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 1:28 – And 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 14:12-15 – 12 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 6:1-2 – 1 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 6:4 – There 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 13:33 – And 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 2:4:4-5 – 4 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 6:9b – Noah 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 6:13 – Wherefore
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
withstand – anthistemi
(to set one’s self against; withstand; resist; oppose)
having done – accomplished; achieved; brought about the
required result.
all – the whole; all together.
to stand – histemi
(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 6:14 – Stand (histemi) therefore,
having your loins girt about with (in) truth,
and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
loins – or “hip”
breastplate – thorax (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 5:8 – Therefore 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 6:7 – By 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 11:4-5 – 4 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 59:17 – For 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 6:15 – And 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)
gospel – euaggelion
(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 52:7 – How 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 6:16 – Above
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 11:1 – Now 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 5:8 – But 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 6:17 – And 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 4:12-13 – 12 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 6:18 – Praying
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 8:26-27 – 26 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 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
1 Peter 5:8-9 – 8 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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