Ephesians 6 - The Armor of God

    Previously in Ephesians, we saw the Lord’s directives to children and parents. Children are to obey and honor their parents. This is the first commandment with a promise, a promise of an extended life that is blessed. Father’s are to not provoke their children to anger, but to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Servants are to obey their masters, and masters are to treat their servants well.

Lastly, Paul ends his epistle by reminding us that we are in a battle. Any soldier must be properly attired, and as soldiers of Jesus Christ, it is no different. He says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” If we recall from chapter 3, Paul prayed they would be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in their inner man. Our strength and might for the battle first come from the Spirit of God living inside of us. Second, we need to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil. The devil is constantly scheming on ways to trip us up or derail us as believers, so it is important that we are not ignorant of his devices. We may think our enemies are a spouse, family member, or co-worker, but truly our battle is a spiritual one. It is with the devil and the various demonic entities. Because of this, we are to take up the whole armor of God so that we can withstand the evil attacks that come our way. The soldier does not fight his battles sitting or lying down, but standing. The soldier of Jesus Christ does all he can to stand ready to fight the battles waged against him. When I was a new believer, I wondered how do we get this armor? Do we pray it on, or is there something else we do? I see both a positional and a practical application of the armor of God. Positionally, we have the armor of God because we have put on the Lord Jesus by faith. Practically, we put on the armor of God as we walk out that faith.

The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. The belt is technically not part of the armor, but was put on before the armor. It was used to protect the abdomen and to gather up the garments so the soldier could move freely. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). We put Him on by faith, and we practically put this on by adopting the beliefs of the Christian faith as our own. Guzek writes, “Many people believe that the church will never go forward until it takes off this belt of truth, but that is completely wrong. This is part of the armor to have, which is a foundation to live upon all the time, our understanding of and confidence in the basic doctrines of the faith.” Correct beliefs are important, because correct beliefs produce correct actions.

Next, is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate protected the soldier’s vital organs, and, again, was an essential piece of armor. Jesus is our righteousness (2 Co 5:21), and we practically put this on by walking in obedience to His word. Jesus told His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) And, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14) Lastly, the author of Hebrews writes, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14)

Third, are the shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace. The Roman soldier’s shoes were thickly studded with sharp nails to ensure a good grip. When thinking of the shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace, Paul was probably thinking of the passage in Isaiah that says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Preparation means a prepared foundation, and carries the idea of being ready. The Gospel is the foundation of everything we do. Not only have we put on the Lord Jesus and the Gospel for ourselves, but we take it with us wherever we go and are ready to share it with others.

In addition to these, we are to take up the shield of faith in order to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. This shield Paul spoke of was the large oblong one that could protect the whole body. The fiery darts were launched in large numbers at the beginning of an attack, not only to injure the enemy, but to shoot at him from all sides to confuse and panic him. As the soldiers would see the blazing darts fly through the air, they would be tempted to drop their shields and expose themselves to the enemy. Any of us who have been Christians long enough have experienced this type of spiritual attack as the enemy sends thoughts, emotions, and fears our way. They can come in such a barrage at times, that it does make you want to retreat and duck for cover, but it is the shield of faith that quenches them. They often come when we are already vulnerable as the devil tries to take advantage of our weakened state. He is not a fair fighter. His power is in his lie, since he has no power over us as believers any longer. It has been destroyed at the cross Col 2:15) The question is, will we believe God and trust His word or not?

Fourth, is the helmet of salvation. The helmet was a leather cap studded with metal for strength. Obviously, this protected the soldier’s head, the most vital part of his body. Again, we have the helmet of salvation when we put on the Lord Jesus, but our salvation has three aspects. We have been saved (justified), we are being saved (sanctified), and we will be saved (glorified). Most of us can walk in the assurance of salvation, but can struggle at times with the other two. Not only have we been set free from the penalty of sin, we have also been set free from the power of sin. Paul has been telling us these things in Ephesians, and he told us in Romans as well. Lastly, we will be set free from the presence of sin when we reach Heaven.

The battle to believe these things starts in our mind. As gotquestions.org puts it, “our way of thinking needs preservation. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations.” Sometimes, we allow the enemy to rob us of our hope. One of the Enemy’s tricks is to try to discourage us from doing what is right. Discouragement often gives way to despair and hopelessness if we do not combat this with the truth. When we choose to believe the truth, this produces perseverance, character, and then hope, and hope does not disappoint us as Paul said in Romans. He also wrote to the Thessalonians that they were to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation. We truly do have the hope of salvation, because Jesus will do what He said He will do. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.” (2 Co 4:8-14) So far, Paul has covered the defensive weapons of the Christian, and next he will cover the offensive weapons.

The first offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit which Paul tells us is the word of God. The Roman sword was both a defensive and an offensive weapon, and was double-edged, allowing better penetration and cutting in each direction. The Scriptures are not just some words written on a page two thousand years ago, but are relevant, alive, and full of power for us today. The author of Hebrews writes, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17) All the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it is He who makes them alive to us when we read them. Even Jesus, when He was tempted in the wilderness, used the Scriptures as His offensive weapon against the devil. For each temptation He would respond, “It is written,” followed by the appropriate Scripture to fit the occasion. It is imperative that we use the Scriptures when doing spiritual battle. They are not only how we hold our ground, but also how we gain ground. Just as a soldier would practice with his weapons, we need to be practiced in using the Scriptures. Again, Paul writes, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15) We need to know the Word, and be able to appropriately apply it to our lives, including the spiritual battles we face.

Lastly, we are to pray. There is a break in the Greek text, indicating this is not a seventh piece of armor, but is the communication line with our Commander, Jesus Christ. Roman soldiers would communicate with their commander with a trumpet or by shouting, and intermittent communication would invite trouble. So too, intermittent prayer invites problems on the spiritual battle field. As it has been said, Prayer as the Lifeblood of Spiritual Warfare. Prayer is how we request boldness in persecution, ask for divine strength, and is how we get re-enforcements. If we recall from the book of Daniel, Daniel had been praying and fasting for 21 days. An angel had been sent to him to deliver a message, but the prince of Persia (a demonic entity) withstood the angelic messenger. Then Michael the archangel was sent to fight with the prince of Persia. So then, the Lord may send angels to help in our spiritual battles.

We are to pray always (on every occasion) with all types of prayer. Some people don’t think you’re praying unless you’re shouting, and others don’t think you’re praying unless you are on your knees. It is both, and everything in between. We are to pray in the Spirit, meaning it is energized, guided, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27 and Jude 20). We are to pray in a state of watchfulness (being awake and alert); we cannot afford to fall asleep on the job. We are to pray for ourselves, as well as persevering in prayer for others.

Paul throws in a request at the end that they would pray for him, that he would be bold for Jesus while he was in prison. He was thrown into prison because of preaching the Gospel, so it would be tempting for him to be silent in hopes of getting off easier. Paul wanted to be a faithful witness, even in chains.

In his closing, Paul tells them that he is sending Tychicus, who was a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, to tell them how he was doing and to comfort them. The Ephesian believers loved Paul, and no doubt, were concerned for him. He ended with a blessing for them, “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is yet another passage that refers to Jesus Christ as Lord. He extended it further to praying for grace for all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. “Amen.”

What a book! Three chapters telling us where we are seated and all we have in Christ. Another three chapters telling us how we should live in light of this heavenly position. Lastly, we are told to stand on it. We are to stand on all that God has done for us, and join with Him in the battle of the ages in which we emerge victorious if we stay in fellowship with our Commander, Jesus Christ.

 

Ephesians 6 - Children and Parents

In our last study in Ephesians, we talked about marriage. We saw how it is between one man and one woman, and that it is for life. Paul gave two basic rules for marriage, that if both follow, it would eliminate most of our marital problems. Wives are to submit to their own husbands as unto Christ, and men are to love their wives, even as Christ loves the Church. Men are to lead their families in serving the Lord by teaching them the Word.

Continuing on in Ephesians, Paul writes, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’” God’s directive to children is that they obey their parents, and to do so because it is right in His eyes. The primary way that children receive teaching and instruction for life is through their parents; it is set up this way by the Lord. Solomon wrote to his sons, “My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” (Pro 6:20-23) The idea here is that parents are to teach their children about the Lord by using the Scriptures, and it is for their good. It is this teaching and instruction that guides them through and keeps them safe in life. Most importantly, they show them the way to eternal life. Our society deems a child a legal adult somewhere between the age of 18 and 21, but it is probably more related to when they leave home, get married, or both. The Lord said in Genesis, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Although adult children no longer have to obey their parents, they still need to honor them. The word honor means to highly value or revere them. They are the ones who brought us into this world, and they are the ones who raised and took care of us until we were adults. Even as adults they still help us from time to time. Most importantly, they are the ones who taught us about the Lord. To honor them does not mean everything they do is right or that we should act like this is so, but that we should respect them for their position in life as our parents. If they are wrong, we should not rebuke them harshly, but attempt to persuade them with longsuffering and a soft tongue (1 Tim 5:1-2 and Pro 25:15). The commandment for children to honor their parents is the first commandment with promise. We are promised that it will go well with us, and that we will live long on the land, or at least we will be more blessed and live longer than we would otherwise if we dishonor our parents.

Although these first two directives are to children, parents have something to learn from it as well. First, if it is the Lord’s expectation that children obey and honor their parents, then this means the parents are the ones solely responsible for them. It is a prevailing thought today that children belong to the collective whole or even to the State, but this flies directly in the face of the Scriptures and the Lord’s plan for family life. It does NOT take a village to raise a child (just sayin’). If we recall, they are a gift or a possession from the Lord, so according to the Scriptures, our children belong to us, given to us by God Himself.  Yes, children need to respect and obey other authority figures, but from the Scriptures we can see that Mom and Dad have the final say.

Second, if the Lord says that children are to obey and honor their parents, it is the parents’ job to instill this into them. From the passage in Proverbs we already discussed, Solomon was teaching his sons. I cannot stress enough the importance of dads being, not only involved in the training of their children, but the leaders in doing so. Statistically speaking, when Mom is the spiritual leader of the home, the children sometimes follow, but when dad is the spiritual leader, the numbers are significantly higher.

The importance of obedience, including that of children to their parents, is stressed all throughout the Scriptures. It is not for acceptance into the kingdom of God, but because we are already part of the Kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ. So too, children are born into our family, and nothing can change this, no matter how they behave. However, because they have been given to us, and because we love them, we teach them right and wrong so that they can live a long and prosperous life. For parents to neglect this responsibility is to rob them of these blessings. Naturally, our children are not always on board with this idea of obedience, so it is up to us as parents to administer appropriate consequences with the goal of changing their minds.

The third directive in this passage is to dads. Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger. I believe this applies to both parents, but the Lord, in His wisdom, knows that dads have a greater tendency to struggle with this. There are a lot of things that can provoke our children to anger, but in my opinion, nothing provokes anger more than someone else’s anger. Especially as dads, we are the head authority figure, and what we say goes. When a dad becomes angry, it can be quite intimidating from the perspective of a small child. When they are younger, children will normally comply out of fear, but as they grow, that can turn into resentment, bitterness, and rebellion. It really places a child or teenager in a difficult spot: If they want to please the Lord, they will try to obey and honor their parents, but they are not left a lot of recourse when the parent is easily angered and becomes unreasonable. This anger does not have to be abuse, as most of us are not beating on our wives or kids. It can be merely impatience, unwillingness to listen, and quick to mete out punishments that are harsh or more than is necessary. If we are parents, most of us have been on both the giving and receiving end of this type of anger. However, I believe the major problem lies when we are in the habit of acting this way toward our children. Paul even adds another detail in his letter to the Colossians that the child can become discouraged. If a child is having issues with anger, depression, or rebellion, it is likely there is a parent or other authority figure at home with an anger problem.

As we discussed in chapter 4, we are to put all wrath and anger away from us. Our tendency as dads sometimes is to think that we need to use our anger to motivate our kids to do what we want, to toughen them up, or to make them successful in life. This may appear to work in the short-term; in fact, some children respond to this motivation. However, it does not in the long-run. David wrote of the Lord, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.” (Psa 18:35) It was not the Lord’s anger, harshness, or meanness that made David great, but it was His gentleness. For those of us who have read about David, he was no wimp. He was a man’s man who was a successful warrior, but he was also a man after God’s own heart. The Lord had David’s heart, and I believe this was largely due to His gentleness. Do not misunderstand, I am not saying that we cannot be firm or even raise our voices with our children, for firmness is exactly what they need at times. This firmness is something our wives have a more difficult time matching, especially with teenage boys. However, this firmness should be rooted in love rather than pride and anger.

Again, Paul is addressing dads when he says they should bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Training refers to a training by act, and speaks more to the discipline a child needs. Now, there is the obvious discipline when a child misbehaves, and there is the discipline of making them do things they don’t want to do like working hard and taking responsibility for their actions. In whatever the case, the goal is to make the child a better person while they are young, as well as when they are adults. We do this because we love them. Proverbs says, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” (Pro 13:24) If you are a parent looking for advice on how to train children, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say on the subject. There is also a ministry called Solve Family Problems that gives biblical solutions to family and Church problems.

The word admonition refers to the verbal training a child needs. As we previously discussed, this is from the parents teaching their children the Scriptures. In Deuteronomy it states, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deut 6:6-9) The Lord and His word are to be constantly on our minds and hearts, and Jesus should be central to everything we do and say. It’s obviously not the only thing we talk about, but more what our words and actions hinge on. I don’t only talk about my wife and children, but because I love them, they are central to what I do and say. How much more with the Lord.

Both training and admonition are necessary for the rearing of the child. Proverbs says, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” (Pro 29:15) Without the verbal instruction, the child lacks the understanding of what is right and wrong, and although he or she is disciplined, will not fully understand why or how to change their behavior. Without the discipline, the child will understand what is expected of him or her, but will often lack the incentive to change. In summary, rather than motivating our children with anger, we should do so with loving discipline and verbal instruction.

Next, Paul goes onto the servant/master relationship. The Bible addresses this topic in both the New and Old Testaments, and although it does not directly condemn owning slaves or servants, it does place some strict parameters around it. The servitude the Bible permitted is often related to either being a captive of war, being sold to pay a debt, or a willing servitude. This is in contrast to slavery in early America and Europe in which Africans were kidnapped, chained, marched across the continent, and sold to Europeans by Muslim slave traders. This type of slavery became a racial problem, with whites viewing blacks as inferior and even less than human. There is no biblical basis for this type of slavery. Kidnapping and selling persons are condemned in the Old Testament with capital punishment (Exo 21:16).

The closest thing we have to the servant/master relationship today would be that of the employee/employer relationship. He tells the bondservants to be obedient to their masters with fear and trembling, with sincerity of heart, as to Christ. One criticism of the whole idea of wives submitting to their husbands is that men get off the hook. However, they still have to submit to authority outside the home, and their employer is one of those areas. There are some difficult bosses out there. I remember when I worked at a call center, I had a manager who monitored my calls, and when she would review them with me, she would laugh at me when I would make mistakes. While this is far from what you would consider a terrible work environment, it did irk me that she took pleasure in pointing out my mistakes. It got bad enough that I was concerned I might lose my job. However, I since learned that when you work for the federal government, it’s next to impossible to lose your job, especially with the employee unions. There was nothing I could do but to grin and bear it. I was tempted to put her in her place, but I knew it wouldn’t be pleasing to the Lord, nor would it bode well for my success in the workplace.

Employees are to do as they’re told in the workplace, giving reverence to their boss or supervisor. They are to do it with sincerity, remembering they are really doing it for the Lord. When we have a difficult employer that we don’t want to submit to, it helps to know we are doing it as unto Christ. Conversely, to not submit to our employer is to disobey the Lord. We are not only to obey when they are present, but also in their absence. They shouldn’t need to be looking over our shoulders to be sure we are doing our jobs. Again, we are doing it for the Lord, so it shouldn’t matter if our employer is watching, because the Lord is watching. We are to do the will of God in the workplace cheerfully. We are the Lord’s bond servants.

Paul adds in his letter to Titus that we are not to answer back (argue) with our employer, but rather as he told the Philippians, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” I remember in sports as a kid, a coach would make us run for something wrong we did. Every once in a while, someone would complain, and that never worked out in our favor. It’s better just to do as we are told without arguing or trying to defend ourselves. There is an appropriate time to voice our concerns, but usually in the moment is not the right time. Paul reassures us that the Lord will reward us for the good we have done.

Masters (employers) are to do the same things (e.g. do the will of God from the heart as unto the Lord. They are to give up threatening, that tendency to clamp down and rule with an iron fist. They are to remember their Master is in Heaven, and He does not show partiality. In other words, if employers are mistreating their employees, they are going to have to answer to God for it. Again, that’s a master you don’t want to have to deal with, at least in that context. In the remainder of the chapter, Paul will     finish up by discussing the spiritual battle the Christian faces, and how to be ready for that battle.