Jesus Revealed in Doctrine THE STRONG MAN
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger man than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. Luke 11:21, 22.
Have you ever wondered what these verses meant? There's a similar verse in Mark 3:27: "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." The mind is the "strong man" of every individual. The enemy who comes trying to destroy us has to first bind the strong man. The big battle in this conflict between good and evil is the battle for your mind.
The subject of health has always been of great interest to Seventh-day Adventists because there is a definite connection between health and our minds. At the very beginning, when sin first entered, Satan first of all had to bind the strong man. And he succeeded in that. But when Jesus came on His mission of salvation, He bound Satan and Jesus has been the victor ever since. However, when it comes to the battle for each individual, Christ and Satan are in constant conflict, and it isn't just at the beginning but at every stage of the Christian life. It is the battle for our minds.
Jesus made it clear that it is the mind that counts. It is not the outward actions that are of primary importance. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). God has always looked at the heart. And when we speak of the heart, we are referring to the mind, even though there are other meanings the word heart may have in Scripture. The heart, or mind, is the strong man of each person.
Before we come into personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we have what is called in Romans 8:7 the carnal mind. But God has made provision through the gospel to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2). Testimonies, volume 3, page 162, says that if men do not keep their bodies holy, they are unfit to be spiritual worshippers. Seventh-day Adventists believe in the harmonious development of the physical, mental, and spiritual powers, and have long emphasized this. There is a close connection between the body and the mind. It is through the mind that we communicate with God and thus become one with Him.
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger man than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. Luke 11:21, 22.
Have you ever wondered what these verses meant? There's a similar verse in Mark 3:27: "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." The mind is the "strong man" of every individual. The enemy who comes trying to destroy us has to first bind the strong man. The big battle in this conflict between good and evil is the battle for your mind.
The subject of health has always been of great interest to Seventh-day Adventists because there is a definite connection between health and our minds. At the very beginning, when sin first entered, Satan first of all had to bind the strong man. And he succeeded in that. But when Jesus came on His mission of salvation, He bound Satan and Jesus has been the victor ever since. However, when it comes to the battle for each individual, Christ and Satan are in constant conflict, and it isn't just at the beginning but at every stage of the Christian life. It is the battle for our minds.
Jesus made it clear that it is the mind that counts. It is not the outward actions that are of primary importance. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). God has always looked at the heart. And when we speak of the heart, we are referring to the mind, even though there are other meanings the word heart may have in Scripture. The heart, or mind, is the strong man of each person.
Before we come into personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we have what is called in Romans 8:7 the carnal mind. But God has made provision through the gospel to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2). Testimonies, volume 3, page 162, says that if men do not keep their bodies holy, they are unfit to be spiritual worshippers. Seventh-day Adventists believe in the harmonious development of the physical, mental, and spiritual powers, and have long emphasized this. There is a close connection between the body and the mind. It is through the mind that we communicate with God and thus become one with Him.
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