War on the Soul

April 12, 2022

War is a terrible thing.  Some of you have experienced the ravages of war firsthand.  All of us have witnessed the terror of war through our television screens lately.  But realize this; the death and destruction caused by war is not only something that happens between men, but also within man.

Listen to the inspired words of Peter.  “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11, NASB) Fleshly lusts wage war on the soul!  They will wage an all-out assault on your inner being and destroy your soul just as surely as artillery shelling will destroy a city. 

What are fleshly lusts? They are sinful passions and desires that arise within us.  These lusts, if not dealt with, will lead us into sexual sin, greed, strife, sinful anger, and many other things like these.  When we indulge in fleshly lusts, they will do tremendous damage to our souls, and will eventually destroy us spiritually.  We need to understand this fact. 

Sometimes we entertain fleshly lusts.  We invite them into our living rooms, and then into our minds and hearts.  Sometimes we think that we can watch things, listen to things, and take part in things without being affected spiritually.  This is simply not true.  When we allow our lusts to be activated through what we see and hear, a terrible chain of events can begin.  As James writes, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15, NASB) Note the pregnancy analogy in this passage.  Once lust is conceived, it will give birth to sin, and sin will bring forth spiritual death.  How is lust conceived?  I believe it is by dwelling on our sinful desires and entertaining them in our hearts.

So, the key for us is to prevent lust from being conceived.  How can we do this?  As the Spirit said through Peter, we must abstain from fleshly lusts.  Do not take part in them!  Run from them!  Get them out of your mind before conception takes place.  And certainly, let us not invite sinful things into our minds that will stir up our lusts!  Doing so is like inviting the enemy into your city in wartime.  Nothing but death and destruction will come of it.  May God help us to abstain from fleshly lusts.  As we do, we will find peace and prosperity—not death and destruction—within our souls.      

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

Enduring Temptation

February 26, 2011

The problem in Corinth was idolatry. Some Christians in Corinth were attempting to have their feet in two different worlds. Yes, they had been baptized, and they participated in the Lord’s Table, but they also participated in the social culture of idolatry. They were apparently at fellowship meals of idols, what Paul calls the table of demons (1 Corinthians 10:21). They had participated in God’s benefits, but they compromised their loyalty in daily life.

Paul uses an analogy from the Exodus. God’s people coming out of Egypt were “baptized” under the cloud and in the Red Sea. They ate the same spiritual food – manna, the bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). They drank the same spiritual drink – water from the Rock. Yet, when they participated in idolatry, twenty-three thousand fell in a single day (1 Corinthians 10:8). They had participated in God’s benefits, but they compromised their loyalty in daily life.

Paul cautions them not to put Christ to the test. Don’t grumble against God. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV). The last phrase warns us that we can be presumptuous about our standing before God. Sin can lead us away from God, and our pride prevents us from recognizing it.

It is in this context of spiritual peril, that we receive a wonderful promise. Temptations are common to all. We are in no position for special pleading. We cannot say that my temptations are different and unique from everyone else’s temptations. We will face temptations, but we will face them with a wonderful promise.

The wonderful promise is based on God’s faithfulness. God won’t let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, and He will provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). The promise is there so that the Christian can endure temptation. We are to bear up under it without giving in to it.

No, I won’t do that perfectly. But I am cautioned about attempting to live with my feet in two different worlds with two different sets of loyalties. I shouldn’t be presumptuous about grace. I can’t rely on a “cheap grace” that leaves me as I am. Grace is to transform us.

When I endure, my character is strengthened. When I fail, I set myself up for other failures. When I fail, I must turn to the spiritual resources that God has given me – my spiritual armor – to fight the next battle. For there is a spiritual battle going on for my heart, my allegiance, and my life.

Paul’s message is a challenge to our culture. Too many want to be spiritual and do as they please. Cheap grace is permissive; true grace is transforming. God wants me to learn how to endure temptations by relying on His faithfulness. He has given His promise to help me endure.

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Posted by Russell Holden