The Christian in Complete Armour - Gurnall - IX - Direction Second commenced

Required reading
The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the First General Part of Direction Second.

My summary
Today's we begin unpacking what it means to wrestle not against flesh and blood.

Gurnall teaches us that the word 'wrestle' indicates:

(i) the sharpness of the combat;

(ii) the universality of the combat;

(iii) the permanency of the combat.

These may be summed up with the point that the Christian's life here is a continual wrestling with sin and Satan.

Gurnall then gives:

(i) reproof to such as are not true wrestlers;

(ii) reproof to those who seem to wrest against sin but not according to the word of command that Christ gives.

What grabbed me
I was helped by the encouragement to replace the love for sin with love for Christ: 'Let men resolve never so strongly against sin, yet will it creep again into their favour, till the love of sin be quenched in the heart; and this fire will never die of itself, the love of Christ must quench the love of sin, as Jerome [saith] excellently [one love extinguishes another.] This heavenly fire will indeed put out the flame of hell...'

Love for Christ is the silver bullet against sin.

Next week's reading
Read Division First of Second General Part of Direction Second.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.