THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Ben Bailey:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 10:3).
Timothy Sparks:
And I’m Timothy Sparks. Welcome to our continuing study of Second Corinthians. This lesson is brought to you by individuals and congregations of the churches of Christ. We hope you will visit the churches of Christ in your area and let them know how much you appreciate their support of this broadcast. If you have a Bible question or a spiritual concern, they would be happy to help you with it. If you would like a Bible study, they also would be glad to assist you with that. We, too, would like to be of service. Visit us on our website at www.thegospelofchrist.com, where we have streaming audio and video lessons of our broadcasts. You may download these and use them to assist you in your study of God’s Word. We also are making available CDs of these broadcasts, as well as VHS and DVDs. We will be glad to send any of these to you completely free of charge.
In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul begins his discussion by observing, “For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the
weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience of
Christ” (vss. 3-5). Paul wanted the Christians in
Ben Bailey:
We must recognize, first and foremost, who we’re fighting—who the enemy is. If we are going to be victorious, we must know our enemy and his tactics. The Bible repeatedly stresses that the devil is the enemy of our souls. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” We must be careful, and we must be alert, knowing that Satan is truly our enemy. The Book of Job makes this clear, doesn’t it? Job was a great servant of God. Yet look at all the calamities, pain, and suffering he endured. We see from Job 1 and 2 that these things occurred as the result of Satan’s activities. Satan was thwarting mankind from the very beginning—all the way back to Genesis 3. He was the one who tempted Adam and Eve, and who caused them to fall away from God. While they made the choice to sin, Satan, the Great Tempter, was the one who urged them to do evil. Jesus, in John 8:44, taught that Satan is the “father of lies.” He is a liar! He is a deceiver. He wants things to look appealing—not as they actually are. He is not going to come to you with the chains and shackles of sin in which he wants to entangle you. There will be no bells, whistles, or sirens, alerting you to his plans. Satan is going approach us in a way that is very appealing. It is therefore important for us to understand not only the tact he takes, but also the tools he employs.
Timothy Sparks:
In 1 Peter 5:8,
the apostle reminds us to be alert and vigilant, because Satan is our great
adversary. We
must be aware that we are being hunted. Satan is on the prowl, and wants
to destroy our souls.
In fact, he exists for the sole purpose of trying to destroy human souls
(Jesus, on the
other hand, came to save our souls—Lk. 19:10). In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul
stresses that we are waging war against false, illogical arguments, and “every high thing” that attempts to exalt itself above God. Included
in “every high thing” would have to be human pride. 1 John 2:15-17,
John says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not
of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust
of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” We are engaged in an all-out battle
that, yes, is even a battle for the minds of men. Satan wants to corrupt our minds.
This, no doubt, is why Paul begins his discussion in 2 Corinthians 10 by appealing to the
“meekness and gentleness” of Christ. Paul addresses his comments to our mind, to warn us not
to be overcome with worldliness and pride. Paul wants us to be alert to Satan’s
tactics, so that no matter how he attacks us, we will not yield. In
Ephesians 6, Paul instructed the Christians in
Ben Bailey:
One way that we can apply Paul’s teachings is to be sure that we bring our minds into captivity, into obedience, to the teachings of Christ. We are engaged in a spiritual warfare. We are not commanded to assemble an army and go kill people whom we consider to be our mortal enemies. Rather, we are commanded to control our minds in order to prevent them from falling captive to Satan. But how do we go about doing that? The mind, somewhat like the tongue, is frequently difficult to control. We sometimes think about things we shouldn’t. So how do we keep our minds from becoming Satan’s playground? I think there are several ways we can do this. First, if Christ is going to rule over my thoughts, I have to set my mind on heavenly things. This is the teaching of Colossians 3:1, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” One of the best ways to keep our thoughts under control is to think on heavenly things. What a wonderful thing it will be for us to one day be in Heaven—with God and with saints of old, in a place that is free from sin and evil such as exists here on Earth. To keep our minds on the straight and narrow path, let’s keep our minds focused on Heaven. A second way that we can control our thoughts and minds is found in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.” If I’m going to have a mind that is captive to God’s Word, and a mind that is obedient to God, then I need to emulate the mind of Christ. One of the principles taught throughout the Bible is that we must imitate God’s nature in our nature. Peter said, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). We have been called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” To keep our minds captive to truth, we must understand how Jesus lived, and how He dealt with certain real-life situations. We should ask ourselves when we are tempted: When Jesus was tempted, what did He do to overcome that temptation? We must set our minds on heavenly things. In Psalm 119:9-12, we find a third important principle that can help us control our minds and thoughts. The psalmist told us to hide God’s Word deep within our hearts. I not only must concentrate on heavenly things and have the mind of Christ, but I also must absorb God’s Word into my mind. If we have certain temptations—such as lust, for example—then we need to hide the Word of God in our heart to assist us in overcoming those temptations. Thus, while we certainly are in a spiritual battle, God has given us the weapons with which to fight this battle.
Timothy Sparks:
That was Paul’s point when he said that we must “bring every thought into obedience to the captivity of Christ.” I’m reminded of what the psalmist said when he asked, “How can a young man cleanse his way?” (Psa. 119:9). His answer was, “By taking heed according to Your word.” In Psalm 119:30, the psalmist said, “I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me.” Then, in Psalm 119:97, he wrote: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” In verse 105 of that same chapter, he said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” And in verse 130, he said, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” God’s Word has the power to guide us and protect us. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). If we want to bring every thought into captivity through obedience to Christ, our actions must be guided by the Word of God. God has provided a way for us to overcome the trials, temptations, and distractions of life. Revelation 12:11 provides good advice about how to live in this regard. Just as the Christians in the first century “overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb [Christ] and by the word of their testimony, and did not love their lives to the death,” so we, too, must do the same. These people were willing to die for their faith as they waged war against Satan. We must be willing to do the same.
Ben Bailey:
In Revelation 6:9, they cried out, “How long, how long, oh Lord?” These people had to make a decision on almost a daily basis about whether or not to follow Christ. And once they decided to follow Christ, it sometimes cost them their lives! But there is another application we can draw from 2 Corinthians 10, especially verse 4. In the battle to control our minds, we must be on the defense against false teachers. Yes, our battle is against the devil, and it is a mental battle, but we also have to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against God.” The false arguments that people make against God and His Word need to be defeated by faithful Christians who are willing to stand up for the truth. This was Jude’s point in verse three of his book when he wrote, “Contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The word “contend” means to “wrestle strenuously.” In other words, we must be willing to “do battle” for God’s Word. We must be willing to “stand up and be counted” in this regard. When people are teaching that God does not exist, or that organic evolution is the proper concept of origins, we need to stand up and let people know that such things are not true. Genesis 1:1 teaches us that God does exist, and that He created the heavens and the Earth. But it isn’t just the Word of God that documents this. Science also can help. When you look at the world around you, it is evidence aplenty that God does exist, and that the world did not merely “evolve.” This was the point Paul was making in Romans 1:20-22 when he wrote, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens shout the existence of God. We must be willing to stand up and defend such things as God’s existence and His methods of creation. Too many times we remain silent. Ephesians 5:11 says that we must expose the unfruitful works of darkness. We cannot simply remain silent. In today’s world, for example, it has become popular to live a homosexual life. Christians must oppose such ungodliness. If I claim to be a Christian, and if I claim to love God’s Word, I cannot afford to stand around and let things like this go on without saying something about it. We have nothing against homosexuals personally. We love their souls. But if we are going to cast down every false argument, as Paul urges us to do in 2 Corinthians 10, then we must echo what the Bible says. In Romans 1:26-29, Paul makes it clear that homosexuality is both ungodly and unnatural. As such, God cannot and will not approve of such things. We must stand up for the truth, and live our lives in the manner prescribed by God.
Timothy Sparks:
There is a good example of that in Acts 7 in the case of Stephen, who took a bold stand for the Lord. That stand cost him his life. He was stoned to death. But as he was dying, he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” The Lord stood up for Stephen, because Stephen stood up for the Lord. In Romans 8:31, Paul said, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Even when Satan wages all-out war against us, with God on our side, we are in the majority. When God is on our side, it doesn’t matter who is against us—which is Paul’s very point. In Romans 8:35-39, he wrote:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter’. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We can overcome, because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world (1 Jn 4:4). “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (1 Jn. 5:4). In 1 Corinthians 15:57, Paul wrote, ‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And in 2 Corinthians 2:14, the apostle said, “Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” Over and over again, we learn about the victorious life that Christians lead. The key word of the Book of Romans is “overcome.” If we will overcome Satan, sin, and self, then Jesus promises that we, in turn, can “come over” to live with Him in Heaven. We, then, have every reason to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). When we face the worldliness, apostasy, and error that surround us, passages such as these should give us the strength to endure.
Ben Bailey:
Christians must stand up and be counted. We have to have backbone. We see a good example of that in 2 Corinthians 10:12. Here, Paul provides a “measuring rod” for Christianity. Too many times, Christians have left the faith because of one reason or another. Too many times, they have let others be their measuring rod, when, in fact, Christ and Christ alone should serve that purpose. As Paul says, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” If I set my faith on a great teacher of God’s Word, or on friends, or on family, then my faith may falter because those people sin. People do fall short on occasion. Paul’s point is that we don’t want to put our faith in mere men. Rather, our faith should be firmly rooted in the Word of God so that we will follow the pattern He has established. Too often, we don’t let God be the measuring rod that we use to measure our lives. We should always look to God’s Word, because God is perfect. The greatest hero we could ever have is Jesus Christ. He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “He committed no sin, nor was any guile found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 1:21-22). If we are searching for a role model or a hero, we can’t do better than Christ. If we place our faith in men, then when those men falter, our faith can falter.
Timothy Sparks:
In 2 Corinthians 10:14, Paul says, “We came to you with the Gospel of Christ.” In 1 Corinthians 2:2, he says, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Paul’s purpose was to preach the “good news,” the “glad tidings,” the soul-saving message of Jesus Christ. That is what every teacher and preacher of God’s Word should strive to communicate—the Gospel of Christ, not human wisdom or human philosophy. We need to constantly encourage people to study the Word of God for themselves, because we can come to know the truth that will set us free (Jn. 8:32). In our battle against Satan, the Word of God is to be our sword (Eph. 6:17). It is by using the shield of faith that we will be able to quench the fiery darts of the Evil One. God has given us the weapons we need to defend ourselves. We must not be cowards or compromisers. We learn from 1 Peter 3:15 that we must be “ready always to give a defense of our faith to everyone who asks us a reason of the hope that is within us, yet with meekness and with fear.” We are to have a gentle spirit about us, but one that expresses reverence toward God and His Word. We are being measured by the Word of God, and it is the Word of God that we use to fight our battles. How, then, should we view the future?
Ben Bailey:
When we view the future through the Scriptures, it’s a beautiful picture
indeed. The child of God has his or her citizenship in Heaven, so the future is not something
dark or scary (Phil. 3:20-21). While the future is something we have to
work toward, and while we must strive to keep our thoughts pure and right, we also need
to understand that the faithful child of God has been promised a home in
Heaven. The Bible says in Matthew 25:46 that the righteous shall go away into eternal life. Jesus
said in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know,
and the way you know.” What a wonderful thought it is know that after
this life is over—after all the pain and problems we may experience—we will get
to live with God in Heaven. The future for the child of God is something that is bright
and joyful—and something to which we should look forward. But friend, how does your future look? If you died
right now, where would you spend eternity? Would you know—know with the assurance the Bible offers—that
you would go to Heaven? If your answer to that question is “no,” or if you are
unsure, you don’t have to live that way. Jesus said in John 8:32 that the truth
will make you free. We can understand
the Bible—if only we’ll set aside our biases and preconceived ideas. Paul said
in Ephesians 3:4 that when we read God’s Word, we can understand it.
We want you to know that God loves you, and that we
love you. We love your soul, and want you to become a child of God. If
you’re not, if you’ve never obeyed the Gospel plan of salvation, we would like
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Narrator
accompanied by a cappella singing:
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You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the
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1. In Matthew 26:51-52, the account is presented of Peter trying to defend Jesus by cutting off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest. Discuss this in light of Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5?
2. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul stated that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” According to passages such as 1 Peter 5:8, who, exactly do we “wrestle against”?
3. In John 8:44, Jesus referred to Satan as “the father of lies.” Why?
4. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that our warfare is sometimes against “every high thing.” Name several items that might be included in that phrase.
5. List two ways that we can keep our minds from becoming Satan’s playground.
6. What did Paul mean when he said, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ”? Incorporate into your answer the text of 1 Peter 2:21.
7. John, in Revelation 12:11, discussed two ways that Christians in the first century could “overcome Satan.” What were there those two ways?
8. How does Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 10:5 about “casting down arguments” relate to the comment in Jude 3 about “contending earnestly for the faith”?
9. What was Paul’s main point in Romans 1:20-22?
10. John wrote in 1 John 5:4, “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” Explain how “our faith” overcomes “the world.”
11. What is the key word of the book of Romans? How does Romans 8:35-39 fit in with that key word?
12. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” What was his point?
13. According to Ephesians 6:17, the Word of God is our “sword.” In light of the command in 1 Peter 3:15, how are Christians to wield that sword?
14. In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul said that if the resurrection of Christ did not occur, then Christians are “most pitiable.” According to passages such as Philippians 3:20-21 and John 14:1, why is the case that Christians are not “pitiable.”
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