EPHESIANS 6:10-17
BATTLE GEAR: CLOTHED IN CHRIST
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strongG1743 in the Lord and in His mightyG2479 power.G2904
G1743 ἐνδυναμόω endynamóō, en-doo-nam-o’-o; from G1722 and G1412; to empower:—enable, (increase in) strength(-en), be (make) strong.
G2479 ἰσχύς ischýs, is-khoos’; from a derivative of ἰς is (force; compare ἔσχον éschon, a form of G2192); forcefulness (literally or figuratively):—ability, might(-ily), power, strength.
G2904 κράτος krátos, krat’-os; perhaps a primary word; vigor (“great”) (literally or figuratively):—dominion, might(-ily), power, strength.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
SUSIE: After giving all the instructions for godly living in the previous chapters, Paul sums up by describing spiritual warfare and clothing for battle. He reminds the believers at Ephesus from Whom they draw their strength.
SUSAN: We draw our strength from our Captain, our elder Brother, who sacrificed His life in order to give us abundant life. We increase in strength when we rely on the forceful, vigorous, dominating power of Jesus.
SUSIE: By the power of His Holy Spirit indwelling us, we are infused with the strength of Jesus.
I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]
Philippians 4:13 (AMP)
SUSIE: Jesus says to be strong. We have this strength; but we need to stand in it, employ it each moment of each day. Remember, without Jesus, we cannot do battle.
John 15:5 (NASB) I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NASB)
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.G3180
G3180 μεθοδεία methodeía, meth-od-i’-ah; from a compound of G3326 and G3593 (compare “method”); travelling over, i.e. travesty (trickery):—wile, lie in wait.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
SUSIE: No soldier in his right mind would head out to the battlefield without armor—okay, there was David, but his armor WAS God, and he was using the weapon he was accustomed to and proficient with. Why do we as Christians need armor?
SUSAN: The enemy of our heavenly Father, our brother Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is also our enemy. His name is Satan, aka the devil. He would like nothing better than to get at the God-head through hurting His children. Satan is cunning and deceitful and enjoys working to discredit and destroy our testimony in order to slow the advancement of the Gospel, Christ, and His kingdom.
SUSIE: We have been warned that the devil’s methods are trickery and lying-in-wait. We need holy armor to stand up to Satan’s scheming ways and defeat his influence in our lives.
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
SUSAN: This warfare is not against people but is in the spiritual realm. We are in the army of the Lord. Satan has his own army, an army of demons.
SUSIE: These are four layers of power, a hierarchy, a chain of command in Satan’s forces of demons. They operate in the spiritual realm and are invisible to our eyes, but they have great influence over the world which is the domain of Satan. However, Satan is not the only one with an unseen army. The Lord commands a host of angels, and we may never know while here on earth the many times they defend us.
6:12 wrestle. A term used of hand-to-hand combat. Wrestling features trickery and deception, like Satan and his hosts when they attack. Coping with deceptive temptation requires truth and righteousness. The 4 designations describe the different strata and rankings of those demons and the evil supernatural empire in which they operate. Satan’s forces of darkness are highly structured for the most destructive purposes. Cf. Col. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:22. not . . . against flesh and blood. See 2 Cor. 10:3–5. spiritual hosts of wickedness. This possibly refers to the most depraved abominations, including such things as extreme sexual perversions, occultism, and Satan worship. See note on Col. 1:16. in the heavenly places. As in 1:3; 3:10, this refers to the entire realm of spiritual beings.
NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd edition
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB)
SUSAN: Because the battle is against the evil beings of the spiritual world, our armor must be spiritual as well.
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
SUSIE: God furnishes us His armor to wear into the fray each day.
SUSAN: This armor is only available to those who are members of the Messianic Community, those who have trusted in and are relying upon, submitted to, and committed to the Lord, Jesus Christ.
SUSIE: Each day since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit is an evil day, and all we need to confirm that is the evening news. We are to stand firm in the Lord, dressed in His armor. We are not to retreat.
6:13 As Paul wrote, he was probably guarded by a Roman soldier in full armor. Always quick to see spiritual lessons in the natural realm, he makes the application: we are flanked by formidable foes; we must take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand when the conflict reaches its fiercest intensity, and still be found standing when the smoke of battle has cleared away. The evil day probably refers to any time when the enemy comes against us like a flood. Satanic opposition seems to occur in waves, advancing and receding. Even after our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness, the devil left Him for a season (Luke 4:13).
Believer’s Bible Commentary
evil day. Since the fall of man, every day has been evil, a condition that will persist until the Lord returns and establishes His own righteous kingdom on earth.
NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd edition
SUSAN: The armor is not designed for retreat. It is only designed for advancement of the Kingdom of God and defeating the enemy . . .
SUSIE: . . . which can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,
SUSIE: Men in Paul’s day wore tunics (dresses) that had to be bunched up and held in place by a type of belt to free them to work or run. A modern soldier wears a utility belt upon which he/she hangs their canteen, their side-arm, and other tools. The belt in our armor is truth.
SUSAN: Jesus is The Truth, and His children are virtually wrapped—encompassed about—by Him.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32 (NASB)
SUSAN: You will know Jesus who is Truth incarnate, and Jesus will make you free. Relationship with the Lord Jesus is the key to being ready to engage in battle.
SUSIE: We strengthen that relationship with Him by studying the truth of His word. We, also, must live in truth by dealing truthfully with others.
SUSIE: The breastplate was a leather piece with metal or bone sewn closely together on it to protect the soldier from being stabbed in the vital organs. Today’s troops wear Kevlar vests to stop or deflect many types of bullets. The breastplate we wear is righteousness, more specifically, the righteousness of Christ.
. . . and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
Philippians 3:9 (NASB)
SUSAN: Christ’s impartation of His righteousness to the believer enables us as His children to engage in righteous living.
SUSIE: Righteousness is being in right relationship with God and others. Keeping our relationships (friends, coworkers, family, and acquaintances) in right standing does guard our hearts.
Ephesians 6:15 . . . and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.
SUSIE: The Roman soldier wore shoes that usually had spikes on the sole to be able to stand firmly and be more sure-footed. Men and women preparing to do their military jobs have different types of boots – some with cleats to grab terrain, some with steel toes to protect from heavy equipment, and all with ankle support to help them stand firm.
. . .and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].
Ephesians 6:15 (AMP)
SUSAN: The Jewish concept of peace was “nothing missing, nothing broken.” The idea is that everything is made whole.
SUSIE: Jesus took the pieces of our broken lives and put them together for a far better “whole” than we could ever be on our own. The Gospel message is that God came to earth in the form of the God-man, Jesus, to become the perfect sacrifice needed to repair the rift between God and mankind. When we walk about in this peace, we are not easily disturbed. We can stand firm.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
John 14:27 (BSB)
SUSAN: For those (like me) who do not have feet , we can still stand firm by living in agreement with God and resting in His peace.
SUSIE: We are commanded to take this Gospel message, this good news, to others using our feet, scooters, wheelchairs or whatever conveyance we have. Susan and I are currently doing it via the avenue of the internet, the “information highway.”
Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,G4102 with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
G4102 πίστις pístis, pis’-tis; from G3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
SUSIE: The shield was large enough to hold in front of a person and protect the majority of the body. It was often made of oil treated leather that would quench flaming arrows.
SUSAN: The shield of faith is a holy fire extinguisher!
SUSIE: Today’s shield is the vehicle in which the troops ride which is armor plated to redirect the blast of an IED (improvised explosive device).
SUSAN: Our faith in the Faithful One who never doubts, Jesus Christ, quenches the fiery darts of temptation and deflects the blasts from Satan’s hidden bombs. Our part of holding up the shield of faith is spending time in the word, in prayer, in being active members of a Bible believing church. Doing these things strengthens the measure of faith we have.
SUSIE: In times of temptation, we can fall back on the simplicity of trusting Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to help us hold up our shields.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
SUSIE: The helmet obviously protects the head, the vulnerable part of the body containing the brain that makes the entire person function. Modern helmets are made of material that will deflect bullets as well as serving to protect the head from other dangers such as shrapnel. When we trust Jesus, He begins the process of transforming our minds.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (BSB)
SUSAN: This process of transformation is only accomplished as we spend time in God’s word and in prayer, drawing near to Him. The helmet of salvation protects our minds from being inundated with the thoughts of this world and flooded with fleshly appetites.
SUSIE: We are also given the ability to have the mindset of Christ.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5 (NIV)
SUSAN: The protection of being at peace with God comes from our trust in Him. When we surrender our lives to Jesus’s complete control, our minds are guided by His Holy Spirit and are protected.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
SUSIE: Our helmet is made strong enough to withstand the attacks of the Enemy as we fix our eyes on Jesus.
SUSAN: When we focus our minds as Paul describes in Philippians 4:8, we are hardening the helmet which became ours when we first came to Christ.
(CJB) In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy.
Philippians 4:8
SUSIE: Salvation is ours the moment we trust Jesus, but the continued assurance of that salvation when Satan would try to make us doubt comes from keeping our focus steady on the Lord.
SUSAN: Jesus’s finished work on the cross and his resurrection from the dead secured our salvation. Filling our minds with the thoughts described above is like a protective lining in our helmet. This protects us from the unending onslaught of evil happenings in the world.
SUSIE: The sword of the Roman soldier was a short six to eighteen-inch weapon for hand-to-hand combat (MacArthur Study Bible). Most battles today do not involve swords, but this might be compared to the side-arm used at close range. We have this one offensive weapon, the Word of God. We must make sure our side-arm is fully loaded with memorized scripture! When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He answered every proposition of Satan with Scripture (Matthew chapter 4). Since it is impractical to have a Bible in our hands at all times, it is important to be well-versed in the Word of God. We should study it, memorize it, and meditate on its meaning. The Lord will bring it to mind when we need it . . .
SUSAN: . . . but He will only do that if you have locked it in your heart.
Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:11 (AMP)
SUSIE: Notice the word is used to fight Satan and his demons rather than people. We are not to beat people over the head with our Bibles, literally or figuratively. The battle is NOT against flesh and blood.
SUSAN: Sometimes people are doing the work of the devil because rather than being submitted to Jesus they are under Satan’s power, but it is still Satan we battle. It is hard to remember that even though battle is the Lord’s, He sometimes uses us to fight it.
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Matthew 12:30 (BSB)
SUSIE: As long as we remember that He ultimately wins the war, we can handle the day-to-day skirmishes in His power. Note: the armor is for the front of the body. We are to stand firm rather than retreat. What about our backs? God protects them.
Psalm 34:7 (NIV) The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers.
SUSAN: The final aspect of our heavenly armor is the way in which we access it—prayer. The next lesson will explore this vital link we have with our Captain, our Master, our King. Remember the battle is His, we are just soldiers under His command. Listen to the song at the link below:
And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.
Chronicles 20:15 (BSB)
PONDER THIS: With each piece of God’s armor we are putting on Jesus, demonstrating Christlikeness to the world.
· Belt of Truth – Jesus is THE TRUTH and our ability to discern and speak truth comes from Him
· Breastplate of Righteousness – We must be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus since our own righteousness is like filthy rags
· Feet Shod with Gospel of Peace – When we receive Jesus, when we put Him on, we are made whole – nothing broken, nothing missing – and have peace which we then spread to others by sharing the Gospel message
· Shield of Faith – Jesus gives us the faith to believe. His faithfulness enables us to be faithful
· Helmet of Salvation – The first item of armor we receive from the Lord is our salvation which again is totally provided by Jesus through no merit of our own
· Sword of the Spirit – the key to “putting on Jesus,” donning spiritual armor, is being in His word and being armed with His word when Satan hurls temptations our way. The sword, God’s word, is our only weapon, but it is the ultimate weapon!
ASSIGNMENT: If you haven’t already done so, memorize the pieces of God’s armor. Each day as you prepare for your day by putting on your clothes, ask the Lord to clothe you with His armor to be better prepared to face the day.