What's Rankin been thinking about lately?

Most of us in the West don’t talk much about the reality of spiritual powers at work in the world. Perhaps we get embarrassed by language we suppose is primitive and superstitious; or we’ve seen the idea of spiritual powers abused or exaggerated. Still, most people—Christian or not—are perfectly willing to accept that “something” exists beyond the visible world. The Bible is unequivocal on the topic, and so anyone who takes the Bible with the least seriousness must consider its claims about the reality of the spiritual world.

I preached last Sunday on the fascinating and disturbing subject of Powers and Principalities. As in, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6.12). What is the Apostle Paul talking about? Anyone familiar with the currents of New Testament scholarship in the last 60 years knows this has become a much discussed question.

Following my sermon, I received this email.

“I had a question for you about today's sermon on Principalities and Powers. As much as I believe that there is spiritual warfare that affects all of our life's structures, why does it exist if Christ conquered all (Colossians 2.15) and came to ‘destroy the devil's work’ (1 John 3:8)? Why does God ‘allow’ Satan to work if God has defeated Satan, created all things for Christ and by Christ, and rules over everything? I've always felt a large disconnect about this topic and wondered what you thought about it.”

The renowned New Testament scholar G.B. Caird tells a helpful story to answer this question.

That story perfectly illustrates the threefold character of the New Testament doctrine of Salvation. Salvation is a past fact, a present experience, and a future hope; and all three aspects should be honored in our presentation of the subject.

This threefold character, then, can also be seen in the passages where the Bible speaks of Christ’s victory over the powers.

Christ has won his victory; He is “Christus Victor.” He has “disarmed the powers and principalities…triumphing over them in [the Cross]” (Colossians 2.15). He has been exalted “far above every principality and authority and power” (Ephesians 1.21).

Yet, the battle still continues, and Christians must still contend “against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this present darkness” (Ephesians 6.12).

The time between Christ’s resurrection and Christ’s return is the reign of Christ during which he is reducing to impotence “every principality and every authority and every power.” For, “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15.24). In the face of his reigning authority, the powers have become “weak and beggarly elementary spirits” (Galatians 4.9) but they are still to be regarded as “the rulers of this age” (1 Corinthians 2.6; John 12.31). And the final victory comes only with Christ’s return, “When all things will be subject to him” (1 Corinthians 15.28).

Jacques Ellul uses the following analogy to capture this idea. In World War II, in parts of the Netherlands, fighting continued months after the Axis had surrendered and Hitler was dead.  The troops simply didn’t know that the war was over and the enemy defeated. The battle raged on—with casualties. 

So also with Jesus, the war is over; the enemy has been decisively defeated, but warfare, guerilla warfare, continues until the day that all fighting ceases. 

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.