The Believer's Battle Against Sin: Warfare Descriptions
¨ Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13—You have an enemy, Satan, who tempts you.
¨ John 8:42-44—You have an enemy, Satan, who is a liar and a murderer.
¨ Romans 6:2—You died to sin (hamartia), how can you live in it any longer?
¨ Romans 6:3—You were baptized into Christ's death.
¨ Romans 6:4—You were buried with Christ into death.
¨ Romans 6:4—You were raised with Christ to live a new life.
¨ Romans 6:4-5—You are united with Christ in his death and his resurrection.
¨ Romans 6:6—You know that your old self (palaios anthrōpos—old man) was crucified with Christ.
¨ Romans 6:6—The body of sin (sōma hamartia) was rendered inoperative (katargēthē) so that you may no longer serve sin (hamartia).
¨ Romans 6:7—You have died (with Christ) and are freed from sin (hamartia).
¨ Romans 6:14—For sin (hamartia) shall not be your master because you are under grace.
¨ Romans 6:18—You used to be slaves to sin (hamartia) but now you have been set free from sin and enslaved to righteousness (dikaiosunē—living the good life from a good heart).
¨ Romans 6:19—Just as you used to offer the parts of your body (melē) in slavery to impurity, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness.
¨ Romans 6:20-22—You were slaves to sin (hamartia) but now you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God.
¨ Romans 7:5—When you were in the flesh (sarx) the passions of sin (pathēmata hamartiōn) operated in your members (melesin) to bear fruit.
¨ Romans 7:6—Now you serve in the new way of the Spirit/spirit and not in the old way of the law.
¨ Romans 7:18—Nothing good dwells in your flesh (sarx).
¨ Romans 7:22-23—In your inner being (esō anthrōpos—inner man) you delight in the law of God, but a different law in your members (melesin) wars against the law of your mind (noos) taking you captive to the law of sin (vomo hamartias).
¨ Romans 7:25—You yourself (ego autos) with your mind (noi) serve the law of God, but with the flesh (sarx) the law of sin (nomō hamartias).
¨ Romans 8:2—The law of the spirit/Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set you free from the law of sin (hamartia) and death.
¨ Romans 8:3—God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (hamartias sarx) condemned sin in the flesh (sarx).
¨ Romans 8:5—Those living according to the flesh (sarx) set their minds on the things of the flesh (sarx) but the ones living according to the spirit/Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
¨ Romans 8:6—The mind of the flesh (phronēma sarx) is death, but the mind of the spirit/Spirit is life and peace.
¨ Romans 8:7—The mind of the flesh (phronēma sarx) is at enmity against God and is not and cannot be subject to God.
¨ Romans 8:8—The one being in the flesh (sarx), the unregenerate one, cannot please God.
¨ Romans 8:9—You, the believer, however, are not controlled by the flesh (sarx) but by the spirit/Spirit because God's Spirit dwells in you.
¨ Romans 8:10—Since Christ is in you, the body is dead (sōma nekron) through sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
¨ Romans 8:12—As a believer, therefore, you have an obligation not to the flesh (sarx) to live according to the flesh (sarx) but to the spirit/Spirit to live according to the Spirit.
¨ Romans 8:13—If you live according to the flesh (sarx) you will die.
¨ Romans 8:18-25—You groan longing for the redemption of your body.
¨ Romans 12:2—Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world/age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
¨ 1 Corinthians 2:12—You have not received the foolish spirit of this world/age, but the Spirit who is from God, that you may understand what God has freely given you.
¨ 1 Corinthians 2:14—The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
¨ 1 Corinthians 3:1-3—Believers who are spiritual can live as worldly ones, mere infants in Christ, acting like the world in jealousy and quarrelling.
¨ 1 Corinthians 3:19—You fight against the wisdom of this world which is foolishness to God.
¨ 1 Corinthians 7:5—You have an enemy, Satan, who will tempt you.
¨ 1 Corinthians 10:13—God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able to endure, but will with the temptation provide a way of escape.
¨ 2 Corinthians 2:11—Satan attempts to outwit you if you are unaware of his schemes.
¨ 2 Corinthians 4:16—Outwardly (your outward man) you are wasting away, but inwardly (your inner man) you are being renewed day by day.
¨ 2 Corinthians 5:1-10—You groan longing to be clothed with your heavenly body.
¨ 2 Corinthians 10:3-7—You live in the world but you do not wage war as the world does. The weapons you fight with are not worldly weapons but God's weapons.
¨ Galatians 1:4—God promises you deliverance from this present evil world.
¨ Galatians 2:19—You are dead to the law, alive to God.
¨ Galatians 3:3—You can surrender to the foolishness of sanctification by fleshly works.
¨ Galatians 4:1-19—You can surrender to the foolishness of turning again to bondage to sanctification by works.
¨ Galatians 4:1-19—You can surrender to the foolishness of sanctification by the law.
¨ Galatians 5:1-8—You can surrender to the foolishness of sanctification through the flesh, the law, and works.
¨ Galatians 5:13—You can be tempted to use your freedom as an occasion to indulge the flesh (sarx).
¨ Galatians 5:16—Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (sarx).
¨ Galatians 5:17—Your flesh (sarx) wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, these are in conflict with one another.
¨ Galatians 5:19-23—The works of your flesh (sarx) directly contrast with the fruit of the Spirit.
¨ Galatians 5:24—You have crucified the flesh (sarx) with its passions and desires.
¨ Galatians 6:1—You can be overtaken in a trespass.
¨ Galatians 6:8—If you sow to the flesh (sarx) you reap corruption, if you sow to the spirit/Spirit you reap life everlasting.
¨ Galatians 6:14—In Christ Jesus the world is crucified to you and you to the world.
¨ Ephesians 4:1—Walk worthy of your calling in Christ.
¨ Ephesians 4:17—Do not walk as the pagan unbeliever walks.
¨ Ephesians 4:30 —Do not grieve the Spirit.
¨ Ephesians 6:10-18—You wrestle against the rulers and authorities and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
¨ Philippians 3:12—You are not perfect.
¨ Philippians 3:13—You have not arrived.
¨ Philippians 3:13-14—Your Christian life is one of constant striving for growth.
¨ Philippians 3:14—You are to press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
¨ Philippians 3:20-21—You long for your future glorification when Christ will change your vile body (tapeinōseōs sōma—literally the body of your humiliation) that it may be fashioned like his glorious body (doxēs sōma).
¨ Colossians 2:4—You can be beguiled with enticing words.
¨ Colossians 2:8—You can be taken captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies of the world.
¨ Colossians 3:5-7—You used to walk according to the "members of the earth" (melē gēs), but now you must rid yourselves of all such things.
¨ Colossians 3:8-12—Since you are raised with Christ, you must put off those things related to your old life and put on those things related to your new life.
¨ 1 Thessalonians 2:18—Satan strives to stop you from ministering.
¨ 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4—You need to be strengthened and encouraged in your faith because you can become unsettled by trials and persecution.
¨ 1 Thessalonians 3:5—In your trials the Tempter tempts you to give up your trust.
¨ 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8—It is God's will that you grow in sanctification, controlling your body, not living in passionate lust like the heathen unbelievers.
¨ 1 Thessalonians 5:19—Do not quench the Spirit.
¨ 2 Thessalonians 3:3—The Lord is faithful to strengthen and protect you from the Evil One.
¨ 1 Timothy 4:7-8—You need to train yourself to be godly.
¨ 1 Timothy 6:11—You need to flee the love of money and pursue righteousness.
¨ 2 Timothy 2:20-22—Cleanse yourself from impure pursuits and flee evil desires so you can pursue righteousness.
¨ 2 Timothy 4:7-8—Fight the good fight of faith.
¨ Titus 1:10-14—You can fall into rebellion and be in need of rebuke.
¨ Titus 2:12—The grace of God enlightens and empowers you to say, "No!" to ungodliness and worldly passions.
¨ Hebrews 3:12-13—You must battle against being hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
¨ Hebrews 3:15—You must battle against hardening your heart.
¨ Hebrews 10:26—You must battle against the temptation to deliberately keep on sinning.
¨ James 1:14—You must battle against temptation that entices your through your own desire (you are tempted in your affections, in your relational motivational core, as Adam and Eve were).
¨ James 3:5-6—You are tempted to misuse your tongue, which is personified as a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body, corrupting the whole person.
¨ James 4:1-4—You must battle against temptation that entices you in the realm of your desires that battle within you.
¨ 1 Peter 1:14-18—Since you are an obedient child in the core of your new identity, don't conform any longer to the former longings you followed in your past empty way of life.
¨ 1 Peter 2:11—You battle against fleshly desires (sarkikōn epithumiōn) which war against your soul (psuche).
¨ 1 Peter 2:16—Live as a free person, but do not misuse your freedom as a cover for evil.
¨ 1 Peter 3:10—Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
¨ 1 Peter 3:11—Turn from evil and do good.
¨ 1 Peter 4:1-2—As a result of being done with sin, do not live the rest of your earthly life for the desires of humans, but rather for the will of God. Your Christian life is a battle between mere human desire and God's spiritual will.
¨ 1 Peter 5:8-9—Be self-controlled and alert for your enemy the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.
¨ 2 Peter 1:4—You participate in the divine nature (theias phuseōs) and escape corrupt desires (phthoras epithumia) of the world (cosmō).
¨ 2 Peter 2:8—You are tormented in your righteous soul by living day after day among the unrighteous in the world.
¨ 2 Peter 2:10-14—You will be tempted by corrupt unbelievers who try to seduce you.
¨ 2 Peter 2:18—You will be tempted by corrupt unbelievers who appeal to the desires of the flesh (sarx).
¨ 1 John 1:8—If you claim to be without sin (if you say, "Sin I have not") you deceive yourself.
¨ 1 John 1:10—If you claim that you have not sinned, (if you say, "I have not sinned") you make God a liar.
¨ 1 John 2:1—You are able not to sin, but you are not unable to sin.
¨ 1 John 2:14—You have overcome the evil one.
¨ 1 John 2:15—Do not love the world (cosmōs).
¨ 1 John 2:16—Three enemies you face include: the desires of the flesh (epithumia sarx), the desires of the eye (epithumia ophthalmōn), and the vainglory of physical life (alazoneia biou). All three reflect the flesh separated from the life (zoa) of God.
¨ 1 John 2:18-19—You battle against the spirit of the anti-Christ.
¨ 1 John 2:26—You battle against those who are trying to lead you astray.
¨ 1 John 3:6—Though you battle against sin, because you live in Christ, you will not keep on sinning, you will not sin continually.
¨ 1 John 3:8—Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the Devil.
¨ 1 John 3:13—The world hates you.
¨ 1 John 4:1-5—Though you battle the world and the Devil, you have overcome them in Christ.
¨ 1 John 5:4-5—Though you battle the world, you have overcome the world because you are born of God. You overcome the world by faith.
¨ 2 John 7—You battle against many deceivers (the spirit of the anti-Christ).
Used by permission from Dr. Robert W. Kellemen, RPM Ministries, www.rpmministries.org.
