Waging War!

2Corinthians 10:3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.”

The roots of endurance speak of invincible perseverance in all who have the quality and prove it with their lives. The greatest of all examples would be our Lord and Saviour; remember how He was hard pressed in the “Garden of Gethsemane”, it was such an intense struggle for his flesh (human nature with its passions and desires) that He began to sweat blood from the intensity of what it took for Him to endure His trial and yet never yielding to sin. Ultimate perseverance personified! The accomplishment of this achievement had everything riding on it. If He failed, hell would be our destiny, but now heaven our hope, Amen! Doesn’t that thought just grip your soul? It does mine!

I will ask a question and then consider my answer as it may shock some. Are we sinners or are we saints or in fact both? The answer is not difficult if we reason with the mind of Christ. If I wear my “flesh” thinking cap then by reflex my answer would be, yes I am a sinner. If I reason with the Spirit then my answer must be no! As Christ paid the price for sin on my behalf, sin now no longer can ever be equated to my account. This is the message of the gospel. If I reason with the Spirit and the flesh then my answer would be both, a sinner and a saint. But how can there be so many truths to the same question? I suggest that they are not all true, so then which one is precise? If we have the Spirit of God we are no longer looked upon as sinners by God, because of what His Son, our saviour accomplished on Calvary. Therefore we are no longer classified as sinners but saints. How can that be when we know that sin still plays a part in our lives? This is the beauty of what Christ achieved on our behalf; we are no longer sinners but saints. We are either reconciled to Him or we are still dead in our trespasses and sins. It could never be both! “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.”

What then does this actually teach us? The answer is in the next three verses; “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2Corinthians 10:4-6)

We live a progressive life with this objective in mind to eventually learn obedience in every area of our lives. But through it all we are only ever regarded by God as sons, not sinners, even though sin looks to rob us of our hope in Him. If we reason as sinners then we undermine the great work of the cross and Christ’s resurrection. Almost impossible to believe but believe it we must! So then what happens if we take this truth for granted, well the answer is obvious! We are then disciplined as any father would discipline a disobedient son with one objective in mind and that would be for us to learn to obey. This is the love of God personified! Why? Because of His Son’s achievement and not ours! Because Jesus Christ pleased His Father and God accepted His sacrifice never again to be repeated. So when we reason as sinners we expect the Lord to be sacrifice all over again, undermining His finished work. God forbid we every reason as men and not saints. “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.” “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)

How then do we attain to this high calling?

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:1) 

Let me now end off with this thought: - Who has opened our eyes to the hope of this glorious gospel message? Was it not God and did He not plan this before the beginning of time. Yes He did! “And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) - If He then has establish His will and His own purpose and we now are the beneficiaries of His grace in and though our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, what right do we have to reason with our carnal minds? No right whatsoever! “Let God be true and every man a liar!” We must now reason with all faith toward God. We did not arrive at this understanding that Christ died for us on our own but God revealed this truth to us. Remember when the disciples were with the Lord and He asked them who do you say I am? Peter responded you are the Christ and this was the Lord’s response; “And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”” (Matthew 16:17)

So then if we are able to confess Jesus as Lord of our lives we also have been blessed by God the Father as He has revealed this truth unto us. May we never forget it!

Signing off

Tyrone