War - 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

10:2-6 - I think that Paul is going back to talking about the hard issues in the letter so that he can focus on positivity while he is there with the Corinthians in person. Interestingly, after just discussing the "meekness and gentleness of Christ" me starts addressing the "war" being waged. Paul is quick to explain that "we do not war after the flesh." This could have been problematic because Jews were initially expecting a militant Messiah, and the Romans are very sensitive to anything that might appear as an uprising against them, so Paul's language here must be careful. He says that their weapons of war "are not carnal," but spiritual. This sounds a little bit off to us because we usually associate "war" with physical violence and destruction. So what does it mean to have a "spiritual war"? The research I did reminded me that the "war in heaven" was spiritual and in fact, still on going. The goal of this war isn't to defeat an enemy, because ultimately we are all brothers and sisters, even those who chose to follow Satan. In our world, whoever wins a war imposes their will on those they defeat, and they have no choice but to accept it. The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com explains about this spiritual war, "the war in question is a war of words, a war of ideas, a war of testimony, and a war of faith. The goal is not to destroy the enemy but to win their hearts, minds, and souls by pulling down their strongholds of unbelief, by casting down the 'vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men,' and by casting down everything which 'exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." Our purpose is to bring souls to God, not through force but through love. This is really an abstract concept, because we have to think, "why do we really want others to come to Christ?" Because we want them o be happy and have peace like we do. How can I detach myself from their conversion, meaning how do I help someone accept the gospel without getting all caught up in it myself. This is referencing people's feelings of self-validation that comes when someone agrees to do something that they are doing. I think a lot of people subconsciously do this, have exaggerated feelings of importance when someone they've interacted with accepts the gospel. It's important that we check our true motives and sometimes that takes a very uncomfortable look into ourselves. Ultimately, everyone's choices are their own. We cannot force a testimony or commitment to the gospel, and Jesus doesn't want us to even if we could. He wants us to draw people to Him through adopting his characteristics. People will come to the gospel when they are ready and because they know that they are loved by both you and God. That's the only reason why someone would do that, because they felt that the gospel could added positive value to their lives. I wonder at what age this applies to children as well.