Session 2: Pre-Work Takeaway
Personally, I am someone who has caused grief to spiritual mentors, friends, and family in the past, due to my own fall away. Eventually, as I made a return back to having faith in Christ, I was met with the forgiveness, comfort and love that Paul speaks about in 2 Corinthians 2:1-11. From this very personal experience, it is part of what motivates me to support others in the same way of Grace.
However, I do have some uncertainty about the the Gospel of Grace that "extends authority and victory over spiritual enemies despite ignorance, previous willing agreement, and previous sin" (pg. 90 in the textbook). To my understanding just because this grace is available, doesn't mean that an individual is experiencing the benefit of it (fully). They would have to know to access it in order to receive it (fully). Is this correct?
It's in my experience that unless individuals know of this truth and access it, spiritual enemies are able to continue perpetuating harm.
Someone, please correct me if I'm misunderstanding! Still learning, myself😊
Hi Kirsten! Thank you for engaging the pre work and posting your thinking here. I think you’re absolutely on the right track. To your point, an individual would have to know the truth in order to operate fully in their authority. The connection to grace here is that previous willing agreement and previous sin don’t disqualify a person from entering that authority. In other words, we have the right to change our mind (repent) in the power of grace. When it comes to spiritual enemies, all legal rights are removed after we repent and in that regard, the old decisions and old agreements don’t disqualify our authority. (It’s like an old friend who doesn’t want you to change and uses what you used to do ah proof that you’re still the same). Grace provides a statute of limitations so to speak. And sometimes, we don’t know everything there is to know about our spiritual enemies, but grace gives us the authority we need to confront it with truth and power. What are your thoughts about this?