Spiritual Warfare

The New King James Version Chapter 4

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

There is so much more to life than the physical world we experience through our five senses. Yes, we live in a material world and inhabit physical bodies, but our lives are also greatly affected by an unseen spiritual realm. The physical world around us exists within the spiritual realm. When we recognize this fact, we will begin to comprehend the domain of the spirit and the nature of the spiritual warfare. We will have a greater awareness of the spiritual powers that influence the physical world we live in forces both positive and negative. We will also recognize the origin of various problems we have encountered in life that we have had difficulty overcoming

John 4:23-24

John 4:23–24 ESV

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23-24

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

What did God create?(; ; )

Jeremiah 10:12 ESV

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

God created the heavens and the; He made the world and everything in it.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

God created the heavens and the; He made the world and everything in it.

2. From where does God rule?(;)

2. From where does God rule?(; )

God rules from His throne in heaven, or the “heavenly place”

3. How is God described by the apostle John?()

God is described as “Spirit”

4. List two of God’s central qualities.(; ,)

God is (1)holiness (2)love

5. What is one characteristic of God as a spiritual Being?(Colossians 1:15a)

God is “invisible”

6. What are tow attributes of God’s spiritual nature? (Ro 1:20a)

6. What are tow attributes of God’s spiritual nature? (Romans 1:20a)

(1) eternal power(2)Godhead

7. The Bible reveals that God is triune, meaning “three in one.” Who are the three persons of the Trinity?(; :, 14-18; ;)

(1)God the Father(2)God the Son, Jesus Christ(3)God the Spirit, or the Holy Spirit

8. Which persons of the Trinity participated in the process of creation?(; , ; )

All three persons of the Trinity participated in creation: God(the Father), the Spirit of God(Holy Spirit), and the Word(Jesus Christ, God’s Son).

9. What were human beings created to reflect? ()

The image and likeness of God

10. List the three aspects of human beings by completing the following:

:

The New King James Version Chapter 5

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23b ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23b ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

11. What is the essence of human beings, which returns to God after we die?

The spirit

12. In what two ways are human beings to worship God?()

(1) in spirit (2) in truth

13. What two categories do all created things fall under?()

(1) visible (2) invisible

14. Which is greater: God and that which is spiritual, or that which is earthly and/or physical?(; ; )

God and that which is spiritual are greater than that which is earthly, or physical

15. Besides human beings (who are made in God’s image and likeness), what is another type spiritual being that was created by God?(; ; ; )

angel’s sometimes referred to as the “host” of heaven

16. Are these other spiritual beings to be worshipped? Why or Why not?(; )

No. Angels are servants of God; they are not divine, and only God should be worshipped.

17. What is one significant role of God’s angels?()

Angels minister on God’s behalf to those who will inherit salvation (believers)

18. What is one way in which God’s invisible spiritual attributes can be recognized by human beings living on earth? ()

The invisible spiritual attributes of God’s eternal power and Godhead may be recognized and understood by human beings through the world He has created.

19. In the Old Testament, what did the tabernacle and the religious practice that were given to the Israelites by God represent?(; )

The tabernacle and the religious practice given to the Israelites by God were “shadows”(foreshadows, hints)of what was later fulfilled through and in Jesus Christ; they were “copies” and “shadows” of heavenly things.

20. What does the Spirit of God search out ?()

The Spirit of God searches “all things,” especially the deep things of God.

21. Who can be considered “sons [children] of God?()

those who are led by the spirit of God

God created human beings in His image and likeness so they could reflect His nature on earth and have close daily fellowship with Him. They were His beloved creation and were meant to worship Him “in spirit and truth” (). Tragically, this wonderful fellowship and worship were disrupted. Why? The first human beings believed a lie from God’s enemy, Satan, and broke trust with God. As a result, they brought on themselves and every other human being both a corrupt spiritual nature and inevitable physical death. Yet God did not allow that to be the end of the story for humanity. As we will see, He delivered us from Satan’s power through His Son Jesus Christ and welcomed us back into His kingdom as His children and joint heirs with Jesus.

Memory Verse: The god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.( kjv)

1.How did God describe all of His earthly creation? ()

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Locations 137-144). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

God said all of His creation was “very good.”

2.What do we read in the Bible that indicates God regularly had fellowship with human beings after creating them? ()

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Locations 1724-1725). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

2.What do we read in the Bible that indicates God regularly had fellowship with human beings after creating them? ()

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Locations 145-146). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

The Lord God came to the garden, where Adam and Eve lived, “in the cool of the day” (which apparently was a regular occurrence). He also called out to Adam, asking where he was.

3.List three major roles that God gave to human beings on earth. (, )

(1) to have dominion over all the earth; (2) to be fruitful and multiply; (3) to fill the earth and subdue it

4.What did God tell the first man, Adam, that he could not do? ()

God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

5.What would happen if Adam did this thing? ()

If Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would “surely die.”

6.What reason did the serpent give to encourage Adam’s wife, Eve, to disobey this command from God? ()

The serpent told Eve that she would not die if she ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but that she would “be like God, knowing good and evil.”

7.In what ways were Adam and Eve already like God? ()

(1) They were made in God’s image and likeness. (2) They exercised dominion, or ruled.

8.How did Adam and Eve respond to the serpent’s temptation? ()

They disobeyed the command of God and ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

9.What were the results for Adam and Eve—and the whole human race—due to their disobedience to God’s command? (; , )

Sin and death entered the world, and every person became subject to an eventual physical death; women experienced greater pain in childbirth; discord erupted between male and female, with the husband dominating the wife; the ground was cursed; work became toil; people had to grow their food rather than eat the fruit of the trees of the garden of Eden; human beings were banished from the garden of Eden.

10.Was the serpent’s declaration that Adam and Eve would not die if they ate of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil a true statement? Why? (; )

No. Adam eventually died, and his body returned to the ground from which it had been created, just as God had said. Although the Bible doesn’t specify Eve’s death, it is implied as inevitable.

11.What is something all human beings have in common? ()

We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

12.Besides the inevitability of physical death, what is another way in which human beings experience death? ()

We are dead in our trespasses and sins, which is spiritual death (unless we are made alive in Christ).

13.Name the identity of the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve. (; )

the devil, or Satan

14.Give the former name of this spiritual being and what this name signifies about his original nature. ()

This spiritual being was once called Lucifer; his name and description, “son of the morning,” indicate light, or goodness.

15.What type of being was Lucifer (Satan, or the devil) previously? ()

Lucifer was “the anointed cherub who covers,” or an angelic being, created and established by God.

16.What motivated Lucifer to become wicked and want to usurp God’s reign? (; ; )

Lucifer wanted to be exalted to God’s level and be like Him, because he was vain, prideful, and power hungry.

17.List several terms Jesus used for Satan that reveal his present character. (; , ; ; )

Jesus called Satan the “evil one” and “wicked one,” as well as a “murderer,” a “liar” in whom there is “no truth,” “the father of lies,” and “the thief” who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

18.What title did Jesus use for Satan that indicates human beings relinquished their God-given rulership over the earth when they followed the serpent’s suggestion instead of obeying God? (; ; )

“the ruler of this world”

19.Besides human beings, what else was put into bondage when Adam and Eve disobeyed God? ()

All of creation was also subjected to bondage when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.

20.Is Satan answerable to God? (; ; ; )

Yes, Satan can operate only as far as God allows; he was expelled from heaven, and he is answerable to God and judged for his rebellion.

21.Though Satan usurped rule over the earth, who is always the world’s ultimate Owner and Ruler? (; )

God is always the world’s ultimate Owner and Ruler; He is “the Possessor of heaven and earth.”

22.What does the first chapter of the book of Job, as well as Jesus’ words to His disciples in , show us about the relationship between the spiritual and physical worlds?

Events/problems that occur on earth can have a spiritual origin, and what happens in one realm (heaven or earth) can affect the other.

23.What is a major way in which Satan continues to deceive people? ()

Satan transforms himself into an “angel of light” in order to deceive people into believing that what he suggests or does is good, when it is actually destructive, and he uses various people as his “ministers” or “servants” (niv) in the same way.

24.Besides various human beings, whom does Satan enlist to help carry out his wicked activities on earth? (; ; ; )

Satan also enlists the following to carry out his evil work on earth: demons, also called evil spirits or deceiving spirits; principalities; powers; rulers of the darkness of this age; spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

25.What is the origin of demons, or evil spirits? (, ; ; )

Demons were once angels who joined Satan in rebelling against God (apparently a third of God’s angels) and were cast out of heaven.

26.List some of the evil things Satan is responsible for on earth. (; ; ; , , ; ; ; ; ; (nkjv, niv); ; ; ; )

Satan causes illness, disease, and demon possession; incites people to do wrong; steals the Word of God from people’s hearts; mixes the false with the genuine in order to deceive people; oppresses people; works “wiles” (“schemes” niv) against people; takes people captive to do his will; causes people trials, such as imprisonment, as well as tribulation; causes death; causes destruction on the earth out of his wrath.

27.What will God do on our behalf, as He did for the apostle Paul? ()

God will deliver us from every evil work of Satan and preserve us for His heavenly kingdom.

28.Does God still desire daily fellowship with those whom He created in His image? (; )

Yes, God desires to live within us and to fellowship with us.

Since all of humanity inherited a sinful nature and spiritual death, how can we have unbroken fellowship with God again, as He originally planned and still desires, and how can we fulfill His purposes for us? Our sinful nature separates us from God, who is holy*. The human spirit, made in the image and likeness of God, has been corrupted, making us even more vulnerable to Satan and his attacks. Sometimes, it has even made people the enemy’s willing accomplices. The answer that God has provided is forgiveness of our sins through His Son Jesus Christ; a renewed human spirit; and the sending of His own Holy Spirit to live within us. Having God’s Spirit inside us means that we can now be fully on His side in this spiritual war and can live in agreement with His purposes. The only way to effectively engage in spiritual warfare is to be redeemed from our corrupt nature and to have a restored relationship with God, through which we are enabled to walk according to His Spirit. Then, we can put Satan’s fallen angels under the feet of Jesus Christ in His name and through His shed blood. “For [Jesus] must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” ().

Memory Passage: According to His mercy [God] saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

()

1. After the first human beings disobeyed God, what kind of nature did humanity have? (, ; , )

2.Describe what is in control of those who have the above nature. (, ; )

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Location 1759). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Locations 1759-1760). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

2.Describe what is in control of those who have the above nature. (, ; )

3.The Scriptures refer to following our own way rather than God’s way as doing the “works of the flesh.” What are some of the works of the flesh*? ( niv)

Baxter, Mary K.. Spiritual Warfare Self-Study Bible Course (Kindle Location 1759). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.

4. What has God provided to free us from the condition of being spiritually dead? (; )

5. How do we apply God’s provision through Christ to our own lives, so that we can be saved and reconciled to Him? ()

6. What did Jesus’ death and resurrection free us from? (; )

7. What is the result of our being in Christ? (; )

8. Are salvation and freedom from sin possible through anyone but Jesus Christ? (, ; ; ; )

9. What Spirit did we receive when our spirits were renewed in Christ? What are some of the attributes of this Spirit? (; ; , )

10. What does this Spirit give us? (; )

11. (a) Does our spiritual renewal also mean an immediate renewal of our physical bodies? ()

(b) What promise do we have regarding our physical bodies? (; )

12.What does God become to us when we are forgiven and receive His Spirit? (; )

13.What do we become to God? (; ; )

14.As God’s children, what are we now enabled to do, and what do we now have access to? (; )

15.Being renewed in our spirits does not mean we will never sin or struggle with wrong attitudes or thoughts anymore, since, while we are on this earth, we will still battle against the remnants of our sinful nature, as well as against Satan and his schemes, until Jesus returns to earth or we go to be with Him. What struggle between living by the Spirit and living by the old nature does the apostle Paul describe? ()

16.There is a difference between our physical bodies, which we often call our “flesh” or “flesh and blood,” and “the works of the flesh,” the fallen nature discussed in and . What three major areas of the fallen nature do we contend with? ()

(1)

(2)

(3)

17.Satan often uses the “lusts of our flesh [“sinful nature” niv]” () as a means of manipulating us. He tries to make his voice the prevailing influence in our lives, instead of God’s voice, and to keep us from doing God’s will. How can we overcome his attacks in this way? (, ; )

18.What is the fruit (nature) of the Spirit, by which we are to live? ()

19.What is God able to do in order to strengthen us spiritually, according to the riches of His glory? ()

20.What important work does the Holy Spirit do in relation to our salvation and growth in faith? ()

21.How do we cooperate in the process of sanctification*? (; ; , , )

22.How can we know God and His ways? ()

23.How can we renew our minds to conform to God’s ways? (; )

24.(a) What did Paul call the state of being carnally minded? ()

(b) What is the key to having true life and peace? ()

25.What should we do if we sin, so that we can return to a right relationship with God? (; )

26.(a) Once we have been reconciled to God through Christ, what ministry has He given us? ()

(b) What is the message of this ministry? Complete the following: : “That God was in _______________ reconciling the ______________ to Himself, not imputing their ______________________ to them.”

(c) What term did Paul use for those engaged in this ministry? (Verse 20a)

Spiritual Warfare

God is Spirit

Satan Declares War

Renewed by the Spirit