Winning the War Within

Facing trials, temptations, and inner struggles

Miles J. Stanford

WINNING THE WAR WITHIN, by Dr. Charles Stanley (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988; 191 pages).

DR. CHARLES STANLEY is senior pastor of the 12,000-member First Baptist Church in Atlanta. He has written a number of popular books, and his "In Touch" radio and TV program is nationwide.

The author received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Richmond, his bachelor of divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and his masters and doctorate degrees of theology from Luther Rice Seminary. He has twice been elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He has hosted demon deliverance conferences in his church, with such speakers as Drs. Mark I. Bubeck, Victor M. Matthews, and C. Fred Dickason. Being a one-naturist, his church has an "Advanced Exchanged Life Sunday School Class," based upon the one-nature teachings of Dr. Charles R. Solomon.

This Polemic Paper is a brief critique of Winning the War Within. As far as the author's teaching goes, the title might well have been Losing the Battle Within. His statements are in italics--all emphases are ours.

Every victory you experience is a testimony to both Satan and the world that God is at work restoring things to their original state, a state in which Satan has no place or power (p. 31).

EARTH VS. HEAVEN -- From the very outset the author is on Jewish, Covenant ground, above which he does not lead the reader throughout the book. Conditions in Israel's Millennial Kingdom will be "Edenic," but the Church, the Body of Christ, is heavenly; and that position of the Bride is beyond Israel as the heavens are above the earth.

All our struggles are spiritual in nature. Each one is a part of an ongoing struggle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Every temptation is a small part of a universal struggle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of the living God (p. 32).

SOVEREIGN CONTROL -- Without a sovereign Father, Dr. Stanley does not go very far in his leadership of thousands; and he goes too far concerning Satan. Hence he and his followers are victims of the demon deliverance error. Satan is subject to our sovereign Father from start to finish:

Although Lucifer was created with a free will, he used that freedom to oppose the will of God, and thereby lost it. From Satan's fall in heaven, until his final fall into the lake of fire, the Enemy is enslaved and controlled by our Father. Although a terrible antagonist, Satan is nonetheless a defeated foe. His doom was pronounced in Eden (Gen. 3:15); his doom was sealed at Calvary (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14); and his doom will be realized in the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

Through the years it has been sad to see so many otherwise gifted leaders attempt to lock horns with Satan in a so-called "deliverance ministry." In time, they inevitably go down into ignominious and crippling defeat, whether it be physical, mental, moral, or spiritual.

Well-meaning as some of them would seem to be, they are nevertheless attempting to function in the wrong dispensation--whether past, or future. Today, the believer is to rest in his position in the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ, and resist Satan, by faith in the finished work of the Cross. --Selected

Satan can create nothing, nor can he perpetuate any evil, physical or moral, without God's sanction. The Enemy's purpose in the divine program is outlined, the span of his perpetuation is set, and his inevitable doom is sealed.

Not a hair of the child of God can fall without the Father's permission. Satan is but the unintentional instrument to accomplish the Father's will; he can do no more than he is allowed to do. If trials come as a host against us, we know that the Almighty is between us and them. They will but work for us His own purposes of love. --Samuel Ridout

VERSES VERSUS FAITH -- Not knowing and relying upon the Father's sovereignty and the extent of Satan's Cross-defeat, Dr. Stanley fails to give the scriptural answer for the believer concerning Satan:

To effectively combat the onslaughts of the enemy, you need an arsenal of verses on the tip of your tongue. Every man, for instance, should have several verses on the tip of his tongue that have to do with lust and immorality (p. 138).

The author needs to progress beyond verses quoted, to reliance upon the truths they embody. Scripture verses memorized and quoted are one thing; faith resting upon what Scripture teaches, is quite another. Satan will back off and flee from one truth--his total defeat at Calvary. It is that fact upon which the believer is to quietly rely, where the defeated one is concerned.

"Resist the devil [via the finished work of the Cross], and he will flee from you." "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfastly in the faith [concerning the Cross-defeat]" (James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9).

Moreover, when it comes to sin, whether lust, immorality, or whatever, it is not a matter of quoting verses of Scripture. Rather, the believer is to count himself as having died to sin, and now to be alive unto God (Rom. 6:11). On the basis of that faith, one is to walk in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

You are alive to God. His power resides in you. This is the same power that moved Christ through this life without His once giving in to temptation. If you will put it to use, you too can move through your days and nights in victory.

How do we resist temptation? Who has struggled with the same problems and dealt with them successfully as well as consistently? If Jesus is "the pro," then we would do well to study His strategy for dealing with temptation (p. 97).

If the Son of God never reached the point where He was above being tempted, it is highly unlikely you would ever reach such a point in this life time, either (p. 164) .

IMPECCABLE LORD -- The author errs concerning the Father's sovereignty over Satan, hence it is natural for him to fail concerning the Lord Jesus' impeccability as to sin. The Lord Jesus never "struggled" against temptation and sin! He was never tempted by Satan's temptations!

He was, and is, the pure Lamb of God, "a Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin." "For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (1 Pet. 1:19,20; 1 John 3:3; John 14:30).

As James tells us, there must be a nature capable of sinning in order for one to bring forth sins (1:14,15). But there was no sinful element in His human/divine life and nature. If the outworking is to be sinless, the life and nature must be incapable of sinning, impeccable. "For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches" (Rom. 11: 16).

Just who was in charge of the wilderness encounter between the Savior and Satan? Who was tested, and by whom? According to the Word, God took the initiative, not Satan. "Then was Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil" (Matt. 4:1).

Satan's temptations and testings of Christ but revealed to him, and all heaven and earth, that there was nothing in the Savior to respond. Perfect purity is its own strength, and requires no power to struggle against temptation and sin--it is neither touched nor affected by it.

Defeat, there is nothing but defeat for the defeated god of this condemned world. And because of Satan's total rout at Calvary, even the weakest of Christians can resist him by faith, on the basis of the finished work of the Cross--from which the conquered Adversary flees in submission and terror.

It is as Dr. Chafer once said, "The Lord Jesus was not tested with a view to ascertain whether He would fail, but rather to prove to those of doubtful mind that He could not fail!"

One suggestion is to get in the habit [!] of quoting these verses audibly when you are tempted. I do not believe Satan and his host can read our minds. If that is true, simply thinking through a verse poses no threat to the enemy. [Pity the poor mute!]. When you speak the truth out loud, you are reminded that you are not your enemy. And He that is within you is not your enemy. Your enemy is the devil (p. 142).

SELF-RESPONSIBLE -- Being a one-naturist, believing that the old Adamic life is eradicated, Dr. Stanley blames all sin upon Satan. This detracts from personal responsibility for sinning; i.e., Satan made me do it, or, Satan did it.

Although not responsible for indwelling sin, Paul assumed full responsibility for his sins. "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." "Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:18,24). He did not ask, who shall deliver me from Satan?

The truth that Paul wants you to understand is that when you became a Christian, you were placed in God's family through adoption (p. 95).

ADOPTION VS. BIRTH -- Consistently the author falls short, all to the detriment of the reader. "Adoption" is not so much a word of relationship as of position. In regeneration the believer receives the life and nature of a child of the Father; in adoption, he receives the position of a son of God.

We were not adopted into the family of God. Adoption is a legal transaction, and has nothing to do with a relationship of life. The nation of Israel is to be the adopted son of God, but the Church has a relationship of new-creation life. Paul said, "My brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises" (Rom. 9:3,4).

How did we as Christians enter the family of God? By spiritual birth--children of the Father by a living relationship of nature--sons of God as a result--plus our legal adoption in that birth. "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16).

The New Scofield Reference Bible note (p. 1221) states: "'Children' is from the Greek teknon meaning one born, a child, and so in vss. 17,21; not, as in vs. 14, 'sons' (Greek huios)."

His real problem was Lordship. He wasn't willing to allow Jesus Christ to be Lord of his relationships (p. 174).

Most eradicationists follow the Covenant line of Lordship--both for justification, and for sanctification. Christ's Lordship is primarily found in the Synoptics. It is the stage where believers try to do for the Lord; to one degree or another it results in the Romans Seven struggle.

One might refer to the Lordship motivation as the adolescent stage of the Christian life. That is as far as the Lordship advocates see, and they tragically think that is the way the Christian life should be. Anything short of Lordship they consider to be an unsaved condition; anything beyond, antinomian. Centering upon Lordship deters the believer from coming to know Christ as his Life. Being under His Lordship constitutes law--doing. Knowing Him as Life constitutes grace--being.

Now that you have seen the truth, work to make it a part of your experience (p. 171).

LAW VS. GRACE -- This book does not rise above the ground of the legal principle--do, in order to be. But the Christian life is growth by means of faith in the truth, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (John 8:32; 2 Pet. 3:18).

Having someone to whom we can spill our guts provides us with a temporary substitution from the frustration we feel as well as the sin we are tempted to commit. Everyone needs someone to run to, someone who will listen, pray, and offer wise counsel when appropriate. Individuals who have someone like that will find it much easier to deal with temptation, for they have an alternative.

... He described the measures he went to in order to be freed from his addiction: fasting, praying, crying out to God. But nothing seemed to work. Then he said something I will never forget. He said, "I realize now that if I had turned to my brother and sisters in Christ for help, I would have been delivered" (p. 156).

NO SUBSTITUTES, PLEASE -- Here the author is advocating the monitor system, which is presently all the rage in the Charismatic Promise Keepers movement. The idea is to find someone to whom you can tell all, someone who has or had comparable problems and temptations. This is supposed to provide encouragement, in knowing that you are not the only one with such temptations and sin.

But two negatives do not make a positive; they but compound the problem. There is also the ethical aspect--that of freely and fully sharing intimate family information with another, or a group--thereby violating the privacy of husband, wife, family, etc.

The most costly aspect of such sharing, besides betrayal of confidence, is that it replaces intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One to whom to confess and share. He is the One who fully understands and cares; the One who is the answer to all problems, temptations, and sin.

When we fall we then should pray, "Lord, humble my spirit before You. Purify my sinful heart" (p. 186).

David wanted God to completely cleanse his heart and restore him. After that process was complete, David wanted God to allow him to teach other sinners the ways of God (p. 188).

WHICH HEART? -- More error, more leading the reader astray concerning vital matters. The source of sin in the believer is neither cleansed nor purified. If it were, sinning would cease. Sins springing from that Adamic source are forgiven. "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light ... the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin [committed]." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [resulting from those sins]" (1 John 1:7,9).

The "clean," or "cleansed heart" is a common Arminian holiness expression. But the question is, Which heart? Scripture speaks of two natures, the "old," and the "new." Which of these two is meant? If it is to be the "old" nature, then nothing can cleanse it! God has declared it to be "desperately wicked," and impossible of renovation. Christ declared that all evil springs from this old heart (Matt. 15:16-20).

And if it be the "new" nature, it requires no cleansing! The old heart or nature has been judged and condemned by God, and for His own it has been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:6). The new nature cannot sin, for it is born of God (1 John 5:18).

The diversity between the "old" and the "new" is declared in John 3:6: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." And their hostility is declared in Galatians 5:17: "These are contrary the one to the other." The flesh is never changed into spirit, and the spirit is never changed into flesh.

This teaching of the "cleansed heart" perverts the great truth of our position. And owing to the denial by some and the criminal silence observed by others as to the great doctrine and truth of the two natures in the believer, Satan has filled up the vacuum thus left with the results which we so deplore. --Selected

LOST CAUSE -- Here at the end of the book titled Winning the War Within, which is supposed to teach the way of "victory," the author suggests that one may need a counselor to help him "make the discovery that could set you free.":

You may need help discovering the root of your particular problem. It could be something related to your childhood that you cannot remember. [That again?!] It may be something more recent that you have failed to connect with your present temptations. Whatever it is, you may need a counselor to help you make the discovery that could set you free (p. 187).

One thing is sadly certain; this book does not provide the answer for those who are fighting the civil war within. Dr. Stanley has included nothing concerning the indwelling Adamic self-life; nothing of the liberating Cross in the life of the believer; nothing of the believer's realizing and occupying his heavenly position in the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

Rather, this book is a textbook on "How to Lose the War Within! It is very similar to the Jay Adams book of Covenant failure, titled The War Within. Neither has His answer, so clearly set forth in the Pauline rightly-divided Word of truth. With Paul, Andrew Murray ever points positionally:

Walking in dependence upon the Spirit, He leads up our hearts to where we are in the Lord Jesus at the Father's right hand. The new man finds delight in Him and nowhere else. The Spirit is the living link between us and the Son in glory. He causes us to gaze upon Him, and be formed into His image, from glory to glory. This is true Christianity--the heart drawn off things here, and lovingly occupied with the One who is our Christian Life.

Resting in Him

Miles

MJStanford

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(Materials by Miles J. Stanford are republished here under exclusive permission from the author.)