Crumbling Strongholds

by Christopher Hendrix

“Stand, Men of the West! Stand and wait! This is the hour of doom.” And even as he spoke, the earth rocked beneath their feet. Then, rising swiftly up, far above the Towers of the Black Gate, high above the mountains, a vast soaring darkness sprang into the sky, flickering with fire. The earth groaned and quaked. The Towers of the Teeth swayed, tottered, and fell down; the mighty rampart crumbled; the Black Gate was hurled in ruin; and from far away, now dim, now groaning, mounting to the clouds, there came a drumming rumble, a roar, a long echoing roll of ruinous noise.

This is one of the most incredible scenes in literary history. In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, this scene occurs in The Return of the King when the impregnable fortress of Mordor comes crashing down. Frodo destroyed the ring in Mount Doom, and the armies of the West immediately witnessed the walls' fall. The once strong and impenetrable Black Gate now crumbled like a stacked deck of cards. Victory rang out as the noise of the collapsing towers sang. The stronghold crumbled.

Listen to Pastor Chris teach on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.

The Stronghold of Sin

The stronghold of Mordor is fictional, but it represents the reality of sin in our lives and the church. Paul uses the stronghold analogy in 2 Corinthians 10:1–6 to describe a situation in the church at Corinth. The church had allowed slander and lies to spread about Paul, which impacted their Gospel living. These lies built up strongholds within the church that attacked the reputation of Paul but, ultimately, the Gospel. Questioning Paul’s apostleship had a direct connection to questioning the very truths he brought. The Corinthians entered into a danger zone entertaining such lies. The stronghold stood mighty.

Charging the Stronghold

But Paul was not shaken. These acts of slander were powerful in their own right, but those strongholds had nothing on the weapons Paul utilized. What did Paul do? What did Paul use? How did Paul react? First, in verses 1–2, we see the answer to what Paul did. He showed fearlessness in attacking the lies and the root of these lies. He did not cower or ignore. On the other hand, he did not blow up in rage or seek to get revenge. He prepared to act and fight, but not with weapons of the flesh. He was gentle with those who repented and bold with those who would not. He attacked the stronghold.

Combatting the Stronghold

Second, verses 3–4 tell us what Paul used. Human hands could not hold the weapons he brandished. The physical world could not touch his weaponry. He attacked with weapons made up of divine power. 2 Corinthians 6 points us to what these weapons consisted of. They were a moral and upstanding life, the Holy Spirit, and the power of God, which is the Gospel. (Romans 1:16–17; Ephesians 6) Paul attacked from a position of his life, doctrine, and the presence of God founded upon the Gospel. These weapons far outweigh any human tactics or cunning plans. These weapons destroy strongholds. A moral and upstanding life, lived in accordance with the Gospel, is a powerful weapon against sin. The Holy Spirit, given to us as a gift through the Gospel, provides us with strength and guidance. The power of God, which is the Gospel, is the ultimate weapon against sin and strongholds. Though the Black Gates stand tall and strong, these weapons rip them up. The Gospel makes the enemies of the Christian, sin, Satan, and the system of the world look like small ants….or maybe harmless stink bugs. The stronghold started to crumble through his total reliance upon the Gospel.

Crumbling the Stronghold

Finally, verses 5–6 tell of the destruction of the stronghold. The lies that make up the fortress's stone were revealed through the power of the Gospel. The slander dissipated at the showing of truth. The evil thoughts were bound by the truth of Christ. Every evil argument and illogical belief was crushed by the proclamation of the resurrection of Christ. The Gospel overcame the walls of this stronghold. The Gospel's logic, preaching, and truths stomp out all lies, heresies, and false beliefs. After the walls of the argument fall, Christ takes the person's thoughts captive. Christ owns the mind. His truth is reality, and that reality fills the brain. The Word of God instructs, corrects, and rebukes. It guides and leads to truth. It destroys everything false. This is the power of the Gospel in our lives. When we fully rely on the Gospel, it has the power to reveal the lies and deceptions that make up our strongholds, and to replace them with the truth of Christ. Then, those who continue in disobedience are dealt with. Those within the church who continue in disobedience despite the truth being made clear will be disciplined. Those who respond and repent will be received.

These crumbling strongholds were erected by sin. Their foundations were laid at the welcoming and embracing of an idolatrous heart. What about you? Are you struggling with sin? Are you being overrun and overcome by temptations, anger, anxiety, or depression? Are you in a relational battle right now due to slander and lies? Is your marriage a struggle? Is parenting a losing battle? These strongholds may seem overpowering. The walls may seem too high to scale, and the gates may seem too strong to break through. Every time you attack it, you’re overcome by their might. But remember this vital truth. The power to fight is not in you or your ability. You're tapping into fleshly weapons when you try to use human devices to fight, such as anger, deception, lies, manipulation, psychology, or compromise. These will always fail. They can’t win and conquer your sin or the relational struggles. The strongholds will remain.

But, there is one weapon that nothing can overcome. It is the atomic bomb in WW2. It’s Isildur’s sword in the Lord of the Rings. It’s the Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s the unconquerable power in every story. It’s the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If this weapon brought your dead heart to life, i.e. brought about resurrection, then how much more will it defeat sin and conform you to Christ. The power of the Spirit through the Gospel is your source of strength. It must be the place you run to. Turn your eyes to Christ amid intense temptation, a spike in anger, a bout of depression, an overpowering anxiety, and relational confrontation. Look to the Word to gird you up and to go to battle. When you do, God doesn’t take you from the fight but through the fight. We aren’t given the Spirit to run from the strongholds but to confront them with truth and destroy them. Whether it’s our sin, dealing with conflict, or opportunities for evangelism, the Gospel is the power of God to transform lives. The Gospel crumbles strongholds.