THE WAR WITHIN
The cessation of war is either by conquest, surrender or by a treaty of peace. Behind the façade of a daily life with all its pleasures and sorrows, triumphs and disappointments is a war that rages within. This war causes discomfort, but is cessation of this war even possible?
The essay last week was one that pointed to the origin of man and of evil. The Bible indicates how this background reality plays out in the life of man as an inner war.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ———-Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25)
Man has been created in the image of God, which means the seed of God is within man. The image of God’s nature is found within man- and that is the reason why man is intrinsically capable of forgiveness, love, kindness and sacrifice. However the first man sinned and moved from being perfect to being imperfect and mortal. Satan’s seed entered man and this is referred to as the sinful nature. As these two natures wrestle against each other, it is the will of man that determines which nature has the upper hand. Over years of abuse, the will of man, which once was neutral and perfect, has also been modified to a point where man is not naturally capable of choosing good over evil in a neutral fashion. The default option for man in most situations is to choose evil.
How can this war within cease? A treaty of peace between God and Satan is not possible. Till Satan meets his destiny in being destroyed at the end times, he will continue to war against God and carry men along with him to his doom. Man can choose to surrender to the influence of the sinful nature and end up being sold to sin- transitioning to a life of unmitigated pleasure, selfishness and pride. As this progresses, the influence of God within all but disappears and while man will hurtle towards doom, he might find cessation from the war within. He will accumulate much and enjoy much, but his life will really be empty and forlorn.
On the other hand, man can choose to set out and conquer the evil within. He cannot do so by his own strength as his power is inferior to that of Satan. But One who is exalted forever, Jesus came down to earth for man and in giving himself up for man, earned the right to dwell within man and help him overcome Satan’s influence within him. When a person believes in Jesus as his Savior, the Spirit of God comes to dwell within him. It is now no longer an unequal battle with the odds in favor of evil. Man finds the back of evil broken and is now capable of choosing good over evil. As man utilizes his will to consistently choose good, the battle continues to rage within, with casualties, but he is able to experience the deep joy and peace that comes with knowing that he is marching toward eternal life.
2 thoughts on “THE WAR WITHIN”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
There is always a choice to do good or bad. We must continue to choose the right thing with the help of Jesus. Once we make this a habit, then instead of sin being the default, the right choice will be our default.
Very true! Our ultimate goal in life is to live for God and to finally be with him in heaven. Choosing good may be hard at times, but with each passing act of kindness, it becomes easier to choose good rather than committing sin.