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The remaining of the verses in this epistle will take the next few notes to upack. So this is will be a sumamry of my first pass in and then revisit the specifics points on the armor and spiritual warfare.
The opening sentence is key to unlocking the rest of the verses, hence we will study it before exploring the armor in detail.
Finally - this word means rest or remaining or moreover, other, similar to
- [Luke 12:26] not to worry about other matters,
- [1Cor4:2] in this case, moreover its required
- [1Cor9:5] even as the rest of the apostles
The word Strong is a present imperative, which means its an ongoing present command, which means power-ability, to impart ability,
- [1Tim1:12] Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered
- [2Tim 2:1] my son, be strong in the grace that
- [Ro 4:20] he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God
The strength of His might has been used in [Eph 1:19]. Strength (kratos) is to perfect, complete, gain, mastery, mighty, the greek word is dominion-power and Might (isxys) is force that overcomes immediate resistance, the greek word is combative-strength.
- [Luke 1:51] He has done mighty deeds with His arm referencing stength
- [Mark 12:30] AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH while referencing might
The inter-mixing of the words could be that our strength has to come from our Lord, through faith and our love for Him. There is explicit statements that this power comes from God - [Jhn19:11] and [Ac8:19]. As we will see later, this power is needed to combat the price of the power of the air.
So the first verse might translate to trust and put all my faith in the Lord so as I may have the strength that only comes from Him, and in demonstrating that by acting/doing/combating and executing the subsequent commands in this chapter, of this epistle
The rest of the verses and commands that follow can be summarized as
- we are called to stand firm three times, which takes us back to the opening statement of our strength coming from the Lord and from His might
- we are to put on the full armor (mentioned twice) which means that our enemy will strike in the area where we are not covered or miss covering. Full armor translates to complete armor - panoplia. Reference can be made to LoTR Two Towers, when Legolas asks the archer to strike the necks of Urukai, which is their weak spot as its not protected
- this armor (panoplia) is both offernsive and defensive weapons, everything that is needed to wage a successful warfare. We will look at the Roman soldier armor next post to review the similarities.
- the focus emphasis is on the evil day [Eph6:13] can mean any day that we are living but also could be eschatalogical.
- we start with defense over offense, just like in any good battle. As the football cliche goes, good defenses win games. Defense verses are 14,15,16,17; Offense verses are 17,18
- this means we are not to go out looking for a fight in the sense of word faith preachers do - bind, name/claim etc.
- once we are protected in defense, the offense starts when we preach the Word of God going out in the world, which is our sword. This follows from the great commission of Mat 28, hence we are bound to be in warfare as we mature in our faith.
- we dont leave for battle until we are properly prepared for battle, since its present continuous, its a perpetual thing in our preparation, in waging war etc.
- whether we like it or not, battle is going to come to us, hence our defense, when we are attacked, is our faith in our Lord Jesus.
- the battle we fight on earth reflects battle in heavenly places being fought
- some of the examples of the flaming arrows that I quench with Lord's help or pray for more strength, in my life are:
- being admired by a woman who is not my wife : lust/flattery
- praised for things I didnt do or more than I deserve, by my colleagues : flattery/puffing of self
- seeing a fellow coworker get promoted even when they dont deserve : jealousy
- admiring a perfect family or perfect man : covetousness
- wanting to be like a missionary or some one I think is more pious than me : covetousness
- complaining and griping about situations I dont have any control over weather, economics, politics etc. : not fully trusting in God
- sleeping through alarm or not waking up to read the Bible : lazyness/sluggishness
- being carried away by a new scientific discovery or technology or concept : idolatory
- not wanting to hear valid attacks on people I admire or love : idolatory
- judging people for their appearance or their background, unwarranted both positive and negeative : not seeing them as fallen beings or making them an idol
- putting unity or not wanting to upset the apple cart for the truth : idolatory
- various forms of doubts about anything I hear from the news etc. : not fully trusting in God
- inaction to the point where I sit and wait for God to do something : not taking human responsibility
- trying to do things to win affection of people or praise of people : idolatory
The steps to wear the armour, which I will expand in the next post is as follows: We understand and believe in the truth -> which shows us how to be righteous -> knowledge of peace -> builds our faith -> knowledge of our salvation -> helps us wield the word of God
In the next post I will explore the complete armour and how I need to apply it to my own life.