April 12, 2011 – 2 Corinthians 9:11 - 11:6

Based on 10:4 I was thinking about Spiritual Warfare.  We don’t hear a lot about this idea, but we are constantly at war with the ideas of the world and basically Satan’s influence on us.  This warfare is the battle for people’s souls and it is one that we do not take seriously all the time.  In a homily I was listening to about Lazarus the priest was saying that what God cares about most of all in our souls.  He allows us to have pain and suffering to benefit our souls because He cares so much more for our souls than temporary pleasure we may think is so important in this life.  I found these things below regarding, at least in part, spiritual warfare.   

"For our weapons are not of the flesh." For what sort of weapons are of the flesh? Wealth, glory, power, fluency, cleverness, circumventions, flatteries, hypocrisies, whatsoever else is similar to these. But ours are not of this sort: but of what kind are they?… For though there should be strongholds,' he says, ' though fortifications, though any other thing whatsoever, they yield and give way before these weapons…For the fight was not equally maintained, but he conquered with great ease. Wherefore he did not say, 'we conquer and have the better,' only; but 'we even bring "into captivity;" ' just as above, he did not say, ' we advance engines against the "strongholds: "' but, ' we cast them down, for great is the superiority of our weapons." For we war not with words,' he says, but with deeds against words, not with fleshly wisdom, but with the spirit of meekness and of power. How was it likely then I should hunt after honor, and boast in words, and threaten by letters;' (as they accused him, saying, "his letters are weighty,") ' when our might lay not in these things?' But having said, "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," because the name of "captivity" was unpleasant, he presently afterwards put an end to the metaphor, saying, "unto the obedience of Christ:" from slavery unto liberty, from death unto life, from destruction to salvation. For we came not merely to strike down, but to bring over to the truth those who are opposed to us.”  St. John Chrysostom, Homily on 2 Corinthians. 

“Wherefore it should be our ambition that the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. For it is not for one kind of battle only that we have to be prepared. This warfare is manifold, and is engaged with a great variety of enemies; neither do all these use the same weapons, nor do they practice the same method of attack; and he who has to join battle with all, must needs know the artifices of all, and be at once both archer and slinger, captain and general, in the ranks and in command, on foot and on horseback, in sea-fight and in siege. In common warfare, indeed, each man repels the enemy by discharging the particular duty which he has undertaken. But here it is otherwise; and if any one wishes to come off conqueror in this warfare, he must understand all forms of the art, as the devil knows well how to introduce his own assailants through any one spot which may happen to be unguarded, and to carry off the sheep. But not so where he perceives the shepherd coming equipped with accurate knowledge at all points, and well acquainted with his plotting. Wherefore we ought to be well-guarded in all parts: for a city, so long as it happens to be surrounded with a wall, laughs to scorn the besiegers, abiding in great security; but if any one makes a breach in the wall, though but of the size of a gate, the rest of the circuit is of no use, although the whole of it stand quite securely; so it is with the city of God.”  St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood. 

“For the weapons of our warfare. The warfare corresponds with the kind of weapons. He glories in being furnished with spiritual weapons. The warfare, accordingly, is spiritual. Hence it follows by way of contraries, that it is not according to the flesh In comparing the ministry of the gospel to a warfare, he uses a most apt similitude. The life of a Christian, it is true, is a perpetual warfare, for whoever gives himself to the service of God will have no truce from Satan at any time, but will be harassed with incessant disquietude. It becomes, however, ministers of the word and pastors to be standard-bearers, going before the others; and, certainly, there are none that Satan harasses more, that are more severely assaulted, or that sustain more numerous or more dreadful onsets. That man, therefore, is mistaken, who girds himself for the discharge of this office, and is not at the same time furnished with courage and bravery for contending; for he is not exercised otherwise than in fighting. For we must take this into account, that the gospel is like a fire, by which the fury of Satan is en-kindled. Hence it cannot but be that he will arm himself for a contest, whenever he sees that it is advanced.”  John Calvin, Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

"The word here rendered strongholds (ochuromata) means properly -- fastnesses, fortresses, or strong fortifications. It is here beautifully used to denote the various obstacles, resembling a fortress, which exist, and which are designed and adapted to oppose the truth and the triumph of the Christian's cause. All these obstacles are strongly fortified [...] The whole world is fortified against Christianity; and the nations of the earth have been engaged in little else, than in raising and strengthening such strongholds for the space of six thousand years. The Christian religion goes forth against all the combined and concentrated powers of resistance of the whole world; and the warfare is to be waged against every strongly fortified place of error and of sin. These strong fortifications of error and of sin are to be battered down and laid in ruins by our spiritual weapons." -- Barnes. -- Ed.  Footnote 758 in John Calvin, Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

“The apostle Paul learned the Law of Moses and the prophets at the feet of Gamaliel and was glad that he had done so, for armed with this spiritual armor, he was able to say boldly "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;" armed with these we war "casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and being in a readiness to revenge all disobedience." St. Jerome, Letter 53

So, I even through in some Calvin.  He did write and awful lot and even if I don’t agree with his theology, it doesn’t mean that some or most of what he may have wrote isn’t beneficial.  The part where he points out that those that choose to lead others, ministers, priest, any church leaders, are the standard bearers and the ones that will most fiercely attacked by Satan.  Is it any wonder why our priest are so vulnerable to struggles.  I know I feel that weight because I am a leader in our youth group and I know that because I am doing God’s work, Satan is looking to make an example of my failings.  St. John Chrysostom talks about a fortressed city, but Satan will find the weakness even if it is as small as a gate.  Many of these were written over 1,000 years ago.  When we really think about it, the fight against the world has not changed.  It may be more public, there may be new names, the weapons may be slightly different, but when you look at what they wrote, read what St. Paul wrote, and think about our struggles, you realize that the evil in the world is not too original.  Mostly the same old tricks and we still fall so easily.