The great conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is found in Ephesians 6:10-20.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Breaking down this portion of scripture is important, because Paul hits on a number of salient and important points that need to be addresses.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Our call is not only to follow God, but to be strong. Not strength as we know it, but strong in God’s strength. In other words, the foundational piece of this scripture is to understand where true power derives from. Not from us, but from God.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Paul tells us to put on a set of armor, like a soldier who is going to war might. Why? To stand against the devil’s schemes. We have to understand something about life: there is an oppositional force to our faith, a force that wants to marginalize us, to cause doubt and chaos. But the scripture reveals that we are to STAND against such attacks.
You may say to yourself, shouldn’t we just run? Doesn’t it say, somewhere in scripture, to run from evil? You may be thinking of James 4:7-8:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
God calls us to RESIST. Resistance is a form of stance. It also tells us that upon standing (resisting), the devil will flee. If we continue to stand against evil in our life, then it will become easier to stand when the time comes.
In verse 12, Paul brings our current struggles into a larger scope. He tells us that these physical struggles aren’t physical at all, but spiritual. Now, if we are to believe this, then it causes a great dilemma: does that mean all of our struggles are of a spiritual nature? I believe yes.
Maybe one day you are hitting every red light on the way to work. Surely that doesn’t have a spiritual component to it. It is so random and arbitrary. Yet, what does hitting every red light produce in us? Anger, frustration, hopelessness? Maybe the very things we have to work on in our life. Maybe it teaches patience and acceptance. Maybe lots of things.
In this sense, Paul is delving into the greater spiritual battle we all face. He says our struggle is against the powers of another realm, the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Meaning that there is a a system in place working against you, eager for your downfall. The question is: what are you going to do about it?
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
He says there is a solution to this: Put on the full armor of God. He will explain just what that is in the next verse. But understand what claim he is making here: he isn’t saying IF the day of evil comes, but WHEN it comes. Now, if the day of evil is indeed to come, how should we meet it? Paul says to put on the armor after you have done everything you can do in your own power.
That means that we have a hand in our fight. It isn’t purely God, but we have to prepare ourselves for warding off evil as much as we can. In other words, create hedgerows against evil, so that we minimize our chances of confronting it. Remember, if we resist, then the devil will flee.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
The belt of truth- in the old days, a belt needed to be worn in order to cinch up all the long garments men would wear. This was important because long garments could trip someone up who was running or fighting. It is applied under the armor of a soldier. When we look at this in a spiritual sense, Truth- the word of God- must be a foundational element of our strategy against evil.
Breastplate of Righteousness- The breastplate, in ancient warfare, is the piece that protects the heart and all the vital organs. A warrior, going into battle, wouldn’t last long without this protection. Spiritually, when up against evil, we have to remember that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have His righteousness, not our own. In other words, our righteousness is covered through Christ. To remember this, in battle, is crucial. It repels the lies and shots from the evil one.
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Boots are essential. In the old times, these boots were often fit with spikes to hold them in place when a force came up against them. A warrior, in other words, can’t go out to war without proper footing. He wouldn’t last long. Spiritually, we have to be ready and mobile in our faith. The volleys of the evil one can come from a variety of directions. If we are mobile with the gospel of peace, then we can use it in any given situation. Whether under attack or evangelizing, the truth can be used effectively.
The Shield of Faith- In old warfare, a long oblong shield was often used by soldiers. When the archers of an enemy would send flaming arrows at the approaching army, soldiers would hunker behind and be protected from the volley of arrows. This is how we are to use our faith. Use it as a shield. When evil attacks, it sometimes uproots us. That’s its intention. But if we can return to our faith and use that as defense, then whatever evil throws at us, we can use it as protection.
The Helmet of Salvation- Helmets, in olden times, were basically a leather cap studded with metal. It was meant to protect against shrapnel and blows. Spiritually, we have to understand that satan often attacks our thoughts and tries to discourage us in various ways. But when discouraged, to fall back on the fact that we are saved, our ultimate future is with God, can be very reassuring.
Sword of the Spirit- the only offensive part of the protection, this word, given by the holy spirit, can be used to repel and attack evil. The right thrust, at the right time, can do untold damage to the attacker.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Prayer is the last part of the defense. You’ll notice that Paul asks us to pray in two different ways. First, he wants us to pray continually to God for our needs. This speaks to a deep and constant connection with God. If we have that connection, then tumbling away and falling into situations where we can be attacked will fade.
The second part is to pray for others. Often times we forget this part and center on ourselves, but Paul calls us not only to pray for our needs but for those in every capacity, the greater community of believers, for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Breaking down this portion of scripture is important, because Paul hits on a number of salient and important points that need to be addresses.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Our call is not only to follow God, but to be strong. Not strength as we know it, but strong in God’s strength. In other words, the foundational piece of this scripture is to understand where true power derives from. Not from us, but from God.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Paul tells us to put on a set of armor, like a soldier who is going to war might. Why? To stand against the devil’s schemes. We have to understand something about life: there is an oppositional force to our faith, a force that wants to marginalize us, to cause doubt and chaos. But the scripture reveals that we are to STAND against such attacks.
You may say to yourself, shouldn’t we just run? Doesn’t it say, somewhere in scripture, to run from evil? You may be thinking of James 4:7-8:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
God calls us to RESIST. Resistance is a form of stance. It also tells us that upon standing (resisting), the devil will flee. If we continue to stand against evil in our life, then it will become easier to stand when the time comes.
In verse 12, Paul brings our current struggles into a larger scope. He tells us that these physical struggles aren’t physical at all, but spiritual. Now, if we are to believe this, then it causes a great dilemma: does that mean all of our struggles are of a spiritual nature? I believe yes.
Maybe one day you are hitting every red light on the way to work. Surely that doesn’t have a spiritual component to it. It is so random and arbitrary. Yet, what does hitting every red light produce in us? Anger, frustration, hopelessness? Maybe the very things we have to work on in our life. Maybe it teaches patience and acceptance. Maybe lots of things.
In this sense, Paul is delving into the greater spiritual battle we all face. He says our struggle is against the powers of another realm, the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Meaning that there is a a system in place working against you, eager for your downfall. The question is: what are you going to do about it?
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
He says there is a solution to this: Put on the full armor of God. He will explain just what that is in the next verse. But understand what claim he is making here: he isn’t saying IF the day of evil comes, but WHEN it comes. Now, if the day of evil is indeed to come, how should we meet it? Paul says to put on the armor after you have done everything you can do in your own power.
That means that we have a hand in our fight. It isn’t purely God, but we have to prepare ourselves for warding off evil as much as we can. In other words, create hedgerows against evil, so that we minimize our chances of confronting it. Remember, if we resist, then the devil will flee.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
The belt of truth- in the old days, a belt needed to be worn in order to cinch up all the long garments men would wear. This was important because long garments could trip someone up who was running or fighting. It is applied under the armor of a soldier. When we look at this in a spiritual sense, Truth- the word of God- must be a foundational element of our strategy against evil.
Breastplate of Righteousness- The breastplate, in ancient warfare, is the piece that protects the heart and all the vital organs. A warrior, going into battle, wouldn’t last long without this protection. Spiritually, when up against evil, we have to remember that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have His righteousness, not our own. In other words, our righteousness is covered through Christ. To remember this, in battle, is crucial. It repels the lies and shots from the evil one.
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Boots are essential. In the old times, these boots were often fit with spikes to hold them in place when a force came up against them. A warrior, in other words, can’t go out to war without proper footing. He wouldn’t last long. Spiritually, we have to be ready and mobile in our faith. The volleys of the evil one can come from a variety of directions. If we are mobile with the gospel of peace, then we can use it in any given situation. Whether under attack or evangelizing, the truth can be used effectively.
The Shield of Faith- In old warfare, a long oblong shield was often used by soldiers. When the archers of an enemy would send flaming arrows at the approaching army, soldiers would hunker behind and be protected from the volley of arrows. This is how we are to use our faith. Use it as a shield. When evil attacks, it sometimes uproots us. That’s its intention. But if we can return to our faith and use that as defense, then whatever evil throws at us, we can use it as protection.
The Helmet of Salvation- Helmets, in olden times, were basically a leather cap studded with metal. It was meant to protect against shrapnel and blows. Spiritually, we have to understand that satan often attacks our thoughts and tries to discourage us in various ways. But when discouraged, to fall back on the fact that we are saved, our ultimate future is with God, can be very reassuring.
Sword of the Spirit- the only offensive part of the protection, this word, given by the holy spirit, can be used to repel and attack evil. The right thrust, at the right time, can do untold damage to the attacker.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Prayer is the last part of the defense. You’ll notice that Paul asks us to pray in two different ways. First, he wants us to pray continually to God for our needs. This speaks to a deep and constant connection with God. If we have that connection, then tumbling away and falling into situations where we can be attacked will fade.
The second part is to pray for others. Often times we forget this part and center on ourselves, but Paul calls us not only to pray for our needs but for those in every capacity, the greater community of believers, for the advancement of God’s kingdom.