Devilishly good?

THE MESSAGE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By Keith Ferdinando
IVP. 283 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 783 594 351

There are two extremes to avoid in considering the subject of spiritual warfare. One is to underestimate the devil and the other is to indulge an unhealthy obsession with him. This book, part of The Bible Speaks Today Bible themes series, is very helpful in charting a balanced and biblical course. It includes a study guide, but no indices.

The book is divided into four sections. The first reminds us of the reality of the devil and his schemes, with studies of Genesis 3, the sufferings of Job, and the sorcery of Balaam and Balak. When we come to the New Testament in the second section, the central emphasis is not the devil himself, but the triumph of Christ over all evil powers. We see demons being exorcised, and we are taught of the triumph of the Cross, and ultimately the final judgment. The author notes in the exorcisms of Jesus the absence of ‘usual terminology and ritual nonsense’ (p.90), and so for us believing prayer is the method for opposing the devil.

Church mission

In Section 3 the author looks at the mission of the church. Preaching the gospel is spiritual warfare, but this does not mean we have to engage directly with demons in socalled ‘strategic-level spiritual warfare.’ We do not need to name demons, map their areas of influence, nor repent for past sins characteristic of that region. Our ‘power encounters’ are delivering the powerful message of the gospel. And we are confident of the absolute authority of the Lord Jesus in whose name we go.

Christian life

Finally, there is a section on our Christian lives. We engage in spiritual warfare as we reject the temptations of the devil to conform to the pattern of this world in deceit, anger, lust or greed. There is a healthy emphasis on our responsibility: ‘The biblical response to sin is always a call to repentance, never the expulsion of a demon of anger, adultery, or whatever else’ (p.87).

This is a very edifying and thoroughly biblical book. While dealing with the theme of evil, it reassures us of the sovereignty of God and the triumph of Christ. We can be confident that we will overcome by the word of testimony and the blood of the Lamb (Revelation12.11).