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A Destructive Spiritual Power

A Destructive Spiritual Power

Last updated on: June 6, 2024 at 10:10 am by Rick Rice

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A Destructive Spiritual Power 2024-06-06T10:10:13-04:00 Rick Rice

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In Ephesians 2, Paul warns us against “a destructive spiritual power” at work in the world. How can we avoid this destructive power and walk in God’s way?

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes, chapters 1-3; Psalm 45; Ephesians, chapter 2

Ephesians 2:1-10 (CEB):

At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. You used to act like most people in our world do. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. At one time you were like those persons. All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else.

However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus.

You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.

Observations: A Destructive Spiritual Power

Ephesians 2 is one of those passages that is so familiar that I hesitate to reflect on it. But every time I think I’m going in a different direction, God brings me back. That reminds me that no matter how much I think I may understand about a passage of Scripture, God always has something more to say! As I read this passage today from the Common English Bible (CEB), one sentence stood out: You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power.

When we think of “following rules,” we tend to picture a list of “dos and don’ts” that govern our behavior. But in this passage, when Paul says that you followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power, I think he means something else. I would paraphrase it this way: “you submitted to the authority of a destructive spiritual power.” That power is the “ruler”; we submitted to that “rule.” In other words, as much as we might have thought (or as much as some might think) that were setting our own course, we were not. We either acknowledge and serve God, or we serve Satan and sin.

Paul makes this connection clear in his next sentence: This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. The destructive spiritual power calls us to disobey God with the lie that we are choosing our own path. However, that path is not “our” path; it is the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Satan has been leading people down that path ever since the Fall. As Paul reminds us in verse 1, that path leads to death: You were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God.

However…

However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead. God did not create us for death – neither spiritual death nor physical death. Death was the result of sin. Therefore, when sin and death entered the world, God provided a way out: He brought us to life with Christ.

Our spiritual life is a gift from God, just as our physical life is. Unfortunately, many people reject God’s gift of spiritual life, just as some people reject God’s gift of physical life. God does not force us to accept this gift of spiritual life. He offers it to all of us; we can either accept it or reject it. But we cannot “accept” it on our own terms! Doing so flies in the face of the acknowledgment of God as Sovereign that the gift requires.

Likewise, we can’t “earn” this gift. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. The only thing that we “do” is to believe. You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. The destructive spiritual power tries to convince us that we don’t have to believe, that we can decide for ourselves. But that’s the same lie he’s been peddling from the beginning. The promise is that “you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5), but the reality is that we will become like Satan – destined for spiritual death.

Application: A Destructive Spiritual Power

In our passage from Ecclesiastes today, the Teacher famously says, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Mankind convinces itself that it has discovered new things – and more importantly, “new” truth. But there is nothing new under the sun. All those “new” truths are simply recycled lies that Satan has used before. Unfortunately, too many people keep falling for his lies.

God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead. Once we acknowledge God’s sovereignty, we also recognize that we have rebelled against Him. No matter how hard people try to deny that God exists, those denials don’t change the truth. Every human attempt to explain the world – whether creation, or human self-awareness, natural law, or anything else – eventually has to be “adjusted” or “revised.” As time goes on, we learn more – and the more we learn, the more we realize that we don’t understand.

But there is another way that this destructive spiritual power tries to deceive us – through spiritual pride. It is far too common for people of faith to feel superior because of that faith. Instead of realizing that God has blessed us, we come to believe that God blesses us because we “deserve” it. That’s a far more subtle demonstration of the destructive spiritual power, and for that reason it’s far more dangerous. But there’s a remedy: This salvation is God’s gift…It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. Those good things are God’s way of fighting against the destructive spiritual power!

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the incredible gift of salvation and life in Jesus Christ. Thank you for offering that gift to everyone! Help us today to do the good things that you have created us to do, to fight against the destructive spiritual power that seeks to draw people away from you. Satan and sin bring death; Jesus brings life and peace.

Guard our hearts against the destructive spiritual power that calls us to choose our own way. Even though the lies come in different packages, they are the same old lies. “There is nothing new under the sun.” The truth is also the same as it has always been – You alone are God. Help us to walk in your way today. Amen.

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