I grew up in the age of Neil Anderson and Frank Peretti, two Christian authors who used their pens to try to enlighten their audiences about the power and pervasiveness of the spiritual world. I can still picture the claws descending from heaven on the cover of Peretti’s This Present Darkness[i] that spooked me as a child.
As I developed theologically, especially through the influence of Reformed thinkers, I began to set aside these influences, which now felt naïve. To focus on the demonic forces of the world seemed to leave people with magical worldviews, where they held very little power over their own actions, and diminished the importance of mortifying the flesh as disciples of Jesus.
I’ve come to believe that there is a third way. Anderson and Peretti were right that the Christian ought to be cognizant of the spiritual world, but their depiction of that world was off.
In Ephesians 6, Paul concludes his letter by drawing his readers’ attention to the spiritual world, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:10-12). Paul seems to disagree with my assessment that merely focusing on one’s sanctification and personal spiritual growth is adequate. On the contrary, Paul wants us aware of the cosmic battle we are in.
But what is this spiritual world? Wise saints who have gone before me have differentiated this spiritual world into three realms:
The flesh:
The first spiritual battle is against our own flesh. What is the flesh? When Paul explains this word in Romans 8:6, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death,” he means continually thinking about and desiring that of fallen human nature hostile to God such as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal. 5:19-21).
We need to understand the destructive power of the flesh within us. Though we are saved in Christ and given a new heart, we still battle against our flesh. Jesus warns his disciples that “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk. 14:38).
In Romans 8:13, Paul says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The Puritans called this battle against our flesh mortification. John Owen said of mortification, “Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”[ii] This part of sanctification is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us as we war against sinful habits.
Our flesh is part of the kingdom of darkness. Paul says, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Rms. 7:18). And later, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Rms. 8:7).
The Christian life is a life that will be at war with our carnal desires until the Lord calls us home. We cannot play nice with our flesh. We are at war with our wayward desires until we take our final breath. In the meantime, we armor up.
The world:
In both his gospel and his epistles, John frequently speaks of the world as a hostile force the Christian has to battle while simultaneously living a life of intentionality toward Christ. “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 Jn 2:16). And later, “For everyone who has been born of God has overcome the world” (1 Jn 5:4).
The New Testament makes it clear that there is a strong tie between Satan and the world. He is called “the ruler of this world” (Jn 14:30, 16:11), “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). John tells us that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19).
When Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn. 18:36) he meant his kingdom is literally not a physical location on earth, but rather figuratively speaking, it is where the rule and reign of the King manifests himself in the hearts and lives of those who submit to his authority. Far too many of us treat the world as a place of neutrality or even with the expectation that we might be able to turn the world toward the ways of Christ. Christ tells us to expect the world to be a place that will be at war with him. We cannot expect our governments, economic systems, media, pedagogical institutions, or anything else to be friendly to the cause of Christ. The doctrine of total depravity tells us that not only have we individually been affected in every capacity by the fall, but also that every aspect of the world (including nature and systems) has been affected.[iii]
This world is a foe, not friend of the Christian. We are at war against the world.
The Enemy:
We should neither ignore nor minimize the malevolent schemes of the demonic world lest we become its victim unawares. Let us not underestimate the abilities of the Enemy who is the second most powerful supernatural being in the universe. The invisible world controls the physical world, yet Jesus commands us not to fear for “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19). We are inadequate to fight the darkness, but not so of our big Brother in whose authority we stand over the Enemy and all symbols of demonic opposition (e.g. serpents and scorpions).
In our sanitized Western world, many of us functionally disbelieve in the spiritual world. If I were to take the average American with me on one of our trips to India, their mind would melt at the number of times Christians in India talk about the Lord bringing about miraculous physical healings and people being supernaturally purged of demonic possession. Most Americans might question this or consider such people naïve.
While only God knows what activity is truly supernatural, it’s likely that we underestimate God’s divine involvement in such activity. Even if you believe that the supernatural activity around the coming of Christ was unique, consider the prevalence of the language in the New Testament alerting God’s people to the work of the Enemy is not just for a first century audience, but for a real time audience as well.
Did Christ defeat Satan at the cross? Certainly. And yet don’t neglect Peter’s warning, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
As a child and even teenager, I had moments of great fear of demonic activity. Let us not be fearful, though. John encourages us, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for you, his sheep, and the Enemy has no power over him. We do not need to be fearful.
But let us neither be off guard. We battle against the flesh, against the world, and against Satan. Let us expand our understanding of spiritual warfare. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,” Jesus said, “so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). Paul agrees, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:10-12).
[i] See the 1986 printing of This Present Darkness for the drawing with the claws from heaven.
[ii] John Owen, Mortification of Sin
[iii] Not included in the world are the people. We are not at war with people. Even those who are at war against God are not our enemies. They are those we are called to pray for, to be compassionate to, and to share the good news with.
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