Do not war according to the flesh

2 Corinthians 10 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! ² I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

⁷ You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. ⁸ For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, ⁹ for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

¹² For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. ¹³ But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; ¹⁵ not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, ¹⁶ so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. ¹⁷ But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. ¹⁸ For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,  for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…        One of the things that has weakened the church today is that there is a tendency to both walk and war in the flesh. In many things, much of the church has become almost indistinguishable from the world. The morality of much of the church is more in line with the morality of the culture and society than with God’s word. The programs and plans of much of the church are to reach people based on people’s desire to be satisfied and entertained. The emphasis is on building services and programs that appeal to people rather than focusing on worshipping and honoring God. In 2 Timothy 4:2-4, Paul warned Timothy about a culture within the church who would not endure God’s sound doctrine, but would want a softer message. He says:   preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,  and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.    Throughout much of the western church today, the message is more about happiness than holiness. It is more about being successful than being spiritual. Sound doctrine is left out because many people will not endure it and the culture and society does not accept it. Paul is not the only one who warned against the church, believers being indistinguishable from the world. Jesus says:    “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” (Matthew 5:10-13)      Jesus calls believers the salt of the earth. The psalmist says:   O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)  If the church and believers become indistinguishable from the world, how will the world taste the goodness of God? How will people be drawn to take refuge in a God that looks no different than the world? By trying to become like the world, acceptable to the world, the church will become “no longer good for anything”, it will be “thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”  

Even among churches and believers who have not compromised the truth of God’s word, those who still hold to and preach sound doctrine, far too often we miss what Paul encourages in today’s text. While we may strive not to walk in the flesh, we do war in the flesh. We take our zeal for God and sound doctrine and we engage those who oppose us in the physical realm. Paul says:   we do not war according to the flesh,  for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.    In Ephesians 6:12-13 Paul says:   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.        When we engage others and when we engage the enemy, warring in the flesh, we battle where the enemy and the world has the advantage. When we engage in human debate, protests and court battles in human courtrooms, we war in the flesh, in our own strength. It is not to say that we should not participate in these things to stand as salt in the world. We must though recognize where our true authority is and where our true advantage against darkness lies. Our battle is not against the people who have rejected God’s word, His holiness and His righteousness. Rather it is against the spirits behind those people. Our true battle and our true authority is in the spiritual realm, it is in prayer. Ephesians 6:18 says:  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit.     We have authority and victory in the spiritual realm. Colossians 2:15 says:   And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.    We win because He won!

Thousands or millions of people protesting, boycotting and voting to uphold God’s values in our society is important and sends a good message to the world. Yet Jesus Himself says:  ^“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.  For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Matthew 18:18-20) If two or three have that power and authority in prayer, what will happen if the church will rise up and truly war in the spirit? If millions will unite in prayer, we will destroy fortresses, speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.    

Paul ends the text saying:   But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord.  For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.   The victory we have is not in our own strength and abilities. It is not in our warring in the flesh, but rather it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we battle in Him and boast in Him.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit; You have given us the victory.   Amen