There are Two Gripping Forces

Believers in Christ should live in the Grip of God's Glory. Unbelievers are in the Grip of dark forces operating in the world.

In the Greek language of the New Testament, we see two gripping forces. One is the Glory of God, and the other belongs to the forces darkness. Both are captivating; both are gripping.

In Colossians 1:11 we are told that believers are gripped by His Glory. In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that our struggle is against world forces of darkness that grip us. Here is a breakdown of the verses, KJV, Greek, and Literal:

Colossians 1:11
KJV "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power,"
Greek "ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ"
Literal "Fully empowered by the Grip of His Glory"

"Grip of His Glory" = "κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ"

Ephesians 6:12
KJV " . . . we wrestle . . . against the rulers of the darkness of this world,"
Greek " . . . ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη . . . πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου"
Literal " . . . we wrestle . . . against the world's grip of darkness of this age"

"World's grip of darkness of this age" = "κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου"

Kοσμοκράτορας, cosmokratoras is a ruler; however, it is a compound of two words: world and grip.

In English, we don't think of this world's rulers as having a dark grip on us. In the Greek, we are told that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with world forces that are dark and gripping.

It helps to know that we have a choice to be gripped by the Glory of the Lord or the forces at work in this dark world.

Whose grip are you in? Are you gripped by His Glory or by the world-grip of the darkness of this age?