Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Sobriety
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The concept of spiritual warfare is a recurring theme in the Christian life, emphasizing the believer's struggle against sin, the flesh, and spiritual forces of evil. This warfare is to be conducted with sobriety, a term that encompasses vigilance, self-control, and a clear-minded approach to the challenges faced by the saints.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul, in his epistles, frequently uses the metaphor of warfare to describe the Christian life. In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 , Paul exhorts believers: "So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation." Here, sobriety is linked with spiritual alertness and readiness, essential qualities for engaging in spiritual battles.

Sobriety in Spiritual Warfare

Sobriety in the context of spiritual warfare involves a disciplined and vigilant mindset. It requires believers to be aware of the spiritual realities around them and to maintain a clear focus on their spiritual objectives. This is echoed in 1 Peter 5:8 , where Peter warns, "Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." The call to be sober-minded underscores the need for constant vigilance against the schemes of the enemy.

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18 provides a detailed description of the armor of God, which believers are to put on to stand firm against the devil's schemes. The passage emphasizes the importance of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. Each piece of armor requires a sober and disciplined application, as believers are called to "pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition" (Ephesians 6:18).

Self-Control and Discipline

Sobriety in spiritual warfare also involves self-control and discipline. Titus 2:11-12 instructs, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age." The call to live sensible and upright lives is a call to sobriety, ensuring that believers are not entangled by worldly desires that can hinder their spiritual effectiveness.

Prayer and Watchfulness

Prayer is a critical component of maintaining sobriety in spiritual warfare. Colossians 4:2 advises, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." This watchfulness in prayer is a form of spiritual sobriety, keeping the believer attuned to God's will and alert to the spiritual dynamics at play.

Conclusion

The warfare of saints, conducted with sobriety, is a disciplined and vigilant engagement in the spiritual battles that characterize the Christian life. Through the application of biblical principles, the armor of God, and a life of prayer and self-control, believers are equipped to stand firm against the forces of darkness, maintaining their focus on the ultimate victory in Christ.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
1 Thessalonians 5:6
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Mystery
... his flood the dragon had nearly caused the woman to be carried away. ... to be reckoned
from the beginning of his cruelty, or warfare with the saints, but of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the mystery 2.htm

Of the Last Resurrection.
... the souls of the righteous, after their warfare is ended ... promised land, orders his
bones to be carried thither ... he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 25 of the last.htm

On the Departure of Flavian, Bishop of Antioch, who was Gone on an ...
... 1127] For such are the bowels of the saints, that they ... spiritual armour, for we have
a heavy warfare to wage ... any time, what he said should be carried to others ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily iii on the departure.htm

Regeneration by Faith. Of Repentance.
... and know that death is the only termination to this warfare. ... the law of sin remaining
in the saints, the guilt ... no doubt that many of them were carried away by ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 3 regeneration by faith.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... that under the other dispensation of God all the saints of past ... 4710] "The life of
man is a warfare upon earth ... died and was buried, but Elias was carried off in ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Exposition of the Moral Law.
... Hezekiah, that his children should be stript of the kingdom, and carried away into ...
progress in it; but because we must still wage an incessant warfare with the ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 exposition of the.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
... pious of his contemporaries, while it carried conviction to ... of the way, And race
of saints, in this ... or spirit; and would laugh at all exhortations to sobriety. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/grace abounding to the chief.htm

Augustin's Part in the Controversy.
... This one of the points, Augustin treats at length, pointing out that many of the
saints of old were rich, and that the Lord and His apostles always so speak ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/iii augustins part in the.htm

The New-Birth
... enmity between the one and the other; in which enmity, the whole warfare, and trial ...
of God, yet making too much haste to have the glory of saints, the elements ...
/.../law/the grounds and reasons of christian regeneration/the new-birth.htm

Footnotes
... "We carried unanimously at last," says he in a letter to Mr. Spang, dated
Perth, January 2, 1651, "the answer herewith sent to you. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

Resources
Do we need to be aware of the spiritual battle that is taking place around us? | GotQuestions.org

What is the full armor of God? | GotQuestions.org

Spiritual strongholds - what is the biblical view? | GotQuestions.org

Warfare: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Warfare

Warfare of Saints is a Good Warfare

Warfare of Saints is Against: Death

Warfare of Saints is Against: Enemies

Warfare of Saints is Against: The Devil

Warfare of Saints is Against: The Flesh

Warfare of Saints is Against: The World

Warfare of Saints is not After the Flesh

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Breastplate of Righteousness

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Called Armour of God

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Called Armour of Light

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Called Armour of Righteousness

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Girdle of Truth

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Helmet of Salvation

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Mighty Through God

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Must be Put On

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Not Carnal

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Preparation of the Gospel

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Shield of Faith

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: Sword of the Spirit

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: The Whole, is Required

Warfare of Saints: Armour For: To be on Right Hand and Left

Warfare of Saints: Called the Good Fight of Faith

Warfare of Saints: Illustrated

Warfare of Saints: Mere Professors do not Maintain

Warfare of Saints: Often Arises from the Opposition of Friends or Relatives

Warfare of Saints: Saints are all Engaged In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Comforted by God In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Delivered by Christ In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Encouraged In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Exhorted to Diligence

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Helped by God In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Must Stand Firm In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Protected by God In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Strengthened by Christ In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Strengthened by God In

Warfare of Saints: Saints: Thank God for Victory In

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Be Clothed in White Raiment

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Be Confessed by Christ Before God the Father

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Be Pillars in the Temple of God

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Be Sons of God

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Eat of the Hidden Manna

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Eat of the Tree of Life

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Have a White Stone, And, in It a New Name Written

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Have God As Their God

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Have Power Over the Nations

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Have the Morning-Star

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Have the Name of God Written Upon Them by Christ

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Inherit all Things

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Not be Hurt by the Second Death

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Not Have Their Names Blotted out of the Book of Life

Warfare of Saints: They Who Overcome In, Shall: Sit With Christ in his Throne

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with a Good Conscience

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Confidence in God

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Earnestness

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Endurance or Hardness

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Faith

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Prayer

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Self-Denial

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Sobriety

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Steadfastness in the Faith

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Watchfulness

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On without Earthly Entanglements

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On: Under Christ, As Our Captain

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On: Under the Lord's Banner

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is by Faith

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: from God

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Over all That Exalts Itself

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Over Death and the Grave

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Over the Devil

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Over the Flesh

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Over the World

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Through Christ

Warfare of Saints: Victory In, Is: Triumphant

Related Terms

Carnal (11 Occurrences)

Worldly (25 Occurrences)

Roman (26 Occurrences)

Ramothgilead (19 Occurrences)

Ramoth-gilead (20 Occurrences)

War (529 Occurrences)

Siege (63 Occurrences)

Wares (23 Occurrences)

Army (401 Occurrences)

Vexation (36 Occurrences)

Utterances (9 Occurrences)

Uruah

Urim (8 Occurrences)

Uriah (33 Occurrences)

Jehoahaz (22 Occurrences)

Lame (35 Occurrences)

Loins (72 Occurrences)

Gore (9 Occurrences)

Wage (39 Occurrences)

Wear (56 Occurrences)

Weapons (66 Occurrences)

Waging (6 Occurrences)

War-horn (3 Occurrences)

Indignation (56 Occurrences)

Instruction (117 Occurrences)

Feedeth (11 Occurrences)

Fleshly (15 Occurrences)

Foray (1 Occurrence)

Throwing (29 Occurrences)

Tripolis

Tears (58 Occurrences)

Thummim (6 Occurrences)

Renewal (6 Occurrences)

Ram (96 Occurrences)

Renew (16 Occurrences)

Ephesians (4 Occurrences)

Eateth (81 Occurrences)

Divinely (11 Occurrences)

Demolish (16 Occurrences)

Divine (39 Occurrences)

Mightest (21 Occurrences)

Merab (4 Occurrences)

Planteth (10 Occurrences)

Pardoned (21 Occurrences)

Previously (44 Occurrences)

Prophetic (9 Occurrences)

Preceding (7 Occurrences)

Prophecies (4 Occurrences)

Pulling (57 Occurrences)

Prey (105 Occurrences)

Pointed (13 Occurrences)

Powerful (93 Occurrences)

Prophesies (17 Occurrences)

Belteshaz'zar (8 Occurrences)

Belteshazzar (8 Occurrences)

Baasha (26 Occurrences)

Conflict (18 Occurrences)

Comfortably (5 Occurrences)

Change (109 Occurrences)

Artillery (1 Occurrence)

Assuredly (31 Occurrences)

A'chish (17 Occurrences)

Arm (110 Occurrences)

Accompany (19 Occurrences)

Struggle (16 Occurrences)

Strongholds (44 Occurrences)

Succeeding (7 Occurrences)

Sanctification (13 Occurrences)

Shield (65 Occurrences)

Snail (2 Occurrences)

Changes (27 Occurrences)

Revive (31 Occurrences)

Education (4 Occurrences)

Cruelty (8 Occurrences)

Cruel (196 Occurrences)

Charges (58 Occurrences)

Casting (54 Occurrences)

Moab (162 Occurrences)

Warfare of Saints: To be Carried On with Self-Denial
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