The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson - Research Paper Example

? Reading Critique on "the Bondage breaker" by Neil T. Anderson Insert Insert Grade Insert Insert Introduction The world is believed to be under control of the evil one, the devil, whom Christians say had been a rebel and was thus given the authority to dominate over humanity. Even though the entire world is under the control of the devil, which has the authority to deceive and to test humankind, Christians have faith that they have power to overcome all the works of Satan, the enemy. They believe that though they live on earth, they are citizens of heaven and that the devil with his wickedness, has no control over them. Anderson gives us a clear picture of what happens in the spiritual world and the Christians’ perception of those who are in bondage. Definition of Bondage According to Christians, the term bondage is used to refer to the act of being in shackles of demonic forces. As Anderson observes, a Christian can be in bondage even if he is saved. According to the biblical concept of receiving salvation, one is only saved by renouncing wickedness and accepting Jesus Christ as his or her personal savior. This, however, is not an assurance to being set free from bondage; one only gets free from bondage by total surrender to God. This surrender comes through deliverance. Anderson says that most believers still continue to be tortured and tormented by the dark world of Satan and occults, which affect their thoughts and daily activities (Anderson, 1942: 3). Maturity in Christ Though the writer argues from the Biblical concept through quoting from the book of (Ephesians 4:15, 13) that “a fruitful Christian must be mature and be set free”, this maturity is not inevitable without surrendering in totality to Christ. This occurrence is synonymous to the act of trying to force a child to walk without first crawling. Every journey in a Christian life begins by a single step. That is the only way a Christian will understand what happens in the spiritual realm. Newly Saved Christians Always Find New Life with Christ Challenging It must be acknowledged that living a Christian life is not an easy task. As highlighted in ‘The Bondage Breaker’, the story of the successful professional man illustrates what a young Christian who has just accepted Christ undergo. The successful man confesses having had difficult time when he received Jesus as his personal savior. He talks of how he doubted the redeeming power of God, and sometimes wondered whether God was anywhere near. He admits of having questioned certain principles of life. Just like the successful professional man, many Christians today likewise face a number of challenges in their journey in Christianity. At initial stages, Christians tend to be haunted by their past. At that juncture, they would feel discouraged. Memories of what they used to do in the past are likely to haunt them. At times, one feels as if God is far away from him. Somebody may also feel condemned and he is likely to wonder whether God is able to forgive him. Church’s Perception of Demonic Influences Anderson brings to us the story of the successful man to show us that earthly riches are not enough to give us the happiness and the solace we want. Life devoid of supernatural being has no meaning. This is the reason why humanity has turned to various occults or cults. Christians however show their parallelism between the occults and Christianity. Anybody who practices occult or believes and follows some cult is perceived to be under the control of demonic forces. The fact that the successful man says that he now feels free from bondage and the demonic forces passed on to him by his ancestors are now gone also raises the question of the church’s perception of the role and effects of ancestors in the daily life of a Christian. Contrary to his view, Christian believes that once a person has died, he has no influence in the life of the living. Anderson’s Negative View of Causes of Mental Disorder While it must be recognized that demonic forces are at work, battling with the life of mankind, I tend to disagree with Anderson that all mental problems are as a result of demonic forces at work (Anderson, 1942: 7). It is important to note that the question of science and psychology cannot be ignored. It is indeed true that some mental illness are caused by demonic forces attacking the one possessed, others result from hereditary or psychological problems. As much as he may be right to some extent, part of his argument does not hold water. Some mental illnesses result from accidents that trigger some impulses that interfere with the normal processing of information. Others may result from psychological problems yet others may be hereditary. Ignoring these scientific concepts may mean that Anderson’s world is not real since such things are occurring normally. By accepting that they exist does not mean that one does not believe in the healing power of God. Biblical use of Paradox There are also much paradoxical statements employed by Anderson in his book, The Bondage Breaker. His topic on cutting the lower life to gain the higher life is an indication that it is very difficult for a Christian to follow the earthly things and claim to follow Jesus at the same time. A Christian may try to acquire all the earthly possessions but all is null if God is not given the first priority. True riches are only found in heaven. What a Christian may acquire on earth is limited to the world. The moment he dies, he lives everything he has worked for. He departs with nothing. Evaluation What might be astonishing is the fact that Christians’ interpretation of the Bible has varied depending on one’s understanding of the scripture. For instance, when God created Adam, out of whom humankind was able to multiply, he sinned by listening to the voice of the Devil eating the forbidden fruit. God threw him out of the Garden of Eden. God cursed Adam and limited the number of his days; meaning he was to die. Various Christians in a number of ways have interpreted this biblical context. According to Anderson, this death does not only mean the natural death, it means also the spiritual death. The meaning of spiritual death is that one is entirely cut from the favor and the grace of God. Application All a Christian should strive to do is to pray. Christians need to pray so that God can open their eyes to see the wonderful works of God. It is only prayer that can open the satanic blindness of Christians. Prayer, therefore, remains an essential tool in the spiritual warfare and in the life of a believer. The devil cannot be overpowered without prayer since he is also powerful (Anderson, 1942: 39). Reference Anderson, N. T. (1942). The Bondage Breaker. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. Read More