Cortright's
Homepage
We are continuously engaged in a war.
It is not a war of the flesh. It is not a worldly war between people
or countries. It is not carnal. It is a war of the mind.
2
Corinthians 10:5 describes our part in this war. Lets look at
this verse in detail:
The first words in the verse are "casting down." These are the Greek word kathaireo which means to violently lower or demolish.
Luke 12:18
And he said, This will I do:
I will pull down[kathaireo]
my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and
my goods.
The
next word is "imaginations." This is the Greek word logismos
which means to take mental inventory; to reason; to make a mental estimation.
We are to demolish or pull down the thoughts,
reasonings, and mental inventories which are contrary to God's Word.
Those thoughts which build in our mind from our exposure to the world and
its ideas and are contrary to the knowledge of God's Word are to be torn
down and demolished. This is the believer's war.
"Every"
is the Greek word pas which means every! ALL - the whole thing!
Each thought!
"High thing" is the Greek
word hupsoma which means an elevated place, height or erected barrier.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,
Nor height[hupsoma],
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus. Nothing in life. Not even death. That is the whole
span of existence. No spiritual power (angel). No government.
No worldly power! Nothing in this present time can separate us.
Nothing in the future. Nothing in any dimension - height or depth.
This word height is hupsoma. Something raised up high.
Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God. These
are the thoughts that we are to hold in our minds and get persuaded about.
When some imagination or mental reasoning builds against the Word of God
and tells you that God does not love you or that you have been separated
from God's love - TEAR IT DOWN! Demolish that high thought with the
Word of God. NOTHING can separate you from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord!
"Exalteth itself" is the Greek word epairo which means to raise up.
Acts 27:40
And when they had taken up the
anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the
rudder bands, and hoised up[epairo]
the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
John 4:35
Say not ye, There are yet four
months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift
up[epairo]
your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
When mental reasonings and thoughts are raised up high
as barriers in our mind we are to tear them down with the word of God.
We need to raise our vision to the Word of God and demolish worldly thoughts
and reasonings that have been hoisted up in our minds.
"Against"
is the Greek word kata which means against, down or
in opposition to.
"Knowledge" is the Greek
word ginosis which means experiential knowledge. This
verse specifies that it is talking about "the knowledge of God."
We are to tear down or demolish mental reasonings and every high thought
that raises itself above the knowledge of God. When our thoughts
are contrary to God's Word they have raised themselves up to a level above
the Word of God. They have set themselves above and in opposition
to God's Word. Our warfare is to tear down these high thoughts.
Philippians 3:4-8
Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might
trust in the flesh, I [Paul]
more:
Circumcised the eighth day, of
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of
the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to
me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge[ginosis]
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
The knowledge of God and of Christ Jesus our Lord is
much more valuable than any earthly position or pedigree. In our
mental accounting, The excellency of the knowledge of God must be valued
above all worldly things. All else is dung compared to the knowledge
of God in Christ Jesus. We are sons and daughters of God seated at
the right hand of God. We have been given holy spirit and have an
inheritance stored up for us in the heavens. This is the knowledge
of God which must be exalted above all worldly ideas of who or what we
are. You are not a "somebody" because of your education or standing
in the community. You also are not a "nobody." You are GOD'S
child! This is the mental warfare we must fight moment by moment
and day by day. We are what the Word of God says we are. We
have what the Word of God says we have. We will be what the Word
of God says we will be!
"Bringing into captivity" is the Greek word aichmalotizo.
Romans 7:22-23
For I delight in the law
of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in
my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing
me into captivity[aichmalotizo]
to the law of sin which is in my members.
We are in a war. We have holy spirit within. That is the inward man. We are to align our thinking accordingly. Sin is in the world and is always there working to bring us into captivity. But the Word of God says that we can tear down the worldly reasonings and thoughts which raise themselves up against the knowledge of God and that we can bring into captivity our thoughts to that which we have in Christ.
Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The
war is in the mind. The enemy tries to take us captive with sin consciousness.
He tries to keep us in sin and condemnation. But we can bring every
thought captive to the truth of God's Word. We are freed from sin
and condemnation. We are children of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
We win this war when we take the captives. We capture those thoughts
which are contrary to God's Word. We do not allow the enemy to capture
our thoughts or build barriers in our mind.
Again the word "every" means just that. Each and every thought. The Greek word for "thought" is noema which means an exercise of the mind - a mental perception, device or purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds[noema]
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage
of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices[noema].
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds[noema]
through[in] Christ
Jesus.
The
god of this world, the Devil, Satan, exercises his own mental devices and
purposes against God and blinds the minds of those who believe not.
We are in a war of the mind. We battle the thoughts and devices of
the adversary which are built up in our minds against the knowledge of
God. We tear down those thoughts and lead into captivity every mental
perception to the obedience of Christ. The peace of God guards our
thoughts and keeps them in Christ Jesus. Christ has already
won the war for us. We have the peace of God. We must never
allow that which is in the world to tell us that we are less than what
the Word of God declares.
The
Greek word for "obedience" is hupakoe which means attentive
listening. It means compliance. Hupo means to put under
or be submissive to. Akouo means to hear. To obey is
to place under the authority of the Word of God which you have listened
to and heard.
This is our mental warfare.
We are to tear down and demolish reasonings and thoughts which raise themselves
up above the knowledge of God and His Word. We are to bring each
and every exercise of our mind captive and place it under that which we
have heard regarding Christ.
Michael
& Christine Cortright's Fellowship Homepage