When it comes to the battle between the world, the flesh and the devil versus the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, there is no middle ground. Yet, it does seem that there are Christians who are trying to find some middle ground. It’s not there. And where these usually end up is on the side of the world, the flesh and the devil (though they would vehemently protest otherwise). The Scriptures do not permit a believer to live a little bit for the Lord and a little bit for the world. And even though many desire such a situation, that option is never presented and does not exist.
- THE ANTAGONISTIC WORLD SYSTEM
We know that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31) and that the cultures (“world”) are his philosophies. These philosophies often seem to have some “goodness” in them which is why they are often not seen for what they really are. The Apostle John commands: “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). John is clear that there is no middle ground on this. One either loves the Father, or they love the world. Most believers do not see themselves as loving the world. (Maybe those folks down the pew from me, but definitely not me). Loving the world is not an emotion but one loves the world when we live according to the standards and dictates of the culture instead of living by the righteous requirements of God. One cannot live in both systems.
Our American culture today is in deep decline. As the Apostle Paul pointed out, whenever God’s truth and righteousness is suppressed (Rom. 1:18) certain negatives always, always take place. And these negatives are in our America. A gross depravity and an appalling degeneracy are increasingly dominating culture values and behaviors. And the longer this continues, the more calloused people become (Rom. 1:28). There are focused attacks today on God’s design for the family and sexuality; degenerate moral behaviors are rapidly increasing; and the insistence that good is evil and evil is good. And it is not just an isolated person or group who are this way, but the institutions and powers of the culture become promoters of these evils.
“And, although they know the ordinances of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same things, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Rom. 1:32)
And today this hearty approval is promoted through social media, the educational system, the news media, the political establishment and even the legal system. We see some similarities to the last days in O. T. Israel when the prophet Hosea said:
“Because there is no truth or kindness or knowledge of God in the land, there is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so the bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore, the land mourns, and everyone in it languishes” (Hosea 3:1, 2).
There is no middle ground between the Father and the world. But how are we to avoid being polluted personally by this culture? In His prayer in John 17:5-20, Jesus gave the answer as He prayed for His disciples. These men were “in” the world, but they no longer were “of” the world system. Jesus had given them God’s Word and this Word set them apart them from the world. He prayed: “sanctify (set apart) them in the truth. Thy Word is truth” (17:17). And it is the same for us. To love the Father, and not the world, we must know and obey the God of the Word. One recent statistic informed us that 90% of church going Christians never open their Bibles between Sundays. This statistic strongly says that these Christians love this world and not the Father. We simply cannot avoid being lovers of this world if we are not immersed in God’s Word. We are transformed when our minds are renewed (Rom. 12:2). It is not our experiences or our emotions that transform us. Spending needed time reading, studying, conversing, meditating on the Scriptures will not only shield us from the subtleties of Satan’s system, but it will expand out ability to encourage and strengthen others to be the kind of followers that Jesus prayed about in John 17. I hope we have the courage, grace and discipline to become better students of the Word in the midst of this cultural decline.
- THE ENEMY WITHIN: THE FLESH
The “flesh” as it is used in Galatians 5:16-21 is the alien nature within us that energetically pushes us towards evil. Unfortunately, when we came to Christ as our Savior and we received eternal life, the flesh did not disappear nor did it lose any of its power. That scripture in Galatians shows many of the ways that the flesh is seen. The flesh, which is energized by the culture and by the Evil One, is very strong. However, the Holy Spirit who indwells us is far more powerful. We can, therefore, be consistently on the side of the Trinity in the spiritual battle. There is no middle ground in the conflict between the Holy Spirit and the flesh. Probably, it is here that many believers feel they can dabble a little with the flesh and still walk in the Spirit. And the culture in too many churches seems to support this. For example, we regularly hear that “God loves you unconditionally.” And for many, that suggests that dabbling in the flesh is okay with Him.
Once again, the Word of God is the key. We “walk by the Spirit” when we are walking in the truths of God’s Word. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). God’s Truth is the realm that the Spirit operates in. Essential to being Spirit controlled (filled) is being Word controlled (Eph. 5:15-18; Col. 3:16). It is impossible for a believer to defeat his/her own flesh if the Word of God is not at the center of their lives.
The Scriptures are central to spiritual victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. And this makes the present compromising of the inspiration, inerrancy, and the authority of the Bible occurring in many churches so concerning. Instead of believers hearing “thus says the Lord”, they are exposed to the every-declining cultural positions. The result of this is being seen in the monumental spiritual failures of church leaders as well as those who sit in the pews. Hosea’s statement about ancient Israel is very up to date: “My people are destroyed for lack ofknowledge…you have forgotten the law of your God” (Hosea 4:6).
Lining up against the flesh is the Spirit of Truth. Any believer can live a life free from the self-centered, sinful life that comes from being dominated by their flesh. Any believer can live a fruitful life that brings blessings to others and great joy to themselves. In every passage that speaks of such a life, the Word of God is central. And it is that Word, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, that produces it. Can a believer overcome the flesh apart from the Word and the Spirit? The answer is obvious.
- THE RULER OF THE WORLD SYSTEM: THE DEVIL
When people walk away from God’s righteous standards as found in the Scriptures, then another spiritual reality enters. Without the restraints of God’s truth, demonic activity increases and becomes more overt. When the restraining force of God’s truth is removed, then the highly organized, powerful forces of the Evil One have a freedom to operate. We are seeing this is in the rapid growth of raw evil in America. There is a new kind of violence and active aggression in peoples’ sinning, and this is described powerfully by the Apostle Paul.
“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful…” (Romans 1:28-31)
This is the world according to Satan. And without a doubt, all of this will increasingly be experienced in our nation. And even though we might not be able to stop the national decline, we can personally “stand firm” against this powerful enemy by putting on the armor of God which has been provided for us (Eph. 6:10-20). It is important to observe that we are commanded to put on the armor. The armor is not on us unless we put it on. As you look carefully at each piece of the armor, you discover that each is connected in some way to God’s Truth (And we wonder why Satan works so hard to discredit God’s word!). The Book of Revelation reveals the increased demonic activity that is going to take place during the Tribulation. But in the meantime, we can place ourselves squarely in the army of the Trinity as the spiritual battle rages on. But remember, there is no middle ground here.
Some concluding thoughts:
- Clearly it is the Word of God that gives victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. Believers cannot absent themselves from the Scriptures and have any hope of spiritual success. Is it time for a renewed commitment to a personal study?
- To help: a couple of sources might prove valuable: “Basic Theology” by Charles Ryrie (yes, reading a theology can open up understanding in a wonderful way). (2) The two-volume commentary on the whole Bible: “The Bible Knowledge Commentary” (helpful for the study of any book of the Bible).