The metanarrative of the Bible is an epic story of love, adventure, danger, heroism, romance, sacrifice, warfare between good and evil, unlikely heroes, and impossible odds. All of which make up God’s story. Every classic story written in history is modeled after it. In the Bible metanarrative, Christ is the main character, and his people are the supporting cast for displaying the glory of God.
To understand this epic drama, we must understand the stage setting. God reveals in Scripture that the created cosmos (time and space continuum) was created good but became corrupt due to a continuing conflict between God and demonic forces. Scripture gives little detail about the origin of this cosmic conflict, but the brief snapshots given are sufficient for now. The Bible claims Satan is a powerful being who leads a host of spiritual powers in rebellion against God and his authority. Satan’s goal is to set himself above God and usurp his sovereignty.
The battle between God and evil forces continues throughout the narrative of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. The Genesis account shows how humanity was caught up in the cosmic conflict. In the Garden of Eden, humanity chose to join Satan in the rebellion against God by deliberately disobeying God’s command and thus replacing God’s authority with self-rule.
The enemy
The Bible describes life on earth as living in the kingdom of darkness where Satan rules but with limited freedom. One day there will be a final battle in which Satan and his accomplices will be rounded up and cast into hell: their final destination. However, in the meantime, as Christians, we are engaged in this cosmic battle.
The New Testament epistles describe our battlefield as consisting of the world, the flesh, and the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 2:2-3). This trifecta is waging war against God’s desires and design for his people. Since we are engaged in a war, we must know what and who we are fighting. We may confuse our real enemy with certain people, such as a demeaning boss, grumpy neighbor, or belligerent kids. Satan may use such people, but people are not our real enemies. On the other hand, our world’s caricature of Satan is one of a friendly, although perhaps ghoulish, harmless fiend more appropriate for Halloween than the real world. In either case, Satan is neither taken seriously nor effectively opposed.
Victory over Satan requires that we understand him for who he is and not attribute more power to him than he deserves. There are spiritual forces of wickedness we should be aware of and stand in opposition to. However, we do not live in fear of Satan or his host of followers because Jesus has already defeated him. The victory has been won, and one day it will be finalized. We are on the side of victory!
The Battlefield
As God’s people, whose final home is in heaven, we live as aliens in the kingdom of darkness and will always face opposition and hard times. For example, people get sick and die, accidents happen, businesses fail, and homes are robbed. Hardships, misfortunes, and trials are part of living in a broken world. However, there is also a battlefield landscape with significant spiritual attacks. The following are some examples.
- We are overwhelmed with false accusations against the nature of God
- We find ourselves doubting the truth and relevance of the Word
- We doubt our true identity in Christ
- We face an uncommon assortment of trials and losses, such as Job experienced
- We experience resistance when we invade enemy territory with the gospel and engage in kingdom ministry.
- Emotionally we experience an overwhelming sense of darkness, sadness, fear, or anxiety.
- We struggle with confusion regarding guilt, shame, and doubt.
Another type of battlefield is called a stronghold. A stronghold can be any harmful habit, negative thinking, or irrational feeling that leads to sinful behavior for which we are in bondage.
(Neil Anderson’s book, The Bondage Breaker, is a helpful resource regarding this type of battlefield.)
Discovering God on the Battlefield
When David was running from King Saul, he did not have a fortified city with walls to protect him, so he retreated to desert caves like Adullam and the forest of Hereth (1 Samuel 22:1-5). Yet it was not his surroundings that he looked to for safety; it was his God. So if we were to ask David, “How did God show up during the years you were running from Saul,” he would say,“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).
Another way God shows up on the battlefield is with his armor of protection and the power to fight victoriously. Paul, in Ephesians 6, describes the armor we are to put on to be “strong in the Lord and the power of his might.” Each piece of armor is a description of Christ, so to put on the armor is to put on Christ (Romans 13:14).
Battlefield Strategies
Max Anders has suggested that we encounter two types of spiritual warfare. We respond to each with different strategies.
- A battle where the enemy can be defeated. On this battlefield, we fight, wage war, wear armor, stand firm, resist, and sometimes flee. We actively fight with the weapons God has given for our defense. (Ephesians 6:13; James 4:7; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Timothy 2:22; Matthew 4:1-11)
- A battle where the enemy’s attack is sustained. On this battlefield, we experience God’s grace to endure. Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a good example. Paul identifies this “thorn” as harassment from Satan, but God refuses to remove it. Instead, he directs Paul to accept it and experience his all-sufficient grace. On this battlefield, we hide ourselves in the fortress of the character of God with prayer and praise.
We can be confident that God will show up on the battlefields of life. We are not victims but victors. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God” Psalm 20:7).
For Reflection
1. Practically, how do we put on the armor of Ephesians 6?
2. How do know when to fight and when to flee (a strategic withdrawal)?