When the Eternal Son of God left Heaven, made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a bondservant, and came in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7), He had a reason for doing that. As we ‘train to reign’ we need to understand that reason and how it plays a significant role in our lives as Christians.

The Reason of Christ

I worked with a ministry for many years known as Ratio Christi. That’s Latin for ‘the reason of Christ.’ I liked the name and the purpose of the ministry. We met with students on college campuses to help them understand ‘reasons’ for believing in Jesus Christ. The reason we could discuss ‘the reason of Christ’ was because Christ came to earth from Heaven with a reason. That reason is presented in the early chapters of Genesis when God spoke harshly to the serpent (Satan) –

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:15

John the Apostle said the same thing in his first church letter –

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

That’s why the Holy Spirit took Jesus into the wilderness after the Lord’s baptism – to face the devil (e.g. Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus won that battle and every other battle with the devil. Even when the devil entered into one of Jesus’ apostles and led Judas Iscariot to betray the Lord to his earthly enemies, Jesus was victorious. His death and resurrection are at the very core of the Gospel of Christ and the Christian faith (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

I started working with Christian and non-Christian college students 50+ years ago. My, how things have changed. Christian students in the early to mid 70s had similar views about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, the Bible, etc. However, I began to see a theological shift in the late 70s, on into the 80s and 90s, and then accelerating in the 2000s. The need for apologetics within Christian churches became more necessary because of a ‘falling away’ among those who identified as ‘Christian. They were forgetting or didn’t know what the Bible taught about essentials of Christian beliefs. When I say ‘essentials, I mean those things that the prophets, Jesus, and His apostles identified as essential beliefs for disciples of Christ.

Here is part of a research statement concerning Christian beliefs about the devil from 2009. Barna surveyed 1,871 self-described Christians about their beliefs concerning ‘spiritual beings’ –

Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.

Many of the surveyed ‘Christians’ were also wrong about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit –

Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of Christians do not accept that teaching. More than one-fifth (22%) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat. Holding the opposing view were 9% who disagreed somewhat and 46% who disagreed strongly. Six percent did not have an opinion on this matter.

Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.” Just one-third of Christians disagreed that the Holy Spirit is not a living force (9% disagreed somewhat, 25% disagreed strongly) while 9% were not sure.

I joined Ratio Christi the next year for the purpose of reaching college students on campus. It was evident that if students who identified as Christians were so wrong about faith essentials, views on college campuses would be even worse – which they were.

Keep in mind that Barna’s survey was done in 2009 – 17 years ago. Do you think things have gotten better or worse since that time? If you said ‘worse,’ you are correct. Driving the ‘great theological decline’ (apostasy) in the last 20+ years has been a spiritually toxic mix of pastors, Bible teachers, seminary professors, denominational leaders, authors, song writers, and musicians (e.g. Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Progressive Christianity, New Age church, False church, etc). I call that the devil’s ‘full-court press’ to draw people of all ages (especially the young) away from the truth of God’s Word.

None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who actually reads their Bible –

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1-2

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 2 Peter 2:1-3

The Battles of Christ

Jesus Christ is a Fighter on a scale we cannot fathom. We saw Him stand before Joshua as the ‘Commander of the Lord’s army’ in Joshua 5. Joshua was about to lead the armies of Israel into battle to their God-given places in the ‘promised land.’ Joshua looked up and saw a ‘Man’ standing ‘opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.’ Jesus Christ defeated the devil through His death on the Cross and in His resurrection from the dead. Christ will take up His mighty sword again in the future as He returns to earth again to defeat the devil and his forces –

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head weremany crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while … Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10

When we become ‘disciples’ of Jesus Christ, we are joining the ‘battles’ of Christ. We are ‘soldiers’ in Christ’s army. That’s why the Apostle Paul told Christians to ‘Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil’ (Ephesians 6:11). That’s why Paul told Timothy to ‘be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Timothy 2:1-3)

So, we understand Christ’s ‘reason’ for coming from Heaven to earth, and we understand the spiritual ‘battles’ He and we are fighting. As Paul told Timothy, we must be ‘strong’ in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We must put on the ‘whole armor’ of God – ‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places‘ (Ephesians 6:12).

Our Part

Real Christians (those who actually believe in the ‘essentials’ as presented in Scripture) have an important part to play in both the ‘Reason’ of Christ and the ‘Battles’ of Christ. If we didn’t, then God’s Word wouldn’t tell us we do.

God is sharing this epic journey through time and space with us. He created us to ‘subdue and have dominion’ with Him in this world (Genesis 1:28). God has chosen us to ‘rule and reign’ with Him. God has ‘raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 2:6-7). Paul wrote that in Christ ‘we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Ephesians 1:11).

When Christians look at all they have ‘in Christ,’ they (we) should understand that our part in all God is doing is important for now and the future. ‘In the ages to come’ God will show the ‘exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.’ Is it so much to ask that we agree with God about the essentials of being discipled followers of Christ? Is it too much to ask that we obey God’s Word? Is it too much to ask that we thank and praise God for His great ‘gift’ of salvation? No, that is not too much to ask. In fact, it’s the least we can do.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’ Revelation 1:5-8

Free eBooks

You can download the first 13 chapters of this series here.

You can download chapters 14 – 24 of this series here.

You can download chapters 25 – 30 of this series here.

You can download chapters 31 – 39 of this series here.

Next Time

Jesus never wavered from His Purpose or Message. We’ll look at the ‘Message’ of Christ in the next part of our series, Train to Reign.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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