28/01/18 Ephesians 6:13-18 “Put on the whole armour of God – Part 2”

 

It is obvious that there are clearly defined rules for spiritual combat. Satan and his demons are much more powerful than puny humans, yet they do not destroy mankind as theoretically they should be able to if they were to exert their full force against us. And, if the battle is ultimately against God and His people, then also theoretically God could destroy all His enemies in a moment if He exerted His full might against them. So, what is it that prevents total destruction of man and/or satan and his demons? Only a “code of ethics” in battle could really explain the current situation if the above statements are true.

 

One of God’s attributes is justice; He is just. Justice is irrelevant without any rules and laws; thus justice rests upon the existence of rules and laws. In God’s universe there are physical laws that apply for all time and space, rules of science that cannot be denied, rules that remain truthful in all situations. But the same must also apply for the spiritual realm. God has created His universe and established His control over it in the form of rules and regulations that define how the universe is to run spiritually. He is in control and all His creatures must submit to His will.

 

If God should give some creatures some freedom of will, then that cannot in any way diminish His control over the universe, as long as He holds accountable all free-will decisions made in opposition to His will. Adam was created perfect and was commanded not to eat of that fruit, yet Adam had a free will to disobey, as long as he took on all the responsibilities of that disobedience (= sin). Freedom of will was also given to satan and his demons, who then chose to rebel, taking also the consequences of that rebellion: banishment from heaven and, eventually, eternal torment in hell. God’s authority was never compromised because He will judge all decisions of all who were given that freedom of will.

 

But God is just; that is, He will never punish sin where it doesn’t exist, or condemn a man to hell for the sins of his father. And if He should choose to give mankind (through Adam) dominion (rule) over all the creatures of the earth, then that fact is established!

Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

 

Satan of course had, before Adam’s sin, already attempted to take over some measure of dominion over heaven and had been defeated and cut down to size!

Isaiah 14:12-1512 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

How will satan, with all that pride that caused his rebellion in the first place, now submit to the will of God? (Especially when that puny weakling, man, is given his own special world to rule!) So satan set in place his ambushment of Eve, with Adam falling into sin with her.

 

However, even though satan set a very tempting trap for Eve (and consequently Adam), man’s freedom of will means that ultimately it was Adam and Eve’s free-will choice that caused them to sin. No matter how hard satan might try to tempt and deceive, it is always man’s decision in the end to go along with it. Neither satan nor his demons may ever overrule man’s freedom of will. Even those whom the Bible declares to be “demon-possessed” had to have handed over such control to demons (a type of spiritual “Enduring Power of Attorney”) before those demons could manipulate that person. The rules for spiritual warfare will not be broken, or else the demons will suffer the consequences.

 

Since then, satan has endeavoured to gain as much control over mankind as he can get with all his deceptions. Yet he is like a muzzled roaring lion who seeks to devour all (1 Peter 5:8). He has great power, yet mainly fights from secret positions of ambush. What is it that limits such power? Clearly God has placed limits upon just what satan and his demons can and can’t do. From Job we learn that satan has to be permitted to approach God’s people, and that he can only act according to God’s permission in this world. Nevertheless, he has immense power which is clearly restrained by some significant limiting factor.

 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that certain limits have been placed upon spiritual warfare in general, and upon all involved in it. Man, of course, needs little restraining as he is severely limited in the first place by his puny weakness compared with the others involved. These rules appear to include the following:

 

(a) Man has dominion over all the earth, and thus his freedom of will to rule the earth is to be respected to some degree by satan and his demons. Satan has to get the will of man under his control before he can manipulate man. Satan and his demons cannot coerce man by sheer force to hand over control to his will.

 

(b) Because God is just, therefore He will not break a law that He has made for His world. Therefore He will also honour at least to some degree His giving to mankind the dominion (rule) over the earth.

 

(c) Thus it is not simply a battle between God and satan. Man is the wildcard here. Man has dominion over the earth and freedom of will to rule. However, man has been created to serve and worship God, but freedom of will allows man freedom to choose to serve and worship satan instead. Man will end up serving one or the other, God or mammon, but he cannot serve both masters at the same time (Matthew 6:24). God openly desires man to worship Him, yet satan rarely comes out in the open, preferring deception as his means of gaining worship. Satan and his demons often will masquerade as God in order to get unsuspecting man to worship them. But ultimately, it is man who decides whom he shall serve and worship, either God or mammon.

 

An example of this may be seen in the pre-flood era, leading up to the time of Noah.

Genesis 6:1-21 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

It is generally accepted (including from Israelite tradition) that the “sons of God” refers to heavenly creatures (= fallen angels) and that they were co-habiting with women to breed a hybrid race called Nephilim (in size? power? intelligence?).

Genesis 6:4There were giants (nᵉphiyl) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

[Giants after the flood may have been different again, perhaps mutations.

Numbers 13:33And there we saw the giants (nᵉphiyl), the sons of Anak, [which come] of the giants (nᵉphiyl): and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.]

It is suggested that the following describes such a pre-flood event.

2 Peter 2:4:4-54 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

 

So, was this an example of the rules being broken, with consequent destruction of the corrupt genetic material and the imprisonment of the demons who broke the rules? Was the flood the means of resetting the earth back to where it would have been if the demons had not got involved against the rules? And, while Noah was found righteous, was all his family likewise as righteous? Only Noah is stated as being just and perfect. (The statement “being perfect in his generations” does carry the idea of being without blemish among the people of his generation, which often meant those of his family).

Noah 6:9bNoah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.

 

Having a code of ethics for spiritual warfare would mean that God, as judge, kept absolute authority over it all. And ultimately it is man who has to choose whom he will serve, not satan or God who may choose for him. Thus the warfare would be limited by man’s dominion over the earth, and therefore limited by man’s freedom to choose whom he would serve, either God or mammon. Neither God not satan and his demons may, according to God’s rules, be allowed to exert force outside the rules in order to gain control of man. God is the one who judges the rules, yet because He is just, He will not ever break even one of His rules, nor will He use deception in any way to gain favour, for that would be lies and God is truth! However, satan, while he is not permitted to coerce man into serving him, does use deception and lies to gain man’s service. He will be condemned to hell for eternity because of his lies and deception, yet is permitted in this age because ultimately it is man who chooses, even if he cannot (or refuses to) tell the difference between truth and lies (which so often is the case!).

 

Think of spiritual warfare as a massive galactic chess game where the various pieces belong to either God or satan. Some are God’s pieces, yet most are satan’s. And even those pieces are often reluctant to obey whomever they are supposed to serve. Satan fired the first shot when he rebelled against God. Then he took what he must have considered the winning move, to destroy Adam and Eve through sin. But God’s counter-move in providing a full and free redemption through Jesus Christ was a move that satan probably thought would never be made. But it was. And satan lost.

 

Ephesians 6:13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

take unto you – to take up (a thing in order to carry or use it)

the whole armour of God – the panoply of God

withstandanthistemi (to set one’s self against; withstand; resist; oppose)

having done – accomplished; achieved; brought about the required result.

all – the whole; all together.

to standhistemi (make firm; stand; establish; to cause or make to stand; stand firm; steadfast; not wavering; stand ready or prepared; to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything; one who does not hesitate nor waiver) Also used in Ephesians 6:11 and 6:14.

 

Now, as we look at the whole armour (panoply) of God, I’ll present it as a whole armour, and not try to make a lot of the actual placement of each piece of armour. It’s the whole armour that is effective, more so than each individual part.

Take up the whole armour in all its entirety. Do not miss out on any part, for that part that is missing will be a weakness which the enemy can use to prevail, thus preventing you from withstanding his attacks. Remember that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

When you have done all that you can (including take up the whole armour of God) then you may remain steadfast, established, not hesitant nor wavering. It does imply that anything less than “whole” and “all” may mean not standing!

 

Ephesians 6:14Stand (histemi) therefore, having your loins girt about with (in) truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

 

loins – or “hip”

breastplatethorax (a breastplate or corset consisting of two parts and protecting the body on both sides from the neck to the middle)

 

The assumption is made that you have done all in order to stand as per Vs 13 above. Now we get a list of the pieces of armour that you have allegedly put on, commencing with “truth” and “righteousness”. As noted earlier, I believe it is more important to actually have “truth” and “righteousness”, rather than trying to see what the position of each piece of armour symbolises. Some say that the order of the list denotes the order each part is to be put on, yet I still maintain that it is the entirety (the panoply) that counts here. Otherwise, why isn’t salvation first?

 

Truth means no lies, no deception, no sneakiness, no trying to use verbal gymnastics to prove something that might be debatable. It means testing all things and holding fast to that which is good, as per 1 Thessalonians 5:21. It means rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). It means putting God’s word above all other sources that claim to teach God’s truth. That is, if there is any discrepancy between the Bible and another document, then the Bible is always right!

1 Corinthians 5:8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.

 

Righteousness means being right (ethically, morally, scripturally) even when it costs you to do so. It relates also to the righteousness of God which was imputed to us when we were justified by faith in salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

 

God is righteous, and He desires His people to be as He is: holy and righteous.

Isaiah 11:4-54 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Isaiah 59:17For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance [for] clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Note, for example, that righteousness is a girdle in one of the above, and that the breastplate is faith and love in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 below.

 

Ephesians 6:15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

 

shod – or “bound on”

preparation – the condition of a person or thing so far forth as prepared; preparedness; readiness. From a word meaning “to prepare” (metaphorically: drawn from the oriental custom of sending on before kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable)

gospeleuaggelion (good tidings, especially of salvation in Christ; the gospel)

 

peace – of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.

Isaiah 52:7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Peace is an attribute that settles, calms and stabilises. It represents a sound, firm foundation upon which to stand without losing your grip or balance. The gospel is that which totally underpins every other doctrine of the Bible. With a false gospel, there can be no other true doctrines at all.

 

Ephesians 6:16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (or wicked one).

 

taking – to take up (a thing in order to carry or use it) See Vs 13 above.

shield – a large oblong, four cornered shield

quench – extinguish, quench (of fire or things on fire); metaphorically: to quench, stifle.

darts – missiles; darts; javelins; arrow.

wicked – bad, of a bad nature or condition; in an ethical sense: evil, wicked, bad.

Above all – Besides all else; Over all.

 

Even though the enemy attacks from ambush (that is, we may not know that an attack is imminent), when the attack actually does come, it can be like fiery darts hitting us, digging in, and then continuing to burn well after they have lodged in your body. The shield mentioned here is the large oblong one carried by the Romans, not the much smaller round Greek shield. The Romans could place their shields against each other to form a solid wall; this formation was called a phalanx, although it was the Greeks who originally developed the phalanx formation.

 

Faith may be described as the action you take to demonstrate your trust in someone or something. In this case, if you trust what God says, then you’ll act upon His word. As James says, faith without works is dead; if you say you have faith but do nothing to prove it, then you really don’t have faith at all. Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

If you trust God’s promises that all things work together for good and that we are more than conquerors, then you should fight the battle accordingly.

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

 

Ephesians 6:17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

 

take – receive; receive favourably; not reject.

sword – a large knife, used for killing animals and cutting up flesh; small sword, as distinguished from a large sword; curved sword, for a cutting stroke, or a straight sword, for thrusting.

 

Note the change in the meaning of “take”. It has more of the idea of receiving, such as receiving a gift from someone. We are to receive our salvation favourably, not take it. It is a term that clearly means that something is offered that we may choose to receive or reject. Salvation is offered as a gift, and we must choose to receive it, or remain lost. It fails to support the calvinist claim that we are the instigators of our salvation, when we are to receive it as a gift might be received (or rejected!).

 

The word of God here is more of the uttered word (rhema – that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word), not the logos.

The sword is that which cuts into, slices up and lays us open much like a soldier’s sword, or a surgeon’s scalpel. God’s word, particularly the gospel, lays our lives bare, exposed to the light (especially of the gospel) – Psalm 119:105.

Hebrews 4:12-1312 For the word (logos) of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

 

Ephesians 6:18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

 

always – with all due measure; with every opportunity; on every occasion.

supplication – a seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God. Used twice here.

watching – vigilant; keeping awake

 

“Praying (to God) on every opportunity to do so with all prayer (to God) and supplication (entreating of God) in the Spirit (see Romans 8:26-27) and watching (being vigilant; being alert; wakeful) thereunto with all perseverance and supplication (entreaty of God) for all saints (for all the saints).”

 

Romans 8:26-2726 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17Pray without ceasing.

1 Peter 5:8-98 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Next time we’ll look at the calling of the Christian to suffer for the sake of the gospel.

 

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