The following is a followup article by John Henderson after writing an extensive review of Dr. Harry Rimmer’s book, Internal Evidence of Inspiration. You can download the entire review here. You can also read the review on my blog at this link. Thank you to John for an excellent review of Dr. Rimmer’s book on such an important topic.
Battle For The Mind*, by John Henderson, Nov. 2013
After having sent out a 17-article review of an excellent book on the internal evidence of inspiration of the Bible, I realize it was only a small bit of the information that needs to be settled in the hearts and minds of the people of God. They are the only ones that will ever grasp its truth, and I am disinclined to debate the carnal-minded and heresy-oriented about it. It is ultimately a matter of the heart, of a personal relationship with Christ through salvation. That is how we understand the things of God. The heart is the seat of understanding, but the agency God uses to reach the heart is through the mind. Satan attacks the mind with deceptions and God enhances the obedient mind of the redeemed with truth.
Harry Rimmer acknowledged the agency of the devil in his arguments but did not specifically deal with it at length in his book on internal evidences of inspiration. Satan seeks whom he may devour and does so by attacking the mind.
A systematic study of Satan and his activities and agencies is known as demonology. Demon activity is as real as it ever has been but is more subtle than ever, traveling about in many disguises. It may be rawer in flourishing paganism but is no less dangerous wearing a tuxedo on Park Avenue. In fact, it may be more dangerous under “civilized” disguises.
Paul expressed his concern to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 11:3 (Amplified Bible): “But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Eve is a real person of history who is a prophetic symbol of the Christian experience when encountering deception. Sin may have come through the first man but deception came through the first woman. It was deception that led to sin.
The most important battle of our times is over the control of the mind, both in the world and among the people of God. Control for Satan is clear—to oppose God by damaging His Church. Control for human beings is totally selfish. Brought together, they are spiritually explosive and destructive in every direction.
We are engaged in a warfare that is not of the flesh (2 Corinthians 19:3-5). It cannot be won politically, socially, economically, intellectually, or militarily. It is waged on the spiritual plane and that is where it is won or lost.
This battle attempts to overthrow the strongholds of Christ-centered reasoning. Either Satan will prevail or God’s forces will make every thought captive to His will and way. The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe the truth and it takes the light of revelation to shine on such darkened minds and bring them over to Christ.
Humanity by nature is carnal, reprobate, and blind. It is at enmity with God and opposes Him “naturally” because of people being born in iniquity. They are enemies of God in the mind and then in behavior.
That mind can only be reached and conquered for Christ by the proclamation of the Scriptures. If the supernatural revelations of the Scriptures are replaced by the deceptive counterfeits of truth and people turn away from the Word of God, there can be no illumination of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, God’s only Agent of truth, uses the people of God to express His truth. Charlatans of deception soon run out of ways to deceive but they can keep repeating and many never catch on. In very truth, the soul that would know Christ must look and live, just as shown by the lifted serpent in the wilderness. If the mind is blocked by deception, the revelation of the Holy Spirit will not penetrate until the heart and mind is turned towards Him.
It comes to an important need in the Church—sanctification. We have well-stated doctrines about sanctification but few seem to actually put it to practice. A double-minded Christian is hampered by the nature of the old mind and will just as easily distort the truth as an intentional opponent from the devil. The Christian mind not only needs to be delivered but fully delivered in holiness. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ” is the command. Many get new hearts but hold onto the old head. Worldliness in the believer is more destructive to truth than paganism.
We can win the battle but it takes the full armor of God and a complete readiness to enter the battle. If we are being distracted by allurements around us, may God save us from ourselves and equip us for this battle.
* This article is inspired by a tract by Jessie Penn-Lewis of the same title and follows the general idea of the tract with application for this day and time.
Former Nazarene 