Biblical Observations on Spiritual Warfare

by Pastor Steve Mathewson
November 2, 2006

My decision to share these Biblical observations on spiritual warfare is prompted by last week’s sermon preparation in Ephesians and recent conversations with staff and others in our church.  Spiritual warfare is both real and misunderstood.  These points should help you think biblically and engage biblically in the battle we face.

1.     Spiritual warfare is a fact of life for Christians 

The expression ‘spiritual warfare’ is simply a way of describing our common struggle against evil.  To put it another way, it is the believer’s struggle against everything that sets itself against the knowledge of God.  The classic passage on spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20) is basically a description of the ‘ordinary’ Christian life.  What’s unique about the passage is its identification of the source of our struggles: the devil and the spiritual forces of evil.  Ephesians 4-5 describes a lot of interpersonal struggles that seem to be nothing more than conflicts with other people.  But Ephesians 6:10 reveals that spiritual forces of evil are behind these conflicts.

2.     Spiritual warfare is just as intense in the Western world as it is in third-world countries 

We fail to realize this because spiritual warfare is generally more subtle in the Western world than in third-world countries.  In Ephesians 6:11, the Apostle Paul talks about the devil’s schemes.  In a lot of third world countries, the devil’s schemes are more direct or more apparent.  For instance, I’ve experienced this in Haiti.  I have seen, heard, and felt the impact of voodoo.  My most recent experience was two years ago when my son, Ben, and I participated in an outdoor evangelistic service in a little mountain village in southern Haiti.  Several hundred people gathered on the dirt road in the middle of the village.  Ben shared his testimony, and I shared a brief challenge from Scripture.  But before the evening was over, a group of voodooists arrived and some odd things took place.  We could directly feel Satanic opposition.  But in the Western world, Satan is often more subtle.  Part of his scheming, I believe, is convincing us that we really don’t face spiritual warfare.  But the last time I checked, false teaching is prevalent in our culture!  According to 1 Timothy 4:1, false teaching has a demonic source.  Similarly, our struggles with sins like bitterness, anger, and slander reflect the attacks of the devil (see Ephesians 4:26-31 with Ephesians 6:10-12).  So we should not be fooled into thinking that spiritual warfare is something that only happens in other lands. 

3.     The way to engage in spiritual warfare is by using the resources made available by our union with Christ to pursue Christian maturity 

Ephesians 6:10-20 clearly makes this point. The dominant image, of course, is armor.  We stand against Satan’s attacks by putting on the full armor of God.  But there is nothing magical or esoteric here.  The Apostle Paul simply uses this metaphor of putting on armor to summarize what he has already taught in his letter to the Ephesians!  Yes, every piece of armor in Ephesians 6:10-20 has already been discussed by Paul earlier in the letter.  We engage in spiritual warfare by using these pieces of armor to resist Satan’s attacks and stand firm (see ‘resistance’ language in James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:9).  Of course, we must resist Satan by not participating in tarot cards, demon movies, and séances.  But we must also use truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God’s Word to resist the devil’s efforts to destroy us by our anger, gossip, or participation in gossip.

If you want to pursue this subject further, I highly recommend Clinton Arnold’s book, “The Crucial Questions About Spiritual Warfare” (Zondervan).  Always remember that the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

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