For all that the movie The Hurt Locker got wrong, it did get at least one thing right. At the end of the movie, the main character (played by Jeremy Renner), who had been recently deployed to a combat zone, stands in a grocery store cereal aisle. The look on Renner's face, the emptiness of the store, and the dull music in the background all communicate one thing: picking out cereal seems massively trivial and inconsequential compared to defusing bombs in a war zone. The next few scenes show Renner's character struggling to find meaning and joy in daily tasks: cleaning the gutters, making dinner with his wife, and playing with his son.
I think this mindset can be fairly characteristic of returning veterans and even police officers. The temptation is there, even if only slightly. On deployment or on duty as a cop, the job takes first priority. People's lives, yours and your friends', are on the line. The work is serious and important, and the temptation is to think that this is real life, this is what really matters. Our appetite and desire for the normal things in life can fall by the wayside as we think they are trivial and boring pursuits. No one's life is on the line when our days revolve around grocery trips and mundane household chores, or so we think.
But the Bible describes a war far more dangerous than any American city street or insurgent held city- a spiritual warfare. From the enmity between man and the snake (Gen. 3:15) to the snake's undoing in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10), the language of the Bible is the language of warfare. The various biblical authors did not borrow ideas from physical combat to help explain the nature of spiritual warfare. Rather, physical combat exists because spiritual combat exists. Spiritual combat is the original; physical combat is the shadow of the deeper reality of spiritual combat.
That being the case, spiritual warfare is much more worthy of our time and energy than physical combat. There is a strong temptation and tendency for Christian police or military members to spend time and energy training and preparing for the latter while neglecting the former. Here are three reasons not to do so:
Spiritual Combat Occurs Much More Frequently Than Physical Combat
I have been deployed to two different combat zones (Iraq and Afghanistan) as an infantry Marine, and not once did I pull the trigger in combat. I never had to. Other warriors have not had the same experience. It is not that uncommon for contemporary warriors to have four or five combat tours of duty where they have been involved in serious fighting. Modern warfare being what it is, this fighting can last for weeks or months at a time with little to no break. However, no matter how long or intense one's combat experience may be, it pales in comparison to the longevity of their spiritual combat experience. Spiritual combat is a certainty day in and day out.
The Enemies in Spiritual Combat are More Powerful Than Any Enemy in Physical Combat
The Taliban or that 6 foot 220 pounds of solid muscle criminal may be formidable opponents. But (assuming you are on the right side of just combat), they are simply servants of a much more powerful master. These earthly enemies follow and serve "the prince of the power of the air [the devil]" (Eph. 2:2). How many police officers can subdue the criminal but are powerless against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11)? Or how many subdue and arrest the criminal but fail to see that, in the ultimate spiritual war, they are fighting for the same side and serve the same master as the criminal?
In addition to the devil, who is constantly on the hunt for prey (1 Peter 5:8), spiritual combat has the added enemies of the world and the flesh. We are essentially in enemy-held territory, as "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Obedience to Jesus puts us in conflict with the mindset of the world; the Word tells us in unambiguous terms there will be opposition (2 Timothy 3:12).
Our flesh (the old, unspiritual person we were before being born again), in one sense, has been crucified and is dead (Col. 3:3; Romans 6:8). In another sense, however, he remains alive, conspiring from the inside with the world and the devil to bring about our destruction. Paul describes a vicious battle between the old and new man in Romans chapter 7, a battle every believer knows all too well.
The Stakes are Higher in Spiritual Combat
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). What's at stake in physical combat is your life; with spiritual combat it is your soul. What good does it do for the world and your soul if you arrest dangerous criminals but spend your career ignoring your family? Who cares if you help liberate an oppressed country with military force if you never act in obedience to Christ, thereby showing the genuineness of your professed faith in him? You may be an excellent warrior, able to accomplish your mission and stay alive at the "moment of truth," but it does no good if you lose your soul in the end.
Part of the thrill and joy of being a warrior is that you feel you are a part of something meaningful, some cause greater than yourself. You are fighting for your country or protecting your citizens. This is absolutely a good and God-honoring passion, but it is a testament to the power of our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) that we can be blind to the greater warfare occurring all around us. Being a warrior is a honorable calling, but it should not be your main pursuit and passion in life. Many a great warrior who fought for a righteous cause is in hell. "His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love" (Psalm 147:10-11). The Lord delights in those who fear him; let him be our main pursuit and passion in life.
Spiritual warfare does occur while doing your job as a warrior. Will we be brave or cowardly? Will we act honestly and justly? Will we be lazy and turn a blind eye to evil? Are we acting through faith in Christ or are we seeking human approval and glory? However, spiritual warfare occurs much more often and can be much more intense in the everyday areas of our lives. The Bible is full of stories about warriors and combat, but it teaches that our growth in godliness is more important than our combat effectiveness. "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city" (Proverbs 16:32). It can take more strength not to grumble when you have to take out the trash than it takes to win a gunfight. We should train extensively for combat, but let it not be our all-consuming passion. There is a greater war and a greater cause out there. Through the strength, freedom, and grace that Christ provides, let us fight the good fight of faith, knowing that because of the gospel, all things are ultimately working together for our eternal good.
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