"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." - 2 Cor. 10:5
The “strong holds” that are pulled down are imaginations and human reasoning. These verses are usually given a particular slant that limits their meaning, namely, that “casting down imaginations” means we are to bring into captivity every thought in our own head to the obedience of Christ. In other words, we think of the “imaginations” as being merely in our own head. But in this chapter, Paul was referring to the imaginations of not only our own head but also the heads of others. False teachers talked to the Corinthians about what God’s will is, but their instruction was of human reasoning. The lesson is that as Christians, we have to be careful of and to cast out from our minds all human reasoning. We must be sure that what a “teacher” says squares with the Word of God. We are to be wary of not only our own imagination but also the imagination of others—of “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,” especially with regard to those in a teaching role. We are engaged in mental warfare— a war of the mind and thinking. The false teachers spoke with authority, assuming they were superior to Paul, and did not recognize him as an apostle. They were presumptuous in their thinking, and Paul told the Corinthians to be careful in accepting such human reasoning.
Each Christian should bring “into captivity every thought [in his own mind] to the obedience of Christ.” What a person says is imagination if it is not backed up with Scripture. The Bereans, who readily heard, or received, what Paul said and then searched the Scriptures daily to see if his words were true, had the proper attitude. We, too, are to test every word and thought against the Word of God, thus bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God and Christ. Note: We must hear something in order to analyze, screen, and square it with the Bible. Only a fool answers a matter before he hears it. Then, after having heard a matter, we need to find out if it squares with Scripture.
With regard to the “pulling down of strong holds,” many things in our minds and characters need to be removed, and we do not have the strength of character to withstand all of them except by the Holy Spirit, the power of God. When victories come, the credit goes to God for working in us to His glory and honor, for we are a spectacle to men and to angels.
Some “imaginations” are self-hallucinatory, self-indulged human reasoning; others are subjected on our minds by occult power. The RSV reads, “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God.” These “arguments” can be of the old heart, the old mind, for the old creature reasons in the mind of the new creature. Also, there are pressures on the mind from without—from other people, associates, principalities, and powers.
“Casting down ... every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.” We marvel that the martyr Stephen made his calling and election sure so quickly. He must have been a very positive character, dealing with all of the mental assaults right away. Paul had the same type of mind, but because God chose him to have a ministry and be a special angel to the Church, his life was prolonged for the benefit of others in both doctrine and Christian walk.
The old mind causes problems with imaginations and fantasies. In our development, we sometimes get in a stupor that must be fought over a period of time. As we assess ourselves, we find that we are not necessarily the best example. Stated another way, there is always room for improvement. Therefore, time is a factor in our development and mental warfare. This statement seems to be even truer of the days we are living in. Since the Laodicean period thus far has not witnessed Christians being burned at the stake for their beliefs, what makes us worthy or unworthy of being received into the Little Flock in glory is victory in mental warfare. In other words, our mental struggles are being closely observed to see if we are fit.
We need to search the Scriptures daily on all different issues in order to have the “knowledge of God” as a defense in our mental warfare. The Lord’s Word tells us what is evil and wrong and gives specific examples. Familiarity with the Word gives us knowledge of Him and His instruction. The “casting down” is based on both familiarity with Scripture and obedience to it. If we bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” if we meet this highest standard, we will make the Little Flock.
Since verse 4 is parenthetical, Paul’s application connected verses 3 and 5. In verse 3, Paul said it was not his habit to walk after the flesh, for he was spiritually minded, always having a high level of thinking. Some people like to hear a dispute for the sake of a dispute, but Paul was not of that disposition. He was saying that the weapons of Christian warfare are not carnal. For instance, to punch someone in the nose to get a point across is the use of a fist as a “carnal” weapon. And of course the use of a literal weapon to impose one’s will is another example of a carnal weapon. Paul was saying, “Though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, nevertheless, the weapons we have at our disposal—those we receive through God’s Spirit— are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.” Paul did not war after the flesh, but he was not weaponless, for he had spiritual weapons.
In our Christian life, we often think upon verse 5. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We have a dual nature—a spirit nature in an earthen body—and much of the time there is a conflict between the two. In this exercise of the spirit presiding over the flesh, hindering the flesh in every way possible, we develop character and become stronger as Christians. This basic principle can be applied in another sense too.
Many people quote verse 5 in regard to various incidents in life. For instance, some try to use hypnotic power to cast others under a spell. The tendency of certain television ministers is to get audience participation from the viewers with words such as, “Look at me now,” with the result that people look them in the eye. Another method is to put their hands on the face of the television camera and say, “Put your two hands where my hands are.” Such ministers try to actually communicate with the viewer, whereas a viewer is normally like a disinterested spectator. To avoid coming under hypnosis or any other type of occult power, one should immediately either turn off the television or say something like, “In the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I rebuke thee.”
If a filthy thought or suggestion comes into the mind, we should do the same thing, that is, either verbally or mentally rebuke the thought. According to the flesh, we are inclined to rebuke by simply trying to resist the thought, but our own effort alone is usually not successful. The instruction is, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” but if we try to resist by just having a stronger will, we usually fail (James 4:7). However, if we say, “I rebuke thee, Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ,” and thus make the rebuke personal, it is more apt to be effective. Another method is to ask someone to assist us in prayer to ward off such an attack.
