Waging War
11/6/25 Bible Thought (1 Peter 2)
To belong to God is to not belong to this world.
As we continue our journey through 1 Peter, we will find that one of the themes of this letter is that believers are sojourners or exiles on the earth. That is, we are far from home. We were made for another country and long for the day we will see our Savior face to face.
Yet, for the present, God has thought it necessary for us to go through this season of time away from our homeland here in a fallen world.
This in mind, the apostle Peter admonishes believers:
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:11-12).
Our action of abstaining from fleshly passions and temptation comes first rooted in a new identity:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
We are the people of God. We are those whom He has taken out of darkness. We are those whom He has called holy, that are to be distinct or separate from the world. All in all, we belong to Him.
Our lives as believers must be rooted in this new identity. If we merely try to be “better people” apart from the power of His indwelling Spirit, we will fail again and again. However, if our efforts of abstaining from fleshly passions stem from an understanding that we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) that changes things.
I am not working for this new identity but from it.
He has set His love upon me, as a worthless wretched sinner, and made me part of His family by grace. Whether I feel like it or not I am a child of God. As such, I am no longer a part of the world’s family. I no longer serve the god of this world, but the true and living God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
This in mind, we ought to strive to live out the reality of this changed identity by abstaining from these fleshly passions.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, according to Peter, they wage war against our soul. They are seeking to destroy us.
Sin is deceitful (Heb. 3:13), it might look nice on the surface, but the end result is death (Rom. 6:23; Jas. 1:14-15). If we consider the outcome rather than just the momentary, fleeting pleasure of it (Heb. 11:25) it will showcase how awful it truly is.
These things are not indifferent; they desire to take us down.
The desires of the flesh and of the spirit are opposed to each other (Gal. 5:17). We cannot fulfill them both at the same time. They are servants of opposite kingdoms—the desires of the Spirit serving the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son, and the desires of the flesh serving the kingdom of darkness.
If fleshly desires wage war against our souls, aiming to pull us from Christ, perhaps then we ought to wage war against them. In the apostle Paul’s terms, we must:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Col. 3:5a).
We cannot take sin lightly when it desires to have us. We cannot make peace with it—we must wage war. We must be intentional. If we are indifferent, it will eat us alive.
So then let us not be found on the defensive, but the offensive. Let us not wait for the battle to be on our doorstep, but to strive to crucify the fleshly desires that would pull us away from Christ before they come knocking.
Sin is crouching at our doorstep, desiring to master us (Gen. 4:7). Will we, by the grace of God, rule over it?
Good Morning! I have questions about offense versus defense action in spiritual warfare.
Five of the six pieces of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-17 are defensive in purpose (Helmet of Salvation, Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes (Boots) of the Gospel of Peace, and Shield of Faith). They all are designed to protect the Christian soldier and defend against enemy attack.
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is offensive/defensive because it's a short 12-18" blade designed for close-in combat. It's not a broadsword used in offensive action(s). Rather, it's an "offensive" weapon used in a defensive action when a soldier is attacked in "close-in" combat.
If all of my armor is defensive, and I'm 'ordered' three times to only "stand" in "God's strength" (Ephesians 6:10-14), how can I go on offense? With what weapon(s) am I to attack? Who exactly am I ordered to attack? When am I ordered to attack? How am I ordered to attack? As a subordinate soldier, under whose order(s) am I attacking? What's the offensive mission, exactly? A solider needs orders to complete a combat mission.
Scripture (in Ephesians 6:10-18) instructs (orders) me to, in God's strength (vs. 10), to do three things as a soldier in spiritual warfare:
1) Put on my armor (vss. 14-17), then
2) Stand (vss. 11, 13-14), and then
3) Always be found Praying in battle (vs. 18).
I don't see any offense. But Scripture repeatedly instructs me to defend/take defensive action (1 Timothy 6:12; 1 Peter 3:15, etc.). Am I missing something?
In physical warfare, it's dangerous, and even deadly, to go into combat without proper equipment, weapons, and commander's orders. Scripture tells us spiritual warfare is also dangerous and deadly (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8, etc.).
Last question: Isn't Jesus Himself really the only "offense" a Christian soldier needs? (John 16:33; Romans 8:31-39; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Colossians 2:15; John 5:4, etc.)
Thank You for reading this long note. Looking forward to reading response(s).