Daily Archives: October 18, 2026

46c BY THE WAY…WHO WON THE WAR?

Bible Study, ,

We will never settle this issue of “spiritual warfare” until we get one thing straight. Who won the war? Some think that is we, God’s children, believers in Jesus, who are engaged in a battle with Satan and his minions. They believe that we must take up arms against the enemy. They think that the struggles we endure in our daily lives, our circumstances,  are our battle with the devil. 

They think and act accordingly! 

They pray against circumstances…take authority over the devil and evil spirits… take back what the devil has stolen…speak to the devil as though he were omnipresent…even interrupt their prayers to God with asides to Satan… all in a vain attempt to regain control and tell the devil where to get off! 

Does this behaviour work? Of course not! Why not? 

These people are trying to fight a war which has already been won! Instead of standing on the territory already theirs, they swing imaginary weapons at an enemy already overcome…disarmed and powerless…and believe that they are winning a great victory. Meanwhile, the flesh is still winning the skirmishes…evidenced by the fruit…the works of the flesh!

“The acts of the flesh are obvious…”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…followed by a long list of disgraceful behaviour. 

By contrast…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, how can we be so sure that the territory is ours…the sinful nature the wants to rule? The Bible is clear. Jesus won the victory at the cross. 

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus won the war by perfectly keeping God’s law and then dying as a law-breaker. He earned the righteousness demanded of us and then freely gave the righteousness He won back to us. He beat the devil at his own game, exposing his ruse…lies and deception. “You don’t need God. You can be God. Make your own rules. Nothing will happen to you!” …and, when we did, he laughed “Got you!” He accused us! “You broke the law! You are guilty !You will die!”

Jesus exposed the devil’s scheme by dying, Himself…for us!

46a BY THE WAY…WHAT DOES “BINDING AND LOOSING MEAN”?

Christian Life, ,

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, here’s a humdinger! 

The most commonly-preached version of Jesus’ instruction to His disciples at Caesarea Philipppi…to explain “spiritual warfare”…has opened a “Pandora’s box” of fanciful interpretations. According to this idea, in simple terms, Jesus gave His disciples the authority to bind the devil, to hinder his evil power by their words, and to loose the Holy Spirit in situations where Satan seems to have the upper hand. 

Where, in the whole of Scripture, does this idea originate!

“Binding and loosing” was a religious and culturally understood concept of authority in first century Israel. Jesus, as a “rabbi with authority”, “sh’mikah”…one of the few to have this authority in His day… given to Him by the Father… would have dictated the terms of this authority, called His “yoke” which, He said, was already decreed in heaven.  Against the backdrop of the strict legalism of the religious leaders, Jesus invited His people to share His yoke. 

“Jesus’s yoke is a metaphor from Matthew 11:28–30, where Jesus invites weary people to take his yoke upon them, promising that his “yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.

Core Biblical Meaning

  • The Yoke Metaphor: A yoke is a wooden beam or harness placed across the shoulders of draft animals like oxen to help them pull a heavy load or plow a field. In ancient times, a rabbi’s “yoke” also referred to his specific teaching style, interpretation of the scriptures, and way of life.
  • Partnering with Christ: A dual-animal yoke paired a younger, inexperienced ox with a stronger, older, and wiser ox. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he means walking alongside him. Jesus shares the yoke with the believer, carrying the primary weight and doing the heavy lifting.
  • Contrast with Legalism: Jesus was contrasting his gentle, loving approach with the heavy, legalistic burdens and hundreds of rigid rules imposed by the religious leaders and Pharisees of his day.
  • Rest for the Soul: Rather than offering an escape from life’s responsibilities or work, Jesus provides a transformed rhythm of life, grace, and inner rest instead of anxiety and self-righteous striving.” (Source: Google AI)

What did Jesus’ words have to do with “binding and loosing”?

“In Matthew 16:19, “binding and loosing” refers to first-century rabbinic idioms regarding moral, legal, and doctrinal authority: binding meant to declare something forbidden or prohibited, while loosing meant to declare something permitted or allowed. 

When Jesus told Peter, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” He was granting foundational authority to Peter—and later the apostles—to set the parameters and rules for the New  Covenant community (the Church) in alignment with God’s pre-established divine will.” (Source: Google AI)

All this to explain that, in the atmosphere of the terrible idolatrous beliefs and practices which the disciples were there at Caesarea Philippi to see in person, Jesus declared that His yoke…His way of doing life in obedience to God’s Torah…which He himself modelled and taught… would displace the yokes of debauched paganism and religious legalism. 

The yoke of legalism, modelled by the Pharisees, was burdensome. Jesus’ yoke of mercy and grace was liberating and brought rest. 

The crux of the matter was that It was Jesus’ yoke that heaven permitted and that the yoke of the Pharisees was forbidden…already a done deal from heaven’s perspective. 

Jesus could introduce His yoke as God’s directive because He died to make possible the transformation of a rebel slave into a willing son. 

The real issue was that, at every place, like Caesarea Philippi, where idolatry has displaced God’s rule on earth, Jesus would transform pagans into a community of His people by the power of His yoke. 

So, what do we make of the teaching on “spiritual warfare”?

To be continued…