HKB
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Often appears with: justice as a virtue · religious persecution and toleration · fate, destiny, and necessity · courage and cowardice · counsel and advisers to rulers · victory through god · tychicus to ephesians · strategy and the aims of war · st. peter and lion imagery · sin, guilt, and repentance · seeking companions for spiritual protection · satanic temptation
Usually: exhortation (6) · the test or trial (4) · argument (3) · indignation (2) · praise (2) · wonder (2) · dialogue (1) · letter or document (1) · narrative (1) · reflection (1)
Paul tells believers to submit and restrain threats, then urges strength in the Lord, wearing God’s armour to resist Satan, wrestling against spiritual powers, and ends with greetings from Tychicus to Ephesians.
masters, do even the same things unto them, putting away threatenings: and remember that even your master also is in heaven, neither is there any respect of person with him. Finally, my brethren be strong in the lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the armour of God, that ye may stand steadfast against the crafty assaults of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood: but against rule, against powe…
Apollyon escalates from persuasion to threats, swearing to stop Christian, but Christian defeats him with shield and sword through a long, exhausting battle until Apollyon retreats and Christian praises God.
APOL. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass by all, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back. {146} CHR. What I promised thee was in my nonage; and, besides, I count the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee; and besides, O thou destroying Apollyon! to speak truth, I like his service, his wages, his servants,…
Calvin continues his letter to Geneva, urging the church to view opponents as instruments of Satan rather than fight flesh and blood, and to resist evil with God-guided zeal.
Geneva, deprived of her faithful pastor--testimonies of his innocence--confidence in God--trust for the future. FROM STRASBOURG, *this 1st of October 1538*. To my dearly-beloved brethren in our Lord, who are the relics of the dispersion of the Church of Geneva. The mercy of God our Father, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be continually multiplied to you by the communication of the Holy Spirit. MY BRE…
Calvin turns from angels to devils, saying Scripture’s purpose is to make Christians vigilant, describing Satan and demons as enemies in spiritual warfare, and urging perseverance aided by God.
to render him more propitious to us; which superstitious and curious men have endeavoured from the beginning, and even to this day persevere in attempting, to introduce into our religion. XIII. The design of almost every thing that the Scripture teaches concerning devils, is that we may be careful to guard against their insidious machinations, and may provide ourselves with such weapons as are sufficiently firm and …
Calvin argues that Christ’s reign benefits believers beyond present worldly comfort, emphasizing inner righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and framing life under the cross as ongoing spiritual warfare.
hope of a better life, and as we are now protected by the power of Christ, let us expect the full benefit of this grace in the world to come. IV. The truth of our observation, that it is impossible to perceive the nature and advantages of the kingdom of Christ, unless we know it to be spiritual, is sufficiently evident from a consideration of the hardship and misery of our condition in the state of warfare under the…
Continuing her counsel, Teresa urges people serving God to seek companions for protection, explains why saints withdrew to deserts, and credits God with preventing her repeated moral collapse.
make open show of their malicious dispositions; and this is so common, that it seems a matter of boasting now, and the offences committed against God are thus published abroad. 36. I do not know whether the things I am saying are foolish or not. If they be so, your reverence will strike them out. I entreat you to help my simplicity by adding a good deal to this, because the things that relate to the service of God …
The dialogue portrays persecution as a spiritual fight against the devil using human agents, emphasizing resistance, charity, and calling on Christ for strength so death becomes a path to heaven.
deed it is, to bring us by his temptation, with fear and force, into eternal damnation. And therefore saith St. Paul, "Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood," etc. Thus may we see that in such persecutions it is the midday devil himself that maketh such incursion upon us, by the men who are his ministers, to make us fall for fear. For until we fall he can never hurt us. And therefore saith St. James, "Stand a…