this. Perhaps you answer that we will never get people to it. Well, let us not stop working on to it. That is the end of all teaching; and if the end of teaching, it is also the end result of warfare.
Standing for a Heavenly Christ Where He Has Been Rejected
You find in Ephesians 6:18-19, “Praying always ... and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.“ That is, not the gospel merely, but the mystery of the gospel. What Paul wanted really, was to give out this truth: Christ—the heavenly Christ; that is the conflict. When Satan had brought man to the climax of wickedness, to refuse God’s Son on this earth, and God had raised Him up to His own right hand, God brought out, that Christ’s body was here. We are members of it, now belonging to the place where He is, and are to be the expression of Him down here in the very place where He was refused. Do not you see that all the force of the enemy must be directed against that? Well, that is the conflict.
God’s Supports His Own Who Support His Christ
But God has His object, and He will support His own in maintaining it. And it is a great comfort to us to know it is God’s object to maintain us for Christ here. If we know that, we need not fear any opposition. For no matter who opposes, I may have God’s object before me, not my own will. But there will be bitter opposition. Yes, God’s object has always been opposed by Satan. You will find that whatever God’s object is at the moment, is what is most opposed; nothing is more striking. When God sent His Son into the world; who opposed Him most? Why, the Pharisees. Those pious men who stood up for the keeping of the law in its strictest sense; those before whom other men bowed down because of their piety; these were the men who opposed Christ. The Pharisees opposed Him when here, and the Sadducees when He had left the world.
Who would have thought that those who were the sticklers for the law, the strictest and the straitest as to religion, the Jews, should be the ones to oppose the Lord! So much so that when the Lord cures a man on the sabbath day, they declare He is not fit to stay here. Can you understand the inveterate, unrelenting character of the opposition against what God’s heart is set upon? Paul was left alone; all men forsook him; but the Lord stood by him. And Paul was not a bit baffled. Read what he says to Timothy in his second epistle to him. He wrote that epistle after being thus forsaken, and you will see he is not at all discouraged. On the contrary, he tells Timothy to commit the things which he had heard to faithful men, who should be able to teach others also.“
Well, this is the conflict, and if you get into it, you may have tough battles to fight while standing for the Lord, or moving on as a heavenly man, for Satan is a relentless foe. If we read Peter or Hebrews, we see that saints there written to had the devil to contend with, but not as here; there it was as “a roaring lion.“ The desperate character of Satan’’s opposition in heavenly places is that it is invisible.
God’s Great Power for the Battle
“When the Comforter is come ... he shall testify of me“ (John 15:26). That is the object of our conflict. This passage refers to Christ in the glory, not when on earth. When He went up to heaven the Holy Spirit would testify of Him on the earth. What I am dwelling on now is not the conflict, but the support we have in it. The Holy Spirit is come down here to be with us, in order to maintain Christ’s own here. How wonderful this is! But the church has failed as a witness. Why? The church very soon joined affinity with the world, and the Holy Spirit would not help it in coalition with the world. He is against this world, for it has rejected Christ. The Holy Spirit is here to maintain the interests of Christ. Thank God, the truth has been recovered that the Holy Spirit is here for this purpose. Beloved friends, in Christ’s service we are to be independent of the world. If the world aids me in preaching the gospel, I should not accept it. We cannot have it, for we have a greater power, which is against the world.
We start with this great power that will not cooperate with the world. You might as well expect fire to cooperate with water, as to expect the Holy Spirit to cooperate with the world. The Holy Spirit is here branding the world with sin; how then could He cooperate with it? He convicts the world of sin like a criminal in the dock. The criminal may not own it, but he is nevertheless convicted. We do not need to read the newspaper to know how wicked the world is. The Holy Spirit’s presence here tells us how wicked the world is. His presence here declares the sin of the world. Because Christ has been rejected, the Holy Spirit is here maintaining for Him. We see the whole world as a moral desert. I feel that we have somewhat lost the sense of this, and that the real cause of all the breakdown is, that the church has lost dependence on the Holy Spirit, that wonderful power with which it started.
In John 15 the Lord tells us how the world hated Him, and that it would hate us. We may ask, Why should the world hate us? It is a bitter thing when we are trying to do them good, to bring to them the highest kind of benevolence — the riches of Christ — that they should hate us. What is the reason? It is because Satan would not have Him. You cannot account for the enmity unless you understand that the devil’s hatred to Christ is at the bottom of it.
Well, what a wonderful thing it is for Joshua to be able to say, I am not going to war in my own strength! As a great general comes out with his commissariat, his ammunition and his reserves, so Joshua comes out. He is not going to war at his own charges.
So we may say we have the power: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might“ (Eph. 6:10). Our attitude is, we are not going to give in. We are to be like what is called in war, “the forlorn hope.“ That gives us the idea, though it is an unhappy name. The forlorn hope is a number of men who venture to make a breach in the fortress, even if it costs them their lives. They take their lives in their hands in order to succeed, and so they are called a forlorn hope. There is no hope for them at all unless they succeed, but they generally do succeed. In our case I do not like the title, but that is really our place; we venture as it were to make the breach, but it is with sure confidence, because we have a power not our own. We know the opposition we are going to meet, yet still we go cheerfully forward, and we succeed.
Joshua Against Jericho
Now I turn to what is against us; Joshua against the city of Jericho (Joshua 6) illustrates it in type. It is very important that we should know Paul’s doctrine, for if we do not, we cannot understand the type. The value of the type is, that in your practice you must never be below it. You may say you are not up to the antitype, but the antitype alone can explain the type, because it is spiritual. The antitype of Jericho is wicked spirits in heavenly places (Eph. 6). The type is a city, and the idea of a city is a concentration of everything found in this world. We may talk of Paris as representing France, because the city is the concentration of the country. So it is here; Jericho is the type of this opposition — this organized resistance. The thing that Israel saw before them was a city walled up; no probability of getting possession. The conflict with us is to represent Christ here, and the force against us is typified by this city. You cannot have too great an idea of the character of the opposition that there is against you.
Never Underrate the Foe and His Wiles
A good general never underrates his foe, and one great cause of failure with us is, that we do not properly estimate the world’s opposition. I believe it is a great thing when the soul has the sense of the inveterate character of the opposition to Christ. It is a wonderful help, because it keeps you so on your guard. You read of battles, and generally, in a case of failure, you will find that the general underrated his foe. Let us not underrate the world’s opposition. You always find that the man who has most of Christ is the one who has the keenest apprehension of Satan. I do not mean common fear, but that he foresees the danger. “We are not ignorant,” the apostle says, “of his devices“ (2 Cor. 2:11). It is his wiles we have to contend with, and that is the dangerous character of it. If I see a man coming to knock me down, I see clearly what he is about to do. But now it is Satan’s wiles — like a landmine; a person walking along on the grass touches a hidden spring, and the bomb goes off. That is like the desperate character of the warfare we have to contend with. He is an invisible foe; he does not show his face. He is a desperate foe, who knows everything about me, and knows how to touch me in the very point where I am weakest. It is my weak point he works on, but he does it with his wiles. That is the kind of foe we have to deal with, and his great object is to prevent us from being a representation of Christ.
Gospel Truth and Church Truth
You may preach justification by faith; that will be tolerated to a great extent. But if you teach about the body of Christ, you are sure to be opposed. You will be at war. If a Christian would have an easy path, let him have nothing to do with the church at all. If you would have a smooth and easy path, have nothing to do with the church. You may preach the gospel, and have easy times comparatively, but if the church is your interest, you will have many a sorrow.
Now having dwelt on these two things — the power for us and the power against us — I trust you will work it out like the Israel of that day.
The Armor and Prayer
We will now go on to the characteristics of the warrior. There are two, and you get them both in the type and in the antitype. In Joshua the first was the armed men, and the second, the trumpeters. So in Ephesians 6 we find armor and prayer: armor for Satan and prayer for God. Armor against Satan alone succeeds. Prayer is, I am always depending on God, never independent of Him. Independence is when a man does a thing for God of his own will. Uzzah was independent when he put his hand to the ark. Who told him to do that? You say he did it for God. But it was contrary to the Word of God. He was independent. Independency is a worse sin than what is called carnality. The latter is a disgrace to you, but in the former case of independency, you have attempted to do something for God, called it by a fine name perhaps, and did the very thing that God did not want you to do.
I will now just touch on the armor. I am not going through it, although it is very interesting, and Satan wants to spoil it if he can. First, be girt about with truth; next the breastplate of righteousness; be honest and upright. But that is not all. You may have these, and now, Satan may say, I will work you up and make you lose your temper. Now you have spoiled it all, you have lost your temper. Your feet should have been shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace We have often witnessed this.
Most Right and Most Intemperate Soldiers
It is sad to a degree, that the man who may be most right is often most intemperate, because he is so indignant with wrong. But “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God“ (James 1:20). You may be indignant, but not on your own account. You get chafed with evil, and then you lose your temper because there is a point not armed; you are not “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.“ Then there is the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. There are several different parts in the armor, and none are aggressive, but all protective excepting the last. The last is “the sword of the Spirit, which, is the word of God.“
Our Families Suffer If Our Armor Is Not On
We find an interesting thing in Peter: a woman can win her husband without the word; that is, by the effect of the word upon herself. Even that would not be aggressive; it would be what she is through the word. I would press on you the importance of having the armor on. There is nothing perhaps in which we fail so much, even in our families, as in being without the armor. There is no place where we are found out so quickly as in our own families, because they know our weak points well. The great thing is to be armed. If invulnerable, I am invincible.
My Armor and My Conscience
Take an illustration. If I were a Christian child or wife in a worldly family, I would be in complete subjection to the father or husband. That is, I would surrender my liberty to any extent, but my conscience to no extent. If he said, You are not to go out of this house any Sunday, I could say, Very well, you shall be implicitly obeyed. But if he said, You must go to such-and-such a place on the Lord’s day — one which would compromise my allegiance to Christ, I reply, No, that involves my conscience, and that is for God; that you cannot govern. You can have the right over me to any extent, but over my conscience, never. I could not go there. You can surrender your liberty to any extent, but your conscience to no extent.
The Lord never went anywhere to please Himself, but to do others a service. I am speaking now of the heavenly walk; that is beyond the wilderness walk. The difference between the heavenly walk here and the walk in the wilderness, is that, in the heavenly, you are always superior to your circumstances.
The second characteristic is the habit of dependence upon God, and there, as in Ephesians 6:18-19, the climax is reached. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me.“
Perseverance and Patience in War
A great thing to mark you is patience. We all know how we need this when we are opposed. When there is great opposition, then is the time we especially need patience, and here, too often, we fail. Patience is a wonderful thing. We see it here. For seven days Joshua and Israel went round the city of Jericho, and it must have been a very irksome thing for them; not a shout is heard till the seventh day. What a wonderful sense they must have had of the Word of God and dependence upon Him! Like a child in a worldly family, they were depending on God. They go round the city seven days, and on the last day seven times. Patience, wonderful patience. Nothing keeps our confidence in God like patience. We seldom see this in our day. I believe we do not trust God enough. I believe the incident given in 1 Samuel 7:9-12, at the close of that period, is an encouragement to us. God came in, with thunder, at the very close. Joshua was in the beginning. God brought out Samuel in the very close. And we have the same God. It is said, God thundered, and there was a great discomfiture.
In Acts 16 we get an instance showing all the principles brought out, and I commend it to your attention. It was the first time Paul came into Europe, and I believe the Spirit of God sets forth here what was especially needful in Europe. In Europe the church first accepted the countenance of the world. But the book of the Acts is a book of the actions of the Holy Spirit, by which we have to travel every day. In Joshua we see the route we travel, and the principles brought out.
Paul is called in a vision to go down into Macedonia to help them, and he goes, but does not meet a man. Patience was needed. He expected a man, for a man appeared to him, not an angel. Then he goes to a place where women were accustomed to pray, and here he has to wait, and at length a woman, who did not belong to the place at all, but to Thyatira, her heart being opened, attended to the things Paul said, and being baptized with her household, she says to Paul, “If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there.“ There is nothing about a Macedonian yet; but he goes into her house and stays there. Satan, seeing him in this apparent dilemma, sends him one of his instruments, a woman possessing a spirit of divination, and she says, I will give you countenance. Accordingly she follows them about many days, and cried saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation“ (Acts 16:17).
Look at the patience of Paul; for many days he bears this, but at length he will stand it no longer, and commands the spirit to come out of her. He refused to be countenanced by Satan, and what was the consequence? There was not a power in the place which was not down upon him, and the most striking and the most awful thing about it is, that the very Satan who a few hours ago was proclaiming him the servant of the most high God, is the one that now rouses the people to destroy him. The whole town is incited against him—populace, magistrates, lictors, police, to put Paul in prison, and Satan seems to win the day. Satan might have been exulting perhaps, but it was done in the most illegal way, to use no stronger term. It was the most unjust thing ever done to a man who had done no wrong to put him in prison, and then to make his feet fast in the stocks. But he did not lose his courage or energy. On the contrary, at midnight he and Silas are praying and giving thanks to God, quite as content as if they were at home. What would you have thought if you had passed by that prison? I often think if we had patience to walk about in simple confidence in God, how He would interfere for us and deliver us! What a wonderful thing to have that confidence! Little Paul knew, shut up in prison at the silent hour of midnight, when everything was quiet, how God would interfere for him. That a great earthquake would come and shake off all their bands and throw every door open. The jailer who had retired to rest in his indifference, is at last awakened. Springing in, he calls for a light, and falling at their feet says, “What must I do to be saved?“ I take it that he was the man Paul was sent for. He is the first man of Macedonia we read of. What a change! How the populace must have felt next morning when they heard that Paul and Silas were the guests of the jailer!
God’s Table for Us in the Presence of Our Enemies
I believe that even now if we really stood for the Lord, He would bring something remarkable out in the spot where we had stood for Him. God prepares a table for us in the wilderness in the presence of our enemies. Do you not think He gives us manifold more in this present world? I believe it most implicitly. Why do not we know it? We do not believe in it. We do not walk on in simple, blessed patience, waiting, in confidence in God. He will make a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and what a wonderful table was here! Why, the tables are turned completely. Why? Because they believed God; they knew He would support His own Object, and that He would stand by them as long as they stood in simple confidence in Him.
May each one of our hearts will be moved into more faithfulness to Him. Some here are young; you have not entered the battlefield yet. Well, it is everything for a person’s heart to be led out in simple affection for the Lord. If it is, he will soon be found in the conflict for Him, maintaining for a heavenly Christ, in the very spot where He has been rejected.
T. B. S. (adapted), Food for the Flock, Vol. 9
"And Having Done All, to Stand"
Thou gav’st Thyself for me:
Then may I stand
Steadfastly, true to Thee,
In the foe’s land.
For surely Thou art worth
The standing for;
Thou who this hostile earth
Hast trod before.
Finding no help or friend
To be Thy stay;
Yet faithful to the end
Of the dark way.
So may it be with me,
In these dark days—
Looking alone to Thee,
Seeking Thy praise.
Standing for Thee alone,
Held by Thine hand;
And having all things done,
Yet still, to stand.
The Remembrancer, 1910