“My Spirit shall not contend with man forever, for he is flesh…” Genesis 6.3 (ESV margin)

Evidently the Spirit of God strives with those who prefer the mind of the flesh in order to woo, cajole, or convict them into seeking something better.

He does this in many ways, not least by appealing to the image and knowledge of God which ever person possesses, even those who reject God (Rom. 1.18-21), through the revelation of God’s glory in creation and culture.

More potently, however, God uses His people to strive with unbelievers by the example of their holy lives and their insistence on bringing the Law and Word of God to bear on all of life.

John the Baptist used the Law to strive with Herod for repentance (Matt. 14.1-12; cf. Lev. 20.21). The problem with telling people that their behavior, policies, or preferences are “not lawful” is that they can get upset. But what else would we expect? When we strive with people who are charging toward their view of the good life, pleading with them to realize that their chosen course ends in a bridge out, and insisting that only the way of righteousness, followed through Jesus Christ, will get them where they need to be, there’s going to be some resistance.

But the Spirit strives with such people anyway, and He intends to do that striving through those who have acquired His mind and power for holiness and witness.

As we grow in understanding the Law of God and applying it to our own lives and communities, we will also learn that God intends us – like John the Baptist – to shine the light of His Law into the darkness of our unbelieving world. That’s where the striving begins.

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