You Are Not Your Own

We are a walking battleground. Daily we fight against the attack of sin and all the evil devices of the devil. God has not just left us alone and unarmed to fight the spiritual battles of life. God has given us the Word of Truth that defends against falsehoods. The Holy Bible is also called the sword of the spirit. A sword is a very important part of the armour. It not only protects us from the claws of the roaring lion that is Satan, but the sword is an offensive weapon. Scripture says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” We must put on the armour of God.

In Ephesians 6 the Bible encourages believers to put on the whole armour of God. This is so that we can stand against the fiery darts of the devil. John Gill writes in his commentary concerning this chapter, and verse 14 in particular, “Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the Church, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard.” The breastplate is an essential part of a soldier’s armour. As soldiers of the Lord, we have righteousness as our breastplate. Ephesians 6:14 is a reference to Isaiah 59:17 which says, “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”

The righteousness mentioned here is not gained by a series of good works, but through faith in Christ. By faith, Christ has imputed his righteousness to sinful men and women. This gracious deed of Christ protects against every accusation and condemnation of sin and the devil. It is my view that we often fall into sin as a direct result of not using the weapons of spiritual warfare. The Word of God keeps us from sin. We must apply the truths of Scripture and follow the clear direction of holiness. We are our own worst enemy if we do not heed the instruction of God. Indwelling sin must be mortified in the light of the Saviour and by the Holy Ghost. I suggest you read John Owen's work on the mortification of sin in believers. That work will be a blessing to you.

Sinless perfection is truly a demonic doctrine. We will never be sinless until that day when the redeemed man or woman of God goes to be with the Lord. In God's Kingdom sin has no dominion nor grip on men and women. On that day the child of God will know for the first time what it is like to be fully freed from every result of sin. Sadly, many of God's people have given up the fight against sin. They have deserted the flock of God and gone back to the world in which they were custom. The true Christian will never surrender in the face of the enemy, he is ready to go into the midst of the battle with Jesus at his side.

Do not give in to the pressures of the day. Do not seek the approval of man nor the praise of the crowd. Go the way of the cross. Bear that cross you are called to bear. Going with the world is a sure path to spiritual failure. There are a number of biblical principles that are unpopular in society today, yet we must not mask the truth to please the world. Issues such as abortion, gender identity, marriage, the family, and freedom of speech among others are current issues. I am not going to claim it is easy to make a stand for truth, it is easier to go along with the consensus, but we as the Church are called to be faithful to the teachings of Scripture in these ever-growing secular and benighted days. The devices of popularity and contemporary conformity must not beguile us. The hostile world wants to put us in its liberal box, but as Bible-believing Christians it is like putting round pegs in square holes. We do not fit in, the Christian is just a pilgrim passing through this world, we are ambassadors for our heavenly king. We are here to bear witness to the Gospel.

Christ has overcome the world and sin. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” In Christ, the sinner has victory over sin. Christ came to redeem us from the presence, practice, and penalty of sin. He alone breaks the power of sin. If we are in Christ today, we have redemption through his blood.

There are many famous battles recorded in the history books. The Battle of Trafalgar, Battle of Britain, Battle of Loos, and more recently the Falklands, but the hardest and greatest battle one can fight is the battle against personal sin. In Scripture, King David and Joshua are the only two who never lost a battle. We may fall on occasions but get back up and continue. This is all part of our progress in sanctification. As the years pass by we find we are stronger. Claim the riches of the victory in Christ, crown the king of glory. The battle is not won by sitting in the armchair and expecting Christ to do the work of warfare for us.

This attitude is a plan of failure. We must have self-control and discipline. For example look at Joseph. He was tempted to sin with another man’s wife. Joseph did something about it, he fled the temptation. He did not try to fight it, nor did he try to overcome it by praying for deliverance. What a great contrast this example is to David. He did not take wise steps to protect his eyes from lust. Not only did David commit sexual sin, but he played a key role in the murder of Uriah who was the husband of Bathsheba, the woman whom David committed adultery with.

We are responsible to put into practice what God has said in his Word. God has given us the tools, we must both use them and appreciate them. Sin is when we come short of the life that Christ lived while he was on earth. You may say, “But he was God.” This is exactly my point. Jesus the Godman never sinned. The same spirit that kept Christ from sin dwells in us also. The Holy Spirit has the power to reject sinful thoughts, desires and deeds. Christ was tempted in every way that we are but never sinned. Christ knew what it was like to fight sin, he fought sin every day of his earthly existence. Christ was not defiled with original sin like we are. However, a life that is yielded to Christ and lived in Christ leads to godliness.

In closing, I would like to remind you of Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Paul the Apostle beseeches believers to live a life that is a sacrifice for Christ. This is in complete opposition to life without Christ. We are to live an acceptable life that is honouring to the God of Holy Writ. This means we are to renew our minds in truth and not be conformed to the agenda of the world. Let us be a faithful living servant of God. Let our lives be one for service and faithfulness to God.

 

 

 

Women and the Vote

 

The First World War was a breakthrough for women’s rights, especially their right to vote. As most men were away fighting in the war, jobs traditionally given to men were done by women. By 1918 women over the age of 30 were given the vote. The campaign for women to vote had been going on for a few decades and a world war was just what the campaign needed to show that women could do the same jobs as men and thus have the same rights as men. The campaign was not only for the right to vote but for other rights, which included the right for women to divorce their husbands, the right to an education, and the right to have jobs that were male dominated.  The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave women the vote over the age of 30 and was extended to all women over the age of 21 in 1928. During the 1914-18 war work done by women was used by those who support women’s votes as an example to show that women deserve the vote. This argument was used to show that women could go to war. However, only women who were homeowners over 30 had the right to vote.

The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies founded in 1897 by English writer and feminist Millicent Fawcett played a major role in getting the vote for women in 1918. The group was formed of mainly middle-class women. Another major group in this period was The Women’s Social and Political Union which was founded in 1903 and led by Emmeline Pankhurst. This was a group also of middle-class women whose protests included heckling politicians, breaking windows, attacking policemen, setting fire to buildings, protest marches, chaining themselves to railings, throwing homemade bombs, hunger strike in prison for members convicted of crimes and other attacks and acts of crime. One member of this group Emily Davison was killed at the Epsom Derby of 1913, when she ran in front of the King’s horse, Anmer. The Derby was attended by an estimated 500,000 people including King George V and his wife, Queen Mary of Teck. Women were likely given the vote to stop all the violence by some of the more extreme suffragettes.

Below is a table of some of the arguments made for and against women voting at the time of the debate on votes for women.

FOR	AGAINST
Women are equal before God.	A woman’s place is in the home and not in the world of politics which is against their caring nature.
Women vote in local elections.	Most women will not use their vote even if they had the right to vote.
Women pay taxes.	Women do not fight in wars.
Some women are better citizens than men.	Most women are ignorant of political matters.
Other nations have given women the vote (such as Finland and Norway).	Intelligent women would not stand for election, but only violent suffragettes and ruin parliament.

Not all women involved in the campaign for votes and other rights approved of the mindless violence of the Women’s Social and Political Union. The East London Federation of Suffragettes formed in 1914 by Sylvia Pankhurst focused mainly on social reform and rejected violence as a way forward.

On 29th January 1913 several letter bombs were sent to Chancellor, David Lloyd George and Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith. Fortunately, all exploded before reaching their intended target or were discovered while in transit. This was one of many acts of violence that led the government to take serious action against the suffragettes. They also set fire to post boxes which caused great issues in an age before computers and the internet. Isaiah 3:12 says, “O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.” The Bible teaches that it is a curse on a nation and people to have women and children rule over them. According to the verse in Isaiah it is a judgment from God to have a woman ruling over a nation. For more information and reading on this topic read, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women by John Knox.

In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. At the time the country needed strong leadership and she was given as a judgment on the weak men of the British Parliament in the 1980s. She was called the Iron Lady as she was a strong leader, much stronger than the men who were in her government. Thatcher rarely gave government positions to women. Love her or hate her Thatcher was a strong leader and made a great impact on British culture and society. I for one believe that she was one of the best Prime Minister’s the UK ever had. The lesson of history here is if men fail to be good and strong leaders God will cause women to rule in their stead.