faith in God

A spiritual attack

The Apostle Paul talked about spiritual warfare in the context of the armor that Christians need to wear in order to overcome their enemy, the devil. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). The spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places that Paul was referring to were angels that rebelled against God, who will one day be cast into a lake of fire where they will spend eternity (Revelation 20:10). Until that time, God has allowed these fallen angels to remain a part of the world we live in, and sometimes he gives them permission to attack believers.

The story of Job is an example of Satan being permitted to test the faith of one of God’s servants. Satan is not free to act in the affairs of mankind; he has to ask God to remove the protection he provides and submit himself to whatever God chooses to do (note on Job 1:6-12). We are told in Job 1:6-7, “there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’” Satan’s interest in mankind has to do with his objective of disrupting God’s plan of salvation. The Apostle Peter warned Christians about their enemy, the devil. Peter told believers they need to, “Be soberminded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith, know that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Peter described the devil as an adversary. The Greek word that is translated adversary, antidikos (an-tidˊ-ee-kos) means “an opponent (in a lawsuit); specially Satan (as an arch-enemy)” (G476). Satan is the accuser of men before God. In Job’s case, Satan “challenged the motive behind Job’s reverence for God. Satan claimed that Job lived as he did because God had blessed him” (note on Job 1:9-12). Peter said the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). What I believe Peter meant by this is that Satan feeds on the negative emotions that get stirred up when people are suffering. The Hebrew word ʿatstsebeth (ats-tsehˊ-beth), which is translated suffering in Job 9:28, refers to “the grief that comes from being brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3)…or grief that causes the spirit to be broken (Proverbs 15:13)…this term clearly refers to emotional suffering and not physical pain or injury” (H 6094).

Job’s suffering was linked to the hopelessness of his situation. Job explained to his friends:

“Has not man a hard service on earth,
    and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?
Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
    and like a hired hand who looks for his wages,
so I am allotted months of emptiness,
    and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
    my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.” (Job 7:1-6)

Job compared his circumstances to hard service because of the struggle he was having making it from day to day. Job said he had been through months of emptiness and nights of misery. The Hebrew word that is translated emptiness, shavʾ (shawv) refers to “desolating evil…The primary meaning of the word is deceit, lie, or falsehood” (H7723).

Jesus told the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). One of the key characteristics of God’s word is that it is inerrant, which means “without error.” Paul said in his letter to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Peter also said, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). When Jesus told the Jews that they would know the truth, he meant that they would be able to recognize that which is derived from God and that which is based on false religion or more specifically, the lies of the devil. Jesus told the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Job described his extreme distress in his response to his friend Eliphaz. Job said:

“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
    therefore my words have been rash.
For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” (Job 6:2-4)

Job continued his complaint by stating:

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my bones.
I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. (Job 7:11-16)

Job spoke out of the anguish of his spirit and the bitterness of his soul. Job’s trouble was the result of a spiritual attack by an invisible enemy that wanted to destroy his faith in God. Satan had boasted to the LORD, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse you to your face” (Job 2:4-5), but Job didn’t respond as Satan expected. Job said, “I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life; I would not live forever” (Job 7:15-16).

“In the midst of his misery (Job 7:13-16), Job asked some honest questions of God” (note on Job 7:17-21). Job said:

What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
visit him every morning
    and test him every moment?
How long will you not look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
    you will seek me, but I shall not be. (Job 7:17-21)

Job’s question, “Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?” (Job 7:21) was based on his understanding of God’s plan of salvation. The Hebrew word that is translated pardon, nasa (naw-sawˊ) means “to bear or to carry and is used especially in reference to the bearing of guilt or punishment of sin (Genesis 4:13; Leviticus 5:1). This flows easily into the concept of representative or substitutionary bearing of one person’s guilt by another (Leviticus 10:17; 16:22). Job wanted God to pardon his transgression and take away his iniquity, which is exactly what Jesus did hundreds of years later when he died on the cross for the sins of the world (Matthew 20:28).

The spiritual attack against Job was possible in part because Christ had not yet redeemed mankind. Job was aware that his redemption had not yet taken place, but he still claimed it as the basis for his right standing before God. Job said, “Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser” (Job 9:20-21). Job understood that he could not be in the right before God without someone to advocate on his behalf. Job said of God, “For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together” (Job 9:32). Job, then concluded, “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). Job wanted an arbiter, one who could stand between him and God and decide the outcome of his case, but there was no one at that time who could do it.

Paul encouraged his spiritual son Timothy to pray for all people. Paul said, “This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:3-5). The term mediator means “a go-between” (G3316). Today, when Satan brings an accusation against someone, if the person has placed his trust in Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, Jesus testifies on his behalf and is able to forestall a spiritual attack; but this does not happen automatically, we must ask for Jesus’ help. Paul said believers must, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10), and then, he instructed believers who find themselves in the midst of a spiritual attack to rely on “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:17-18). The word of God is a powerful weapon because it contains irrefutable truth. The spiritual attack against Job eventually reached a turning point when he openly declared the truth about Jesus Christ. Job said, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:25-27; Revelation 22:4).

Dependence on God

God’s covenantal relationship with Abraham, and later the nation of Israel, was based on a promise that created a dependency upon God that was intended to ensure the promise would be carried out. God told Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). God’s active, personal involvement in creating the nation of Israel began with his deliverance of Abraham’s descendants from slavery in Egypt. The LORD told Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmaster. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:7-8). God said that he had come down to deliver his people out of the hand of the Egyptians. The Hebrew word that is translated come down, yârad (yaw-radˊ) basically connotes movement from a higher to a lower location, but “yârad” is used frequently of ‘dying’” (H2381). God’s plan of deliverance began with him removing his chosen people from the land of Egypt, but ultimately it was carried out through his Son Jesus’s death on the cross. When Moses asked God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:13-14). “The expression ‘I AM’ is the translation of the Hebrew word Yhwh (H3068), vocalized ‘Yahweh’ and translated ‘LORD’ (See Exodus 6:3)…The meaning of Yhwh is not completely clear to biblical scholars, though it seems to suggest the timelessness of God, who is the very foundation of all existence. Jesus alluded to this name of God in John 8:58 when he declared, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was, I am” (note on Exodus 3:14).

The Hebrew word that is translated deliver in Exodus 3:8, nâtsal (naw-tsalˊ) means “to snatch away” (H5337). A word in the New Testament with a similar meaning is harpazō (har-padˊ-zo). Harpazo is used in Revelation 12:5 in reference to Jesus’ ascension into heaven and in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in reference to believers being caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. “Deliverance often indicated the power of one entity overcoming the power of another.” The Apostle Paul talked about Jesus’ power over death in his second letter to the Corinthians. Speaking of the resurrection body, Paul said:

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies…So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power…I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:35-57)

Paul’s statement that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) was intended to jolt his fellow Israelites into the realization that the promise God made to Abraham was not about establishing a nation that consisted of mortal beings, but one in which the power of sin and death had been overcome.

Initially, the Israelites were completely aware of their dependence on God. After they had left Egypt and were about to cross the Red Sea, it says in Exodus 14:9-10, “The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. When Pharoah drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.” Moses told the people of Israel, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). Later, after they had entered the Promised Land, the Israelites experienced numerous victories over the people of Canaan because they were depending on the LORD. But as time went on, the people of Israel stopped inquiring of the LORD and eventually, asked the prophet Samuel to appoint a king to rule over them, “that we may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20).

The various kings that led Israel and Judah were inconsistent in their commitment to follow God’s commandments. Near the end of Israel’s existence as an independent nation, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah walked in the ways of King David, “He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments…His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah…In the third year of his reign he sent his officials…And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people” (2 Chronicles 17:3-4, 6-9). When the Moabites and Ammonites and some of the Meunites came against him in battle, Jehoshaphat prayed for God to intervene. Jehoshaphat said:

“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Jehoshaphat acknowledged that the people of Israel were powerless against the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites and said that he didn’t know what to do. The Hebrew word that is translated know, yada (yaw-dahˊ) refers to experiential knowledge and is used to describe the way that God knew Abraham, “He cared for him in the sense that He chose him from among other men and saw to it that certain things happened to him. The emphasis is on the fact that God ‘knew’ him intimately and personally” (H3045).

God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer immediately. It says in 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, ‘Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.’” Because Jehoshaphat acknowledged his dependence on God, the LORD said the people of Israel would not need to fight in the battle, he would fight for them. All they had to do was stand firm and hold their position (2 Chronicles 20:17). This is similar to the advice that Paul gave believers in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul said that we are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11).

It says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that we should trust in the Lord will all our heart, and not depend on our own understanding. “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (NLT). When it was time for them to stand firm and hold their position, Jehoshaphat told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to “Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established” (2 Chronicles 20:20). And, Second Chronicles 20:21-23 states:

And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.”

And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8, NLT). The people of Judah didn’t know what to expect when they started marching toward the great multitude coming at them from Edom, but “when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, the looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:24).

Our dependence on God is something that needs to be acknowledged in each and every situation. When we put our trust in the Lord, he promises to take care of all our needs. When Jesus was asked the question, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?,” He answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28-28). Jesus went on to describe himself as the good shepherd. It says in John 10:6, “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Jesus went on to explain, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door, If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:8-11). Jesus later described himself as the true vine and said his Father was the vinedresser. “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit…As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5).

The Greek word that is translated abide in John 15:4, meno (menˊo) means “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy) and is spoken “of the relation in which one person or thing stands with another, chiefly in John’s writings; thus to remain in or with someone, i.e. to be and remain united with him, one with him in heart, mind, and will (John 6:56; 14:10; 15:4-7; 1 John 2:6; 3:24; 4:15, 16)” (G3306). Shortly before his death, Jesus prayed that his disciples would be one even as he and his Father were one (John 17:11). Jesus prayed, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through your word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them as you loved me” (John 1716-23).

Jesus invited everyone to come to him and be a part of the oneness that he had with his Father, but he focused his attention particularly on those who recognized their dependence on God. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). In another conversation, Jesus warned his disciples to not be anxious about their lives, but to put their faith in God. Jesus said to his disciples, ““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:22-31).

Fishers of men

Four of Jesus’ twelve disciples were fishermen before they were called to work in his ministry. Mark tells us, “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him” (Mark 1:16-20). Simon, also known as Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all willing to give up their occupation of fishing in order to follow Jesus. Jesus’ statement, “I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17) seemed to make sense to Peter and Andrew. Mark said they “immediately left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18), suggesting that there was not only a willingness on the part of Peter and Andrew to give up their occupation, but also an urgency about their decision to do so. The Greek word that is translated immediately, eutheos (yoo-thehˊ-oce) is derived from the root words eu (yoo), which means “good, brave, noble” (G2095), and tithemi (tithˊ-ay-mee), which used figuratively means “to lay down one’s life. To place something in the heart or spirit, in the sense of to resolve, to purpose” (G5087).

Peter and Andrew took immediate action to secure their position in Jesus’ ministry based on his promise that he would make them become fishers of men (Mark 1:17). In order to understand what Jesus meant by fishers of men, you have to think of it in terms of an occupation. Jesus was inviting Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be a part of the work that he was sent to do on earth. When Jesus healed a woman who had a disabling spirit, the ruler of the synagogue associated what he had done with work. Luke 13:12-17 states:

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Greek word that the ruler of the synagogue used that is translated work, ergazomai (er-gadˊ-zom-ahee) means “to toil (as a task, occupation, etc.),” and is metaphorically spoken of the sea: to cultivate the sea, i.e. to ply or follow the sea as an occupation as sailors, mariners (Revelation 18:17), but ergazomai is also used “of things wrought, done, performed, e.g. miracles (John 6:30; Acts 13:41)…To work the works of God, or a good work (Matthew 26:10; Mark 14:6; John 3:21; 6:28; 9:4; 1 Corinthians 16:10; 3 John 5)” (G2038). Jesus’ sharp response to the ruler of the synagogue suggests that spiritual work, releasing the woman from the bond of Satan, cannot be limited to normal work hours because of the life-sustaining nature of this kind of activity (Luke 13:15).

Jesus indicated that the work that he had called his disciples to do would result in spiritual wages (John 6:27), but he cautioned the crowd that wanted to join him in his ministry against pursuing spiritual work without having faith in God. John tells us, “Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to be doing the works of God’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?’” (John 6:28-30). The people of Israel were confused about the role that Jesus was expected to play in the accomplishment of God’s plan of salvation. They thought that their Messiah would be a powerful leader who would conquer the kingdoms that opposed God. Jesus explained to them that the purpose of him coming into the world was to provide spiritual nourishment to those who were spiritually destitute (John 6:32-59). Jesus concluded his discussion on spiritual work with the healing of a man born blind. John stated, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work’” (John 9:1-4). Jesus indicated that the works of God were intended to be done out in the open, on display for everyone to see, but there would come a time when no one would be able to work because the light of the world would be snuffed out (John 8:12-24).

Jesus told his disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John when they first came to him to not be afraid because “from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). The Greek word that is translated catching, zogreo (dzogue-rehˊ-o) was used by Paul to describe the activities of Satan in a section of his second letter to Timothy that focused on a worker that is approved by God. Paul told Timothy to:

Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured (zogreo) by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

The phrase that Paul used “escape from the snare” (2 Timothy 2:26) has to do with recovering one’s senses after being tricked into doing something that you didn’t want to do (G366/1537/3803). The Greek word that is translated snare, pagis (pag-eceˊ) is spoken figuratively of “a trick or stratagem (temptation)” (G3803). The snare of the devil is obviously something that you would want to avoid. The reason why Jesus used a similar analogy for people getting saved may have been because salvation is not a logical choice, but something similar to a rescue mission that God must initiate.

Paul talked in his second letter to the Corinthians about being caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The Greek word harpazō (har-padˊ-zo) means to “seize upon, spoil, snatch away” and is “spoken of beasts of prey” and of “what is snatched suddenly away (Matthew 13:19; Jude 23); in the sense of to rob, plunder (John 10:28, 29)” (G726). The violent nature of the word harpazō is reflected in Jesus’ description of Satan’s attack on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (harpazō). It makes sense that God’s effort to rescue us from sin would also require force. Jude talked about saving others “by snatching (harpazō) them out of the fire” (Jude 1:23). Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus is an example of how God catches men and uses them for his own purposes. Paul testifies about his conversion in Acts 26:9-18. Paul said:

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Jesus described Paul’s resistance to the gospel as “kicking against the goads” (Acts 26:14) and said that he would deliver Paul from his people and from the Gentiles (Acts 26:17). Paul’s harsh attitude toward Jesus made it difficult for him to receive God’s gift of salvation, but Jesus said that Paul had been appointed as a servant and a witness to Jesus Christ and that he was being sent to open the eyes of others (Acts 26:16-18). Paul became a very successful fisher of men and was one of the primary authors of the New Testament. Paul was also responsible for the spread of the gospel throughout most of Europe and Asia before he was executed by the Roman government.

The prostitute

One of the key themes that is found throughout the Bible is faithfulness. Faithfulness and believing are connected in that the Hebrew word âman (aw-manˊ) is translated both ways. It says of Abraham in Genesis 15:6 that he believed (âman) in the LORD (KJV) and of Moses in Numbers 14:11 that he was faithful (âman) to God. The opposite of course is unbelief or faithlessness (G570) which was identified numerous times by Jesus as the cause of Israel’s and more specifically, his disciples lack of spiritual success (Matthew 13:58; 17:20; Mark 6:6; 9:24; 16:14). Israel’s unfaithfulness was linked to their continual involvement with idolatry. Israel was forbidden from making covenants with the inhabitants of the Promised Land because of their tendency to worship other gods. The people of Israel were told before they entered the Promised Land:

“Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.” (Exodus 34:11-16)

The LORD used the phrase whoring after their gods to describe idolatry. The Hebrew word that is translated whore, zânâh (zaw-nawˊ) means “to commit adultery… (figurative) to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah)” (H2181). Zânâh appears in most of the Major and Minor Prophets’ writings in conjunction with God’s judgment of Israel and the surrounding nations that influenced her to practice idolatry. Isaiah said of Jerusalem, “How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers” (Isaiah 1:21).

One of the principal influences that led to Israel’s downfall was Assyria’s world dominance. At the height of the Assyrian Empire’s success, the king of Assyria, referred to as Sennacherib, defied the LORD and challenged King Hezekiah to give up his faith in God. The king of Assyria sent a message to King Hezekiah stating “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Razeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’” (2 Kings 19:10-13). Sennacherib compared Hezekiah’s God to the gods of other nations that had failed to protect their worshippers from Assyrian attacks. Hezekiah took the letter from Sennacherib and spread it out before the LORD and asked him to intervene because Sennacherib had mocked the living God (2 Kings 19:16).

Isaiah recorded God’s response to King Hezekiah’s prayer. Isaiah 37:21-32 states:

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
    the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
    the daughter of Jerusalem.

“‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
    Against the Holy One of Israel!
By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon,
to cut down its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
    its most fruitful forest.
I dug wells
    and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
    all the streams of Egypt.

“‘Have you not heard
    that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
    what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
    crash into heaps of ruins,
while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
    blighted before it is grown.

“‘I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
Because you have raged against me
    and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.’”

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

God pointed to the return of the exiles from Babylon as a sign of his future judgment of Assyria. The prophet Nahum’s entire message concerns the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. “Nahum prophesied in the time between the Assyrian capture of No (Thebes) in Egypt (see Nahum 3:8-10), which is known to have occurred in 661 BC, and the final destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC (Nahum 2:8-13). Since verse fifteen of chapter 1 suggests that the feasts were being observed in Judah, it is probably that he ministered during or just after Josiah’s revival. This means he would have prophesied around 620 BC, or about the time of Habbakuk, Zephaniah, and the early part of Jeremiah’s ministry” (Introduction to Nahum).

It says in 2 Kings 19:35 that an angel struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians the night after Isaiah’s prophecy about Sennacherib’s fall. It states, “And when the people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” Nahum referred to this incident in his condemnation of Nineveh. Nahum wrote:

Woe to the bloody city,
    all full of lies and plunder—
    no end to the prey!
The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel,
    galloping horse and bounding chariot!
Horsemen charging,
    flashing sword and glittering spear,
hosts of slain,
    heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
    they stumble over the bodies!
And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute,
    graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
    and peoples with her charms.

Nahum used the Hebrew word zânâh when he referred to Nineveh as the prostitute whose countless whorings had brought about God’s destruction of the Assyrian army. The prostitute is mentioned in Revelation 17:1-6 in connection with the martyrdom of Christians during the great tribulation. It states:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

According to Bible teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee, the great prostitute is the antichurch or false religion that is established for the purpose of worshiping antichrist. The references to sexual immorality have to do with idolatry, the worship of false gods (G4203). John indicated that a name was written on the forehead of the prostitute, “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations” (Revelation 17:5). John wanted his readers to understand that the antichurch would be the culmination of all false religions and would serve the purpose of leading a revolt against God that would threaten the existence of believers in Jesus Christ. Immediately following his discussion of the great prostitute and her relationship to antichrist, John went on to talk about the fall of Babylon (Revelation 18) and Christ’s return to earth (Revelation 19), suggesting that Antichrist’s brief world dominance will trigger the end times events that shift the balance of power back to worshippers of God.

Divine authority

One of the groups that was opposed to Jesus’ teaching was the scribes. A scribe was one who was “skilled in the Jewish law, an interpreter of the Scriptures, a lawyer. The scribes had charge of transcribing the sacred books, of interpreting difficult passages, and of deciding in cases which grew out of ceremonial law. Their influence was of course great; and since many of them were members of the Sanhedrin, we often find them mentioned with elders and chief priests (Matthew 2:4; 5:20; 7:29; 12:38; 20:18; 21:15)” (G1122). Mark 2:6 tells us that the scribes were sitting among the crowd when Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed. Mark states:

And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:4-12)

The scribes knew that God was the only one who could forgive sins, and yet, they didn’t realize that Jesus was God. Jesus identified himself as the Son of Man, a title associated with the Israel’s Messiah (G5207), which indicated he had authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). The Greek word that is translated authority, Exousia (ex-oo-seeˊ-ah) means “power of doing or not doing, i.e. license, liberty, free choice (Acts 1:7; 5:4; Romans 9:21; 1 Corinthians 7:37; 8:9; 9:4-6, 12, 18; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; Revelation 22:14)” (G1849). Jesus had the ability to forgive sins, if he wanted to.

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11) marked the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. Following this event, Jesus displayed his divine authority openly and began to prepare his disciples for his departure. One example of this was Jesus cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14). “Fig trees in that area yield fruit in both June and August, and it is normal for the figs to hang on the trees through the winter. New fruit grows right over the old and out of the old shoots. Consequently, fruit can normally be found on the trees year round. This particular fig tree illustrates the fruitlessness of Israel (Isaiah 65:3-7). The Lord was entering Jerusalem, where he would experience his final public rejection by Israel. Despite the fact that Jesus had adequately demonstrated that he was indeed God incarnate, they still refused to accept him as such” (note on Mark 11:12-14, 20-24). Mark tells us that the morning after Jesus cursed the fig tree, he and his disciples passed by and saw the fig tree withered away to its roots (Mark 11:20). “And Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’” (Mark 11:21). Jesus responded to Peter’s remark by giving his disciples a lesson in faith. Mark 11:22-26 states:

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that faith is the believer’s means of exercising divine authority and identified four criteria for God to do something on a believer’s behalf (Mark 11:22-23). First and foremost, Jesus said, you must have faith in God. Having faith in God means that you are relying upon Christ for salvation and therefore, believe his gospel is true. The Greek word that is translated faith, pistis is derived from the word peitho (piˊ-tho) which means “to convince (by argument, true or false)…Generally, to persuade another to receive a belief, meaning to convince (Matthew 27:20; Acts 13:43; 14:19; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 26:28; 28:23; 2 Corinthians 5:11)” (G3982). When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13), and then, more specifically, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15), Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus responded to Peter’s declaration of faith by stating, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven  and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17-19).

Jesus told Peter that he was going to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19). Keys are a means of locking or unlocking something. When you give someone the keys to something, you are giving them access to it, the ability to use whatever the key controls. It is the same with authority. Authority allows you to control a person or thing; the power to do or not do something with it. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, he decided he didn’t need or want it anymore, and so, by exercising his divine authority he caused the fig tree to wither away (Mark 11:21). The Apostle John explained in the beginning of his gospel message that Jesus giving Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven meant that he was turning the kingdom over to him, giving Peter the same rights and privileges that he had as the Son of God. John wrote, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right (exousia) to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13).

The scribes, chief priests and elders, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, did not want to associate themselves with his mission of saving the world, but rather challenged his divine authority. Mark tells us:

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:27-33).

The scribes, chief priests and elders decided to play it safe and refused to acknowledge John the Baptist’s status as a prophet of God. John identified Jesus as the Messiah and declared to the people of Israel, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus didn’t try to convince the religious leaders of who he was or that his divine authority was legitimate. Instead, Jesus left it up to them to decide whether or not they wanted to rely on him for their salvation or to continue trusting that their relationship to Abraham would get them into heaven (Matthew 3:7-10).

Spiritual freedom

The Apostle Paul’s letter to a believer named Philemon contains important information about Paul’s attitude regarding spiritual freedom. Paul began his letter with the salutation, “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philemon 1:1-3). Paul wrote to Philemon while he was imprisoned in Rome, so his identification of himself as a prisoner was applicable to his circumstances, but Paul reversed the situation when he added the phrase for Jesus Christ. Even though Paul was imprisoned against his will, Paul believed that God was using his situation to further the gospel. Paul discussed this point extensively in his letter to the Philippians. Paul said:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Only let your manner of life be worthyof the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:12-30)

Paul said that he expected his imprisonment to turn out for his deliverance (Philippians 1:19). Paul was not only talking about being released from prison, but was also talking about his “deliverance from sin and its spiritual consequences and admission to eternal life with blessedness in the kingdom of Christ” (G4991). Paul went on to say that it was his eager expectation and hope that he would “not be at all ashamed” but that Christ would be honored in his body “whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21). What Paul likely meant by to die is gain was that the believers’ victory over sin and death is not fully realized until we are all in heaven. Revelation 12:10-11 states, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Paul was convinced that he would be released from prison and said, “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again” (Philippians 1:25-26). Paul echoed his confidence of being released in his letter to Philemon. Paul said, “Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you” (Philemon 1:21-22). The Greek word that is translated graciously given, charizomai (khar-idˊ-zom-ahee) is spoken “of persons, to deliver up or over in answer to demands (Acts 3:14; 25:11, 16) or in answer to prayer (Acts 27:24; Philemon 1:22). Charizomai is translated granted in Acts 27:24 in reference to the lives of those who were sailing with Paul to Rome being saved from death in a storm at sea. Paul encouraged his shipmates and told them, “For this very night there stood before me an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:23-25).

Paul’s faith in God made it possible for him to experience spiritual freedom even though he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul talked about the effectiveness of sharing your faith in his letter to Philemon. Paul said:

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. (Philemon 1:4-7)

The Greek word that is translated effective in Philemon 1:6, energace (en-er-gaceˊ) has to do with the internal work of the Holy Spirit. In reference to sharing your faith, energace means that your faith is “active, operative” (G1756). Energace is translated active in Hebrews 4:12. It states, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Paul’s letter was intended to activate Philemon’s faith in that Paul used his own situation of imprisonment in Rome to trigger a particular response from his fellow worker. The Greek word that is translated prisoner, desmios (desˊ-mee-os) means “a captive (as bound)” (G1198) and is derived from the word desmos (des-mosˊ), which is translated imprisonment in Philemon 1:10 and 1:12. Desmos refers to “a band i.e. ligament (of the body) or shackle (of a prisoner). Paul used the Greek word desmos in his second letter to Timothy. Paul said, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound in chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:8-9). When Paul said the word of God is not bound, he used the word deo (dehˊ-o), which appears in Matthew 16:19 where Jesus told his disciples, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Being loosed on earth speaks of persons bound in sin and wickedness, who are loosed through the preaching of the gospel and a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what had happened to Philemon’s slave Onesimus. Paul wrote, “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord” (Philemon 1:15-16).

“Paul acted in strict accordance with the requirements of the law in dealing with Onesimus, a slave who had run away from Philemon. First, Paul gave him shelter in his own hired house. He did not betray him as a fugitive nor did he send word to Philemon to come to Rome and take Onesimus back. Furthermore, Paul instructed Onesimus in the gospel, eventually leading him to salvation in Christ (Philemon 1:10). He then sent Onesimus back to Philemon as a trusted messenger and brother in Christ, bearing a request for Philemon to grant Onesimus freedom (Philemon 1:12). Paul did not accuse Onesimus of wrongdoing by running away from Philemon. Instead Paul stated that it was by the merciful providence of God that he had departed from Philemon. Paul desired for Philemon to receive Onesimus back no longer as a servant, but as a beloved brother and partner in Christ (Philemon 1:15-17)” (Introduction to the Letter of Paul to Philemon). Paul’s strict accordance to the Hebrew fugitive law (Deuteronomy 23:15-16), gave him the assurance that he was doing God’s will when he took Onesimus in and sheltered him until he had received salvation. Paul’s plea for Onesimus was based on his obedience to God’s word. Paul wrote to Philemon, “Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment” (Philemon 1:8-10).

Paul’s appeal to Philemon was likely prompted by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word that is translated appeal in Philemon 1:9, parakaleo (par-ak-al-ehˊ-o) is derived from the words para (par-ahˊ) and kaleo (kal-ehˊ-o) which “is used particularly of the divine call to partake of the blessings of redemption” (G2564). Paul wanted Philemon to voluntarily grant Onesimus his freedom (Philemon 1:18). The Hebrew fugitive law stated, “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him” (Deuteronomy 23:15-16). Paul was not required to send Onesimus back to Philemon, but he likely did it so that Onesimus’ testimony could benefit the spread of the gospel (Philemon 1:11). Paul told Philemon, “I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord” (Philemon 1:12-14).

The Hebrew fugitive law indicated that a slave who had escaped from his master was essentially a free person; he could not be imprisoned or returned to his master (Deuteronomy 23:15). This law illustrated the principle of being delivered from spiritual bondage and fits in with Jesus’ teaching about binding and loosing things on earth and in heaven (Matthew 16:19). Jesus told the Jews who believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-36). The Greek word that is translated free, eleuthero (el-yoo-ther-oˊ-o) means “to make free, liberate from the power and punishment of sin, the result of redemption (John 8:32, 36; Romans 6:18, 22). Jesus indicated that “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). The Greek word that Jesus used that is translated slave, doulos (dooˊ-los) is the same word that Paul used in his letter to Philemon when he referred to Onesimus as a bondservant and said that he was sending him back to Philemon “no longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (Philemon 1:16). Paul indicated that Onesimus’ spiritual status had changed because of his faith in Christ.

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that spiritual freedom means that we are no longer slaves to sin, but have become slaves of righteousness. Paul said:

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:15-23)

According to Paul, even though believers are free in regard to righteousness, our spiritual freedom is constantly being attack. Paul said, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Wickedness embodies that character which is opposite the character of God and may be thought of as an opposing force to righteousness (H7562). Proverbs 10:2 tells us that “treasures gained by wickedness do not profit but righteousness delivers from death.” The Hebrew word that is translated delivers, nâtsal naw-tsalˊ) is translated escaped in the Hebrew fugitive law (Deuteronomy 23:15) and also appears in Exodus 3:7-8 where the LORD speaking to Moses out of the midst of a burning bush said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver (nâtsal) them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (emphasis mine).

God’s ability to deliver believers from wickedness is based on the authority that Christ has in the spiritual realm. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians:

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:15-21)

Paul said that the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us is “according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). The Greek words that are translated working and worked are both derived from the Greek word energes, the Greek word that Paul used in his letter to Philemon when he talked about the sharing of Philemon’s faith becoming effective (Philemon 1:6).

Paul indicated in his letter to the Colossians that the powerful working of God is connected with the believer’s baptism, when he identifies himself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Paul said:

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:11-15)

According to Paul, believers have spiritual freedom because the record of their moral debt to God has been cancelled. When Jesus died on the cross, he disarmed the rulers and authorities that wage spiritual warfare against believers and through death destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (Hebrews 2:14-15).