( For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Christian warfare is fought not with worldly, material or human force, but with means made powerful by God to tear down entrenched strongholds of evil. Those means are chiefly the Word of God treasured in heart and life, with the spirit of prayer, sincere faith, humility, self-denial, and Christlike love and gentleness, and they have power only through God's grace and Christ dwelling within by His Spirit. They cast down false reasoning and every proud thing raised against the knowledge of God and bring thoughts into obedience to Christ, converting souls, transforming character, and breaking down strongholds of tradition, error, idolatry and sin. Ministers wield them by presenting God's love and lifting up Jesus with sanctified hearts and fervent prayer, building up truth rather than assailing persons or churches, while all believers wield them by purifying imagination, mastering appetite and self, and living in unity, meekness and love without turning them against fellow soldiers. Human agents proclaim truth with pen and voice, but they cannot transform another heart; Jesus does that by His Spirit, often through the humblest instrument.
Words and Historical Setting
The warfare of Christians is not fought with carnal, worldly, material, or human force, but with weapons made mighty through God for pulling down strongholds. Those weapons overturn arguments and imaginations and everything raised against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought into obedience to Christ. In preaching their power is meant not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven, and in life it includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so that body and mind are devoted to God. Advancing God's work rests on faithful self-denying service rather than reliance on worldly means, for truth cannot be advanced by force. The work's weapons are spiritual, not human in kind or power, so success comes only through God's favor and no glory belongs to people, and using them means bearing with meekness whatever suffering others cause.
The verse belongs to Paul's defense of his course amid difficulties. That defense is connected with his humility in manual and mechanical labor. It is connected also with authority given by God to build up the church, not to destroy it.
Paul carried this warfare without officers or outward signs of rank. He held a commission from Christ with Heaven's support. His weapons were spiritual and mighty through God to overthrow the strongholds of sin and Satan. His authority included power to separate persistent offenders from the church.
After Christ's ascension the conflict continues through His delegated representatives bringing the children of Adam back to repentance and obedience by keeping God's law and doing Christ's work. It is fought not in finite strength but under the unseen Captain of salvation, whose orders the eye of faith discerns and obeys, using spiritual rather than human means made powerful through God to overthrow the enemy's fortresses. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. The same conflict has been seen from the first in Cain and Abel, where the righteous as one distinct class have always faced the combined assault of evil men and evil angels.
Identity of Spiritual Weapons
The chief weapon is the Word of God, to dwell richly in all wisdom, living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, the sword of the Spirit. Wielded in the might of God it casts down imaginations and every high and proud thing exalted against the knowledge of God and brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. It is the spiritual, not worldly, weapon by which Jesus met and conquered Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and He is the example for resisting temptation. It is the mighty weapon used to resist usurped papal authority, rationalistic scholastic philosophy, and fanaticism, and meeting opposition with plain declaration of truth is its use instead of carnal weapons.
The weapons are the grand, sanctifying truths of the Bible treasured in heart and mind and obeyed in life, convincing and converting the soul, transforming character, and comforting and uplifting the heart. They make the proud humble, the perverse meek and contrite, and the disobedient obedient, cutting away fleshly lusts and sinful habits interwoven with daily practice, discerning thoughts and intents, and making men willing to suffer for their Lord. The Bible is the armory where workers, especially nurses and helpers as God's helping hand, find these weapons, and honoring Bible truth and making the Word meat and drink and using its truths rightly makes them powerful through God to break down strongholds, so that error is destroyed and truth is established.
The weapons include the knowledge of the Scriptures and the promises of God and the "It is written" as Christ used them in His warfare against Satan, furnished from heaven's armory to furnish the mind with divine power. Received in union and fellowship with Jesus with self controlled by the Holy Spirit, in close connection with God and with prayer often uplifted to Him, they give power to retrace false steps, begin anew, and experience converting power. They vanquish the enemy so that Satan is baffled and cannot overcome the one whose heart is stayed upon God, and no hellish arts destroy his peace. A heart preoccupied with truth is not misled by error and falsehood, and the one whose soul is rich in scriptural knowledge finds shelter beneath God's promises in temptation and does not sin, with all the promises of the Word, all the power of divine grace, and all the resources of Jehovah pledged to deliverance. This calm steady faith and undaunted moral courage from Christ braces for trial, strengthens for duty, puts away strife for supremacy, passion and bitterness, self-seeking and selfish imaginings, and secret underhand working, reveals unity, love, kindness and Christian courtesy as soldiers under Christ's banner, and makes ready in the little time left before the Lord's coming.
The weapons include the spirit of prayer and the prayer of faith, sincere belief of the truth, humility, confession, self-denial and self-sacrifice, and faith working by love. God's kingdom is established on earth not by human might or power but by His Spirit, who is the efficiency of His people and makes the ordinary means of grace effective, and the spirit of prayer is mighty through faith to pull down the enemy's strongholds. The prayer of faith offered by humble, obedient, trusting people brings victory, and humility, confession, and fervent prayer change hearts, increase spirituality, bring down rich blessings from heaven, and accomplish in advancing God's work and bearing the testing message for this time what human plans and effort cannot. They are not carnal weapons such as musical talent, large assemblies, outward display, human effort, wisdom, systems, or the devising of men high or low, for the most complete system devised apart from God's power and wisdom will fail while humble means sanctioned by God must succeed, as the trumpet blast around Jericho by Joshua's army and around the Midianites by Gideon's little band was made effectual through God's power to overthrow the might of His enemies.
The weapons are Christlike simplicity, patience, forbearance, gentleness, kindness, affection, and love for God and Christ and for souls for whom Christ died, with Jesus uplifted as a crucified and risen Saviour and the law of God exalted as binding believers with Jesus Christ and all who love Him and keep His commandments. They are used by standing on the platform of eternal truth, staying in the world rather than building a wall against it, presenting the truth as it is in Jesus in the simplest way with voice expressing the love of God and words dipped in the oil of grace flowing forth in love, leading but never driving, and demonstrating faith as a power authored by Christ through the Bible which makes wise unto salvation. They answer malicious falsehoods and long-cherished error such as the teaching that Sunday is the Sabbath, and they strive to convince fellow men of errors and bring them into harmony with right sentiments without exalting self, without accusation, denunciation, stilling voices, or driving. They never include satanic or fleshly weapons, so believers must never drop to the level of unreasonable and wicked men by giving loose rein to strong personal feelings, passion and bitter enmity, hurling thunderbolts at those in error, storming ears with prejudice, condemning, retaliating, assaulting prejudices, or arousing enmity, for the work is aggressive but is to convince, not to condemn, and is to be conducted on Bible principles.
Their might comes only through God's favor, grace, Spirit, and Christ dwelling in the heart as blood dwells in the body as a vitalizing power, with truth as panoply and faithful sentinel sounding alarm and summoning to action against every sin and evil. The fight is not won by human power or advanced by secular weapons or human protection, but by becoming mighty through God to beat back the powers of darkness, with God's power received through faith as its effective defense, so no glory belongs to people. It requires refusing to trust in self, making it the purpose and object of life to be wholly on the Lord's side with God's glory ever in view, since sin alone dishonors by separating God from a person. Without Christ nothing can be done as it ought to be done, but with Christ as Helper all things can be done, and no power but truth will keep a person steadfast while resisting temptation from without and from within. A minister becomes mighty through God as he honors and trusts God's power and lives in awareness of Christ's and the divine presence. Though weak he becomes strong as a doer of the Word rather than merely speaking or relying on human effort and speechmaking, and God's power gives life to his ministry and makes him a laborer together with God carrying spiritual power.
Victories the Weapons Win
The weapons cast down imaginations, false reasoning, arguments, and every high and proud thing exalted against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In preaching this power is meant not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven, and it includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so body and mind are devoted to God. It breaks down strongholds of self, sin and wrong thinking, calling for genuine conversion of heart, mind, soul and body with self dying daily and crucified with Christ, for faith working by love and purifying the soul, for personal religious experience under the Holy Spirit, and for putting all intensity of being into this inner work, because only those so changed will stand amid the perils of the last days.
They convince and convert the soul, transform character, and comfort and uplift the heart. They make the proud humble, the perverse meek and contrite, and the disobedient obedient, cutting away fleshly lusts and sinful habits interwoven with daily practice, discerning thoughts and intents of the mind, and making men willing to suffer for their Lord. They overcame seemingly impossible opposition in Nero's corrupt and hostile household, where converts openly and unashamedly professed faith in Christ, demonstrating the power of God's warfare and the gospel to break strongholds that seem impossible to breach.
They tear down false foundations upheld by bigotry, prejudice, and violence, and strongholds of tradition, superstition, error, idolatry, and sin, to build Christ's church and bring people to the true foundation. The struggle against error, idolatry, and sin is not a fight against people but a spiritual war fought not with human wisdom or resources but with power from God, carrying truth to every nation while relying on Christ unseen. The fight for Prince Immanuel against tradition, superstition, and error in different countries calls for drilling for actual service as armies train day after day, with earnest, painstaking, thorough preparation.
In the Reformation they resisted the pope's usurped authority, scholastic rationalistic philosophy, and fanaticism, because those displaced Scripture and exalted human wisdom as religious authority. In Germany carnal reasoning for human traditions and commandments of men was powerless against Scripture in the people's own language, so that priestly ignorance was exposed when common people could discuss God's precepts for themselves. Despite decrees, anathemas, tortures, condemnation, and prohibition, people anxious to know its teaching carried it, read and re-read it, discussed its precepts, and memorized large portions, and the more it was condemned and prohibited the greater grew anxiety to know what it taught. Clothed with word and Spirit after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the once helpless, disappointed, discouraged disciples, as sheep without a shepherd after their Lord's death, went forth as witnesses to tell the story of the manger and the cross and triumph over all opposition.
They vanquish Satan so he is baffled and cannot overcome the one whose heart is stayed on God; no hellish arts destroy his peace, and a heart preoccupied with truth is not misled by error and falsehood. Furnishing the mind with divine power through knowledge of Scripture and promises of God, used through close connection with God, guidance and control by the Holy Spirit, and prayer often uplifted to God, they secure deliverance with all the promises of God's word, all the power of divine grace, and all the resources of Jehovah pledged to it. When tempted the soul rich in scriptural knowledge finds shelter beneath God's promises and does not sin, and this calm steady faith and undaunted moral courage from Christ braces for trial, strengthens for duty, and makes ready in the little time left before the Lord's coming.
Human agents proclaim truth with pen and voice and vindicate God's law, but have no power to transform another; Jesus does that work by His Spirit diffused through entrusted powers, enlightening darkened understanding, assailing strongholds of error, and bringing the sin-serving heart into captivity to Himself. Self-trust makes even talented and influential instruments useless, while God accomplishes His work through the humblest instrument and simplest means, as in Gideon's victory and Jericho's overthrow, where trumpet blasts made effectual through God's power overthrew the might of His enemies and where the most complete human system apart from God's power and wisdom fails but humble obedient trusting prayer of faith brings victory. In publishing work they expose Satan's falsehoods and make clear the principles of the great controversy so people can choose between following Satan in disobedience to God's law and following Christ in keeping the Father's commandments. Truth working as spiritual warfare overcomes resistance, brings reformation, and subdues the will to Christ.
Ministers’ Use of Weapons
In preaching the power of the weapons is not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven. A minister tears down strongholds when his lips are touched as with a live coal from the altar, his heart is sanctified through the truth, and he has been with God and drawn near to Him in effectual fervent prayer. The Holy Spirit falls upon him and the vital heavenly fire is felt, he lifts up Jesus as the sinner's only hope revealed in Christ's sacrifice and presents the love of God, and he speaks words that are living realities and compares spiritual things with spiritual, so hearts are broken and many inquire what they must do to be saved. A minister who walks with God and displays righteousness, daily piety, concern for sinners, and the spirit of truth carries heaven's armor, and victory attends such efforts. Shaken strongholds show that spiritual power, not human argument alone, prevails.
Ministers succeed not by assailing prejudice, attacking other denominations including Roman Catholics, and provoking a combative spirit that closes ears and hearts. They are not to speak against fallen churches in a way that gives priests excuse to warn people away, but to preserve the love of Jesus and the confidence of the people and to work cautiously for souls in the valley of decision. Their nobler work is to build up and repair the breach made in God's law, presenting truth in its force and power and letting it cut through prejudice and reveal error by contrast with truth. Presenting Bible truth plainly exposes false claims and brings error to light, for the work is to preach the Word rather than be drawn into controversy or debate. Opposition is to be met with plain declaration of the truth instead of carnal weapons.
Taking the enemy's strongholds calls for direct personal work for souls in error and moral darkness, going into their very houses and forts to visit, converse, and pray with families rather than staying occupied with writing and books. Holy angels attend ministers in this work, as they fasten hold upon infinite power and also strongly upon fellow men to draw them up and plant them on the platform of eternal truth. They move surely as though the truth is a reality, out-generaling the enemy at every point because time is short, becoming spiritualized, energized, and sanctified so God can work for, by, and through His workers to His glory. Holding the fort for the truth given for the last days means keeping the Word burnished and ready for action, being on guard, praying, believing, walking humbly with God, and praying without ceasing that God shall be glorified. It means giving the trumpet a certain sound through experienced faithful ministerial talent, refusing to yield sacred ground to decided opposition, coming out from among those who would tear down what was built up and remaining separate, with houses of worship set apart to those who are true and loyal.
Possessing mighty truth that overthrows the strongholds of darkness supplies strong arguments that opponents cannot meet. Yet consciousness of having that truth and unanswerable argument brings danger of indolence and pride, danger of neglecting personal piety, purity of heart, entire consecration to God, and daily hourly obedience to Christ. There is danger of feeling rich and increased with goods while lacking essential Christian qualification and remaining wretched, poor, blind, miserable, and naked, for spiritual pride eats out the vitals of religion. Humility is preserved by remembering how one appears before a holy God who reads every secret of the soul and how one would appear before men if fully known, and by confessing faults to subdue pride.
The weapons are furnished to the church as spiritual weapons mighty to the pulling down of the fortress of the enemy, given to laborers together with God for wide-awake work for the erring in the church to restore them and bring them into harmony with right. They are not to be hurled against the church militant in denouncing, accusing, condemning, tearing down, discouraging, and destroying, for that helps Satan who is already doing all he can on that line. The striving to convince fellow men of errors is to be done without exalting self, without bitter enmity, denunciation, or driving, but with meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, and affection, presenting in the simplest way a crucified and risen Saviour with voice expressing the love of God, leading but never driving. The taking of strongholds describes ministers' work to bring people from Satan's side to the Lord's side by presenting evidence and making pointed appeals so convicted souls break Satan's bands and decide for truth. That critical moment requires well-directed effort with strength held in reserve, since exhausted or misdirected labor may fail to overcome the enemy's defenses.
Believers’ Life and Conduct
The first work of reform is to purify the imagination, for as free moral agents believers must train thoughts to run in the right channel by meditating on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. When Satan seeks to turn the mind to low and sensual things it must be brought back, and by Christ's grace impure thoughts can be rejected. In answer to prayer for heavenly strength Jesus attracts the mind, purifies thoughts, and cleanses the heart from every secret sin, so that in the last days Satan cannot possess the mind, corrupt thoughts, inflame passions, debase noble faculties, and lead to impure actions.
The warfare includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so that body and mind are devoted to God. It pulls down strongholds of selfish indulgence that violate nature's laws by strictly guarding the Lord's garden of soul, body, and spirit in order to preserve health. This calls for genuine conversion of heart, mind, soul, and body in every institution and every church, with self dying daily and crucified with Christ. It requires faith working by love and purifying the soul, personal religious experience under the working of the Holy Spirit, and putting all intensity of being into this inner work, because only those so changed will stand amid the perils of the last days.
God provides all with spiritual efficiency and all facilities needed to overcome every attribute unlike Christ. Received in union with Jesus with self controlled by the Spirit, the weapons give power to retrace false steps, begin anew, and experience converting power. They put away strife for supremacy, passion, bitterness, self-seeking, selfish imaginings, and secret underhand working, and reveal instead unity, love, kindness, and Christian courtesy as soldiers under Christ's banner. Their power works in unity, for in unity there is strength and believers one in heart carry everything before them. When variance, jealousy, and division arise among leaders the weapon is weakened, opposition is strengthened, and enemies of truth rejoice, because Satan uses discord to separate affections from God and one another.
Advancing God's cause in destitute fields beyond rests on bringing every thought into captivity to Christ through self-denial and liberality. That obedience means binding about supposed wants and refusing to spend on fancies and self-gratification such as multiplying pictures of self and family or buying bicycles that could be done without, exercising physical powers less expensively, because souls for whom Christ died are precious and believers are responsible for them. Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints must use no carnal weapons such as envy, jealousy, evil surmising, and love for supremacy. In the antitypical day of atonement God's people are to confess and forsake sins and believe and walk in the commandments according to given light and privilege, and then according to living faith and obedience the Lord manifests power from on high so the church represents Christ and shines in clear steady rays leading others to honor God, a spiritual contention the church is not now pursuing as she should.
The weapons are to be directed against God's foes, never turned toward fellow soldiers under marching orders from the King of kings fighting the Lord's battles or toward those bearing a special message and work. Though they lack perfection and make mistakes, comrades must answer with words that strengthen and help recover lost ground, not severe unreasonable judgment, public exposure of corrected mistakes, accusation, criticism, or condemnation. Unwisely exposing brethren's mistakes is a far greater sin than the misstep, gives God's enemies advantage, dishonors His cause, and is counted as condemning Christ Himself. The struggle is aggressive but its weapons are not directed against people, civil authorities, or fellow Christians. Believers must never drop to the level of unreasonable and wicked men by giving rein to strong feelings, hurling thunderbolts, storming ears with prejudice, condemning, retaliating, or arousing enmity; instead they convince rather than condemn, stay in the world rather than wall themselves off, keep Jesus uplifted and the eternal truth platform exalted, and answer errors such as Sunday sacredness with malicious falsehoods exposed by faith authored by Christ through the Bible.
When unbelieving and deluded souls and scoffers come among them, Christ's representatives use no carnal weapons, have no controversy, insinuate nothing against them, and let no unkind, discourteous, defensive, or offensive word escape lips or pen, and when reviled do not revile again. Instead they depend on the Lord who clothes with divine panoply and by His Spirit influences mind and heart so the voice does not take a wolfish tone, and the victory that overcomes is by faith. Truth cannot be advanced by force, for the weapons are mighty precisely because they are not carnal, calling for meekness under whatever suffering others cause. God gives some a special work of bearing testimonies of warning and reproof mighty through God to break down strongholds of iniquity and Satan's workings, arousing conviction and turning people to the living God in repentance, mingled with Christ's consolation when repentance reveals sin's nature, alongside another message for those suffering wrong and tempted to harbor a sense of injustice.
Christians are soldiers for Prince Immanuel who must drill for actual service as armies train day after day to be ready, fighting tradition, superstition, and error in different countries, calling for a large, earnest, painstaking, thoroughly prepared army such as trained at Basle. Advancing God's work rests on faithful self-denying service rather than reliance on worldly means. Its weapons are spiritual, not human in kind or power, and success comes only through God's favor, so no glory belongs to people.
Christian warfare is fought not with worldly, material or human force, but with means made powerful by God to tear down entrenched strongholds of evil. Those means are chiefly the Word of God treasured in heart and life, with the spirit of prayer, sincere faith, humility, self-denial, and Christlike love and gentleness, and they have power only through God's grace and Christ dwelling within by His Spirit. They cast down false reasoning and every proud thing raised against the knowledge of God and bring thoughts into obedience to Christ, converting souls, transforming character, and breaking down strongholds of tradition, error, idolatry and sin. Ministers wield them by presenting God's love and lifting up Jesus with sanctified hearts and fervent prayer, building up truth rather than assailing persons or churches, while all believers wield them by purifying imagination, mastering appetite and self, and living in unity, meekness and love without turning them against fellow soldiers. Human agents proclaim truth with pen and voice, but they cannot transform another heart; Jesus does that by His Spirit, often through the humblest instrument.
Words and Historical Setting
The warfare of Christians is not fought with carnal, worldly, material, or human force, but with weapons made mighty through God for pulling down strongholds. Those weapons overturn arguments and imaginations and everything raised against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought into obedience to Christ. In preaching their power is meant not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven, and in life it includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so that body and mind are devoted to God. Advancing God's work rests on faithful self-denying service rather than reliance on worldly means, for truth cannot be advanced by force. The work's weapons are spiritual, not human in kind or power, so success comes only through God's favor and no glory belongs to people, and using them means bearing with meekness whatever suffering others cause.
The verse belongs to Paul's defense of his course amid difficulties. That defense is connected with his humility in manual and mechanical labor. It is connected also with authority given by God to build up the church, not to destroy it.
Paul carried this warfare without officers or outward signs of rank. He held a commission from Christ with Heaven's support. His weapons were spiritual and mighty through God to overthrow the strongholds of sin and Satan. His authority included power to separate persistent offenders from the church.
After Christ's ascension the conflict continues through His delegated representatives bringing the children of Adam back to repentance and obedience by keeping God's law and doing Christ's work. It is fought not in finite strength but under the unseen Captain of salvation, whose orders the eye of faith discerns and obeys, using spiritual rather than human means made powerful through God to overthrow the enemy's fortresses. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. The same conflict has been seen from the first in Cain and Abel, where the righteous as one distinct class have always faced the combined assault of evil men and evil angels.
Identity of Spiritual Weapons
The chief weapon is the Word of God, to dwell richly in all wisdom, living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, the sword of the Spirit. Wielded in the might of God it casts down imaginations and every high and proud thing exalted against the knowledge of God and brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. It is the spiritual, not worldly, weapon by which Jesus met and conquered Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and He is the example for resisting temptation. It is the mighty weapon used to resist usurped papal authority, rationalistic scholastic philosophy, and fanaticism, and meeting opposition with plain declaration of truth is its use instead of carnal weapons.
The weapons are the grand, sanctifying truths of the Bible treasured in heart and mind and obeyed in life, convincing and converting the soul, transforming character, and comforting and uplifting the heart. They make the proud humble, the perverse meek and contrite, and the disobedient obedient, cutting away fleshly lusts and sinful habits interwoven with daily practice, discerning thoughts and intents, and making men willing to suffer for their Lord. The Bible is the armory where workers, especially nurses and helpers as God's helping hand, find these weapons, and honoring Bible truth and making the Word meat and drink and using its truths rightly makes them powerful through God to break down strongholds, so that error is destroyed and truth is established.
The weapons include the knowledge of the Scriptures and the promises of God and the "It is written" as Christ used them in His warfare against Satan, furnished from heaven's armory to furnish the mind with divine power. Received in union and fellowship with Jesus with self controlled by the Holy Spirit, in close connection with God and with prayer often uplifted to Him, they give power to retrace false steps, begin anew, and experience converting power. They vanquish the enemy so that Satan is baffled and cannot overcome the one whose heart is stayed upon God, and no hellish arts destroy his peace. A heart preoccupied with truth is not misled by error and falsehood, and the one whose soul is rich in scriptural knowledge finds shelter beneath God's promises in temptation and does not sin, with all the promises of the Word, all the power of divine grace, and all the resources of Jehovah pledged to deliverance. This calm steady faith and undaunted moral courage from Christ braces for trial, strengthens for duty, puts away strife for supremacy, passion and bitterness, self-seeking and selfish imaginings, and secret underhand working, reveals unity, love, kindness and Christian courtesy as soldiers under Christ's banner, and makes ready in the little time left before the Lord's coming.
The weapons include the spirit of prayer and the prayer of faith, sincere belief of the truth, humility, confession, self-denial and self-sacrifice, and faith working by love. God's kingdom is established on earth not by human might or power but by His Spirit, who is the efficiency of His people and makes the ordinary means of grace effective, and the spirit of prayer is mighty through faith to pull down the enemy's strongholds. The prayer of faith offered by humble, obedient, trusting people brings victory, and humility, confession, and fervent prayer change hearts, increase spirituality, bring down rich blessings from heaven, and accomplish in advancing God's work and bearing the testing message for this time what human plans and effort cannot. They are not carnal weapons such as musical talent, large assemblies, outward display, human effort, wisdom, systems, or the devising of men high or low, for the most complete system devised apart from God's power and wisdom will fail while humble means sanctioned by God must succeed, as the trumpet blast around Jericho by Joshua's army and around the Midianites by Gideon's little band was made effectual through God's power to overthrow the might of His enemies.
The weapons are Christlike simplicity, patience, forbearance, gentleness, kindness, affection, and love for God and Christ and for souls for whom Christ died, with Jesus uplifted as a crucified and risen Saviour and the law of God exalted as binding believers with Jesus Christ and all who love Him and keep His commandments. They are used by standing on the platform of eternal truth, staying in the world rather than building a wall against it, presenting the truth as it is in Jesus in the simplest way with voice expressing the love of God and words dipped in the oil of grace flowing forth in love, leading but never driving, and demonstrating faith as a power authored by Christ through the Bible which makes wise unto salvation. They answer malicious falsehoods and long-cherished error such as the teaching that Sunday is the Sabbath, and they strive to convince fellow men of errors and bring them into harmony with right sentiments without exalting self, without accusation, denunciation, stilling voices, or driving. They never include satanic or fleshly weapons, so believers must never drop to the level of unreasonable and wicked men by giving loose rein to strong personal feelings, passion and bitter enmity, hurling thunderbolts at those in error, storming ears with prejudice, condemning, retaliating, assaulting prejudices, or arousing enmity, for the work is aggressive but is to convince, not to condemn, and is to be conducted on Bible principles.
Their might comes only through God's favor, grace, Spirit, and Christ dwelling in the heart as blood dwells in the body as a vitalizing power, with truth as panoply and faithful sentinel sounding alarm and summoning to action against every sin and evil. The fight is not won by human power or advanced by secular weapons or human protection, but by becoming mighty through God to beat back the powers of darkness, with God's power received through faith as its effective defense, so no glory belongs to people. It requires refusing to trust in self, making it the purpose and object of life to be wholly on the Lord's side with God's glory ever in view, since sin alone dishonors by separating God from a person. Without Christ nothing can be done as it ought to be done, but with Christ as Helper all things can be done, and no power but truth will keep a person steadfast while resisting temptation from without and from within. A minister becomes mighty through God as he honors and trusts God's power and lives in awareness of Christ's and the divine presence. Though weak he becomes strong as a doer of the Word rather than merely speaking or relying on human effort and speechmaking, and God's power gives life to his ministry and makes him a laborer together with God carrying spiritual power.
Victories the Weapons Win
The weapons cast down imaginations, false reasoning, arguments, and every high and proud thing exalted against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In preaching this power is meant not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven, and it includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so body and mind are devoted to God. It breaks down strongholds of self, sin and wrong thinking, calling for genuine conversion of heart, mind, soul and body with self dying daily and crucified with Christ, for faith working by love and purifying the soul, for personal religious experience under the Holy Spirit, and for putting all intensity of being into this inner work, because only those so changed will stand amid the perils of the last days.
They convince and convert the soul, transform character, and comfort and uplift the heart. They make the proud humble, the perverse meek and contrite, and the disobedient obedient, cutting away fleshly lusts and sinful habits interwoven with daily practice, discerning thoughts and intents of the mind, and making men willing to suffer for their Lord. They overcame seemingly impossible opposition in Nero's corrupt and hostile household, where converts openly and unashamedly professed faith in Christ, demonstrating the power of God's warfare and the gospel to break strongholds that seem impossible to breach.
They tear down false foundations upheld by bigotry, prejudice, and violence, and strongholds of tradition, superstition, error, idolatry, and sin, to build Christ's church and bring people to the true foundation. The struggle against error, idolatry, and sin is not a fight against people but a spiritual war fought not with human wisdom or resources but with power from God, carrying truth to every nation while relying on Christ unseen. The fight for Prince Immanuel against tradition, superstition, and error in different countries calls for drilling for actual service as armies train day after day, with earnest, painstaking, thorough preparation.
In the Reformation they resisted the pope's usurped authority, scholastic rationalistic philosophy, and fanaticism, because those displaced Scripture and exalted human wisdom as religious authority. In Germany carnal reasoning for human traditions and commandments of men was powerless against Scripture in the people's own language, so that priestly ignorance was exposed when common people could discuss God's precepts for themselves. Despite decrees, anathemas, tortures, condemnation, and prohibition, people anxious to know its teaching carried it, read and re-read it, discussed its precepts, and memorized large portions, and the more it was condemned and prohibited the greater grew anxiety to know what it taught. Clothed with word and Spirit after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the once helpless, disappointed, discouraged disciples, as sheep without a shepherd after their Lord's death, went forth as witnesses to tell the story of the manger and the cross and triumph over all opposition.
They vanquish Satan so he is baffled and cannot overcome the one whose heart is stayed on God; no hellish arts destroy his peace, and a heart preoccupied with truth is not misled by error and falsehood. Furnishing the mind with divine power through knowledge of Scripture and promises of God, used through close connection with God, guidance and control by the Holy Spirit, and prayer often uplifted to God, they secure deliverance with all the promises of God's word, all the power of divine grace, and all the resources of Jehovah pledged to it. When tempted the soul rich in scriptural knowledge finds shelter beneath God's promises and does not sin, and this calm steady faith and undaunted moral courage from Christ braces for trial, strengthens for duty, and makes ready in the little time left before the Lord's coming.
Human agents proclaim truth with pen and voice and vindicate God's law, but have no power to transform another; Jesus does that work by His Spirit diffused through entrusted powers, enlightening darkened understanding, assailing strongholds of error, and bringing the sin-serving heart into captivity to Himself. Self-trust makes even talented and influential instruments useless, while God accomplishes His work through the humblest instrument and simplest means, as in Gideon's victory and Jericho's overthrow, where trumpet blasts made effectual through God's power overthrew the might of His enemies and where the most complete human system apart from God's power and wisdom fails but humble obedient trusting prayer of faith brings victory. In publishing work they expose Satan's falsehoods and make clear the principles of the great controversy so people can choose between following Satan in disobedience to God's law and following Christ in keeping the Father's commandments. Truth working as spiritual warfare overcomes resistance, brings reformation, and subdues the will to Christ.
Ministers’ Use of Weapons
In preaching the power of the weapons is not merely to inform but to touch hearts and direct wills toward heaven. A minister tears down strongholds when his lips are touched as with a live coal from the altar, his heart is sanctified through the truth, and he has been with God and drawn near to Him in effectual fervent prayer. The Holy Spirit falls upon him and the vital heavenly fire is felt, he lifts up Jesus as the sinner's only hope revealed in Christ's sacrifice and presents the love of God, and he speaks words that are living realities and compares spiritual things with spiritual, so hearts are broken and many inquire what they must do to be saved. A minister who walks with God and displays righteousness, daily piety, concern for sinners, and the spirit of truth carries heaven's armor, and victory attends such efforts. Shaken strongholds show that spiritual power, not human argument alone, prevails.
Ministers succeed not by assailing prejudice, attacking other denominations including Roman Catholics, and provoking a combative spirit that closes ears and hearts. They are not to speak against fallen churches in a way that gives priests excuse to warn people away, but to preserve the love of Jesus and the confidence of the people and to work cautiously for souls in the valley of decision. Their nobler work is to build up and repair the breach made in God's law, presenting truth in its force and power and letting it cut through prejudice and reveal error by contrast with truth. Presenting Bible truth plainly exposes false claims and brings error to light, for the work is to preach the Word rather than be drawn into controversy or debate. Opposition is to be met with plain declaration of the truth instead of carnal weapons.
Taking the enemy's strongholds calls for direct personal work for souls in error and moral darkness, going into their very houses and forts to visit, converse, and pray with families rather than staying occupied with writing and books. Holy angels attend ministers in this work, as they fasten hold upon infinite power and also strongly upon fellow men to draw them up and plant them on the platform of eternal truth. They move surely as though the truth is a reality, out-generaling the enemy at every point because time is short, becoming spiritualized, energized, and sanctified so God can work for, by, and through His workers to His glory. Holding the fort for the truth given for the last days means keeping the Word burnished and ready for action, being on guard, praying, believing, walking humbly with God, and praying without ceasing that God shall be glorified. It means giving the trumpet a certain sound through experienced faithful ministerial talent, refusing to yield sacred ground to decided opposition, coming out from among those who would tear down what was built up and remaining separate, with houses of worship set apart to those who are true and loyal.
Possessing mighty truth that overthrows the strongholds of darkness supplies strong arguments that opponents cannot meet. Yet consciousness of having that truth and unanswerable argument brings danger of indolence and pride, danger of neglecting personal piety, purity of heart, entire consecration to God, and daily hourly obedience to Christ. There is danger of feeling rich and increased with goods while lacking essential Christian qualification and remaining wretched, poor, blind, miserable, and naked, for spiritual pride eats out the vitals of religion. Humility is preserved by remembering how one appears before a holy God who reads every secret of the soul and how one would appear before men if fully known, and by confessing faults to subdue pride.
The weapons are furnished to the church as spiritual weapons mighty to the pulling down of the fortress of the enemy, given to laborers together with God for wide-awake work for the erring in the church to restore them and bring them into harmony with right. They are not to be hurled against the church militant in denouncing, accusing, condemning, tearing down, discouraging, and destroying, for that helps Satan who is already doing all he can on that line. The striving to convince fellow men of errors is to be done without exalting self, without bitter enmity, denunciation, or driving, but with meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, and affection, presenting in the simplest way a crucified and risen Saviour with voice expressing the love of God, leading but never driving. The taking of strongholds describes ministers' work to bring people from Satan's side to the Lord's side by presenting evidence and making pointed appeals so convicted souls break Satan's bands and decide for truth. That critical moment requires well-directed effort with strength held in reserve, since exhausted or misdirected labor may fail to overcome the enemy's defenses.
Believers’ Life and Conduct
The first work of reform is to purify the imagination, for as free moral agents believers must train thoughts to run in the right channel by meditating on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. When Satan seeks to turn the mind to low and sensual things it must be brought back, and by Christ's grace impure thoughts can be rejected. In answer to prayer for heavenly strength Jesus attracts the mind, purifies thoughts, and cleanses the heart from every secret sin, so that in the last days Satan cannot possess the mind, corrupt thoughts, inflame passions, debase noble faculties, and lead to impure actions.
The warfare includes gaining mastery over appetite and passions so that body and mind are devoted to God. It pulls down strongholds of selfish indulgence that violate nature's laws by strictly guarding the Lord's garden of soul, body, and spirit in order to preserve health. This calls for genuine conversion of heart, mind, soul, and body in every institution and every church, with self dying daily and crucified with Christ. It requires faith working by love and purifying the soul, personal religious experience under the working of the Holy Spirit, and putting all intensity of being into this inner work, because only those so changed will stand amid the perils of the last days.
God provides all with spiritual efficiency and all facilities needed to overcome every attribute unlike Christ. Received in union with Jesus with self controlled by the Spirit, the weapons give power to retrace false steps, begin anew, and experience converting power. They put away strife for supremacy, passion, bitterness, self-seeking, selfish imaginings, and secret underhand working, and reveal instead unity, love, kindness, and Christian courtesy as soldiers under Christ's banner. Their power works in unity, for in unity there is strength and believers one in heart carry everything before them. When variance, jealousy, and division arise among leaders the weapon is weakened, opposition is strengthened, and enemies of truth rejoice, because Satan uses discord to separate affections from God and one another.
Advancing God's cause in destitute fields beyond rests on bringing every thought into captivity to Christ through self-denial and liberality. That obedience means binding about supposed wants and refusing to spend on fancies and self-gratification such as multiplying pictures of self and family or buying bicycles that could be done without, exercising physical powers less expensively, because souls for whom Christ died are precious and believers are responsible for them. Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints must use no carnal weapons such as envy, jealousy, evil surmising, and love for supremacy. In the antitypical day of atonement God's people are to confess and forsake sins and believe and walk in the commandments according to given light and privilege, and then according to living faith and obedience the Lord manifests power from on high so the church represents Christ and shines in clear steady rays leading others to honor God, a spiritual contention the church is not now pursuing as she should.
The weapons are to be directed against God's foes, never turned toward fellow soldiers under marching orders from the King of kings fighting the Lord's battles or toward those bearing a special message and work. Though they lack perfection and make mistakes, comrades must answer with words that strengthen and help recover lost ground, not severe unreasonable judgment, public exposure of corrected mistakes, accusation, criticism, or condemnation. Unwisely exposing brethren's mistakes is a far greater sin than the misstep, gives God's enemies advantage, dishonors His cause, and is counted as condemning Christ Himself. The struggle is aggressive but its weapons are not directed against people, civil authorities, or fellow Christians. Believers must never drop to the level of unreasonable and wicked men by giving rein to strong feelings, hurling thunderbolts, storming ears with prejudice, condemning, retaliating, or arousing enmity; instead they convince rather than condemn, stay in the world rather than wall themselves off, keep Jesus uplifted and the eternal truth platform exalted, and answer errors such as Sunday sacredness with malicious falsehoods exposed by faith authored by Christ through the Bible.
When unbelieving and deluded souls and scoffers come among them, Christ's representatives use no carnal weapons, have no controversy, insinuate nothing against them, and let no unkind, discourteous, defensive, or offensive word escape lips or pen, and when reviled do not revile again. Instead they depend on the Lord who clothes with divine panoply and by His Spirit influences mind and heart so the voice does not take a wolfish tone, and the victory that overcomes is by faith. Truth cannot be advanced by force, for the weapons are mighty precisely because they are not carnal, calling for meekness under whatever suffering others cause. God gives some a special work of bearing testimonies of warning and reproof mighty through God to break down strongholds of iniquity and Satan's workings, arousing conviction and turning people to the living God in repentance, mingled with Christ's consolation when repentance reveals sin's nature, alongside another message for those suffering wrong and tempted to harbor a sense of injustice.
Christians are soldiers for Prince Immanuel who must drill for actual service as armies train day after day to be ready, fighting tradition, superstition, and error in different countries, calling for a large, earnest, painstaking, thoroughly prepared army such as trained at Basle. Advancing God's work rests on faithful self-denying service rather than reliance on worldly means. Its weapons are spiritual, not human in kind or power, and success comes only through God's favor, so no glory belongs to people.