True Christians have been Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” Colossians 1: 13
As Biblical Christians it is extremely important that we have the proper understanding of the Gospel message as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. I am concerned that the revealed truth of the Gospel message and God’s plan for His creation has been distorted by the current communications of the “gospel” by some of our modern western church teachers, preachers, song writers, and pastors.
Here are some of the statements that I see as a distortion of the truth:
- You made a mess out of your life, but God can fix it and make something beautiful of it.
- God wants you to prosper and be happy. Look to Him and have faith in Him and He will do it for you.
- God is the answer for you to improve your life.
- Just accept the forgiveness of your sins that Jesus is offering by His sacrifice on the cross and He will accept you as you are and then He will turn your life around to make it beautiful rather than the shattered and broken mess that you have made of it.
Please understand that it is not my intention to reduce the great value of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, but I must call out that the main purpose of His coming and of His sacrifice is being distorted.
I need to state this very clearly: God did NOT come to rescue us from our problems, or from our addictions, or from our bad habits, or from our brokenness, or from any negative part of our life that has caused us distress or strife. No, He came to rescue us from the dominion of darkness (some translations use the term “domain” or “power” of darkness in Colossians 1:13) and from the associated corrupted world system! And it is extremely important that we recognize this truth and adjust our thinking accordingly.
Additionally, the main purpose of the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ was not so that we can have a better life in this world, or so that we can function better (i.e., to be more prosperous and more successful) in this world. On the contrary, as Christians we are to remain here in this world until we die or until the Lord returns, but we are not to be “of this world” – and we need to better understand the implications of this truth.
It is unfortunate that for many people they are not willing to hear the Gospel message until they find themselves at a low point in their life, broken and hopeless with no other solution, and because of this they turn to God. Regardless, those who preach the Gospel message to these broken lives should not take advantage of their situation by offering a watered-down Gospel message that will appeal to their need, but rather, they need to communicate the entire truth so that the foundation is properly laid for them to experience a deep conversion.
People in the world don’t want to accept the fact that there is a Satanic kingdom, but the Bible has revealed its existence and Jesus even spoke about it. When Jesus was casting out demons some accused Him of using the power of Satan to do so. His response was this:
“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” Luke 11: 18
You may be wondering why this is so important or what could be the problem with presenting the Gospel as a solution to a broken life. In a nutshell, it is vitally important that as Christians we function as citizens of the God’s kingdom and no longer participate in Satan’s kingdom, aka the dominion of darkness. When people are erroneously introduced to Christianity as a solution to life’s problems, the result is that they continue to function in this world system that is under demonic control keeping them involved in the satanic kingdom. Furthermore, they end up being even more at home in this world, remaining mostly carnal in their thinking and actions. As we shall examine, this is a major detriment to their spiritual maturity.
The Scripture quoted at the start of this message states explicitly that we were rescued from the power (or dominion) of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, but many more verses support this truth as it is at the core message of the Gospel.
Consider this from the Apostle Paul in his defense before King Agrippa recounting his experience on the road to Damascus when knocked from his horse. Notice the quote from the Lord Jesus:
“And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles—to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” Acts 26: 15-18
In the above verses, the Lord Jesus was commissioning Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. It was not about helping people with their problems or improve their life, but to get them into the light and into God’s kingdom and away from darkness and the satanic kingdom
Consider also Peter’s preaching of the Gospel message to the people who witnessed the day of Pentecost:
“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Acts 2:40
In the above verse the word “perverse” could also be translated as “wicked or unjust” and the word generation could be translated as “age or nation or the whole multitude of men living at the same time.” It is obvious that Peter is suggesting that the listeners needed to get out of and away from this wicked, perverse world, not to have them function within it better.
The first epistle of John has many verses that support this viewpoint:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.” 1 John 2: 15-17
Again I say that it is clear that Christians should not be a part of this world system.
More from John:
“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3: 7-10
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19
The Gospel of John also records the message from Jesus to His disciples shortly before He was crucified:
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.” John 15: 18-21
And prior to the above statement Jesus said this:
“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14: 1-6
Jesus is “the Way” and the destination is to be with the Father in heaven, that is, in His kingdom. We are not at home here in this world because it is the demonic kingdom of Satan, therefore we await His return when Jesus will “take us to himself” so that we can “be where He is also” – that is our real, permanent, eternal home and where we belong.
The epistles of Paul the Apostle give us details about this dominion of darkness. Consider this from his letter to the Ephesians:
“And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Ephesians 2: 1-4
Paul states explicitly in these verses that all of mankind are participating in or had participated in the dominion of darkness. Note that there is a “course” that we followed that is part of the demonic world system and Paul includes it with the following of the spiritual “prince of the power of the air” who controls this dominion. The word dominion (used in Colossians 1:13 quoted above) is defined as “the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority” aligning with these verses in Ephesians. Satan’s kingdom has authority over all of the people of this world who have not been transferred to the kingdom of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We as Christians were once under this demonic authority but have been redeemed by the payment of the life of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Satan and the spiritual and demonic entities associated with his kingdom were given a legal right to this authority over mankind when Adam and Eve sinned. God sent His son Jesus to rescue us from this situation. The death of Jesus on the cross removed the legal demands that were in place against us.
“…having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in Him.” Colossians 2: 14-15
We must also recognize that it is called the kingdom of darkness because those who are under the authority of this kingdom are in the dark and unaware that they are a part of it. The unbelievers think that they are free and not a part of any spiritual kingdom, but they are deceived and in reality, they are serving Satan. Satan is a deceiver, and his kingdom is built on lies. All mankind is serving in one kingdom or the other. This is what Jesus meant when He said that “any person who sins is a slave to that sin,” and all have sinned. Satan is the influential force behind the bondage of sin.
“Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.” John 8: 31-34
Jesus continues in this discussion with the religious Jews by associating their bondage to sin to their connection to the satanic kingdom, noting that by their actions they are confirming that their father is the devil:
“ I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father. [then a few verses later] You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” John 8: 37,38, 44
Jesus spent time with the tax collectors and sinners and was criticized by the religious Jews of the time. Notice how He responded:
“When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2:17
Those who are in the kingdom of darkness are enslaved to sin as a result of following the course of this world and being influenced by the prince of the power of the air, resulting in them fulfilling the passions of their flesh and desires of body and mind (see again Ephesians 2 quoted above). Jesus came to free them from this bondage. The repentance He refers to is a change of direction in their life and a change in their thinking and this is why a clear view of their deliverance from the kingdom of darkness is needed to facilitate a full and proper repentance.
At this point I have hopefully convinced you that the main purpose of the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, was to deliver us from the dominion (the authoritative control) of darkness (Satan’s kingdom) and to give us the ability to be accepted and adopted as children of God and part of the Kingdom of God under the kingship of Jesus Christ, and to avoid the wrath that is coming upon all those who have rejected the truth.
I am not suggesting that Christians will not see any improvements in their life after they are reconciled to God by the Lord Jesus. God can and will improve our life here on earth if we follow His instructions and sow good seeds in our life to produce good fruit, but we will not be able to truly follow God’s principles unless there is an internal transformation. This internal transformation is directly related to our understanding of our being rescued from the dominion of darkness and being transferred into the kingdom of God.
There is much to be said about how this understanding relates to our spiritual maturity but in the interest of brevity I will get directly to the point, and that is, if you are a Christian and still functioning in and focusing on the things of this world, then you are carnal and not spiritual. It doesn’t matter if you are attending a church regularly, or even if you are a deacon, Sunday school teacher, or on the pastoral staff, you are still carnal and spiritually immature. Consider this from Romans:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8
We need to understand what it means to “set your mind on the things of the flesh” that is, to be carnally minded, or conversely, and what it mean to “set your mind on the things of the spirit” that is, to be spiritually minded.
In the original Greek, the word translated as “set their minds on” is “phroneo” meaning (from Strong’s concordance): to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for. Carnal Christians are focused on, seeking after and striving for the things of this world, but spiritual Christians are focused on, seeking after and striving for the things of the Spirit.
Paul also uses the same word, phroneo, in Colossians (in bold):
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3: 1-4
We need to be focused on, seeking after and striving for the things of the kingdom of God, that is, the things above! We need to turn away from the things that have to do with this world and the kingdom of darkness. The scriptures make this very clear.
“Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3: 17-21
When we are functioning with our focus on the things in this world it yields bad fruit. Paul points this out to some of the Christians in Corinth:
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3: 1-3
When he says “behaving like mere men” he means that they are behaving like men who are in the world and still functioning in the kingdom of darkness, and that they don’t realize that they have been transferred into the kingdom of the Son and have not adjusted their thinking and actions accordingly.
When we make the unseen truths that have been revealed to us in the Scriptures, i.e. the Gospel message, a reality in our life through our faith, we can then put to death our old perspective and way of thinking and reset our focus and goals, placing our hope totally in the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God.
Carnally minded religious people may have a zeal for God but it is not in accordance with the revealed knowledge of the Gospel message. They have not applied this knowledge by exercising their faith. Paul said this about the religious Jews who were still following the law:
“but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.” Romans 9: 31-32
And then this:
“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” Romans 10: 2
Christians today can participate in all the activity that they consider to be making them acceptable to God such as attending church and church functions, donating money, or even studying the Scriptures, but if they don’t apply their faith to set their focus on the things of the Spirit – in accordance with the knowledge revealed in the Scriptures – then they will be carnally minded and remain associated with the dominion of darkness.
Paul says that he and his brethren were “in the flesh” when they were under the Old Testament law, referring to the fact that they were still carnally minded and functioning in the world’s system without true, transforming faith:
“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7: 5-6
Christians need to die to the old world system that they had been functioning in while a part of the kingdom of darkness. It needs to be put to death on a daily basis. This is why we need to die with Christ and consider ourselves as being raised with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places, in His kingdom.
“Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules” Colossians 2: 20
Consider also these quotes from Galatians:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
It is critically important that we recognize our position as children of God and members of the Kingdom of light. We need to separate ourselves from the kingdom of darkness and the false hopes and futile efforts associated with that kingdom as they will keep us in a carnal state of mind. We must learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
It is likely that you are not sure what it means to be carnally minded but you desire to be spiritually minded. Only God can show you clearly for your specific situation. You must seek Him and ask for discernment and that your conscience would guide you. I have found that if I am experiencing anxiety or am feeling heavy hearted or depressed, the root cause is usually associated with some carnal desire that has taken hold of the focus of my thinking in some way and must be put to death. God is faithful and will show you if you seek Him for it!
I leave you with this final exhortation from Paul from his letter to the Galatians:
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5: 16-26
Amen.
FaithHopeLove 