Arthur W. Pink on Spiritual Warfare

“There are some who teach that those Christians who engage in spiritual fighting are living below their privileges. They insist that God is willing to do all our fighting for us. Their pet slogan is, ‘Let go, and let God.’ They say that the Christian should turn the battle over to Christ. There is a half truth in this, yet only a half truth, and carried to extremes it becomes error. The half truth is that the child of God has no inherent strength of his own: says Christ to His disciples, ‘Without me, ye can do nothing’ (John 15:5). Yet this does not mean that we are to be merely passive, or that the ideal state in this life is simply to be galvanized automations. There is also a positive, an active, aggressive side to the Christian life, which calls for the putting forth of our utmost endeavours, the use of every faculty, a personal and intelligent co-operation with Christ.

“There is not a little of what is known as ‘the victorious life’ teaching which is virtually a denial of the Christian’s responsibility. It is lopsided. While emphasizing one aspect of truth, it sadly ignores other aspects equally necessary and important to be kept before us. God’s Word declares that ‘every man shall bear his own burden’ (Galatians 6:5), which means, that he must discharge his personal obligation. Saints are bidden to ‘Cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit’ (2 Cor. 7:1), and to ‘keep themselves unspotted from the world’ (James 1:27). We are exhorted to ‘overcome evil with good’ (Rom. 12:21). The apostle Paul declared, ‘I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection’ (1 Cor. 9:27). Thus, to deny that a Christian is called upon to engage in a ceaseless warfare with the flesh, the world, and the Devil, is to fly in the face of many plain Scriptures.”

From The Fight of Faith