We see challenges in our culture that. Will we seek God’s truth and live by it?
What does it mean to be captive? Both in a positive way and a negative way.
If we are not diligent of taking captive every thought to be applied by God’s truth, we run the risk of those thoughts running rampit.
Paul was being of sounding strong in his letters, but being weak and timid while he was there in person. He addressed this by affirming that there is a spiritual battle happening.
And the weapons that we use are very different than those of physical warfare. And these weapons are strong enough to destroy strongholds. Notice that the enemy’s strongholds are already built.
The enemy will create arguments against and pretension (ignoring of evidence) in our world. And it is through God’s will and word that those arguments and pretensions will be struck down.
We hold captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. The church at Corinth was one of the first church closings that we know of. They allowed the arguments divide to the point that the church failed.
Since then we have the benefit of being able to have the Bible in our possession all the time.
Once we are in a place where we submit to God’s word, we can then trust our disernment in our lives and the lives of those who walk with us to know if we are walking in righteousness.
Don’t be held captive by this world. A world that is contrary to God’s purposes. Make sure you are not putting the world’s traditions, beliefs, and philosophy above God’s will. But we will not be able to know or anticipate all the ways the world tries to hold us captive.
When a bank teller is being taught about counterfeit money, they are not given all the known counterfeits and told to learn each one. Instead, they are given real money and told to fully learn what is real. Then when they come in contact with some counterfeit bill they are aware of it because it does not fit with what it means to be real.
In the same way, we cannot get caught up in the different philosophies and beliefs in the world. It would be too much for us. Instead, we need to fully embrace the truth of Christ. We then live in that truth and fully know what it means. Then we can recognize when the world presents a counterfeit truth.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (ESV)
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (ESV)
6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (ESV)
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (ESV)