Rankin, Jerry.  Spiritual Warfare:  The Battle for God’s Glory.  Nashville, Tennessee:  B&H Publishing, 2009, (281 pages).

INTRODUCTION

Jerry Rankin (1942) lives in Mississippi and has a pre-career missionary experience.  He got his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and honorary Doctors of Divinity and of Missions. He is the author of “A Journey of Faith and Sacrifice,” “Empowering Kingdom Growth to the Ends of the Earth,” “Lives given, Not Taken,” “The Challenge to Great Commission Obedience,” “In the Secret Place: A Pilgrimage Through the Psalms,” “Spiritual Warfare and Missions.”[1]  He served twenty-three years in Asia as a missionary and became President of the International Mission Board and moved to Richmond, Virginia.[2]  Rankin is married and has two children.

This paper argues that spiritual warfare is a reality, not a myth, as experienced in the mission field; and therefore, believers have to be well-equipped to fight Satan by knowing his nature, strategies, and weapons and to lay hold of Christ’s victory by faith in the word of God.  The methodology consists of a summary of the main ideas in each chapter, a critical assessment, the lessons learnt, and a conclusion.

SUMMARY

The book is composed of ten chapters describing the reality of spiritual warfare and the nature of the enemy, the battle between the flesh and the Spirit, Satan’s strategies and weapons, and the foundations for victory to God’s glory.

Chapter one, “The Reality of Spiritual Warfare,” introduces Rankin’s missionary experience in Indonesia and how he came to realize the reality of Satan’s existence, manifestations, and demonic activity.[3]  He argues that “spiritual warfare is not so much about demon possession, territorial spirits, or generational bondage as it is overcoming Satan’s lies and deceits in our own life.”[4]  Satan wants to rob believers of God’s gifts—peace, joy, power and strength, victory, holiness and blessing, and convince them in contradiction to God’s truth.[5]  He strongly advises “not to entertain Satan’s thoughts” which dishonors God, for “Satan’s primary objective is to rob God of His glory in our lives.”[6]  Believers should neither exaggerate nor ignore Satan’s power but rather put on the full armor of God at all times.[7]  There major part of victory in spiritual warfare is recognizing our enemy—our flesh, the world, and Satan, and understanding the reality of the battle on a day-by-day basis.[8]

Chapter two, “The Nature of Our Enemy:  Part I,” describe the character and names of Satan that best describe how he fights and what his strategies are. Satan’s strategies to keep people groups hidden and unreachable, nations closed to the gospel and to missionary witness have crumbled with the demise of Communism in Easter bloc and no longer works.[9]  But he has developed a new strategy—convincing believers that mission is optional and keeping them from proclaiming the good news, living to self.[10]  Rankin contends that we have start by understanding God’s nature and character as we seek to understand God’s enemy Satan, who is a fallen angel that coveted God’s glory, rebelled against His authority, was rejected from heaven and warfare commenced, as described in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.[11]  The devil—in Greek etymology is diabolos, which means “to oppose”—is antagonistic to God’s plans and purposes.[12] Despite Jesus’ victory over Satan, disarming him on the Cross, people still experience his influence and succumb to temptations and carnal attacks because he is avenging God through His children.[13]  Satan uses various barriers—cultural, social, religious traditions, psychological presumptions—to keep people from accepting Christ as Lord Savior and take away the seed and hope of the gospel.[14]  The Bible also call Satan the “deceiver” and “liar—father of lies” who manifest himself as an angel of light and servant of righteousness.[15]   He deludes people to be self-serving and to claim personal rights and ownership of time and possessions instead of yielding and turning them to God.[16]  Satan also shakes people’s faith in the reliability and inerrancy of the Bible which is the firm foundation for God’s infallible word of truth, essential to Christian living and victory.

Chapter three, “The Nature of Our Enemy:  Part II,” reiterates Satan’s prominent way—working in darkness and anonymity and bringing to light his nature and tactics render him ineffective.[17]  Satan is a tempter, whose first basic strategy is to “undercut our faith,” then to attract and persuade us to embrace carnal, worldly values and action that satisfy and gratify the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride in one’s lifestyle.[18]  Prayer is the way to not enter into temptation, as Jesus instructed his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, and God knows how to rescue the godly from temptations. Satan is a hinderer, opposing God’s will to our lives, leading us to commit sins of omission—what God wanted us to do, originally.[19]  Even if Satan closed doors, God has “the capacity to use closed doors to accomplish His plan.”[20]

Chapter four, “The Struggle with the World,” describes the second aspect of our tripartite enemy—the world which is the common domain where we live and where Satan works.  The world is under Satan’s dominion ever since Adam’s fall; God gave dominion to Adam (Genesis 1:26) who relinquished it to Satan; and Christ did not contradict Satan’s claim in the wilderness temptation (Luke 4:5-7).  The Bible warns us of worldliness (Jude 18-19; 2 Tim 3:1-5) for the world is put under the power and deception of Satan, in evil (John 5:19).[21] A worldly approach to money and financial management is one of Satan’s strategies to keep believers from practicing biblical financial stewardship.[22]  The author warns us against internet pornography and advises to have internet filter and security settings; to make decision ahead regarding our activities, entertainment, and relationships; and to have an accountability relationship as a deterrent to worldly indulgences.[23] 

Chapter five, “The Battle between the Flesh and the Spirit,” deals with the third part of our tripartite enemy—the flesh, sarx in Greek, which makes reference to the indwelling dynamic nature of sin, self-serving, self-centered, and susceptible to temptations.[24]  There is a natural battle between the flesh and the spirit because they are of different nature (Galatians 5:17; Romans 6, 7, 8).  We were freed from the bondage of sin and eternal death through water baptism that symbolizes our experience of “being in Christ” as we participate in His death on the cross and resurrection to lead a new life, under grace for eternal life (Rom 6:1-4; Gal 2:19-20).[25]  Our old sinful nature was crucified and abolished on the cross with Jesus Christ, despite the fact that we do not feel it because of the temptation we succumb to (Rom 6:6).  However, the Bible says that we must “reconcile our perception of the flesh with the truth of God” to disarm Satan’s lies and deception in that concern.[26]   The renewing of our mind by faith in the Word of God is a key to claiming the victory Christ won for us on the Cross.[27]   The old sinful nature was enslaved to the flesh—worldly desire, but the new nature is enslaved to God resulting in sanctification and eternal life (Rom 6:22).[28]  The analogy of slavery to the flesh and bondage to Satan as opposed to the analogy of marriage, united to God in the Spirit—the empowerment to fulfill the law and to live in newness of life.[29]    Love is another key to gaining victory in spiritual warfare because it is the antithesis of self-centered nature of the flesh; it is the whole law of life.

Chapter six, “Denying the Flesh entails Suffering,” starts by advising to stay away from temptation and not to make provision for what would appeal to and arouse carnal sinful nature.[30]  Victory over the flesh is related to the choices one makes. Rankin defines five practical keys to have victory over the flesh:  “believe Christ has conquered sin for us; set your mind on things of the Spirit; counter self-centeredness with love; be led by the Holy Spirit; make no provision for the flesh.”[31]  To deny the flesh, through fasting or through letting go of our rights and opinion that create dissension and conflict, is to incur pain.  Satan robs us of God’s glory by enticing us not to suffer and not to deny the flesh.  We are called to walk in the Spirit by putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit through making that daily choice.[32]  Satan deceives people by convincing them that they have it both ways—live for self, yielding to worldly standards and still be faithful to God.[33]  Paul, the Apostle in Philippians 3:10, stated the mystery of victory—“to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death.”  Suffering on earth is equal to glory in heaven (Rom 8: 18) and Satan wants to distort that perspective; therefore, the reward must always be kept in mind because it will help us to endure. We bring glory to God when we bear suffering and are persecuted for doing the right thing and avoid entanglement in the worldly affairs.[34]  Suffering is a victorious weapon Christ gave to the believers to arm themselves with—the resolve of suffering (1 Pet 4:1).  Victory in spiritual warfare is summarized in the second Epistle of Peter 1:3-4.[35]

Chapter seven, “Satan’s Favorite Fiery Darts,” defines Satan’s tactics and schemes to attack, weaken, and break the believers’ relation with God through unforgiveness, anger, doubt, pride, unholy living, and dissension.  Unforgiveness focuses one’s thoughts on self and revives the old fleshy nature—bitterness and resentment—that was crucified on the altar; the result is a loss of joy, peace, and blessings.[36]  The Lord’s Prayer put a conditional clause, “forgive us as we forgive,” in concert with Matthew 18 that commands us to keep on forgiving endlessly and indefinitely and to guard our hearts.[37]  Anger is an involuntary emotion, a psychological reaction in defense mechanism to stand up for self, reflecting low self-esteem or sense of rejection; it has to be processed.[38]   The object of anger is usually a person and is a root of bitterness and critical spirit that breed verbal abuse, hard judgmental words, and venomous put-downs that do not glorify God.[39]  Doubt in the truthfulness of God’s word is the first weapon Satan used to seduce Eve in the garden (Gen 3:1).[40]  We succumb to doubt when we speculate, seeking to rationalize Scripture instead of accepting God’s truth and bringing every thought into obedience to Christ.[41]  Pride could be positive and negative. The attitude of self-sufficiency and self-confidence, not only of arrogance and conceit is the positive side; whereas, pseudo-humility is the reverse side.[42] Pride could manifest itself in accomplishments and personal abilities or feeling sorry for oneself. Pride is defeated by submitting to God and relying on the Holy Spirit. Unholy living is about indulging in fleshly lusts inappropriate to born-again Christians and grieves the Holy Spirit, rendering our witness to a lost world ineffective.[43]  “Dissension, conflict, and disunity emerge out of self-serving attitudes of standing up for one’s own opinion and rights, seeking to dominate or control others and their actions.”[44] The Bible admonishes us to submit to one another in the Body of Christ (1 Pet 2:13-14) and to the governing authorities which are instituted by God (Rom 13:1-2).  

Chapter eight, “Adversity, Satan’s Most Effective Weapon,” focuses on adversity that
“blindside dedicated Christians, create doubt concerning God’s love, faithfulness and power; and bring reactions in attitude and behavior that forfeit the victory by which God would be glorified.”[45]  How we respond to adversity is a key to victory because God will turn it to our best interest (Rom 8:28).  Rankin shares his experience in Indonesia that through adversity, they came to know the reality of God’s presence and the sufficiency of His grace.[46]       

Chapter nine, “Foundations of Victory,” reiterates that faith is the foundation of victory, coupled with resisting the devil.[47]  Faith is believing God’s word about His Son and about the victory we have in Christ, even in adverse situations; faith comes by hearing the Word of God, studying, meditating—by spending enough time dwelling on the Word.[48]   Renewing of the mind in submission to God and the truth of His word is essential because it is in our mind that Satan deceives us.”[49] The three basic foundations of victory are: faith and believing God, renewing of the mind, and commitment to God.

Chapter ten, “Gaining the Ultimate Victory for God’s Glory,” describes the interrelatedness of the three foundations of faith as working together, and not in progressive or sequential way, to yield obedience or righteousness—living in a right relationship that glorifies God.[50]  The victory in spiritual warfare is appropriated, not in our own strength or efforts, but because we are in Christ.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT

The author’s purpose and goal is to share his insights gained from his own pilgrimage as a veteran missionary, to help and equip believers to lay hold of victory in Christ and to overcome cultural barriers. His approach to spiritual warfare is to focus on the Word of God which is the source of faith that that overcomes the world.  Rankin has well explained the reality of spiritual warfare, the nature of the enemy, the battle between the flesh and the spirit, the suffering entailed in denying the flesh, the strategies and weapons of Satan, and the foundations of victory.

The book contains few references—a total of nine, but with many scriptural references. The content is genuine, derived from the author’s live experience as a missionary in Indonesia, describing the various manifestations of the devil possessing human beings.  Rankin, witnessing to Muslims, came to understand their way of thinking as fatalist, not responsible for their sins; Christ did not die on the Cross but rather an imposter did; Christian worship three Gods; Christianity is an immoral religion.[51]  He seems to have understood Hinduism and Buddhist cultures; and that the real barriers to accepting Christ were cultural and social, not religious, unlike the Muslims who reject Christ on religious grounds—theological.[52] 

Ranking refers to C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters—which is “a series of letters as Lewis imagined would be written by Screwtape, a captain of one of Satan’s demonic hosts to one of his little demon agents, a nephew by the name of Wormwood.”[53]  He uses this imaginary story to illustrate Satan’s strategies and clever tactics and how he moves human beings as characterized by the personality of “Wormwood.”  It was quite appealing as Rankin keeps on reverting to The Screwtape Letters to build the analogy between Screwtape and Wormwood and Satan.  The personification helped understand and assimilate the reality, intensity, and tactics of spiritual warfare that all gear towards depriving believers from glorifying God.

Despite Rankin’s Baptist background and the controversy over the inerrancy of the Bible in Southern Baptist Convention, he firmly believes that the Bible is inspired by God; that He God is able to preserve the message intended for all generations; and that the Bible is authoritative and reliable based on the nature of God who inspired it.[54]  He uses Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy 4:1 about deceiving spirits and teaching of demons, as a defense argument to plead the case of the “inerrancy of the Bible.”[55]  The hindrances could be dealt with by setting our mind on God in order to properly manage time committed and focused on God’s calling and priorities.[56]  His Baptist background surfaces when he argues that the “Bible doesn’t teach a second blessing and a subsequent experience of receiving the Holy Spirit after we have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”[57] He obviously doesn’t believe in speaking in tongues or the experience of infilling with the Holy Spirit as a separate experience from salvation.

The strength of the book lies in how the author relates Satan’s worldly strategies to contemporary issues; he discerns the hands of Satan through abortion, gay marriages, credit cards and consumers promotions, lies of financial institutions, media propagating postmodernism, relativism, and sexual content, politicians and governments mishandling the truth about personal advancement.[58]  In brief, he discerns and helps believers to identify how to recognize the hand of the enemy in everyday life in order to reject it, especially the doctrine of health, wealth, and prosperity that distorts God’s word.

The precious lessons and live applications are among the strength of the book.  The lessons either refresh our memory of old lessons learnt and forgotten, or highlight in-depth experience that speaks to our situations, or add insight to our prayer life and ministry.   Rankin’s orthodoxy surfaces when he speaks of the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and that the only way to victory is to walk in the Spirit denying self-gratification and enduring the suffering caused by self-denial, focusing on suffering as a victorious weapon Christ gave to the Church.  He quotes all the references to pain and suffering as an essential part of our calling to Christ, who Himself has undergone that same suffering.  His orthodoxy also surfaces when dealing with fasting defending it against the negative comments such as being a legalistic discipline, pharisaical piety, unnecessary, and an outdated practice.  He contends that we fast because “our hunger for Him exceeds our desire for food…a biblical way of expressing our heart for God…an effective discipline to help us express our desire for God and, through self-denial, experience His power and the blessing of intimacy with Him.”[59] 

The weakness of the book is hardly felt or realized for it has been instructive, illustrative, and entertaining with stories from the mission field.  What was missing is a more extensive explanation on “fasting” which he only mentioned in few pages (157-164);  Rankin could have guided the reader to more references and readings in order to protect the readers from enthusiastic, unwise fasting that could harm their bodies, which belongs to God—physical stewardship.  

The book could have been organized with subheadings in order to memorize valuable themes; however, this could be training for beginners to dig out the main points and conclusions to take home.  I enjoyed the book and would recommend it; it is an easy-to-read book, quite interesting, with a missionary call that could inspire the readers. 

LESSONS LEARNT

The intelligent lesson learnt is that the Great Commission is not fulfilled by covering all Jesus’ teaching and lessons concerning the church and the Christian life but to teach them obedience of the Word of God which includes everything Jesus taught and expects—“read, believe, and do what is instructed.”[60]  Also in every missionary setting, one has to be flexible to God’s leadings, the circumstances of the country, and the culture of the people to be discipled.  

Rankin gives a valuable advice in times of crisis and tribulation, “keep the view from the throne.  All that is swirling about you is not reality.”[61]  It is a reminder to me that God’s perspective is the one I should always keep alive in my mind and heart.

Among the stories on some missionaries’ calls, one particular story touched my heart. A missionary family—husband, wife, and three small children—kept moving fifteen times in fifteen different countries for a year a half, until they settled. During that time, the missionary family understood a precious lesson, “God calls us not so much to a place but to Himself.”[62]  This is too the precious lesson God taught me when He moved me from my first church, the Coptic Orthodox, to be united to the Coptic Evangelical Church in Egypt, then kept sending me to different places, until I ended up in the United States, in Alaska.  Throughout the years—more than twenty five years, God was constantly reiterating that precious understanding, “be attached to Me, not to the church, not to the ministry, not to places, not to anything, except Me.” At the beginning, it was very painful, especially the first move, but later on, it did not matter much because wherever I went, God was/is my companion—my Father, my Brother, and my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and exceedingly delighted.  I fully rejoice in God the Trinity—the Father, and the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit—the One God I willfully, joyfully worship from my mother’s womb.  Rankin says:

If we have answered a call to the Lordship of Christ, God’s will cannot be thwarted.  He will always use our location and circumstances to fulfill His will and be glorified…A closed door is not necessarily a victory for Satan, if one is obedient to follow wherever God leads and trust Him, then Satan cannot hinder and divert God’s will from being filled in His way and in His timing.[63] 

Such a whispering word is a rema, in due time injecting life and hope anew, a graceful help in time of need.  Indeed, I needed the Lord to remind me of that precious lesson He has been repeatedly teaching throughout my entire life—praise the Lord who is very sensitive to His children’s needs. 

Rankin, when discussing the cleverness and subtleness of Satan to keep us from fulfilling God’s will through busyness, he coined an acronym “BUSY”—being under Satan’s yoke” to remind one that time-consuming errands could be hindrances from Satan.[64]

Another precious lesson God revived in my mind and heart, in which I always believed, “God had not called us to success or personal fulfillment but to obedience.  And if this is where God wants us, we don’t want to consider anywhere else.”[65]  The Lord has been speaking to me that despite the fact He was the Son-of-God, with full powers and competence, He did not come to do His will or to be served but to fulfill the Father’s redemption plan, to serve, and to die for those whom He loved, Adam’s descendants.  We are called to a sacrificial lifestyle, which only a desperate heart in love with God can live out.

The story of the dead person whom one group cursed and the other praised; at both instances—cursing and praising, the dead man did not respond. If our flesh—the sinful nature—is crucified with Christ, then we must not react in self-defensiveness, lash back, create conflict and cause dissension or become proud through praises and success.[66] 

“Do not let Satan twist the truth by defining the issue with the wrong question” is a precious lesson that most believers are caught in.  Most Satan’s questions thrown to our face lead us to accept a defeatist attitude, such as “well, you can’t expect to live a perfect life, can you?”[67]  But the issue is not whether we lived a perfect life without sin but the issue is, “Does Jesus live within us? Can we walk in the Spirit?”[68]  The answer is yes, and thus Satan is defeated by referring his question back Christ’ victory and indwelling in us.

“The victory over the flesh is not a theoretical identification with the cross and Christ’s crucifixion but in a willingness to deny the old nature and desires of the flesh as He did.”[69]  This lesson is very precious and reminds me that the Christian life is not about theology in as much as it is about a daily choice that I make, “to be led by the Holy Spirit and to speak and act in the Lordship of Jesus Christ over my life.” To serve Christ will put us in conflict with the world’s standards that we have to stand up against such as abortion, homosexuality, hedonistic lifestyle, and will cause persecution and antagonism against Christ’s followers.

Rankin reminded me of a critical purpose of my calling among others, “For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps” 1 Peter 2:21.[70]  But He also warned me not to compare my life to the lives of other servants, ministers, missionaries, and pastors but to focus on my calling as I serve Christ and thrive to fulfill the Great Commission, and to always remember that I am basically called to Christ Himself.

CONCLUSION

Our enemy in spiritual warfare is tripartite—the flesh, the world, and Satan, and tries to rob us of God’s glory to our lives. Satan is an adversary, opposed to God and His kingdom; a deceiver and a liar seeking to create doubts, erode our faith, and keep us from believing God’s word of truth; a tempter who incites us to live a self-centered life; a hinderer who thrives to keep us from doing God’ will.  There is a battle between the flesh and the Spirit but, in Christ, we are under grace and have no obligation to the flesh.  There are several keys for claiming victory given to us in Christ who conquered sin for us by setting our minds on heaven, by countering self-centeredness through love, by being led by the Holy Spirit, and by making so provision for the flesh.  Self-denial is the cost of victory and entails suffering which leads us to deeper relationship with God.  Satan’s effective spiritual weapons are engineered as to lead believers into unforgiveness, anger, doubt, pride, unholy living, and dissension, which are all proceeds of the fleshy, selfish nature; his most effective, outstanding weapon is “adversity.”  In brief, all Satan’s strategies and weapons are geared to shift our focus from Christ to ourselves.  Faith and believing in God’s word, renewing of the mind, and commitment to God are the foundation of victory in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 

Rankin’s Spiritual Warfare:  The Battle for God’s Glory sets the basic foundations; however, one should be open to God’s work in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual warfare will be terminated by the consummation of all things.  Believers should be well aware that Satan’s basic strategies and weapons were clearly defined in this book; however, he is innovative and creative and the only way to defeat him is in Christ by living out the foundations of victory.

September 2013.

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[1] http://therankinfile.com/about-the-rankins/dr-jerry-a-rankin/

[2] Jerry Rankin, Spiritual Warfare:  The Battle for God’s Glory, (Nashville, Tennessee:  B&H Publishing, 2009), 25.

[3] Rankin, 7.

[4] Ibid, 8.

[5] Ibid, 10.

[6] Ibid,14.

[7] Ibid, 17-18.

[8] Ibid, 20, 23.

[9] Ibid, 26.

[10] Ibid, 27.

[11] Ibid, 31.

[12] Ibid, 33.

[13] Ibid, 34.

[14] Ibid, 39-40.

[15] Ibid, 45.

[16] Ibid, 46.

[17] Ibid, 56.

[18] Ibid, 57-59.

[19] Ibid, 62.

[20] Ibid, 65.

[21] Ibid, 83-84.

[22] Ibid, 86.

[23] Ibid, 94.

[24] Ibid, 107-108.

[25] Ibid, 110-111.

[26] Ibid, 112.

[27] Ibid, 113.

[28] Ibid, 116.

[29] Ibid, 117.

[30] Ibid, 140.

[31] Ibid, 142.

[32] Ibid, 144.

[33] Ibid, 145.

[34] Ibid, 150.

[35] Ibid, 156-157.

[36] Ibid, 166.

[37] Ibid, 167.

[38] Ibid, 169, 171.

[39] Ibid, 170.

[40] Ibid, 172.

[41] Ibid.

[42] Ibid, 176.

[43] Ibid, 182-183.

[44] Ibid, 188.

[45] Ibid, 196.

[46] Ibid, 200.

[47] Ibid, 235.

[48] Ibid, 241.

[49] Ibid, 247.

[50] Ibid, 253-254.

[51] Ibid, 38-39.

[52] Ibid, 40.

[53] Ibid, xi-xii.

[54] Ibid, 48.

[55] Ibid, 49.

[56] Ibid, 76-80.

[57] Ibid, 228.

[58] Ibid, 85-86.

[59] Ibid, 157-164.

[60] Ibid, 51.

[61] Ibid, 53.

[62] Ibid, 66.

[63] Ibid, 67, 69-70.

[64] Ibid, 75.

[65] Ibid, 104.

[66] Ibid, 136.

[67] Ibid, 142.

[68] Ibid.

[69] Ibid, 145.

[70] Ibid, 149.