"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 ESV
This verse can be a little confusing when you dissect it in the english translation because on one hand we are not fighting against "flesh and blood" but on the other we are fighting against "rulers" and "authorities". What is the difference? And why are they lumped with "cosmic powers" and "spiritual forces"? Here are what those words mean from the greek text:
rulers (archē): the first place, principality, rule, magistracy (used often of angels and demons)
authorities (exousia): physical and mental power; the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege); authority over mankind[blueletterbible.org]
Here is the distinction being made in Ephesians 6:12: Paul says we should fight over for who has authority over us spiritually and mentally, and fight against spiritual things - and we should not fight for authority and against people.
The war being waged today is one of authority over the conscience of people. What am I talking about? The war over gay rights, the war over social, political, and religious tolerance, the war over the value of life, etc., are battles in the war for authority over people's minds. As a Christian, the biblical stance on many of these topics is certainly not what is favored by the media, by the universities, or by many people we know. How are we, as Christians, supposed to respond to the pressure and persecution we face because of our beliefs? I hope I can give a little bit of help answering that question right now.
Are issues like homosexuality and abortion really that important?
In short: yes to the inth degree. But why? If we do not build our beliefs on the Bible concerning subjects like these, our faith is made a lie. That might sound dramatic, but let me explain. I cannot, and I would guess that you cannot, believe a God and book that lie. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:26-28). If then we, as Christians, say that homosexuality is not a sin, then we make a mockery of the Bible - and since the Bible is the word of God, we make Him out to be a liar as well.
How about abortion? Well, the Bible says that it is wrong to murder a person (Gen. 9:6, Mt. 15:19, Mt. 19:18, Mk. 10:19, Lk. 18:20, Jn 8:44, Acts 3:14, and Rom. 1:28-29). The idea that the unborn is a person is disputed by many in our culture today. Here is why I believe the unborn is a person (as concise as i can be): the unborn has personal attributes (Ps. 51:5, Luke 1:44), the unborn is described by personal pronouns (Jer. 1:5, Mt. 1:20-21), Jesus was called a "child" at conception (Mt. 1:20), the unborn are called children (Lk. 1:41), the unborn are protected by the same punishment as for adults (Ex. 21:22-23), the unborn is called by God before birth (Jer. 1:5, Is. 49:1), and finally the unborn are known personally by God just like any other person (Ps. 139:15-16, Jer. 1:5) [Heavily sourced from carm.org/bible-abortion]. If the unborn is not a valuable life, and if abortion is morally acceptable for a Christian, then we are laughing at the Bible and raping God of His authority.
These obscenities are also true of other issues like the origin of the universe - we do not hold Genesis to be true, we make a liar out of the Bible.
Why does this matter if we still believe the Gospel?
Who would believe in a book that lies? At the point that these things we've talked about are non-issues and are made okay by Christians, that is the point that the gospel is made simply a good story at best and an evil trap of ignorance at worst.
If we allow ourselves to disregard parts of the Bible, we are setting ourselves and others up to disregard the entire book - including the gospel. But if we believe that 100% of the Bible is absolutely true, then we have a firm foundation for our faith. It is essential that the Bible has complete rule and authority over a Christian. If the Bible loses its authority over us, we have no foundation for our Christian faith.
How can we stay strong in the midst of the war?
Number one: never for a moment abandon the belief that the entire Bible is the written word of God. I cannot stress enough the importance of this point. If we really believe whatever God says, we will not compromise on a single thing written in the Bible simply because it is the word of the God who made us.
The Word of God has tremendous authority. His words brought the universe into existence. His words are alive and active (Heb. 4:12). His words are truth (Ps. 33:4). If we compromise on the truth of even one verse, the entire Bible has lost its authority.
Christians, church leaders, christian business owners, christian politicians, please stay strong as we face a culture that tells us that the truth is a lie. Trust our loving Father to protect us and bless us for our obedience to Him, and trust the Bible with complete authority.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16
