Naturalism Lacks Explanatory Power
Many in our day think that there are physical explanations for everything. The materialist, or secularist, argues that every phenomenon that we experience can be explained by physical processes. The reason they think this is because they assume that the world and the universe are only made up of material or physical elements, that the only things that exist are physical things, that the universe, and your life, can only be understood through the study of physical processes. In this worldview, there’s no room for God or a spiritual world because they aren’t observable to our five senses. This worldview is built on the foundational assumption that if we can’t taste, touch, smell, hear, or see something, then it doesn’t exist.
What’s ironic is that many who hold this worldview would say that they have a liberal view of the world, that they’re open to all views and opinions, that they’re open-minded people. But, ironically, their worldview is one of the most narrow and dogmatic worldviews out there. All of their judgments and ideas and philosophies and explanations, by definition, leave out an entire side of reality. They only believe in the existence of a physical world. They deny the existence of a spiritual side of reality. If it’s not observable to our five senses, can’t be put under a microscope and tested, and be proved through the scientific method, then it can’t exist.
There are lots of problems with this worldview, not least of which is the fact that the scientific method can’t tell us whether the scientific method is the only way to discover truth. Another problem is that the naturalist is forced to take a very simplistic view on why there is evil in the world. In their understanding, all evil is a result of physical or material things. Their worldview doesn’t allow them to take into account any spiritual reasons for evil in the world.
The late Eugene Peterson, who passed away last week, said that there’s “more to what we see and more to what we don’t see…than we (have) ever dreamed.” Ironically, the Christian worldview is a more liberal worldview because it’s truly open to a wider spectrum of possibilities concerning the existence of evil. The Christian knows that the world we live in is made up of material and spiritual realities, so our explanatory toolbox has more tools in it to help us make sense of the craziness of the world.
Some of the things that defy natural explanation, in my mind, are the killing of the most innocent and vulnerable ones among us – the unborn, the abuse of women sexually or physically, the torturing of children or animals, believing that gender is something that we decide rather than an obvious part of our biology, the idea that someone is intrinsically better than someone else simply because of the color of their skin.
Which worldview best explains these things? The one that says that we’re the products of biological and chemical processes over millions of years? Or the one that says that the world that God made is under the curse of sin and the power of the devil?
The existence of a spiritual world full of powerful evil forces helps us understand why things are as bad as they are. The danger here is that those who hold the Christian worldview might think that every bad thing in the world is demonically inspired. In the preface of The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis famously said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” In other words, though the devil is real, we must not give him more credit than he is due. He is not God. He is not all powerful. He cannot be everywhere at once. He doesn’t know everything. He doesn’t get to do whatever he wants – he answers to God. Much of the pain and suffering of this world is because the world is under the curse of sin. We’re the cause of much of the evil in the world.
A World Full of Evil Spirits
Our sinfulness notwithstanding, the Bible makes it clear that we live in a world full of evil spirits. King Saul was tormented by one (1 Sam. 16:14). Jesus encountered them repeatedly in his ministry. And the ministry of Paul and the apostles was hindered by them (Acts 16:16-18).
It should be no surprise that, as Paul wraps up his instructions for Christian living in Ephesians 6, he ends with a section on spiritual warfare. Satan hates God and his gospel, so he therefore opposes Christians. What should the Christian do? Do we have a chance against the armies of evil? How do we survive in a world full of evil spirits who hate us and our God?
Ephesians 6:10-20 is where we find our answers. This morning we’ll look at verses 10-13, next week verses 14-20. The point of the text is that followers of Jesus are in a spiritual battle and must follow the Lord’s instructions if they want to make it out alive. In light of the spiritual war that we’re in, verses 10-13 tell us what to do, how to do it, and why to do it.
What Do We Do?
First, what are we to do? We’re soldiers in Jesus’s army (2 Tim. 2:3), so we need to know what our orders are. The command is simple: “Be strong in the Lord.” This is in the imperative and passive tense, so it’s best understood as a command to “be made strong” or “be strengthened.” This reminds us of Ephesians 3:16, “that…he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
The point is simple: believers don’t strengthen themselves. “Be strong in the Lord” doesn’t mean “Make yourself strong in the Lord.” It means looking to the strength of Another. The Lord is where our strength comes from. The “strength of his might” is where we get our power to fight the devil. Jesus has already proved his power over the devil’s opposition. He withstood his temptations in the wilderness and defeated him through his death and resurrection. We must appropriate Jesus’ proven power over evil to our lives.
I mentioned in our study of 2 Timothy 4:17-18 on Wednesday evening that being close to Jesus and fixing our eyes on our future with Jesus is how we get the strength we need to face any trial, including demonically-driven ones. We can only appropriate the strength of Jesus if we’re close to Jesus. We can only walk in his power if our eyes are fixed on his glory. The desires of our hearts must be for him if we want to receive his power. Jesus gives himself to all who gladly love and trust in him. His grace and love and power and strength are freely available to everyone who looks to him as their only hope.
Fasting for Strength
One of the things that God has given us to strengthen our relationship with Jesus is fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose. There are lots of biblical reasons and purposes for fasting. One of them is to seek the protection of God. When Ezra was called by God to lead a group of exiles back to Jerusalem, he led the group to fast and pray for God’s protection (Ezra 8:21-23). The Lord protected his people from their enemies after they fasted. We also should turn to God through fasting when faced with attacks and temptations from the evil one. Instead of trying harder in our own strength, we should humbly acknowledge our weakness through fasting. The Lord will grant us his strength as we do so.
Jesus himself fasted for forty days and forty nights when he was tempted by the evil one in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). Donald Whitney, in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, says, “In times of exceptional temptation, exceptional measures are required.” I know that the prospect of fasting can be daunting. But we often miss meals when we’re traveling, shopping, or working. We’ll often miss a meal if another activity seems more important. Isn’t growing closer to God and being infused with his strength important enough to miss a meal for?
How Do We Do It?
Verse 10 tells us to find our strength in the Lord. There are lots of biblical ways to do this, like fasting. In this passage, Paul tells us in verse 11 how to obey the imperative of verse 10. This imperative is repeated in verse 13. We find our strength in the Lord by putting on the armor of the Lord.
The “whole armor” referred to everything a soldier would need in warfare. Next week’s passage tells us about the specific pieces of armor we need to wear. The “whole armor” is needed in order to be fully protected in the battle. If you only have partial armor, you’re more likely to be wounded or die in battle.
The “armor” that we need is “of God,” meaning that God provides his own armor to his people. The armor of salvation and righteousness (vv. 14, 17) tell us that we put on God himself, or at least his characteristics. In battle against the evil one, we need God’s resources, God’s protection, and God’s weaponry. This is exactly what God gives us. God gives us his armor so that our strength is “in the Lord” and in “his might” (v. 10).
Many of us look to the wrong armor for protection. We think that a certain political party or politician will protect our nation or our family from the enemy’s attacks. We think that, because we’re not as bad as we used to be, then the evil one will be kept at bay. We trust in our righteousness to protect us. But only the “armor of God” is strong enough to protect us from the onslaught of the enemy’s lies, attacks, and temptations. We must put it on.
Why Do We Do It?
We’re to find our strength in the Lord by putting on the armor of the Lord. But why do we need the strength and armor of the Lord? Verses 11 and 12 tell us. We must put on God’s armor because we’re engaged in a deadly spiritual war against the devil and his army of evil spirits.
The goal of the armor is to help us “stand” up against the devil. The language of “standing” is used four times in verses 11-14. Our objective in the spiritual war is staying on our feet. We need the armor to keep us upright. Standing is massively important in a fight. If you’re on the ground, you’re done. A horse can step on you, you can get speared, and you can’t evade the enemy’s attacks. In boxing you don’t want to be on the ground because that means that you’ve probably been knocked out.
The thing we’re supposed to “stand against” are “the schemes of the devil.” These “schemes” are the devil’s methods of attack. The word for “schemes” is where we get our word for method. The devil has methods of attack tailor made for every kind of person. Methods for the rich, for the poor, for singles, for marrieds, for retired folks, and for teenagers. The devil doesn’t know everything, but he’s smarter than us. He’s been studying human nature for a long time. He knows our weaknesses. He knows what works to bring us down, and what doesn’t. He knows what propensities different types of people have.
The word “schemes” alerts us to the deceptiveness of the devil. One commentator says, “Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.” The evil one is an expert at hiding the evil of evil. He’s a pro at making evil look good, at convincing you that the sinful things you like to do aren’t that bad, that God isn’t that holy and really doesn’t care.
Most of us aren’t aware of the schemes of the devil. This is why many of us think we can make our lives better by just changing the circumstances of their lives. We assume that a better house, car, wife, husband, city to live in, or church to attend will free us from the evils that afflict us. But the devil’s methods of attack change as our circumstances change. We don’t withstand him by moving or by getting married or by making more money. We withstand him by finding our standing in the armor and strength of the Lord. No matter where we stand circumstantially, as long as we’re standing with the Lord, we can withstand the attacks of the enemy.
A further reason why we need the armor of God to stand against the devil is found in verse 12. The primary battle that you and I face is spiritual, not physical, in nature. Yes, we all have conflict and “battles” with people. Paul’s point is that our ultimate opposition is from the powers of darkness, not people.
The fourfold description of the evil powers isn’t intended to give us four categories of demonic spirits. These different terms all point to the same reality. Any attempts to rank them is pure speculation. These “forces of evil” are the devil’s agents who do his bidding.
Hand-to-Hand Combat
We “wrestle” against these demonic beings, even if we don’t realize it. The term for “wrestle” isn’t used anywhere else in the New Testament. It refers to the sport of wrestling in the first century. Paul uses this word because wrestling was a very popular event in Ephesus. But he also uses it to highlight the closeness of the struggle we have with the powers of evil. We don’t fight them with drones and computer guided missiles from thousands of miles away. We’re engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but we must understand that the world is full of an army of demonic spirits who hate God, Christ, the church, Christians, and their families. They aren’t flying at 30,000 feet just snapping pictures of our lives. They’re roaming the world to see who they can devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Like good wrestlers, they intend to get up close, in your face, in your business, in your church, in your living room, in your bedroom, and in your mind in order to put you on the ground.
The forces of evil intend to wreak havoc in our lives in any way they can. They intend to deceive, to tempt, to divide, to depress, to accuse, and to blind us from the glory of Christ. They want to destroy marriages, children, families, churches, and societies. They want to destroy you and all that God is doing in and through you. They want to destroy our church and all that God is doing in and through our church. They want us to be bitter and resentful and unforgiving. To hold grudges and slander and gossip. To drink more than we should. To get us to believe the lie that pornography is okay because it doesn’t hurt anyone. To get us to believe the lie that we’re worthless. The lie that our history is what defines us. The lie that we were abused because we deserved it. The lie that our parent’s divorce is our fault. The lie that we’re destined to be just like our parents. The lie that our adverse childhood experiences are something that we must never talk about. The lie that we must forever carry the shame of our secrets. The lie that we must never talk to anyone about we did or what was done to us because no one will understand. The lie that being vulnerable is too risky and that hiding in the dark is the best option. The lie that forgiveness is impossible. The lie that there’s no hope in this world. The lie that depression is normal and merely a part of our biology. The lie that God can’t redeem the broken road that has brought us to this point. The lie that Jesus is unwilling to forgive us, heal us, and remove our shame and guilt. The lie that Jesus’ love isn’t all we need.
The powers of evil are in a wrestling match with our souls. They won’t fight fair and they won’t leave us alone just because we darken a church door every now and again. Their intent is to “steal, kill, and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). They’re playing for keeps while many of us are playing a religious game, playing like we’re okay when we’re not, playing like life is about having fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. We must understand the gravity of what’s going on in the world, that the evil in the world and in our lives can’t just be explained away by natural causes. There’s a real spiritual enemy who wants to pin us to the ground and render us useless. Some will give in to the temptation to tap out, to quit, to stop fighting the fight of faith. Some, I pray many, will never tap out, never stop fighting, never stop looking to Jesus for strength and hope.
Our Only Chance
If we’ve been taken down by the enemy, we must put on the armor of God, stand up, and stand next to Jesus and not move for anything. The only chance we have to “withstand in the evil day” is if we become strong in the Lord by putting on the armor of the Lord. Strength will be ours through the armor of Another. We’ll talk more about the armor next week, but you don’t have to wait until next week to stand firm in the grace and strength and love and power of Jesus Christ.