What is the church? Spiritual warriors.

This past Sunday in our series “What is the church?” we looked at how, as the church, believers are spiritual warriors. The Bottom Line from Nick’s sermon was: God has given us everything we need to be victorious against our adversaries of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Be who you are, and use what you’ve been given. 

So the first question, which can take more time than the scope of this summary article to answer, is who are we? As believers, we are a part of the church family, heirs to the kingdom (Galatians 3:28-29) and no longer slaves to sin (John 8:31-32). But in that position and new reality, what does it get us? 

Second Peter 1:3-11 is a great place to start that can really put some spiritual heft to the idea of having what we need as disciples as we grow in Christ-likeness. 

2 Peter 1:3–11 (NLT)
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 
10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So again looking at who we are, being no longer slaves, Peter is agreeing that we are freed from the bondage of sin and in that freedom are given all that we need to live a godly life, partaking in “His divine nature,” “having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (ESV).” 

The second question then, is what have we been given? Peter draws out what spiritual empowerment and maturity looks like in verses 5-7. How we “respond to God’s promises” is in faith, and from there, we supplement our faith with these other spiritual characteristics that are listed, which I think are in a logical ascending order for our growth as a disciple. The NIV says to add to your faith, goodness, or as the NLT expounds, you “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence.” Then in our maturing as a disciple we grow from moral excellence to deeper knowledge, which will broaden our understanding and wisdom as disciples, helping us to be more self-controlled, to persevere in struggles, and deepening our godliness or our proper beliefs, reverence and spiritual affections towards God and His will. And from there we see the Greatest Commandment come into play as this growth as a disciple turns from personal discipline and a growing walk with God, towards loving others, or “brotherly affection with love for everyone” meaning love for the family of faith to broader love for all people. One study Bible followed up this list with the idea that “Peter urges believers to “make every effort” (v. 5) to corroborate their faith with behavior consistent with the “qualities” (vv. 8–9) of those who are being sanctified by the Spirit. The gospel is not opposed to effort but to earning. Paul, too, could put grace and hard work side by side (1 Cor. 15:10)” [GTB].

With this in mind we can see that 2 Peter lists out what we need and where we need to put effort as a disciple, though not to earn our faith as Paul makes clear in Ephesians 2:8-10, because faith itself is a gift. It’s that mystery of spiritual tension that disciples must live within, that we are required to discipline ourselves and put forth effort towards our spiritual maturity, while yet all we have is a gift of the Holy Spirit working within us, forming us like Christ. 

Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So thinking of what we have been given, outside our own power, that is to be used in our discipleship as spiritual warriors, Paul goes on to list out what we know as “The Armor of God” in Ephesians 6:10–18 (NLT)

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

As spiritual warriors we are called to “not give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:27 NIV). As disciples this is done by adding to our faith as we spiritually mature, as Peter teaches us, and by putting on the spiritual armor and taking up the sword of the Spirit that have all been given to us by God, as Paul encourages us in Ephesians. So, Christian brother and sister, do not neglect meeting together with the Church family (Heb. 10:25), not only for encouragement, but also for equipping yourself and each other to stand firm in the faith and in the battle to keep ourselves pure as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), so we are productive and useful as disciples (2 Peter 1:8).