On this matter, their cultural conditioning clouded their vision of God’s true character and will as it is revealed in the crucified Christ and developed in the NT. For example, according to Paul, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). We are to battle cosmic foes, not human foes. And one of the primary ways we battle cosmic foes is by refusing to battle human foes, choosing instead to love and bless them.
