What is Spiritual Warfare?

What is Spiritual Warfare?

The Bible tells the story of the world’s creation, humanity’s fall and God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It goes on to explain the church’s responsibility to go into the whole world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). 

The narrative of humanity’s fall introduces us to the devil, who is also called Satan, and the forces he has brought to the world. These forces were responsible for tempting humankind to stray from God’s will (Genesis 3) and have worked to undermine God’s plans at every turn. In fact, the Bible repeatedly shows that the world is a warzone, and humans find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle between God and His enemy, Satan. 

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:25–30, NIV).

The very fact that Jesus is casting out demons should be seen as a confirmation of His message that the kingdom of God has come. 

Then Jesus lays out a fundamental truth: There are no sidelines in this war. The kingdom of God has come, and we’re either with Jesus or against Him. There are a million ways to oppose Jesus’ work in the world, but those who are with Him are focused on the same goal: building His kingdom by both knowing and following Him and by helping others to know him too.