Spiritual Warfare and Bible Translators

[jasonmodar]

Hey community,

I read an article the other day detailing some of the challenges that Bible translators face, in particular the Wycliffe Associates. The article talked about persecution and spiritual warfare. You can read the article at http://www.christianpost.com/news/bible ... ek-171890/. Small warning, this site is, unfortunately, notorious for its ads.

I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you in regards to this article as it was pretty eye opening to me. I am very ignorant on spiritual warfare so I welcome feedback on my thoughts!

At first I thought about spiritual warfare here in the USA and wondered why we didn’t see anything like what these translators are seeing. Perhaps Christians in the states are seeing things like this and I am just ignorant of this. I also thought that since we already have the Bible translated into over 100 English versions, as well as a ton of other Biblical resources, that perhaps Satan and the spiritual forces of wickedness are focusing their efforts on distracting us in the west from reading and studying the Bible or making us doubt the reliability and usefulness of the Bible.

Secondly, I thought about how these spiritual forces of wickedness are hell-bent on making sure the Bible isn’t translated into other languages. It seems to me to speak to the profound power of the Scriptures. The Bible ultimately points people to Christ and tells people about Christ. It contains the Gospel of the Kingdom and the message of its King. It makes sense that Satan and demonic forces would be in direct opposition to this being further translated and made available to people. Not sure if this is an argument that would fly in an Apologetics class but I couldn’t help but be further impressed with the reliability, power and authority of Scripture when reading about the attacks that Wycliffe Associates face on a daily basis. It appears to me that there must be something about the message contained within the Scriptures that is real and life changing.

Let’s also be praying for these brave men and women who truly are on the front lines of this spiritual war. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and offer your thoughts if you choose to.

Jason

[Paidion]

To me, spiritual warfare is not marching around a city, and trying to cast demons out of it.

Rather spiritual warfare is trusting in Christ in order to receive the enabling grace of God in order to overcome wrongdoing in one's personal life, and coming to know the will of God in order to live a righteous life. Your warfare is not against people or demons; it is against the evil that is within.

[Homer]

Good post Paidion.

[jasonmodar]

To me, spiritual warfare is not marching around a city, and trying to cast demons out of it.

Not sure what this is in response to or if you're just making a statement.

Rather spiritual warfare is trusting in Christ in order to receive the enabling grace of God in order to overcome wrongdoing in one's personal life, and coming to know the will of God in order to live a righteous life. Your warfare is not against people or demons; it is against the evil that is within.

That makes a lot of sense that spiritual warfare has to do with righteous living. Are you saying though that there's no demonic pushback of any kind a follower of Jesus faces? To me it looks like that's what Paul addresses in Ephesians 6:11-12.

[steve]

Jason,

Many people only talk about spiritual warfare in the defensive sense, as in "Winning Your Personal War With Satan" (a book title I once saw). No doubt this self-orientation, with reference to warfare, is of a piece with our self-orientation, generally, and is natural enough in a world where we seem always to be under attack and tempted—and where it is most natural to be thinking primarily of our own safety.

We seldom consider why there is a war at all, and why we are on the field being attacked in the first place. You have alluded to the larger concern of warfare, which is the offensive aspect. We think very naturally of our own salvation, our own security, our own victory, our own battle, etc. The common denominator in all of these things is "our own." We forget that the battle is not primarily about "us," but is a campaign for global conquest.

The little role that you or I play, and whether we succeed or fail, is a relatively small concern in terms of the big picture. If my greatest fears are realized, so that I lose "my own personal battle," and end up lost, the role I was intended to play in enforcing the victory of Christ in this planet will fall to others, but it has a minimal impact on the fortunes of the battle. My contribution matters, but the invasion will go on without me. It has been going on for 2,000 years already—mostly without me!

The kingdom of God has global objectives (Dan.2:44)—which involve "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor.10:5). Ironically, we often even see that verse as being about "our own" thoughts, while Paul is speaking of the evangelistic and discipling efforts to bring the hearts and minds of rebels into compliance with the King.

The kingdom of God is an invading force (Mat.12:28-29). The objective of the battle is not merely "my own" personal spiritual survival, but, rather, that "every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil.2:11).

Though Paul does speak of the armor of God (which is for our defensive warfare), he also mentions "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph.6:17). Amazingly, the only teaching I ever hear about this tends to see even the sword as a defensive tool to deflect the blows of an enemy's sword-strakes.

However, a sword is only secondarily a defensive device. It is a weapon, designed to penetrate and to do harm to the adversary. In the case of our warfare, the effective use of the Word of God is for the penetration of regions, cultures, and minds where the enemy's hegemony has never been confronted or challenged, and to spread the victory of Christ to every nation, tribe, people and tongue.

It is this aspect of the global warfare to which Wycliffe translators are devoted. It is the front edge of the kingdom's advance into occupied territories, and it should not surprise us that the enemy's most desperate efforts are directed against this campaign.

[steve7150]

It is this aspect of the global warfare to which Wycliffe translators are devoted. It is the front edge of the kingdom's advance into occupied territories, and it should not surprise us that the enemy's most desperate efforts are directed against this campaign.








Very well put! Paul describes believers as if they are soldiers in an army in Eph 6 and an army can not only be on the defensive as it will atrophy.

[steve7150]

Your warfare is not against people or demons; it is against the evil that is within.







I think the bible describes evil within us and outside of us. Do you not think Satan is an entity?

[Jim]

Spiritual warfare seems to be one aspect. We do fight against demons, but we also fight against our old self. In the fall, from my understanding, our flesh gained control over our soul and our nous was damaged. With Baptism our nous is restored, but now comes the training up of our soul to once again reign over our bodies. Our bodies of course do not wish to lose control so we fight within ourselves soul vs body. As we practice our faith, through the mysteries, and ascetic practices we can over time, with the aid of God, bring our body into full obedience to our soul and nous. This translates in an ever greater participation of the divine nature and into being truly human and fulfilling our purpose, e.g. Theosis. Many times, it is not the demons, thought they are always watching your soul for weakness, but the agony caused by our own bodies fighting our soul.

[psimmond]

I agree with Paidion. I think "the enemy" is our flesh. That part of humanity in ourself and in others that is contrary to what is good and right in Yahweh's eyes. The rest sells a lot of books and makes for good horror stories.

[steve]

Your warfare is not against people or demons; it is against the evil that is within.

Are the demons gone, then? I'm afraid your research and experience are deficient if you think there are no more demons to exorcise. There certainly were plenty of them that Paul and his companions had to confront.