Spiritual Warfare Part 2: In Christ, You Are More Than a Conqueror

Introduction

Part 1 laid the foundations: what spiritual warfare is, its origin in Eden, and Adam's dilemma before the serpent. In this part 2, Gilles BONNEVEAU goes further, he invites you to take an honest look at the failure of the first Adam and its consequences for all humanity, then to celebrate the work of Jesus Christ, the last Adam, who defeated Satan at the cross. At the end, he leaves you with a single question: are you submitted to the Lord? Because Satan fears neither the church that makes a fuss nor the Christian who waves verses around like slogans, he fears the one who is submitted to Christ.

Message Outline

1. The failure of the first Adam and its consequences

• We need to put our ancestors under the microscope. Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of Genesis 2:16-17 by giving in to the serpent's temptation, which promised they would become like God (Genesis 3:5).
• They sought to make gods of themselves, even though it is written, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). To disobey God is to dishonor him before the authorities of heaven, the angels, the archangels.
• They were not grateful for all he had given them in the garden: the tree of life, the fruit, their responsibilities. Adam failed to thank God for giving him Eve.
• Adam fell short of sacrificial love: he was to "love his wife as Christ loved the church" (Ephesians 5:25) and shield her from harm. In Genesis 3, God speaks to Adam first because he was the one responsible.
• When confronted, Adam blamed God: "The woman you gave me, she's the one who sinned", a false witness against God and against Eve (Exodus 20:16). His conduct brought death upon all humanity (Exodus 20:13).
• By eating the fruit, they took for themselves what did not belong to them, they stole (Exodus 20:15). To desire the knowledge of good and evil was to seek power, to covet what they did not have (Exodus 20:17).
• And they did not repent. Each one dodged the question and threw the blame on someone else: Eve on the serpent (Genesis 3:13), Adam on God, even though "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: repent" (Matthew 4:17).
• They were stewards of the earth (Genesis 1:28). By sinning, they handed their authority over to Satan, who became the prince of this world. The result: cosmic upheaval, creation groaning (Romans 8:22), humanity cast out from God, violence between people, murder right outside Eden with Cain and Abel. We became cut off from God, from others, and from ourselves.

2. The work and victory of the last Adam

• The good news is that God provided for our restoration. He didn't want his creature to stay far from him forever. He gave "another himself," the Christ, sent from the very heart of God (John 3:16).
• He had to pay the price to snatch man back from Satan. It cost him everything. He gave his life, and Satan can only bow before the blood of the Lamb: he has nothing left to accuse man with, nothing left to hold him in slavery.
• Through his death, Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14). He crushed the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). He delivered all those who through fear of death were held in bondage their whole lives (Hebrews 2:15).
• He stripped the rulers and authorities of their power, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15). God delivered us out of the power of darkness and moved us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have our redemption (Colossians 1:13-14).
• Through his resurrection, the image of man enters heaven. Not an angel, not an archangel: man is seated at the right hand of God. You, you enter heaven through Christ, through his blood. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). In all these things, you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

3. The fight continues : strengthen yourself in the Lord

• What Christ has done is one thing. But you are alive, and Satan keeps fighting you. To enter the Kingdom, you must resist him, because he's trying to stop you. The real spiritual warfare is becoming like Christ, and Satan keeps pushing you to fall from your position.
• They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, because they didn't love their life, even to death (Revelation 12:11).
• Before the weapons, you need to learn to strengthen yourself. Be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his might (Ephesians 6:10), strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person (Ephesians 3:16).
• It's not your human strength that will win the day: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might" (Jeremiah 9:23). "Yahweh is the strength of his people" (Psalm 28:8), "Yahweh will give strength to his people" (Psalm 29:11).
• Ask for the wisdom that comes from above, which is "first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). Stay level-headed: no arrogance, no reviling accusation against the devil or the demons, that's the reminder Jude gives us (Jude 8-10).
• Strength comes from the secret place. "Enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret" (Matthew 6:6). It comes from personal prayer, from reading the Word, from the bread of God who is Jesus himself, communion.
• It also comes from the church, from gatherings where the Lord is present: the word given, prophecy, corporate prayer, teaching, the gifts of the Spirit, the encouragement of brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit is at work, strengthening you.
• A very down-to-earth illustration from the preacher: he arrives for the service, his wife hands him her coffee while she settles into the car, and "something" tips the coffee onto his pants. These are the small skirmishes of the fight. The Lord always gives a solution (even for stained pants), but you're at war every single moment.
• Don't fall for the illusion that spiritual warfare means waving Bible verses around like slogans, brandishing banners, doing some kind of routine to make Satan flee. Satan knows the Word of God better than you do. He doesn't fear the church that makes a fuss, or the Christian who makes a fuss. What he fears is the one who is submitted to the Lord (James 4:7).

4. The armor of God : truth and righteousness (to be covered in part 3)

• After strengthening comes the armor. "Put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11). The Lord gives you extraordinary weapons to fight fallen angels, powers stronger than you. The apostle Paul draws on the image of the Roman soldier, the most powerful army of his time.
• The belt of truth. The belt held the armor in place, and the sword hung from it. In the same way, truth holds the whole of the Christian's armor together and supports the sword of the Spirit. God calls you to be true in your fight with Satan: true in your heart, true in your words, true in your actions. Walking in the truth is simply normal for a disciple of Christ. Jesus is the truth, if you remain with him, "the truth will make you free" (John 8:32). Against Satan, the father of lies, you set Christ, the truth.
• The breastplate of righteousness. It protects the chest but not the back, meaning we don't turn our back on the fight, we face the enemy head-on. Christ's righteousness covers and protects whoever believes in him (Romans 3:23-26). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law... that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith", Christ became a curse so that by faith in him we might become the righteousness of God (Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Your own righteousness is stained, but God's righteousness is genuine. True righteousness means giving glory to the One who has done it all: your health comes from him, your healing, your work, your very breath. Be grateful, and God gives still more.
• The remaining pieces of the armor, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, will be unpacked in part 3.

Key Takeaways

• The first Adam disobeyed, stole, coveted, blamed God, and refused to repent. His DNA stayed with us, we can honestly recognize ourselves in it.
• The last Adam, Jesus Christ, crushed the serpent's head at the cross, stripped the rulers and authorities of their power, and carried the image of man all the way to the right hand of God.
• The victory is won, but the fight continues: Satan is trying to stop you from becoming like Christ and to make you fall from your position.
• Before the weapons comes strengthening: the secret place, personal prayer, the Word, communion, the church. Without that, you go to war empty-handed.
• Satan fears neither religious commotion nor verses waved like slogans. He fears the Christian who is submitted to the Lord.
• The belt is truth. The breastplate is Christ's righteousness. We face the enemy, never our back.

Personal Application

1. Put your own life under the same honest scrutiny the preacher applied to the first Adam. Where do you recognize, today, those same reflexes, disobeying, coveting, blaming others, refusing to repent?
2. On what specific point is Satan trying to make you fall from your position in Christ this week? Do you truly receive that the blood of the Lamb has stripped him of every accusation against you?
3. How much time did you spend this week in the secret place, alone with the Father? If the answer bothers you, what will you put on your calendar tonight?
4. Are you tempted to make noise (waving verses, brandishing banners, raising your volume), rather than quietly submitting to the Lord? What does "being submitted" concretely mean in your situation?
5. Are you truly walking in the truth, true in your heart, true in your words, true in your actions? Is there a lie, even a small one, you need to let go of so your belt can hold the armor together?

Scriptures Cited

• Revelation 12:7-9 (the fall of the dragon)
• Genesis 3 (the fall of Adam and Eve)
• Job 1:6 (Satan among the sons of God)
• Zechariah 3:1-5 (Joshua accused by Satan)
• Matthew 4 (the temptation of Jesus)
• Exodus 20 (the Ten Commandments)
• Ephesians 5:25
• Genesis 1:28
• Romans 8:22 and 8:37
• John 3:16
• Hebrews 2:14-15
• Colossians 1:13-14 and 2:15
• 1 Corinthians 15:57
• Revelation 12:11
• Ephesians 6:10-17 (the armor of God)
• Ephesians 3:16
• Jeremiah 9:23
• Psalm 28:8 and 29:11
• James 3:17 and 4:7
• Jude 8-10
• Matthew 6:6
• John 8:32
• Romans 3:23-26

Frequently Asked Questions

If Jesus already defeated Satan at the cross, why do I still have to fight?

Gilles BONNEVEAU puts it very plainly: what the Lord has done is one thing; but you are alive, and Satan keeps fighting you because he wants to stop you from becoming like Christ and make you fall from your position. The victory is won in Christ (you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)), but you're called to make that victory real in your everyday life, to resist the devil so that he flees (James 4:7), and to enter the Kingdom through this fight of faith.

What does it mean to "be strengthened in the Lord" before even picking up the weapons?

Like a soldier who is first prepared psychologically and mentally before heading into the field, you can't throw yourself into spiritual warfare without first being strengthened by God's Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16). Concretely, that comes through personal prayer in the secret place (Matthew 6:6), reading the Word, communion with Christ (the bread of God), and through the church, where the Lord makes himself present, shares his power, gives a word or a prophecy, and works through the gifts of the Spirit and the encouragement of brothers and sisters.

Does waving verses, brandishing banners, or performing certain gestures make the devil flee?

No. The preacher warns very firmly against this illusion: Satan knows the Word of God better than we do, and he fears neither the church that makes a fuss nor the Christian who makes a fuss. What he fears is the one who is submitted to the Lord. Real spiritual warfare isn't a religious performance, it's a deep submission to Christ, a walk in truth, a trust in the righteousness of God that covers you, not in your own spiritual displays.