About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman

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Pitching And Defence Wins

 

Ask most life-long baseball fans and they will tell you that pitching and defence wins baseball games.  Yes, we love it when the clean-up hitter smashes the ball out of the park, but statistics remain true.  If the defence consistently allows runners to cross home plate, the team is likely to lose the game.  Earl Weaver, the 1980's hall-of-fame manager of the Baltimore Orioles correctly said: "Pitching, defense, and the three run homer wins the game."  The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays prove that to be true.  In most offensive stats, the Jays lead the league, but, due to poor pitching, something they are now rectifying, they're only a couple games over five hundred in the win column. 

 

The defensive posture as noted in baseball is a natural universal law.  The best way to survive any opposition, whatever that may be, is a good defence.  Proper food, clothing, exercise, and right living, builds up a healthy immune system that thwarts the viral attack.  The same applies to our lives as Christians, as seen in James 4:7.      

 

"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

 

Much can be said about this short verse, but I will only comment on the words "resist the devil" because we often think of our conflict with Satan as being an aggressive, offensive fight.  James says otherwise. 

 

The Greek word "anthistemi" is translated as "resist" in James 4:7.  This Greek word consists of "anti," meaning "against," and "histemi," meaning "cause to stand."  We derive our English word "antihistamine" from this Greek word, which is appropriate to what James was writing.  Anthistemi or resist in this context means to rise up and stand against Satan.  Merely standing strong is not an offensive posture.  It's defensive, as in defence wins. 

 

The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:10 and following listed the spiritual armour that is able to cause us to stand strong against satanic attack.  If you read this passage you will note that all the armour listed is defensive in nature.  Even the sword, which you might think is offensive, is a Roman short, knife-like sword that is likely a defensive sword, as seen in the Greek text.  The word "stand" is used four times in this passage, confirming that Paul had defence in mind and not offense.  Paul does not say that we can kill Satan, bind him or send him to prison with any offensive tactic.  Jesus will do that, as seen in Revelation 20:10.  Until then, our defensive stance will cause the devil to flee, or become a fugitive from us, as the Greek word "pheugo" that is translated as flee means.               

 

I'm not ruling out any offense in our battle with the satanic world, assuming our offense is not humanistic in nature, which it often is.  What I am saying is that without an effective defence that builds up our spiritual immune system, the devil will not flee from us.  As in baseball, the best offense is a good defence.

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