.............................................................................................................................................................
Spiritual
Warfare: What is it?
Greg
Boyd
The
Kingdom is “not of this world,” and neither is its warfare.
Jews
had always believed that God confronted spiritual opposition in carrying out
his will on earth.
In the
Old Testament, these evil forces were usually depicted as cosmic monsters and
hostile waters that threatened the earth.
For a
variety of reasons this belief in spiritual warfare intensified significantly
in the two centuries leading up to Christ.
This
intensified understanding of evil and this new view of history is commonly
referred to as the “apocalyptic” worldview.
The
authority ascribed to Satan in the New Testament, the frequent depictions of
illness and deformities as demonically caused, and the general characterization
of this present epoch as evil and as approaching its end all reflect this
worldview.
We find
references to Satan, rulers, principalities, powers and authorities, along with
dominions, cosmic powers, thrones, spiritual forces, elemental spirits of the
universe, gods, and a number of other spiritual entities.
For
short, I’ll just call them “Powers.”
Understanding
this worldview helps us see that Jesus’ radically countercultural ministry
wasn’t first and foremost a form of social and political protest, though it
certainly was that.
It was,
rather, most fundamentally a form of spiritual warfare.
This
apocalyptic context makes it clear that Jesus’ deliverance ministry wasn’t the
only way Jesus confronted evil.
Every
aspect of the Kingdom of God Jesus manifested revolted against a corresponding
aspect of the kingdom of the Powers.
In
Jesus, and in the movement he came to establish, the long expected apocalyptic
battle between God and the Powers was — and still is — being waged.
When
Jesus revolted against the oppressive religion of his day, for example, he was
engaging in warfare against the Powers that use religion to oppress people.
So too,
when Jesus refused to live in accordance with his culture’s assumptions, laws,
and social taboos regarding nationalism, race gender, class, and wealth, he
wasn’t just waging a social protest; he was engaging in warfare against the
Powers that oppress people.
Paul reflects this point when he informs us that “our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
From a
Kingdom perspective, if it’s got “flesh and blood” — if it’s human — it’s
not our enemy.
To the
contrary, if it’s got “flesh and blood” it’s someone we’re commanded to
love and thus someone we’re to be fighting for — even if they regard us as
their enemy.
The
primary way we wage war on behalf of others, including our enemies, is by
imitating Jesus and refusing to buy into any aspect of the Powers’ oppressive
regime — including the universal tendency to make other people our enemies.
Whereas
earthly wars are fought with pride, strength, and violence, the Kingdom war is
fought in humility, weakness and love.
Any
aspect of our own life, our society, or our global community that is under the
Power’s influence and is inconsistent with the loving reign of God as revealed
in Jesus is something that we are called to revolt against.
—Adapted from Myth of a Christian Religion, pages
30-32
Greg
Boyd
is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher, apologist and
author.
He has
been featured on the front page of The New York Times, The Charlie Rose
Show, CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC and numerous other television
and radio venues.
Greg
received his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (summa cum laude 1988),
his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (cum laude 1982), and his B.A. in
Philosophy from the University of Minnesota (1979). He was a professor of
theology for 16 years at Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) where he received the
Teaching Excellence Award and Campus Leadership Award.
Greg is
the co-founder of Woodland Hills Church in
St. Paul, Minnesota where he serves as Senior Pastor, speaking to
thousands each week.
No comments:
Post a Comment