Honest Resistance

So humble yourself before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ~James 4:7

Category: Theology

The Armor of God – The Helmet and Sword (Part 2)

September 18, 2022 / / 1 Comment

As a kid I grew up playing baseball. I played several positions in the infield, but my favorite position was catcher. I enjoyed putting on all the catcher’s equipment. It was like putting on armor. A foul ball could hit me square in the face, but the catcher’s mask would deflect the ball and protect my head.

As followers of Christ, we have spiritual armor as well. The armor of God is a metaphor that the Apostle Paul uses to illustrate how walking according to the commands of Scripture act as protection for believers. Protection from what? The Scripture tells us that the armor protects us from the “schemes of the devil.” A scheme is a form of trickery, usually done in a systematic way. That means that the demonic forces are studying you and making plans according to your weaknesses. Temptation is persistent; that is why we are commanded to flee from it (2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 10:13). Have you ever noticed that you are often tempted in the same way regardless of the circumstances or location? I have seen people who struggle with substance abuse being offered drugs while on vacation in an unfamiliar city. The temptation seems to find them! Temptation is also opportunistic. When I struggle with temptation, I know that the more tired I become, the harder it is to resist. I decided to get good rest whenever I can to minimize opportunities to sin!

“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:17 (ESV)

In Ephesians 6:17, one of the pieces of armor that the Scripture outlines is “the helmet of salvation.” Recall our principle from Part 1 that each piece of armor is put on by walking in its source. What then is the link between the helmet and our salvation? What is it about our salvation that protects our mind? For the saints who are in Christ Jesus, salvation is the true reality of our present moment (1 John 5:12). That truth is not based on how we feel or the circumstances we are experiencing. Rather it is grounded in the unchanging person of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, the Apostle Paul instructs us regarding what it means to have the mind of Christ. The reality is that we have access to wisdom and knowledge which is vastly superior to the wisdom of man. Wisdom that was once hidden is now revealed through the Holy Spirt and cannot be understood apart from the work of the Spirit. Walking in this wisdom brings the helmet of salvation into existence!

One way that a believer can grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Spirit is to study the Proverbs. The purpose of Proverbs is to enable God’s people to learn wisdom, discipline and understanding. God’s Word promises guidance to His children who explore and meditate on them (Proverbs 1:1-7).

Another piece of armor described in verse 17 is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” We often think of the “word of God” as the Bible in its written form. The Greek term which we translate for the written word is logos. But the word used in this verse is rhema, which refers to the spoken word of God. In other words, Paul is telling the believers in Ephesus to quote the word of God in response to temptation from the devil. We are to speak Scripture to directly confront lies with the truth of God’s Word. Jesus used this method in Matthew 4 when He was tempted by Satan. In Matthew 4:3, the devil tempted Jesus to turn stones to bread and break His fast prematurely. However, Jesus defeated the attack in part by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus leveraged the power of the Holy Spirit through His ability to recall the logos (written word) in order to speak the rhema (spoken word).

I remember suffering terrible anxiety attacks after I made the decision to change careers and separate from the military. These anxiety attacks always came on at night when I had time to reflect on the coming changes for our family. One of the ways I would confront this demonic scheme was to quote Psalm 55:22, which says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” I would pray this verse many times throughout the night and day until the anxiety would relent. If you are not already in the habit of doing so, I encourage you to start memorizing God’s word so that you will have access to the sword of the Spirit when the attacks come!

How to put on the Armor of God (Part 1)

September 10, 2022 / / 2 Comments

As a soldier preparing for battle, there are several items that you are issued prior to boarding the plane to take you to a combat zone. It was a brisk December afternoon in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and I was standing in line to receive my new body armor. I was pretty excited because my unit was going to try out the new military gear. Now I had trained with body armor in the past, but it was a much older version. The newer technology meant the upgraded armor we received was more complete, but also much heavier! I remember having to learn how to assemble the new gear, and it took longer than I anticipated.  

God provides His children with body armor as well. And much like my experience with military body armor, there is a lot of confusion about how to put on the armor. Some people claim that you just put on the armor of God in your imagination. Others claim it is put on through prayer. While our imaginations and prayers are indeed powerful tools, the Bible provides a different set of instructions about how to wear the armor of God.

When the Bible describes the armor of God, the original Greek translation uses the ablative of source case to describe each piece. According to the Blue Letter Bible, the ablative of source case means that “the noun being modified by the noun in the ablative owes its origin in some way to the noun in the ablative.”[1] So for an example, let us examine the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). The shield is the noun being modified by the ablative of faith, therefore the shield owes its existence to faith. Each piece of armor is automatically put on by walking in its source. As you walk in faith, you bring your shield of faith into existence. It is entirely appropriate to pray for faith, but until you actually walk in faith by your actions, you have not brought the armor into reality! Ephesians 6:16 informs us that the shield of faith enables us “to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” What are all the fiery darts? They are all the various forms of attack that Satan will bring to bear against the saints of God. Without faith, we are susceptible to all kinds of attacks. Without faith, we will be overcome by our doubts. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. The Bible declares in 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”

Now it’s important to here make sure we are fighting with an actual shield and not a plastic toy shield. There are cheap imitations of faith that draw people away from actual biblical faith. One such example is the Word of Faith movement, or the “prosperity gospel” which seems to be influential in many corners of modern Christianity. The Word of Faith movement teaches that we can simply create the reality that we desire if we exercise enough faith. In such teaching, faith is transformed from the biblical understanding which is trusting God and His good plans despite our circumstances into a heretical or pagan understanding that faith is a way of creating the health and wealth that we want. For instance, ancient people would make sacrifices to fertility gods and goddesses in hopes that their agricultural endeavors would succeed. If they’re crops failed, then it would mean one of two possibilities: either the pagan god was not powerful enough to help or the sacrifice was not enough to move the pagan deity to action. Word of Faith teaching is similar in it’s approach. Walking in faith does not mean that we demand miracles from God. Our Father is not a holy vending machine to get whatever you want by inserting quarters of faith.  But rather He is a loving Father that gives us what we need (Philippians 4:19). He does not exist to serve us, but we exist to serve Him because He purchased our lives with His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20). Therefore, in the case of a farmer practicing biblical faith, he would still pray for his crops to succeed, but even if the crops failed, he would still be able to trust God to provide for his needs despite the hardship. The Bible instructs us that suffering brings many good things such as perseverance, endurance, patience, godly character, wisdom and intimacy with God, just to name a few (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-6, 1 Peter 4:12-13, Psalms 34:18). None of this is to say that we should seek out suffering or that we should not pray for healing or provision, but we gratefully accept the trials we are given whether easy or difficult (Philippians 4:11-13). Christian history is rich with stories of triumphs and tragedies, but in every case, God is glorified and the faithful are rewarded by Him (Hebrews 11:1-40). Word of Faith teaches Christians to turn their backs on this magnificent inheritance and trade it for a bowl of soggy corn flakes. Biblical faith described in Ephesians 6:16 is shield that can sustain us in the adversity of battle regardless of how trials may change in severity or duration.

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/resources/grammars/greek/simplified-greek/ablative-case.cfm

Cohabitation: The reemergence of concubines in modern times

August 19, 2022 / / 0 Comments

One of the great ironies of feminism is the insistence that it’s aims have always been to increase the rights and freedoms of women, but realities on the ground suggest significant downgrades for most women. According to feminist ideology, the sexual license of women is why sex must be liberated from Biblical understanding and Biblical marriage must be terminated in order to break free of oppressive Biblical patriarchy. That is why abortion, contraception and no fault divorce are central to the feminist experiment. However, an often overlooked fruit of the sexual license stemming from feminist ideology is the reintroduction of concubines into mainstream society. I would argue in fact, that one of the most comprehensive downgrades is the replacement of wives in the covenant of marriage with concubines in cohabitation.

Concubine (n), a woman with whom a man cohabits without being married: such as one having a social status in a household below that of a wife

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concubine

Cohabitation has only gained prominence in recent United States history. According to the New York Times,

Cohabitation in the United States has increased by more than 1,500 percent in the past half century. In 1960, about 450,000 unmarried couples lived together. Now the number is more than 7.5 million.

Meg Jay, The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage (New York Times, April 14, 2012).

Throughout most of the 20th century, marriage was the normative arrangement and cohabitation was considered “living in sin.”

What is most interesting about this phenomena has been the relational advantages to men. Concubines in olden times were expected to put out sexually and help out around the house or farm. Modern men have an advantage over their ancient counterparts in that these modern concubines also hold jobs to help out with the bills. Many of these concubines are in fact more highly educated and economically productive than their masters. As long as the concubine doesn’t get out of line and keeps up the sexual output, he can hold marriage over her head as a carrot on a stick. Over time he can choose to promote her to a wife, or keep her in suspense as a concubine.

Women are more likely to view cohabitation as a step toward marriage, while men are more likely to see it as a way to test a relationship or postpone commitment, and this gender asymmetry is associated with negative interactions and lower levels of commitment even after the relationship progresses to marriage.

Meg Jay, The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage (New York Times, April 14, 2012).

Cohabitation is a relational test from the man’s perspective, but the answer key is always subjective…the goalpost is always moving. It becomes harder and harder for the woman to win over time. And the older she gets, the less attractive she becomes to a potential husband. She acquires more emotional and relational baggage as a concubine. It’s true that she can leave whenever she wants, but over time, the concubine becomes increasingly dependent, financially and emotionally, on her master (especially if children are involved). Again from the New York Times,

Sliding into cohabitation wouldn’t be a problem if sliding out were as easy. But it isn’t. Too often, young adults enter into what they imagine will be low-cost, low-risk living situations only to find themselves unable to get out months, even years, later. It’s like signing up for a credit card with 0 percent interest. At the end of 12 months when the interest goes up to 23 percent you feel stuck because your balance is too high to pay off. In fact, cohabitation can be exactly like that. In behavioral economics, it’s called consumer lock-in.

Meg Jay, The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage (New York Times, April 14, 2012).

The progressive feminists can’t account for the evil that lurks in the human heart. God created men to have dominion over the earth and to fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). The sinful heart of man routinely seeks to avoid that dominion mandate through passivity and laziness. If a man can have something for cheaper, he will naturally (and gladly) seek a bargain. Now there’s nothing wrong with bargain shopping per se, but as it turns out, the old adage is also true, “you get what you pay for.” In cohabiting, you oftentimes don’t ever achieve marriage, or the marriage that does result is a less secure version of marriage done biblically. Cohabitation is a cheap imitation that cannot compete with a robust theology of marriage as revealed in Holy Scripture.

So, what is the answer? You guessed it! Biblical marriage as outlined in Genesis 2:23-25. Let’s look at this passage together.

23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:23-25 (ESV)

There are at least three elements represented here in the first recorded wedding ceremony. First there is a public declaration of commitment by the man to the woman before God and others. Earlier in Genesis 2, God declared that it was not good for man to be alone. God then formed the wild beasts and birds of the sky and had Adam name all the animals. One can imagine that this parade of creatures was truly magnificent, but the Bible records that none of them were comparable to Adam. God causes Adam to fall asleep and takes one of his ribs and fashions a woman named Eve. Upon seeing her, Adam makes a public declaration of commitment to this one, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Not only was God present for this declaration, but all of heaven and earth were present for the uniting of this man with his glory (1 Corinthians 11:7). Secondly, the Bible indicates that this relationship takes precedent over all other relationships, in a very public way. In verse 24 when a man leaves his parents, the Scripture is saying that there is no other relationship that is more important than the marriage relationship. In ancient times, and especially in an honor-based culture, family is the most sacred relationship on earth. A man publicly breaks relationship with his parents in order to establish a new family for the purposes of bringing greater levels of dominion and multiplication of humans upon the earth. Lastly, the Bible records the consummation of the marriage in verse 25. Interestingly, God’s Word declares there was no shame in this way of pursing marriage.

Cohabitation works toward marriage in reverse order of the Scriptures. You start with sex (a concubine) and then test the relationship to see if it can work. If the sex is good, everyone behaves themselves, and you don’t find a better concubine in the mean time, then you can work toward a public declaration where you’ll settle for the best you can do apparently.

But again, most cohabitation ends up in something less than marriage. I have counseled and prayed with many women who desire marriage, but they are stuck as a concubine with no clear path to marriage. They try to talk about marriage with their “boyfriend” only to be told after a few years that he’s still not ready yet; she’s merely a concubine holding on to a lingering hope that someday her “boyfriend” will come around and propose.

So what is the way out cohabitation? There is much more to say in regard to the role of families and especially fathers when it comes to preventing women from falling into the trap of concubinage. Young women are attractive targets to predatory young men, therefore it is necessary to set healthy expectations for young women. In many corners of society, there is tremendous pressure for a single woman to get an apartment and start a life on her own. This is a difficult proposition for anyone, and combined with a desire for marriage, it’s not difficult to see how these expectations create a tendency toward cohabitation. However, a woman is better served by living with her parents, under her father’s spiritual and physical protection or at least in a roommate situation so that she is not alone. Even men with the best of intentions routinely make mistakes in courtship since they are controlled by their flesh desires. That is why it is important for a woman to partner with her father, whenever possible, to help in the courtship process. Setting biblical boundaries for courtship minimizes the opportunity for a woman to fall into a dreaded cycle of relationship failures. For further reading on this topic, I commend to you the book Her Hand in Marriage, by Douglas Wilson.

But what about those currently in cohabitation? What is a redemptive way out? The first step is to agree with God that cohabitation is a transgression against Him. Sex outside of marriage is always wrong, full stop.

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)

The second step is to seek God’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of the one with whom you have sinned. God promises to grant forgiveness when we ask Him, as well as remove His condemnation.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (esv)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1 (esv)

Seeking the forgiveness of the one with whom you are cohabitating is often the most difficult step. The other person may not feel that they (or you) have done anything wrong. As a result, they may not be open to such a conversation. But continue to pray on their behalf and ask the Lord to work in their heart. Hearts are changed when God’s people pray.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James 5:16 (esv)

Finally, act in obedience and trust God to provide. You may be able to pursue marriage immediately. Agree to a period of sexual abstinence while you prepare for marriage and find a pastor who is willing to conduct biblical per-marital counseling. If at all possible, try to find a place where you can live temporarily apart (a friend’s couch). Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) when it comes to your future marriage. Treat marriage as holy because the Lord treats it as holy (Ephesians 5:25-27). If the other person is still unwilling to pursue marriage, then begin to pray that the Lord will provide an avenue for you to pursue righteousness. What would it look like to have your own apartment? Can you find a roommate of the same sex? Is it possible to move in with extended family? Ask yourself, “How can I adjust my living situation so that I am honoring the Lord and my future spouse?” It may not be possible to resolve immediately, but put your trust in God.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 (esv)

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you tempted beyond our ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Our nation once had a culture of marriage which it exchanged for a culture of cohabitation. Reclaiming the culture of marriage is not an easy task, but it will require God’s people to take seriously His commands regarding sex and marriage. When we do so, future generations will look back with gratitude on our courage to act in faithfulness to God. By God’s grace, we can rebuild the culture of marriage one household at a time.

Abortion and the Sanctity of Human Life

June 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Few issues of our day are more polarizing than the scourge of abortion.  Since the infamous Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, a war for the future of mankind continues to rage in the United States of America. Thankfully, the Supreme Court struck down the so-called right to abortion in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson case. However, abortion is still legal in many places in the United States, and this issue is still far from complete resolution nationally. While there is no shortage of opinions on this issue, for those who claim to know Christ the most urgent concern is understanding and applying Biblical truth.  Perhaps the most foundational truth at stake is the sanctity of human life.  The Bible teaches that humanity holds a unique place over the rest of the created order.  Throughout the creation account, God repeatedly announces the virtue of His handiwork by daily proclaiming the results to be “good.”  Yet at the grand finale of creation as recorded in Genesis 1:26-31, God testifies that humanity is made in His image after His likeness.  He gives mankind a special place of authority within the cosmos; he announces their preeminence among his earthly creatures by declaring their establishment to be “very good.”  Later in Scripture, we see that God places utmost significance on the preservation of His image.  Under the covenant with Noah, God explains in Genesis 9:6 that He will require the life of man or beast if they spill the blood of a person.  Human life is sacred because the image of God is sacred. 

Proponents of abortion will sometimes attempt to circumvent the idea that life is sacred by arguing that a baby is not a person.  Such a position claims that humans achieve personhood once they attain certain traits and capacities.  Such capacities include, but are not limited to, reasoning, consciousness, the ability to communicate and other self-motivated behaviors.  From a philosophical position, some problems with this idea come to mind.  First there exists no objective way to determine desirable traits from undesirable traits.  Any list of traits and their definitions are completely subjective and would naturally change over time.  Furthermore, such subjectivity opens the cognitive door to labeling people as “undesirables” and marking them for elimination; Nazi Germany embraced this line of reasoning to justify mass executions.  From a theological perspective, the Bible rejects this line of thought by describing the inherent value of life from conception.  The Bible declares in Psalm 139:13-16 that God knows the content and details of each life prior to conception.  In Isaiah 49:1 and Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord calls men to be prophets before He forms them.  Additionally in Luke 1:41, John the Baptist demonstrates the capacity to respond to news that he is in God’s presence even in utero.  Clearly, personhood begins at conception and a strong argument can be made for personhood even before conception.

God also demonstrates his care and concern for the unborn and for the mother in Exodus 21:22-25 by imposing penalties on anyone harming a child in utero or the pregnant mother.  The Biblical text places equal value on the life of the mother and the life of the unborn child.  Based on the equal penalty applied to the injury of either person, there is no distinction in worth.  Proponents of abortion will attempt to argue that opposition to abortion is rooted in a latent desire to suppress the rights of women.  However, the Bible is witness to God’s desire to protect not only the lives of the unborn child, but also the life of the mother.  Many women who experience abortion are left alone after the procedure to suffer the consequences in isolation.  Abortion providers are not there to help the mother pick up the pieces of her life after terminating her child.  Women are simply left to suppress their feelings and sadness.  This is one of the great ironies of the pro-abortion position. Furthermore, the Bible not only holds that the mother and baby are equal in terms of personhood, but also equal in terms of consequence for killing or harming them. Therefore, homicidal statutes should be further updated to reflect society’s commitment to protecting all life. In cases where her life is not in danger, a mother who obtains an abortion may be morally complicit in the murder of her baby.

What should be done about the hard cases such as rape or incest?  Certainly the perpetrators of criminal acts should be punished to the maximum extent of the law.  But does that mean that the child who results from the crime should also be treated as a criminal and face execution?  If one is to accept the view of Scripture that human life is inherently sacred, then the child has rights and deserves protection.  While there is no easy answer to dealing with the pain of rape or incest, taking innocent life will never serve as justice for the crime.  In Psalm 82:3-4, God declares that He is the defender of the poor and helpless.  Many Christian communities set a bold example by helping women in just such a perilous predicament by providing support in prayer, counseling, and options for adoption or foster care. 

How should a Christian conduct himself regarding this issue?  Reflecting God’s image back to Him as an act of worship must be paramount for Christians.  Jesus declares in Luke 6:36 that our compassion for others flows from God’s compassion for us.  Such compassion must mark our behavior toward those in the pro-abortion camp as well as the mothers and children caught in this societal deception.  Since the Bible establishes inherent personhood from conception, it is clear that from a Biblical perspective humans inside the womb deserve protection.  No unborn child can speak for herself or defend herself.  As ambassadors for Christ, we must be faithful to the counsel of Scripture and stand firm for the lives that God has made.  We must pray for the end of abortion and seek to elect governmental leaders who will undo the damage of previous governments. The Bible plainly demonstrates the inherent value in every human life from conception. The future of human flourishing depends on whether we will be faithful to God’s Word and what it says about this foundational issue, the sanctity of human life.

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