Unit 1

Introduction—A Historical Perspective

Chapter 1 of the book of Joshua starts with God telling Joshua several times that he needs to be courageous and strong. God says that He will be with Joshua, that He will not fail him nor forsake him. Having that promise from God should make it easier for anyone to be courageous and strong! You would think that following a God who displayed Himself as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke every day for forty years would make His promise totally believable.

In Joshua 2:9, Rahab said to the men, "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land, those of us who have lived here for generations have melted away before you."

The phrase "melted away" can be translated as "become demoralized." These Gentiles, these people of the world, had observed the power with the Israelites from the day they left Egypt. They were afraid of them. People of the world, the heathens, the Gentiles no longer melt away or "become demoralized" in the presence of God's people.

Taking prayer out of schools is an example of powerless Christianity in society today. When Rahab was speaking those words ("melted away"), it was because she saw her people cowering in fear or terror of God's people. In Joshua 2:24, we are told again that the heathens are in terror of God's people.

They said to Joshua, "Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us." (Joshua 2:24)

Given the attitude of the inhabitants of Rahab's land, do you think they would have the courage to say to Joshua, "While you are here, we will not allow you to pray in the schools"? Of course they wouldn't say that to God's people. They had seen the power of God.

The Amplified and King James translations of scripture use the term "faint" instead of "melt away." In this account, the nation finds itself at odds with God's people. It has seen the power of God demonstrated on behalf of His people. They have seen the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. They have heard how He crushed opposition from neighboring kings.

They have seen His people thriving in spite of the odds against them. As the original inhabitants of the land, they have good reason to fear the God of the Israelites. God gave their nation to His own people. They were told to possess it. They did possess it. They were overcomers.

We have been called to be overcomers. By being an overcomer, I am referring to a person who willing and joyfully takes possession of that which God through His grace has allocated to him/her. An example would be His promise that whoever believes in His son, Jesus Christ, should not perish but have everlasting life. An overcomer takes possession of that gift.

Do we look like, act like, or speak like anything in our lives has been overcome? Do we look like, act like, or speak like we serve and belong to the God of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob? Do we look like, act like, or speak like we serve and belong to the God of Peter, Paul, and John?

We have been called to proudly live and walk in a victorious faith. How are we doing? Is it possible to walk with God in victory? Within this study, we'll be looking at how to do that.

Today's world does not see people walking with the God of power. Has this world ever seen that sort of thing? Absolutely.

At the end of World War II, remaining Japanese leaders reportedly told General Douglas MacArthur of the U.S. Army that it was obvious the God of America was greater than their god. They then reportedly asked for teachings about Him. A devout Episcopalian, MacArthur called upon a group of evangelicals, saying, "Japan is a spiritual vacuum. If you do not fill it with Christianity, it will be filled with Communism. Send me 1,000 missionaries." He asked US missionary societies to send "Bibles, Bibles, and more Bibles." MacArthur spoke freely, saying that postwar Japan was in a spiritual vacuum. All previous "gods" had failed—its invincible military, its divine emperor, its thousand-year belief that the Land of the Rising Sun would rule the world. Now the conquered people of Japan had nothing.

"Today it is virtually unthinkable in our politically correct world to imagine a U.S. president or American general asking for missionaries or bibles to be sent as part of a foreign aid program. Yet following Japan's surrender at the end of WWII, five-star General Douglas MacArthur remained in Japan to help rebuild its governmental system. A devout Episcopalian, MacArthur said to a visiting group of evangelicals that "Japan is a spiritual vacuum. Send me 1,000 missionaries." Famously, General MacArthur asked U.S. missionary societies to send "Bibles, Bibles and more Bibles." Sadly, General MacArthur's call for missionaries and Bibles for Japan went largely unheeded. (MercyWorks, "NOW is Japan's Hour," http://mercyworks.org/asia/ japan/now-is-japan%E2%80%99s-hour/)

Unfortunately, the rest of that story does not end the way we believers would like. It seems the missionary infiltration didn't happen as MacArthur asked. Since they didn't have the spiritual input they needed, the Japanese observed us. They saw a land that appeared to have gods they understood: money, efficiency, and hard work. Instead of the God of Israel, they adopted the gods of America.

The whole book of Acts is a New Testament account that supports the idea that unbelievers ought to fear God and His people. Acts 5 tells the account of a husband and wife who lied to the church leadership and thereby to the Holy Spirit—they died immediately. The result was that a fear came upon the believers and everyone who heard about it.

And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things. (Acts 5:11)

What about us? What about now? The scriptures haven't changed. They still tell us we are to overcome. What has changed in these many years since World War II ended? Have we as a nation changed?

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Revelation 12:11)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Those scriptures still speak the truth. It is believers in this country that have changed. We have allowed idolatry. Instead of telling the Japanese about the God who created all things, we showed them how we made automobiles.

What I am observing today is a pseudo-Christianity, where the individual Christian is hard to distinguish from the run-of-the-mill heathen walking the street. This American does good works, gives to charity, and pays his bills but doesn't glorify or honor the God who empowered him to succeed. This same "good works" mind-set leads to churches that are hard to distinguish from country clubs. That is not what Jesus died for.

For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:16–18)

"Propitiation" means perfect sacrifice. Jesus became the only possible perfect sacrifice for my sins and for your sins. It didn't end there either. This unbelievable supernatural payment gave us access by the Son of God to the Creator God. These facts and their meaning are what equip us to be overcomers! Jesus gave us access to God. We are redeemed! He died for our redemption.

However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:12–14)

[It instructs] us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:12–14)

We have been bought, redeemed, and delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. This spiritual transaction was accomplished by the Son of the Living God. If He is so firmly on our side, why are we so hard to distinguish from the world? What are we missing? Why do we feel as if we sometimes have to make excuses for God?

Jesus died to gain victory over the enemy, and He was successful. Just as His Father promised the Israelites victory in possessing their land of "milk and honey," Jesus took away the power of our enemy. But like God's people in the old covenant, we seem unable or unwilling to do the possessing. We have to learn to make victory in daily life ours. We must possess it. We have not learned to live in the life He has prepared for us.

... Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Colossians 2:14–15)

... Which He brought about 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 every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church. (Ephesians 1:20–22)

Sin was defeated at the cross, and everything became subject to Jesus when the Father raised Him from the dead. Understanding the completeness of Jesus's victory is essential to being an effective spiritual warrior.

Much of Christianity and Christian behavior is difficult to distinguish from that of the non-Christian world. The value systems displayed and the behaviors demonstrated reflect more of the fallen world than of the risen Savior. In the Bible, Paul calls this type of living, "holding to a form of godliness while denying the power thereof." He meant that we can claim to live godly lives but deny the power of God—deny that we need to live as though we're different from nonbelievers.

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

In his second letter, Peter referred to people who live that way as being like springs without water (2 Peter 2:17). My observation is that a spring without water does not fulfill the function for which it was created. Any follower of the Messiah must understand the authority structure of the universe. If that understanding of authority is not in the innermost being of a person, success in spiritual warfare will be more a matter of luck than of faith. We become like blind squirrels hunting for acorns. There may be a little occasional success, but it won't be consistent.

I cringe when I hear a believer credit unspeakably bad things to God and attempt to sound religiously wise while saying it. God's Word says due to lack of knowledge His people will not flourish. See Hosea 4:7.

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith—our belief system about the kingdom of heaven—comes from the repeated hearing of the Word of God. That is my personal translation of the verse. Unfortunately, our belief system can easily buy into a lie or false doctrine we hear over and over from people we trust. It must deeply grieve God's Holy Spirit to see churches full of religious patrons proclaiming unscriptural thinking based on worldly political correctness.

Speaking in the natural world, it would be hard to imagine the citizens of any nation fighting a war and not knowing they were at war. Usually the warriors are equipped by the government and esteemed by the people. In America, we say they are fighting for our freedom. Perhaps all of this makes you wonder what I think we believers should look like to the world and how we should impact them. Is the Church of today actively equipping their own people—or even holding them in high esteem?

This study is designed to scripturally define the spiritual war that many Christians choose to ignore. God will clearly show how we can be visible overcomers. It is possible for us today to look much more like God's people did in Joshua 2 and Acts 5.

Discussion Topics from Unit 1

According to Hebrews 2:16–18, for what did Jesus die?

According to Galatians 3:12–14, for what did Jesus die?

According to Colossians 2:14 and 15, what two things happened at the cross?

According to Ephesians 1:20–22, what happened when God raised Jesus from the dead?

Define the word "redeem":

Beginning of the Beginning

Is our desire to walk with the Lord as overcomers on this earth? Assuming it is, then we must have a clear view of the sequence of events from the beginning and the impact of those events on how things are today. We need to know what God created. Though it sounds too simple when one says it, He created all things.

We need to know that Lucifer got himself booted out of God's presence. We need to know that man fell from grace. He sold out his God-given dominion over the planet. We need to know that Jesus Christ redeemed us and bought us back. We need to know that the Holy Spirit indwells us and empowers us.

Spiritual warfare is a battle for our very soul and spirit. Satan would like to eventually see us in hell with him. When we have become children of God, that plan of the devil won't work. His next best ploy is to disempower us in the here and now. He wants us out of the battle on earth. In a practical sense, if we are in heaven, we are not bothering him here. So let's get started with beginning at the beginning.

We are going to find the beginning in the book of Genesis. We'll look at what mankind's relationship with his Creator and his environment was before the fall. There we will find what I consider the best, if not the only, example of the relationship with man that God intended when He created them (man and woman). We were designed to be in fellowship with Him, and we were designed to be in obedience to Him. We were designed to have responsibilities assigned by Him, and we were designed to fulfill those responsibilities assigned by Him. Genesis 1 is where we will start working our way through this word picture God gave us.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Genesis 1:26–31)

In the beginning, Man was created: pure, holy, loving, and righteous. How do we know that? Because he was created in God's image, with God's characteristics—he was created like God. This last creation, this man, was to do what? Man and woman were to rule over all the earth. All the earth—nothing in it needed to be redeemed!

There was nothing there that God considered unclean. This sovereign God gave mankind, who was His crowning creation, dominion over earth, which was His creation. Genesis 1:27 echoes verse 26.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

This looks like a clarification verse. His definition of the word "man" changed to "male and female" between those two verses. Galatians 3 seems to endorse this thought of a spiritual position of oneness or lack of gender in the spirit. Paul calls us all "sons." When it comes to being a child of God, gender differences seem irrelevant.