tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post1932737466257634684..comments2024-03-21T03:45:48.679-05:00Comments on Enter the Rainbow: "Full Armor" Image - Still Meaningful?Andy B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05944614269873479581noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-84873733861644359102009-08-21T21:31:06.937-05:002009-08-21T21:31:06.937-05:00"For our struggle is not against flesh and bl..."For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."<br /><br />I believe if we truly look at our spiritual existance, we are in the midst of a battle every day. Not merely living a good life, but being attacked at our weakest point. A friend of mine was having marital trouble, and a boyfriend from years ago called her out of the blue. A specific attack, a fiery dart that can only be extinguished by a shield of faith in Christ. I don't think there is any more accurate description than the military one, because we need to not only be protected from evil, we need to be prepared for the back and forth battle that rages every day. The sword of the spirit (God's word) at our side to beat back the advances of Satan. Go for it Andy! I think those who are offended by military language are not fully aware of what is happening every day in their spiritual existance. Hope these comments were not too much. "Onward Christian Soldiers!"Kyle Bridgmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794403792411961360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-4510086665539282502009-08-20T13:15:29.973-05:002009-08-20T13:15:29.973-05:00As children of the Living God, what we need to pro...As children of the Living God, what we need to protect ourselves from the spiritual forces of wickedness is spiritual armor. Our helmet IS salvation. We don't need a literal breastplate - we need the breastplate that is righteousness. etc. I find it useful to transform the war imagery spiritually. Truth, righteousness, the Word, the Spirit are what strengthen and protect us like armor protects a warrior.Willie Deuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11793491583747419707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-32504253527952297682009-08-18T22:51:08.640-05:002009-08-18T22:51:08.640-05:00Now we're messing with objectives, though. I s...Now we're messing with objectives, though. I see what you're saying. War was once always an occupation of troops. Now that's more or less what comes after war. Mission accomplished, etc. I guess I'm assuming this passage views our spiritual battle(s) as a sort of perpetual "last stand," which is always going to be personal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-26400324136101373922009-08-18T18:06:13.629-05:002009-08-18T18:06:13.629-05:00Interesting points, Kory. And I see where you are...Interesting points, Kory. And I see where you are coming from. My first reaction is that it doesn't respond to the issue of the sort of de-personalization of military action these days. I mean, could we say "take the unmanned remote control drone of righteousness"?<br /><br />But you've definitely given me ponderable stuff!Andy B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05944614269873479581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-49206485301625545862009-08-18T15:24:36.658-05:002009-08-18T15:24:36.658-05:00If anything, I think the imagery in Ephesians 6 st...If anything, I think the imagery in Ephesians 6 stands to be enhanced by our advances in military technology. Like you said yourself: "don't you have anything more substantial?" That's about what I think first whenever I read this passage, too. And that's why we need it.<br /><br />The passage incites the idea that we're not fighting a physical fight, yet if we were, we might have a fighting chance if we were to wear our breastplate and helmet. Believable. Whereas these days, it seems a physical encounter somehow guarantees the destruction of one party or the other. And when we know every fight is winnable given enough force, what need is there to desire the submission of an enemy rather than their destruction?<br /><br />Likewise, I think it's easier today than it was when Ephesians was written to believe that, when faced with spiritual evil, chances are we're not going to survive. We've seen our own physically destructive power, and are pretty sure there are some things we just wouldn't be able to fight back against. So if we believe that about our physical life, don't we run the risk of believing that about our spiritual life? Then we give up when it starts to get hairy... say we're no match for this temptation... believe there's no way we can bring light into that person's darkness... or love into that person's despair.<br /><br />In that sense, I think this passage is timeless. We need something to remind us that, no, this is not a losing fight. This is not a lost cause, and our destruction is not guaranteed. If the imagery needs to be updated, then fine. Put on your radar jammer of truth and kevlar of salvation. The fact is, no matter what the physical odds of battle may be, spiritually speaking, in the end, evil is no match for what we are armed with.<br /><br />I think we could easily extract military imagery from scripture, but I'm not sure we extract confrontational imagery alltogether without extracting the biblical idea that we are all sought after by forces which are against God. Because of the degree to which we're all exposed to the magnitude of our world's collective destructive power, do we not need to be able to understand and answer that idea today as well as (if not better than) we did 1800 years ago?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10217302.post-6974750111325489982009-08-18T13:29:28.913-05:002009-08-18T13:29:28.913-05:00The last time the RCL blessed us with this passage...The last time the RCL blessed us with this passage I used my son's catcher's gear as a substitute for military armor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com