Into Battle
The following is from the 13th Chapter of Fr Longenecker’s book “Immortal Combat.”
“…Once we accept that we are to blame for our part and the Sin of the World, we also except that, by our own power, we can do nothing about it. Sure, we might try very hard to through self-discipline to battle against evil, but the odds are against us. The powers of darkness are greater than our weak efforts.”
So we turn instead to the One who has already defeated these dark forces, and we sign up as members of His army. We turn to Jesus Christ, who broke the power of Satan, and we align ourselves with His victory. We look to Him not only as our example and guide, but also as the supernatural source of spiritual energy and strength.
We align ourselves with His victory by putting ourselves into Christ, His cross, and His resurrection. This is what Saint Paul means when he writes, “’Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?’” (Rom.6:3). He repeats, “’we were baptized into Christ’” (Gal. 3:27). We have “’put on the Lord Jesus Christ’” (Rom. 13:14). Jesus Christ is “’in us’” (see 2 Cor. 13:5). This is not just a metaphor, a symbol, or a religious way of speaking.
It is a reality.
We really have been plunged into Christ and into the victory He won 2000 years ago.
Jesus taught the same lesson: we are to live “’in Him and He in us.’” He is the vine, and we are the branches. If we remain in him, we will bear much fruit, but without him we can do nothing.
The power unleashed by the death of Christ lives in us. We have His spirit within us so that we can remain in Him and He in us.
To live in this faith is to abide, day by day, in the victory of Christ over evil. But remembering His victory is completely one with His being a victim, we also see that to live in Him is to live in the Lamb of God – and to live in the Lamb of God, we must walk in the Way of the Lamb.
The way of the lamb is the way of forgiveness – first for ourselves and then for others. This Way of the Lamb begins by a apprehending the mystery of the Lamb and His mission – at the depth of our being…”