2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Friday, 16 September 2022
We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. -2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT
Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, has thus far been mild in his approach but from chapters 10-13, he changes his tone, becoming more authoritative in his approach to his critics in Corinth. He exerts his authority supernaturally given to him by God; but he admonishes them that it is his discretion to use it or not. He wishes the best for them not the worst. So he is exposing their vulnerability, given his God-given authority. But this also teaches us valuable lessons about the war that needs to be won in order to bring a single soul to Christ.
Every man has to be won to Christ after waging war against his or her soul. The human soul is fallen in nature, far from God being under the dominion of sin and satan. This in turn has brought in the rule of the “self.” It is this area of man's soul that has to be brought under subjection, for the rule of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This universal battle for souls is what is referred to in Colossians 1:13: “For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.”
As Jesus came out victorious over Sin, Satan and death- He said, "…I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”(Matt.28:18) He sends out His emissaries to the far ends of the world based on this authority, vested upon Him by God the Father. Every authority that Satan was holding after the fall of man has been regained on the Cross of Calvary by Christ Jesus. “He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.”(Col.2:15)
THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
Human soul is shielded by the enemy who tries to do everything in his power to stop a person from hearing the Word of God. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2Cor.4:4) So after binding the power of darkness trying to block the mind of an unbeliever, the servant of God gets direct control of the situation, to share the good news. But this alone does not work; there are more to be overcome. A series of obstacles are there inside a person from receiving the true knowledge of God. His mind is one battlefield which is guarded like a fortress, inside where the conscience of a person resides. Unless the message duly reaches the conscious level of a person, there is no victory. For this, the servant of God is supernaturally aided by the Lord Himself, to discern the unseen world and with the use the word of God, gain entry. Once the entry is granted then that person is left with the choice of accepting or rejecting the message, which nobody can question. It is a personal responsibility and decision to be taken by every individual who comes to Christ.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for delivering us from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. All power and glory and honor belongs to You, for ever and ever.
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