God, Evil, Suffering, Spiritual Warfare

This semester I'm taking a class called God, Evil, and Suffering. I've been wondering for the last month when it would be a good time to bring up the idea of spiritual warfare. This week is the time. Here is my precept paper I wrote for this week.

This whole semester I’ve been wondering why we haven’t spent any time talking about where the devil might fit into the problem of evil. The whole idea of spiritual warfare is something that I believe to be real and therefore have wondered when it would be best to bring up that subject in precept. Our reading in Hall’s book, God and Human Suffering gave me a reason to bring up the subject of spiritual warfare.
In the section of the Theology of the Cross, Hall writes, “What adjective do we use for God more frequently (especially in our prayers) than ‘Almighty’? Jesus, in our hymns and liturgies, turns out again and again to be the Victor, the Conqueror, the Warrior-prince, the Captain of souls, the Slayer of foes. The church is ‘like a mighty army,’ a powerful and glorious movement, a crusade, waging battle (mission?) against all comers. The life of faith, accordingly, is a fight, a conflict with unbelievers, a struggle against the flesh, and so on.”[1] He goes on to say that this type of power betrays the more subtle “wisdom of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1-2 and that the only power that can address suffering humanity is the power of love made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I don’t believe that type of power Hall talks about betrays the wisdom of the cross. What I do believe is that on the cross is where we find that power. It’s just not revealed to us until the resurrection occurs. I believe that within the suffering of Christ comes victory. According to 1 John 3:8, “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 says that since the children of God share flesh and blood, Christ himself shared the same things, “so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Paul also encourages people in his letter to the Ephesians. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”[2]
I believe that we are in the middle of spiritual warfare. In John 10:10, Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but that He has come to bring abundant life. I believe there is a thief at work in the world, and in individual people as well. But then the question could be raised, “Did God decide to plant us within this spiritual warfare?” I would answer no. When I read Genesis, I read that God created humankind in his image. It was after He created humankind that we were tempted and gave into temptation. I believe it was, and is, our giving into temptation that gives the devil a foothold in this world.

[1] Hall, Douglas John, God and Human Suffering, pg. 106
[2] Ephesians 6:10-12