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Spiritual warfare: Ephesians 6:12

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MLA citation style

O'Brien, Peter Thomas (1935-). Spiritual Warfare: Ephesians 6:12. . 1991. Retrieved from the Atla Digital Library, https://images.quartexcollections.com/moore/thumbnails/preview/e02ba9c5-f47d-491b-a852-c311cbd749cf.

APA citation style

O'Brien, P. (1991). Spiritual warfare: Ephesians 6:12. Retrieved from the Atla Digital Library, https://images.quartexcollections.com/moore/thumbnails/preview/e02ba9c5-f47d-491b-a852-c311cbd749cf.

Chicago citation style

O'Brien, Peter Thomas (1935-). Spiritual Warfare: Ephesians 6:12. 1991. Retrieved from the Atla Digital Library, https://images.quartexcollections.com/moore/thumbnails/preview/e02ba9c5-f47d-491b-a852-c311cbd749cf.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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  • O'Brien speaks on the theme of spiritual warfare based on Ephesians 6:12. Western Christianity fails to appreciate the true reality of spiritual warfare due to rationalism derived from Enlightenment thinking. Today, the rising influence of eastern and new-age religions hold influence over contemporary thinking of spiritual realities. Ephesians 6 depicts the whole Christian life as a spiritual struggle. Three questions are addressed by O'Brien. Firstly, why the Christian life is depicted as a spiritual battle. People cannot respond to life in a neutral way; men and women are under the influence and forces of the world, flesh, and the Devil. Believers are not immune from these influences. For the Christian, they live in union with Christ and may draw upon His power and victory. Although Christ is victorious, the final defeat of such forces is still forthcoming. Secondly, what is the nature of this struggle. It is described as deadly serious and a constant struggle. Paul uses a term usually associated with the sport of wrestling. In contrast to flesh and blood, Christians are involved in a close-contact wrestling match with spiritual enemies. For many Christians, we misunderstand the spiritual reality and thus fail to use the spiritual weapons available to us. Thirdly, the responsibility of Christians in light of this warfare. Paul presents an image of a properly equipped soldier who is ready for battle. Believers are involved in the warfare and must be prepared for battle. For the Christian, this involves purposeful resistance as they stand firm alongside the proclamation of the gospel in the world.
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  • In copyright - educational use permitted. This item may be used for the purposes of research and study. Please acknowledge that it is held by Moore Theological College