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.
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