Can Spiritual warfare be explained? and do you ever overcome it?
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At its simplest spiritual warfare is ones struggle to read the bible every day and to pray regularly in a meaningful way.
When one doesn’t do the above, the devil has won in his attack on your faith.
It gets more complicated as one seeks to live as God would have you.
Each failure to tell the truthy, to control ones tongue, eyes etc is a defeat in spiritual warfare.
You know the bible is called the sword of the spirit, yes, well every time one doesn’t know biblical history is a defeat, one has shown a lack of swordsmanship that is vital for a spiritual warrior.
read this https://thestateoftheology.com/
are you someone who doesn’t know what and why you believe?
Are you losing the spiritual battle?
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Satan sets the course of the world (Eph 2:2). Most of his tactics involve lies, so knowing truth is a good defense. If one becomes overcome with doubt, raising one’s faith as one would raise a shield can drive away clouds of doubt. The elements described in Ephesians 6 are all defensive except the sword of the spirit with is the bible. Jesus demonstrate its use in Luke chapter four.
The whole purpose is not to vanquish the enemies of God, but to “stand”. To remain undeterred.
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it is a battle between Satan and man that will never end while we are here in the flesh. Satan will never give in so that we will battle with him until we go to be with Jesus. Only then will we be freed from the battle. While here we are to suit up with the armour of God and fight the enemy satan with God as our commander and advocate. God in us is a powerful force to stand against satan and his demonic army. Although we know the victory we ultimately have in Jesus we will be in battle while we are here.
The Whole Armor of God
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Eph 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
J.
very good answer! Let God’s Word speak for itself!
It’s the EXEGESIS part some don’t appreciate, especially on Ephesians 6.
The…
Critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture.
“the task of biblical exegesis”
J.
Yes, and no; you engage in it.
A spirit is “an animating force” or “an idea” or “a motivation,” but superstition has a tight hold on those who call themselves Christians today.
God is the ONLY unseen conscious entity. Angels and demons are metaphors for perspectives, in a sense. Meanings are always deeper and more complex than any seminary pastor will admit.
My engagement in spiritual warfare is this, trying to contend with the ideas which ensnare people in sin and darkness.
Paul fought “principalities and powers.” Don’t trust the translators! Look at what those mean! Paul was combatting the principles of thought, the foundations of beliefs, and the powers of inaccurate associations and perverted meanings.
Apostle is a transliteration of a greek word which simply means “messenger” or “someone dispatched.” Do you really think God was sending all kinds of messengers from the beginning, and that He just stopped after Paul?
Scripture references that Paul “fought” principalities and powers? I thought we were suppose to “stand”
J.
Do you think “fight” is inaccurate?
Would you prefer “contended with?”
Perhaps “reasoned against?”
Or perhaps “illuminated the errors of?”
I love to get into what things mean, it is truly my passion in life.
Like what? Love to go into what Pantas mean, so what is your passion?
Ephesians 6:12[1]
Lexically and syntactically the structure is important.
The verb “wrestle” translates the Greek πάλη (palē), which denotes hand to hand combat, close engagement, not distant warfare. Paul frames the conflict as intensely personal and immediate, not abstract.
“Principalities” renders ἀρχάς (archas), accusative plural of ἀρχή (archē), referring to first rulers, originating authorities, structured ranks of governance.
“Powers” renders ἐξουσίας (exousias), denoting delegated authority, jurisdictional power, the right to exercise rule.
“Rulers of the darkness” translates κοσμοκράτορας (kosmokratoras), world rulers, a rare and strong term implying dominion over the present fallen age.
“Spiritual wickedness in high places” is τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, literally the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
So Paul does not say believers must “contend with” in the sense of debating or disputing; rather, he teaches that the church is engaged in spiritual conflict against structured hierarchies of demonic authority.
This conflict, however, is not fought by human strength. Immediately before and after this verse he commands believers to “be strong in the Lord” and to “put on the whole armour of God” ~Ephesians 6:10–18. The victory ground of that warfare is rooted in Christ’s triumph through the cross and vindicated in the resurrection, where He “spoiled principalities and powers” ~Colossians 2:15 and was exalted “far above all principality, and power” ~Ephesians 1:21.
So yes, Paul clearly affirms conflict with principalities and powers, but he frames it as spiritual wrestling under Christ’s already accomplished victory. If you would like, we can examine how ἀρχή and ἐξουσία function elsewhere in Paul’s corpus to see whether they consistently denote personal spiritual beings or sometimes earthly structures. You ready for this?
J.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV ↩︎
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Pardon my delay, newcomers have posting limitations.
I like the way you contend; knowledgably. You are learned!
The Meaning of Life is my purpose and my passion, and I spent so many years in the grave that to realize the fullness of His presence is all the energy and motivation I need to express my joy in Him.
God made the heavens and the earth. The earth is seen with eyes, but yet the faithful don’t walk that way. Somehow, they utilize a manner of vision that is communicated to us predominantly as “walking in the Spirit.”
Greeks, in whose language this terminology originated, called the air “pneuma” and that was synonymous with spirit. They breathed in the spirit, and the air within them was how they perceived the realm of thought.
To a Greek, walking in the Spirit meant walking not by what we see and hear, but by our deepest contemplations of the principles, the precepts, the ideas, the directions, the meanings and purposes of an infinitely good, all-powerful, inconceivably great God who had at that time revealed Himself entirely through only one small lineage descended from the first man (as everyone alive today is).
Paul was a guy who knew those Words of God inside and out from the inside of the Hebrew people. He was a zealous one at that. He was accustomed to using the words of higher level greek and struggled to reduce those grand ideas to the simplicity of the language in koine (common) greek.
He got the Word out far and wide among people who had never heard of the True God. The love of God for everyone was Paul’s passion. Paul was pointing straight to God for the heathens the way the Prophets pointed to God for the Israelites.
Powerful men have often gathered, adopting the vernacular of the faithful and distorting the meanings by wicked intent. In ages past they murdered their opposition. Today disobedience thrives by obscuring the truth with distraction.
From Paul, it took a long time for us to come to this unique nation with unheard of freedoms in the world. The beauty of freedom is the opportunity for expression, because higher meanings and better purposes rise on their own in the absence of active suppression. Not that suppression has ever slowed down the Truth; only delusion fights reality.
I am aware I speak against those who have been preaching superstitions about invisible monsters ever since Constantine sought control through the compelled intermixture of faiths. I know God hears my words, that’s why I’m so careful with them!
Ancient conceptualizations of psychological processes were expressed in very different language than today. The environment in which the prophets wrote and the particular applications of the words don’t translate well in the absence of significant additional details. My passion is the details. I love detail and definition and clarity and accuracy, but I digress.
Supersitions are those interstitial elements of the doctrines formed from observations of truth in the absence of what is required for understanding. Those comprise the “bones of dead men” that Christ and the Prophets condemned vehemently for the profound hypocrisy that comes from lifeless rules used for selfish ambition.
Angels and demons are not functional entities, they are not conscious force-capable beings in any way, shape, or form on any plane of existence, of which there are only two (within men and without). These words are rooted in metaphors, superstition is the dilution of truth unto ambiguity by attribution of false meanings.
What is taken literally, figuratively, illustratively, metaphorically, transliterally, or just plain offensively all boils down to how a person has come to understand the words with which they interact.
It is the Spirit which brings understanding. It has been those spirits born of disobedience which have robbed men of understanding by fueling their delusions.
I contend with you, yes, but that’s why I’m here. I’m training in the Spirit, and I do appreciate your skill.
So yes, I am ready. Let’s examine arche and exousia!
(Sorry, I haven’t even bothered to figure out quotes here yet, let alone greek characters. I wait to see if I am permitted to contend against irrationality before learning forum software)
Oh, and because I love meanings, here is the definition of “spirit” (the noun) from Noah Webster’s second edition dictionary:
From latin “spiritus” to breathe, to blow. The primary sense is, to rush or drive.
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Primarily wind; air in motion; hence, breath [this sense is now unusual]
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Animal excitement, or the effect of it; life; ardor; fire; courage; elevation or vehemence of mind. The troops attacked the enemy with great spirit. The young man has the spirit of youth. He speaks or acts with spirit. Spirits, in the plural, is used in nearly a like sense. The troops began to recover their spirits.
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Vigor of intellect; genius.
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Temper; disposition of mind, habitual or temporary; as, a man of generous spirit, or of a revengeful spirit; the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
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The soul of man; the intelligent, immaterial, and immortal part of human beings.
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An immaterial, intelligent substance,
Hence, -
An immaterial, intelligent being.
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Turn of mind; temper; occasional state of the mind.
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Powers of mind distinct from the body.
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Sentiment; perception.
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Eager desire; disposition of mind excited and directed to a particular object.
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A person of activity; a man of life, vigor, or enterprise.
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Persons distinguished by qualities of the mind.
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Excitement of the mind; animation; cheerfulness; usually in the plural. We found our friend in very good spirits. He has a great flow of spirits.
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Life or strength of resemblance; essential qualities; as, to set off the face in its true spirit. The copy has not the spirit of the original.
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Something eminently pure and refined.
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That which hath power or energy; the quality of any substance which manifests life, activity, or the power of strongly affecting other bodies; as the spirit of wine, or of any liqour.
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A strong pungent liquor…
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An apparition; a ghost.
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The renewed nature of man.
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The influence of the Holy Spirit.
The senses of words are how to find where meanings and definitions come into alignment, for which truth or falsehood are the only possible foundations, regardless of context. The Word is my passion, my gift, my life, my purpose, and my satisfaction, to start with.
But I’ll stop for now.
Not so @HappyServant !
“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 of the fulness of Christ.”[1] (~Ephesians 4.13)
The phrase “knowledge of the Son of God” translates τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἐπίγνωσις denotes full, experiential, mature knowledge, not superficial acquaintance. The clause “unto a perfect man” renders εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, meaning maturity or completeness. Paul’s trajectory is corporate and progressive. Growth toward the fullness of Christ is not optional; it is the ordained movement of the church.
To add…
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”[2] (~2 Peter 3.18)
And regarding the source of my learning brother…
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”[3] (~2 Timothy 3.16)
Hence, we are commanded to…
…to grow and to come to the full knowledge of the Son of God. My learning does not arise from self-exaltation, but from studying the Scriptures, which are given by God for doctrine and instruction. If there is understanding, it comes through diligent study of the Word and by the grace of God, not from personal superiority.
Shalom.
J.
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 of the fulness of Christ. - KJV ↩︎
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. - KJV ↩︎
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. - KJV ↩︎
And just like that I run away to my theological shelter.
Care to elaborate @Inmate since I don’t appreciate having a conversation with emojis?
J.
Good to know. In fact, exellent.
J.
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