Ephesians 6:10-24 -- Our Spiritual Armor

Verse by Verse Commentary of the Letter to the Ephesians

Ours is a Spiritual Battle...

Paul concludes the Ephesian letter with a warning. Satan is actively struggling against God. All his energies are focused on shattering the unity of the church. The enemy will attempt to cripple the body, to introduce dissension into the family, and to corrupt the holy temple. Against the enemy’s attacks, God has equipped us with His own armor.

(from Bob Damon’s Ephesians Commentary, pg 34).

¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

• Be “continually made strong”. “Put on”, an imperative or command. You need to do this before you go into spiritual battle. Without it, we are lost.
• The Armor of God is referenced in the Old Testament too, in Isaiah we see similar descriptions and their meanings. 

Isaiah 59:16-17 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, sustained Him.  For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.

¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

• This spiritual war shapes our current physical world. The Spiritual World is more real than the physical and the Bible clearly teaches there is interaction between these two domains. The story of Elisha and the king of Syria makes this point in II Kings 6:

2 Kings 6:8-9 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” And the man of God (Elisha) sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”…

2 Kings 6:11-12 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; …And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”…

2 Kings 6:1-18 Therefore (the king) sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.  And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was (the Syrian) army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”  So Elisha answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

• These principalities, powers and hosts of the heavenly places are real. They are engaged in a warfare, described by Daniel:

Daniel 10:12-14  Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.  Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

Suit up for battle every day

¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

• We are to “stand against” anthisteômi (oppose) the forces of evil, not ignore them, not run away, or ‘tolerate’ but to clearly confront evil.

  James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

• This spiritual war is fought on three fronts: the flesh, the devil & the world.

• The Flesh is the carnal man, or old man, or our sin nature.

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

• The Devil has designs to deceive and tempt us to destroy our witness – the war is not against those who are already “his”, but the church and the Jews.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

• The World – John admonishes us not to join the world system – to be ‘in’ not ‘of’ the world. The culture, entertainment, philosophies, and political movements that stand against Christ; 

John 3:15-16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of                 righteousness, 

¹⁵and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

¹⁶above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

¹⁸praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

• Belt – all the other weapons hung on the belt – it gave the soldier the freedom of movement – truth gives us freedom with ourselves, God and others, and all other spiritual weapons we have are based on truth. Satan is actively trying to deceive us, to use our own rationalizations to justify sin and lead us astray and cause us to doubt.

Colossians 2:4-5  Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.  For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

• Breastplate – protects your heart from a mortal wound – if integrity in your personal life is lost, you have suffered a mortal wound. We wear the righteousness of Christ

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

• Shoes – preparation and knowledge of the Word enables us to avoid hazards, to thrust and parry and maintain our balance and stand firm. Have a readiness to respond when opportunity knocks; to be useful to the Lord:

1 Peter 3:5 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,…

• Shield – our confidence blocks fiery arrows from penetrating. If you have a hole in your faith, and need to resolve doubt, fix it before you go into battle.

• Helmet – protection from blows you cannot see coming. God’s ultimate protection in the Spiritual war is that we already have salvation.

• Sword – the whole counsel of God, our only offensive weapon.

Hebrews 4:2 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.

• Spear – prayer is implied as a weapon that strikes at a distance.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We are ambassadors as well as warriors

¹⁹and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

• Speaking in boldness – we are to be warriors, not afraid to defend the faith.
• Our response is to boldly confront our attacker, acting as representatives of Christ to a fallen world. 
• To defeat the flesh, the devil & the world, we must remove the sources of temptation, get into the Word and be vigilant servants - aware the world system is actively trying to conform us into “their” image, “their” vocabulary and “their” logic. Instead, we are to be transformed.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Application Questions

• Spiritually, what danger is present that we are exhorted to guard against? 
• Shouldn’t Christians simply depend on the Lord to guard our hearts for us? 
• Did God give us a mandate to protect ourselves spiritually?
• Why does Paul use the symbolism of being “armed for battle” and various “spiritual weapons”? 
• Why were so many elements in the armor listed? 
• Can a Christian be effective in spiritual battle without this armor? 
• How would a Christian be impacted if one or more elements of his/her armor were missing?
• If we are exhorted to live in peace and unity, why does Paul conclude this epistle with a call to arms? 
• What is the most important thing a Christian needs to be a successful warrior for Christ?

Epilogue - Ephesians 6:21-24

²¹But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 

²²whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. 

²³Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

• A perfect book end of Grace and Peace - with faith and love.
  

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.