Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

394 / CORNERSTONE CURRICULUM STUDENT WORKBOOK

• Are there people in particular that you have not wanted to respond to the Lord? What does it mean to you that God may draw whomever he will at any time an from any place to be a part of his body and bride (cf. John 6.44)? • Do you think of yourself as a soldier of Jesus Christ, and if not, why not? If you feel comfortable with this imagery, why don’t you think it is more prominent and acceptable in our circles today? • Is it prudent to be using images, metaphors, and symbols of war today, with all of the conflict taking place in the world and the global concern about terrorism? Ought we to de-emphasize these symbols so as not to be misunderstood by others today? • Do you live as if you believe that the Kingdom of God has been reasserted in the presence of Jesus in the Church? Do you see your own local church as a “sign and foretaste of the Kingdom of God” on earth today? Why or why not? • Complete the following sentence: “If there was just one thing I could do to make these motifs come alive in my life right now, where I am, it would be . . .” modern Christians feel squeamish about them. In a world torn by terrorism, conflict, and war, many sincere Christians do not believe that such imagery and focus is helpful. Rather than pointing to the heart of the Gospel, the love of God expressed in the death of Jesus Christ for the world, such warfare imagery confuses people, imports ideas that are hard to understand in the world today, and even blur the overall vision of God’s compassion for the poor and the oppressed. Others (equally sincere and biblical) feel that to ignore or overlook the biblical emphasis on spiritual warfare is to miss perhaps the most commanding and important motif for understanding the spiritual world given in Scripture. These who see the value of warfare images would affirm that we do not fight against human beings, but for them against those powers which would seek to destroy them: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6.12). These images provide us with substantial insight into the world of Christian struggle for good against evil, and we ought to learn from them. Which of these groups are correct in communicating the nature of the War Images Not Edifying for Faith Although the Bible is abundant with the metaphors, images, symbolism, and mythic outline of cosmic war, of Yahweh as a warrior, and Christ as the great Victor over Satan, death, the curse, and the powers, many

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CASE STUDIES

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