15: The Reason for Spiritual Warfare

In the Unseen Warfare, Saints Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain and Theophan the Recluse tell us that “the enemy watches [us] constantly, waiting for an opportunity to sow evil in [us].” They implore us, “be doubly watchful over yourself, lest you fall in the nets spread for you.”

St. Maximos the Confessor observes that “God allows the demons to attack us for five reasons:

1. through being attacked and fighting back, we should learn to distinguish virtue from sin.
2. having acquired virtue by struggle and labor we should keep it firm and unalterable.
3. that progressing in virtue we should not think highly of ourselves but learn humility.
4. that having experienced in practice the wickedness of sin we should hate it with perfect hatred.
5. The fifth and most important is that, having been freed from the passions we should not forget our own weakness and the strength of Him that helped us.

Remember the words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

But do not allow this to unsettle you, dear Christian. There is a reason for spiritual warfare.

St. Nicholas of Serbia says: “Just as people do not enter a war in order to enjoy war, but in order to be saved from war, so we do not enter this world in order to enjoy this world, but in order to be saved from it. People go to war for the sake of something greater than war. So we also enter this temporal life for the sake of something greater: for eternal life.”