Sometimes—and particularly when we use the language of battle—we might think, erroneously, that to have power to witness and to do battle our power must be supernatural. We might think that our warfare is almost a physical one, a kind of quasi-military operation. How wrong is such an idea! Paul once made it very clear that the weapons of our warfare are not worldly or carnal, but are spiritual and mighty to the pulling down of many strongholds of evil (II Corinthians 10:4). Jesus said that they who take the sword shall perish by the sword (Matthew 26:52), a thought repeated in Revelation 13:10.
What, then, are these spiritual weapons and how shall we fight? Looked at from one point of view, these spiritual weapons are frail and ineffective, for Paul lines them up with such things as faith, hope, love, truth, salvation and the like. Testimony to the truth of Christ and the gospel can only be given using these spiritual weapons. Such things the natural man does not even recognise until the Spirit invades him with the truth. Love becomes to him a brilliant revelation of the nature of God and the power for the redemption of Man. God forgives the sinner, justifies the ungodly, purifies the polluted heart, relieves the conscience of heavy guilt, reconstitutes the idolater, makes holy the evil heart and mind, and reveals God the Father truly as love. The gospel then is the power of God unto salvation. The word of the cross saves the perishing, and the love of God is poured into the hearts of the hateful.
None of these things could happen unless the Spirit of truth and love reveals these to human beings. His power is that He is the Spirit of truth, of love, of sonship, of holiness and of life. His presence in the ekklesia is what keeps it in love, unity and fellowship. The pictures of the company of believers in the chapters of Acts are so heart-warming. The testimony of history in times of persecution and suppression of Christians is beyond the natural actions of humanity. It can only be of God. This is how we know the reality and power of witness by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. What commenced in the new company of believers on the day of Pentecost has gone on in this age of the Spirit.
We ought not to idealise the community of Christ, nor make heady claims of extraordinary success. Christians are not paragons of virtue, moral beyond all reproach and perfect above others. Sadly enough, the history of Christianity is stained with terrible deeds claimed to have been in the name of Christ and for the advancement of the human race. We question whether many of these deeds came out of the true people of God, for we know so often that the community has been in the hands of wicked men. And at times dreadful evil has happened and cruelty executed. Wars cannot be justified. And yet some have been fought by Christians over unjustifiable causes. At the same time such things cannot be excused. The Church has known apostasy and has betrayed its Lord. Yet, given all this to have been part of its history, the Church has come to see and acknowledge these failures and to give renewed witness to the Lordship of Christ and the glory of the age to come, and the holy triumphs of the telos. This is the true community of eternal life.
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