132. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY CHURCH? – How do we protect Jesus’ life within our churches against Satan’s attacks? (b)

In the upcoming meditations we want to reflect on the question: is the full armour of God of which Paul talks in Ephesians 6:10-17 only meant to protect individual Christians against Satan’s assaults or does it equally aim at protecting the entire local Body of Christ?

Before we start these investigations, we need to ask ourselves three preliminary questions:

FIRST PRELIMINARY QUESTION:

“SHOULD WE AIM FOR THE PERFECT CHURCH?”

Time and again there have been movements in worldwide Christianity that have aimed at Christian perfection. They have aspired to “attain a state of holiness in which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and where there is a total love for God and others wrought by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian perfection)

Obviously, these movements give rise to questions like: is it possible to live a life without sin? Does God’s Word even demand Christians to live a perfect life? Can churches reach a perfect state of perfect being?

The general response of renowned Bible teachers over the centuries has always been that this is not attainable and that it is even unbiblical.

The apostle John writes in his first letter: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9**).

SECOND PRELIMINARY QUESTION:

“IS JESUS’ LIFE PRESENT IN OUR CHURCHES?”

That is a question that God’s Word answers in the affirmative! The evening before Jesus dies, He promises His followers that He soon will come and live in them through His Spirit. He says: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realise that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him. ..... If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:15-23**)

Jesus lives by His Spirit in the hearts of His followers. They are members of His church and together form one body, called the ‘Body of Christ’ or the ‘Body of the Messiah’. Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth (Greece): “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the Body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews), some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's Body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13*).

The apostle Paul also calls the church ‘the Temple of God’. He writes to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “We are the temple of the living God. As God said: ‘I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16*).

Furthermore, he writes to the Christians in Ephesus (Turkey): “We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through Him you Gentiles (i.e. Christians from the nations) are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22*).

Finally, the apostle Peter says to his fellow believers: “God is building you, as living stones, into His spiritual temple.” (1 Peter 2:5*)

As we have said in Meditation 131, we see again in these verses that for God the church is more than a gathering of individual Jesus’ followers. The church is the ’Body of Christ’ of which each Christian is a member. The church is the ‘Temple of God’ of which each believer is a living stone. Today we could say: the church is a ‘corporate personality’ in which Jesus lives by His Spirit.

THIRD PRELIMINARY QUESTION:

“HOW DOES JESUS’ LIFE MANIFEST ITSELF IN OUR CHURCHES?”

God’s Word tells us how Jesus’ life is present in His reborn children and therefore in His church. The apostle Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Rome: “... God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:5**).

Furthermore, Paul writes to the church in Ephesus: “I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:16-19*).

Finally, we need to mention again what Paul writes to the church in Ephesus: “We will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church. Under His direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16*).

From these three Bible texts and many others, we know that Jesus wants to manifest His life in our churches through our passionate love for God and for each other. It is God’s Spirit who is well able to produce this Christlike love in our hearts and in our congregations.

Obviously, the biblical answers to these three introductory questions do not solve all the problems within our churches. Not by a long chalk!  Yet, I think that they help us reflect biblically on the topic of the upcoming meditations: how do we protect Jesus' life within our churches against Satan's attacks?

So, hang on till the next meditation!

  

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version.

About “Who is Jesus?”, see Meditations 1-17.

About “How do I receive forgiveness of my sin(s) and salvation?, see Meditations 18-26.

About “Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His ministry?”, see Meditations 27-33.

About “How does God want me to live as a follower of Jesus?”, see Meditations 34-37.

About "God's major project: Transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ", see Meditations 44-48.

About “Personal, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see Meditations 56-62.

About “Corporate, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see Meditations 63-99.

About “The Church as a ‘Corporate Personality’, see Meditation 63-65.

About “The Church as a new (Messianic) community, consisting of all the followers of Jesus”, see Meditation 29.
About “The two Tracks of Maturing in Christlikeness”, see Meditation 100.

About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life?”, see Meditations 101-119.

About “How do I protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks?”, see Meditations 120-132.

131. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY CHURCH? – How do we protect Jesus’ life within our churches against Satan’s attacks? (a)

INTRODUCTION

From Meditation 120 onward we have reflected on Ephesians 6:10-17. The apostle Paul writes in this passage about the full armour of God that He has given to all His children to protect Jesus’ life within them against Satan’s attacks.

Now we need to ask ourselves if this divine armour only is meant for protecting individual Christians against Satan’s assaults or if it equally aims at protecting the entire local Body of Christ?

Let us start with a quick overview of what we have written so far about this subject:  

In Meditation 45 we asked the question: does God’s transformation process into Christlikeness only deal with His reborn children individually or does God also aim at transforming the entire church (i.e. the Messianic community or the Body of Christ) into the likeness of Christ?

In Meditation 29 we saw that through Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection and through the gift of His Spirit, God has created a new (Messianic) community, called the ‘Body of Christ’, or the ‘Body of the Messiah’. It consists of all Jesus' followers. This Messianic community is universal in being, and knows no discrimination of status, race, colour or nationality. Paul writes about it to the Christians in Corinth (Greece), saying: “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews), some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's Body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13*).

In Meditation 46 we realized that Christlikeness is the distinctive character of this new Messianic community. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus (Turkey): “God placed all things under His (Jesus) feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1: 22-23**).

From Meditation 47 onwards, we learned that growing into Christlikeness is a process of transformation. The apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus: “We will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16*).

Furthermore, Paul urges the followers of Jesus in Ephesus to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to strengthen and safeguard this God-given community life among them: “Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:3*)

We can also read in this meditation that our Triune God - Father, Son and Spirit – is preparing Christ’s universal Church for the glorious end-of-time wedding celebration of the Lamb. We noted that He does that on a minute scale: one local church at a time, within its own geographical and cultural setting! Isn’t that truly breathtakingly divine?

In Meditation 63, we wondered if there is a distinction between my personal love for God and my church’s corporate love for Him. Does the local church only exist of individual believers? As we read God’s Word, we understood that the Bible makes a difference here. We realised that God looks at my local church as the ‘Temple of His Spirit’, as the ‘Body of Christ’, and as the ‘People and Family of God’.

We understood that in God’s eyes the role and significance of my local church is different from that of me as an individual Christian. In God’s view, my local church is ‘a corporate personality’ with its own life, its own function and its own dynamics. Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthian Christians: “I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God Himself. For I promised you (plural!) as a pure bride to one husband, Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2*). What a beautiful picture of the Church as a ‘corporate personality’!

In Meditation 100, we wrote: As ‘maturing in Christlikeness’ is the theme of our meditations, we decided to focus in the future on two tracks: our individual lives as followers of Jesus and our communal life as the local Body of Christ.

So far, when we looked at the use of God’s full armour in Ephesians 6:10-17, we followed track 1, i.e. we asked ourselves how to use this divine armour personally to protect Jesus’ life within us against Satan’s attacks.

In the upcoming meditations, we want follow track 2 and struggle with the difficult question: is this full armour of God of which Paul talks only meant to protect individual Christians against Satan’s assaults or does it equally aim at protecting the entire local Body of Christ?

So, please join me in wrestling with this complicated question.

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version.

About: "God's major project: transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ", see Meditations 45-48.

About “The Church as a ‘Corporate Personality’, see Meditation 63-65.

About “The Church as a new (Messianic) community, consisting of all the followers of Jesus”, see Meditation 29.
About “The Holy Spirit and His ministry”, see Meditations 27-34.

About “The two Tracks of Maturing in Christlikeness”, see Meditation 100.

130. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE? – How do I protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks? (k2)

From Meditation 120 onward we have seen that the full armour of God is a divine gift to all God’s children. The apostle Paul takes the armour of a first century Roman soldier to show us how we can protect Jesus’ life within us against Satan’s attacks. We have already spoken about girding our waist with truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, shoeing our feet with the preparedness of the Gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith and receiving the helmet of salvation.

In Meditations 129 and 130 we reflect on the ‘sword of the Spirit’. Paul writes:

“Take (or receive) ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”      (Ephesians 6:17**)

(Continuation of Meditation 129)

How does Jesus wield the Sword of the Spirit?

If we want to know how we should handle this divine sword effectively, we need to look at Jesus’ example. Before His earthly ministry began, God moved His Son to the desert for an initiation test by Satan to see if He was worthy of serving His Father on Earth. Three Gospel writers describe this event: “Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil” (Matthew 4:1*). “Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12*). “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, where the Devil tempted Him for forty days” (Luke 4:1-2*).

First example

At the end of the forty days of Demonic temptations, Satan launched the last three attacks. Jesus had not eaten all this time (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2) and must have been exhausted and desperately hungry. Therefore, Satan’s first temptation was all about food: “The Devil came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.’” (Matthew 4:3* and Luke 4:3*). The New King James Version translation of the original Greek text is better: “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread’” (Matthew 4:3***).

The apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Colossae (Turkey): “Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth” (Colossians 1:16*). Therefore, He did not have to prove that He had the power to command stones to become bread. Yet, Paul writes to the church in Philippi (Greece): “He (Christ) made Himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form” (Philippians 2:7*). He had come to lovingly serve His heavenly Father. That was part of His Earthly ministry.

That’s why Jesus resisted this temptation of Satan with the sword of the Spirit: “No! The Scriptures say (Deuteronomy 8:3*), ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God’” (Matthew 4:4* and Luke 4:4*). The New King James Version renders more correctly: “Jesus answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4***; Luke 4:4***).

Second example

The second of these last three temptations began as follows: “Then the Devil took Him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple...” (Matthew 4:5*; Luke 4:9*). We don’t know how that happened. Was this during a vision, a levitation or a real life experience? The original Greek text gives the impression that the latter took place. The verb used here means ‘to take along (as a companion)’. Was Jesus willing to follow Satan to the temple to be tested according to His Father’s will?

Standing together on the flat roof of the temple, Satan said to Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, He orders His angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone” (Matthew 4:6*).

This second temptation develops as follows:

1.) For the second time Satan questions Jesus’ authority by saying: “If you are the Son of God”.

2.) Besides, Satan invites Jesus to prove His divine Sonship.

3.) Satan quotes the passage from Psalm 91:11-12 incorrectly and out of context. It originally says: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12***). Satan omits the words “in all your ways.” This verse has been written as a comfort to God’s children on their way through life and facing all possible dangers. Satan bends this verse and misuses it as a means to invite Jesus to test God and prove His divine Sonship. By jumping and being miraculously saved by angels, Jesus would manifest His divinity in a spectacular way. However, He had come to earth as a humble servant of His heavenly Father to suffer and die for the salvation of mankind.

Interestingly, Jesus does not start a discussion with Satan about his false quotation of God’s Word. He simply confronts this satanic deception by correctly quoting Scripture, saying: “The Scriptures also say (Deuteronomy 6:16*), ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’” (Matthew 4:7*; Luke 4:12*) 

Third example

Matthew writes that for the final of these three temptations, Satan takes Jesus to a very high mountain: “Next the Devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain...” (Matthew 4:8*). Which mountain is so high that you can see all the nations of the world? Did Satan show this picture to Jesus in a vision? We might think of the prophet Ezekiel (7^th century BC) who lived with the Jewish exiles in Babylon. There he writes: “In a vision of God He (i.e. God) took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain...” (Ezekiel 40:2*). Did the same happen to Jesus? We don’t know.

However, more important is the way Jesus was tempted by Satan. Matthew writes: “... (Satan) showed Him the nations of the world and all their glory” (Matthew 4:8*). Luke writes: “... (Satan) revealed to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (Luke 4:5*). The actual temptation was about power, yes even world dominion! Satan would give that to Jesus if He would acknowledge him as supreme authority. Matthew writes: “‘I (Satan) will give it all to You,’ he said, ‘if You will only kneel down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:9*). Luke writes: “... And he (Satan) said to Him (Jesus), ‘I will give You all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours’” (Luke 4:6-7**).

Jesus says later in one of His discourses that “there is no truth in Satan. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44*). Also in this third temptation, Satan lies about his pre-eminent authority. Everywhere in the Old Testament we are told that only God is the King of all the earth. We only remember Psalm 47:2*: “The LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.”

Yet, God’s Word is also clear about the fact that man’s rebellion against God has brought him under Satan’s power. Jesus calls Satan “the prince of this world” (John 12:31) and the apostle Paul points to Satan as “the god of this evil world who has blinded the minds of those who don't believe” (2 Corinthians 4:4*). It is God’s rightful judgment that rebellious man has been handed over to Satan’s dominion (see Romans 1:18-32). Therefore, Jesus came to save mankind from this evil trap.

Jesus does not give in to Satan’s lies and temptation. He wards Satan’s attack off with an authoritative command and by quoting for the third time God’s Word again: “‘Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, You must worship the Lord your God; serve only Him’” (Matthew 4:10* and Luke 4:8; Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20).

This last round of temptations results in Satan’s defeat. Matthew finishes the story by telling: “Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus” (Matthew 4:11*). Luke ends his report by saying: “When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him until the next opportunity came” (Luke 4:13*).

What do we learn from Jesus’ example?

 God did not only command us to receive the sword of the Spirit from Him to ward off Satan’s attacks, He also gave us His Son Jesus to show us how to encounter the Evil One. Here are some things we can learn from Jesus’ confrontation with Satan:

1.)      First of all it is important to know that God sometimes leads us (like Jesus) into direct confrontation with Satan and his demonic powers to test our loyalty to Him and our divine strength to protect Jesus’ life in us. I can think of the following texts:

--- “Remember how the LORD your God led you (Israel) through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey His commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:2*)

--- “You must not listen to the words of that (false) prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 13:3**)

--- See also Job’s story in the Old Testament Book of Job.

--- “Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13*)

--- “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.” (Hebrews 11:17*)

--- “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-2**)

--- “God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12*)

--- “So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:6-7*)

2.)      Like Jesus, we should know that Satan never tells the truth. Jesus said: “He (Satan) was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44*). He might promise us the world but the end will only be ruin. Think only of Adam’s fall (see Genesis 3). He might try to sow doubt into our hearts about being God’s children, like “if you were a child of God, you would not do such a thing.”

3.)      We should be aware that Satan might transfigure himself as an angel of light when he fools us by believing his false presentation of God’s truthful Word which results in leading us astray while we delude ourselves that we are doing God’s will.

God warns us through the mouth of the apostle Paul about this Satanic strategy when he writes to the Christians in Corinth (Greece): “Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light”
(2 Corinthians 11:14*).

Instead of reasoning with Satan and ourselves, we should always fight off his temptations (like Jesus) by proclaiming: “The Scriptures say” or “It is written”. Needless to say, this declaration presupposes that we know God’s Word, i.e. the Bible.

It seems that nowadays many Christians in western society either don’t know the Bible or don’t accept the full authority of God’s Word over their lives. The obvious result is: the invasion of a secular worldview, a materialistic lifestyle, a hedonistic attitude, sexually immoral conduct, etc.  It seems that time and again Satan and his demonic armies find inroads into Christian lives and churches. The apostle Paul warned of this moral decline in Christian circles at the end of time. He writes to one of his co-workers: “You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5*)

4.)   Finally, when Jesus knew that His testing time had come to an end, He commanded: “Get out of here, Satan!” With divine authority, we might resist Satan in the same way as Jesus did when we know that our testing time is over. I think of James’ appeal: “Humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7*). The apostle Paul urges the Christians in Ephesus (Turkey): “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27**).

Last but not least, I think of the warning words of the apostle Peter: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are” (1 Peter 5:8-9*).

We are not alone in our struggle against Satan and his Demonic army. Our Christian brothers and sisters worldwide are standing in the same battle. We can learn from their experiences as we all follow our Lord Jesus on the way to His messianic kingdom.

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version

About “Satan and our rebellious lives”, see Meditations 19-21.

About “The Holy Spirit and His ministry”, see Meditations 27-34.

About “God’s major project: transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ”, see Meditations 45-48.

About “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Spirit”, see Meditations 49-55.

About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life and in my church?” see Meditations 101-121.

About “Sexual immorality: Divorce and Adultery”, see meditations 91-93.

About “Sexual immorality: the Greek word ‘porneia’ (from which comes our word pornography) as a New Testament definition of any kind of sexual sin”, see Meditation 94.

About “The problem of discrimination”, see Meditations 97 and 98.

129. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE? – How do I protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks? (k1)

From Meditation 120 onward we have seen that the full armour of God is a divine gift to all God’s children. The apostle Paul takes the armour of a first century Roman soldier to show us how we can protect Jesus’ life within us against Satan’s attacks. We have already spoken about girding our waist with truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, shoeing our feet with the preparedness of the Gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith and receiving the helmet of salvation.

In Meditations 129 and 130 we reflect on the ‘sword of the Spirit’. Paul writes:

“Take (or receive) ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17**)

The sword is the last piece of the Roman armour that the apostle Paul mentions in this passage. The Greek equivalent is the machaira. It was a small sword or dagger which the soldier used for stabbing in close combat.

The Sword of God in the Old Testament

The apostle figuratively speaks of the “machaira of God’s Spirit” and explains that it stands for the way God’s Spirit wields God’s Word as a sword. To understand the warlike character of the machaira, we need to look first into the Septuagint, where the word is the Greek rendering of the original Hebrew Old Testament. There we see that the various passages which speak figuratively of God’s use of the machaira, deal with God’s judgment. Here are some examples:

-- When God speaks through Moses and declares His Laws to His people Israel at Mount Sinai, He warns them, saying: “Do not exploit widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to Me, then I will surely help them. My anger will blaze forth against you, and I will kill you with the sword (machaira).” (Exodus 22:22-24*)

-- When God warns Israel against the consequences of breaking His covenant, He says: “I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out My sword (machaira) and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.” (Leviticus 26:33**)

-- Before Moses dies, he blesses Israel saying that God Himself is the sword that will pass judgment on their enemies: “How happy are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword (machaira) you boast in.” (Deuteronomy 33:29****)

Furthermore, the Book of Proverbs shows how upsetting hurtful words can be:

-- “Reckless words pierce like a sword (machaira), but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18**)

-- “There is a generation whose teeth are like swords (machairae), and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.” (Proverbs 30:14***)

When the Old Testament speaks of God’s sword, it points to God’s judgment on individuals, groups or nations. When it mentions the sword as an image of the spoken word, it refers to a hurtful and distressing way of speaking.

The Sword of God the Son in the New Testament

In the New Testament, and especially in the Book of Revelation, it is the Messiah who wields the sword of God’s judgment on the church and the world. In chapter one, the apostle John describes his face-to-face with the exalted Messiah: “When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:12-16*)

In chapter 2, we read twice about Jesus as the messianic Judge speaking to His church in Pergamum (Turkey). Again the image of the two-edged sword is used here:

-- “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” (Revelation 2:12**)

-- “Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them (i.e. false teachers) with the sword of My mouth.” (Revelation 2:16*)

Finally, we read in chapter nineteen about the Messiah’s last judgment on Satan and his global army: “Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the One riding the white horse (i.e. Jesus Messiah).” (Revelation 19:21*)

In the light of all these texts (and many others!) from the Old and New Testament, it is clear that God’s sword always speaks of battle and judgment.

The Sword of God the Spirit in the New Testament

When we now return to Paul’s command in our original text “Take (or receive) ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17**), we might wonder what the apostle Paul wants us to do. By now we understand that he certainly does not charge us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others in an aggressive way. On the contrary, this command can only point to war! But war against whom?

From Meditation 120 onwards, we have dealt with the full armour that God has given to all His children. With it they are able to protect Jesus’ life within them against Satan’s assaults. Interestingly, all pieces of this divine armour are given to shield ourselves against Satan’s demonic army. The only exception is God’s Word. It is given to us as a divine sword to fight off Satan’s attacks. How we should wield this sword of God’s Spirit we will see in the next meditation.

(to be continued)

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version; **** Christian Standard Bible

About “Jesus Messiah judging His Church”, see Meditations 54 and 78-90.

128. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE? – How do I protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks? (i)

From Meditation 120 onward we have seen that the full armour of God is a divine gift to all God’s children. The apostle Paul takes the armour of a first century Roman soldier to show us how we can protect Jesus’ life within us against Satan’s attacks. We have already spoken about girding our waist with truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, shoeing our feet with the preparedness of the Gospel of peace, and taking up the shield of faith.

“Take (or receive) the helmet of salvation...” (Ephesians 6:17**)

The helmet was an essential piece of the Roman armour, usually made of bronze. It should protect the soldier’s head from being hit by any of the enemy's weapons. Twice in his letters, Paul uses the Roman helmet in a figurative sense as a means of protection against Satan’s assaults.

Here, in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus (Turkey), he speaks of the ‘helmet of salvation’. In his first letter to the church in Thessaloniki (Greece) he writes: “... let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8**)

From where does the apostle take the idea to link the image of the Roman helmet with the concept of salvation?

Bible teachers are clear about the fact that Paul has taken this expression “helmet of salvation” from one of Isaiah’s prophecies. This man of God lived around the 8^th century BC in the kingdom of Judah. The prophet writes in chapter 59 verse 17*: “He (i.e., God) put on righteousness as His body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on His head. He clothed Himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury.”

Interestingly, in this text God does not wear His armour to defend Himself. On the contrary, here God is on the move to attack all the unrighteousness of His people, Israel. Let us read the entire passage to see verse 17 in its context: “Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and He is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem-- your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, He has turned away and will not listen anymore.

Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are tainted with corruption. No one cares about being fair and honest. Their lawsuits are based on lies. They spend their time plotting evil deeds and then doing them. They spend their time and energy spinning evil plans that end up in deadly actions. They cheat and shortchange everyone. Nothing they do is productive; all their activity is filled with sin. Violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Wherever they go, misery and destruction follow them.  They do not know what true peace is or what it means to be just and good. They continually do wrong, and those who follow them cannot experience a moment's peace.

It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn't punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom. No wonder we grope like blind people and stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men! We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it is nowhere to be found. We look to be rescued, but it is far away from us.

For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. We know that we have rebelled against the LORD. We have turned our backs on God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies.

Our courts oppose people who are righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked.

The LORD looked and was displeased to find that there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So He Himself stepped in to save them with His mighty power and justice. He put on righteousness as His body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on His head. He clothed Himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury. He will repay His enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on His foes in distant lands.

Then at last they will respect and glorify the Name of the LORD throughout the world. For He will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD. 'The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem,' says the LORD, 'to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins. And this is My covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!'" (Isaiah 59:1-21*)

God addresses through the mouth of Isaiah the desolate situation of His people. He cries out: “Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are tainted with corruption.” (Isaiah 59:3*)

Without a doubt, God is able to save His people from all their sins. Yet, if they rebel against Him and don’t want to listen – He will turn His back on them: “... your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, He has turned away and will not listen anymore.” (Isaiah 59:2*)

God waits for the moment His people will repent and become conscience of their despicable situation: “It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn't punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom.” (Isaiah 59:9*)

As God realizes that there is nobody to deliver His rueful people, He Himself interposes: “He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So He Himself stepped in to save them with His mighty power and justice.” (Isaiah 59:16*)

God puts on His armour to deliver His people from their oppressors and to pass judgment on His enemies: “He put on righteousness as His body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on His head. He clothed Himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury. He will repay His enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on His foes in distant lands.” (Isaiah 59:17-18*)

Finally, the entire world will know our Triune God. They will glorify Him as they see how God the Son, Jesus the messianic Redeemer, will come to His people and deliver all those who repent of their rebellion against God. With them God will make a new and eternal covenant. This messianic covenant entails the gift of God, the Spirit, to those who acknowledge Jesus as their personal Saviour: “Then at last they will respect and glorify the Name of the LORD throughout the world. For He will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD. 'The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem,' says the LORD, 'to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins. And this is My covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!'" (Isaiah 59:19-21*)

Isaiah’s prophesy focuses on God’s people Israel. However, the New Testament shows us that everyone in the world who trusts Messiah Jesus for deliverance from God’s righteous judgment of their sins will also be part of this new messianic covenant.

On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter called on his Jewish audience to repent: “‘Let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!’ Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles (i.e., the nations) -- all who have been called by the Lord our God.’” (Acts 2:36-39*). Peter bases this part of his message to Israel and the nations on texts like Isaiah 32, 44 and 59, Jeremiah 32, Ezekiel 36, 37 and 39, Joel 2 and Zechariah 12.

Years later, the apostle Paul appeared before king Herod Agrippa (11 BC – 44 AD) and spoke of his ministry to Israel and the nations, saying: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea (i.e., the Jews), and also to the Gentiles (i.e., the nations), that all must turn from their sins and turn to God-- and prove they have changed by the good things they do.” (Acts 26:20*)

Many believe that God has rejected His people Israel forever and put the Church in its place. However, Paul declares in his letter to the Christians in Rome: “Did God's people (i.e., Israel) stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! His purpose was to make His salvation available to the Gentiles (i.e., the nations), and then the Jews would be jealous and want it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the Jews turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when the Jews finally accept it.” (Romans 11:11-12*)

In Romans 11:25-27, Paul explains to the non-Jewish Christians in Rome that God’s people Israel definitely has a future in God’s plan of salvation! He bases this divine revelation on Isaiah 59:20 and the texts we referred to earlier when we quoted the apostle Peter’s Pentecost message (see the above-mentioned passage Acts 2:36-39*). The apostle Paul writes: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written (in the above-mentioned Old Testament prophecies): ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob (i.e., Israel). And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” (Romans 11:25-27**)

Now let us go back to our original subject. As we said before, Isaiah 59 promises that God the Son, Jesus the messianic Redeemer, will put on righteousness as His body armour. He also will place the helmet of salvation on His head and deliver His people Israel from their rebellion against God. Moreover, He will liberate them from their oppressors. He will make a new and eternal covenant with them and give them His Spirit.

Furthermore, the apostle Peter adds that all messianic believers worldwide will also be saved from their sins and God’s judgment (see the earlier quotation of Acts 2:36-39). God will include them in the messianic covenant which He made with His people Israel. The apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus (Turkey): “God's purpose was that we (the messianic Jews) who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you (the gentile believers worldwide) also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.” (Ephesians 1:12-14*).

Let’s come to the point. We have tried to set Paul’s command in Ephesians 6:17 in its Old Testament perspective: our Triune God has put on the helmet of salvation to fight for our salvation and give us Jesus’ life by His Spirit. Now it is up to us to receive God’s helmet of salvation which protects Jesus’ life within us against any satanic assault.

Have you put on God’s helmet of salvation?

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version.

About “God’s messianic and eternal covenant with Israel and the nations”, see Meditation 33.

About “ Satan and our rebellious lives”, see Meditations 19-21.

About “What must I do to be saved?”, see Meditations 22-26.

About “The Holy Spirit and His ministry”, see Meditations 27-34.

About “God’s major project: transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ”, see Meditations 45-48.

About “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Spirit”, see Meditations 49-55.

About “Personal Christlike love for the Father and His Son”, see Meditations 56-64.

About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life and in my church?” see Meditations 101-121.