Eph 6:10-12
Intro:
This passage may represent a kind of baptismal charge. Its text is “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong” (1 Cor 16:13). It is taken for granted that the victory is already assured through what Christ accomplished by his death and resurrection (Eph 1:20–23).
stand. Occurs four times in vv. 11–14. Christ has already won the decisive victory (1:20–22; 4:8; Col 2:15). Nevertheless, the consummation of cosmic harmony is still future. Paul does not call believers to invade the domain of evil; he calls them only to “stand,” maintaining what Christ has already won.
As Christians, we face three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:1–3). “The world” refers to the system around us that is opposed to God, that caters to “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15–17). “Society apart from God” is a simple, but accurate, definition of “the world.” “The flesh” is the old nature that we inherited from Adam, a nature that is opposed to God and can do nothing spiritual to please God. By His death and resurrection, Christ overcame the world (John 16:33; Gal. 6:14), and the flesh (Rom. 6:1–6; Gal. 2:20), and the devil (Eph. 1:19–23). In other words, as believers, we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! The Spirit of God enables us, by faith, to appropriate Christ’s victory for ourselves.
The “struggle” (literally, “wrestling,” palē) is not merely against human foes but a war to the death against supernatural forces.
Believers must adorn themselves with the armor of God in order to stand against the devil’s schemes. Five defensive weapons are identified: (1) the enabling nature of truth that resists lying and false doctrine; (2) the covering quality of righteousness that resists accusations of conscience and despondency; (3) the stabilizing quality of peace that resists slander and selfishness; (4) the protective ability of faith that resists prayerlessness and doubt; and (5) the encouraging nature of salvation that resists fear and disappointment.
Two offensive weapons are included in the armor of God: (1) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and (2) prayer. It is fitting that this prayerful and meditative letter concludes with an exhortation to prayer (6:18) and a request for prayer (6:19–20).
The Old Testament has many pictures of Israel as God’s warriors, and God himself appears as a warrior in full armor, dealing out his justice (Is 59:17; cf. Wisdom of Solomon 5:17–20). But although Paul borrows his language from the Old Testament, the image Paul’s words in this paragraph would have evoked for most of his readers is that of a Roman soldier ready to do battle. Most adults who heard his letter read would have seen Roman soldiers and could relate this image to their spiritual warfare against the demonic powers at work in the world; God who fought for them had supplied them his armor.
“Stand” (stēte) is a key word in this passage (cf. vv. 13, 14). The equipment enables the soldier to ward off the attacks of the enemy and make a stand against him. Stēte is a military term for holding on to a position. Before any offensive can be launched, one must first of all maintain his own ground. The fourfold use of “against” (pros) stresses the determined hostility confronting the Christian soldier. The commander-in-chief of the opposing forces is the devil himself, the sworn enemy of the church. He is a master of ingenious stratagems (methodeias cf. 4:14) and his tactics must not be allowed to catch us unawares. Paul had his own experience of such ploys. In the second century A.D. the church interpreted these as torture inflicted on the martyrs. But in the context of Ephesians they are more likely to have been deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ’s body (3:14–22; 4:1–16, 27) through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (4:2, 21, 31, 32; 5:6).
6:11b–12. The purpose of putting on God’s armor is to be able to stand against the schemes or stratagems (methodeias, used in the NT only here and in 4:14) of the devil or adversary (cf. 4:27).
The intelligence corps plays a vital part in warfare because it enables the officers to know and understand the enemy.
The intelligence corps plays a vital part in warfare because it enables the officers to know and understand the enemy. Unless we know who the enemy is, where he is, and what he can do, we have a difficult time defeating him. Not only in Ephesians 6, but throughout the entire Bible, God instructs us about the enemy, so there is no reason for us to be caught off guard.
Wiles means “cunning, crafty arts, strategems.” The Christian cannot afford to be “ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). Some men are cunning and crafty and “lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14), but behind them is the arch-deceiver, Satan. He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and seeks to blind men’s minds to the truth of God’s Word. The fact that Paul uses the word “wrestle” indicates that we are involved in a hand-to-hand battle and are not mere spectators at a game. Satan wants to use our external enemy, the world, and our internal enemy, the flesh, to defeat us. His weapons and battle plans are formidable
The leader—the devil. The enemy has many different names. Devil means “accuser,” because he accuses God’s people day and night before the throne of God (Rev. 12:7–11). Satan means “adversary,” because he is the enemy of God. He is also called the tempter (Matt. 4:3), and the murderer and the liar (John 8:44). He is compared to a lion (1 Peter 5:8), a serpent (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9), and an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13–15), as well as “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV).
Where did he come from, this spirit-creature that seeks to oppose God and defeat His work? Many students believe that in the original Creation, he was “Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isa. 14:12–15) and that he was cast down because of his pride and his desire to occupy God’s throne. Many mysteries are connected with the origin of Satan, but what he is doing and where he is going are certainly no mystery! Since he is a created being, and not eternal (as God is), he is limited in his knowledge and activity. Unlike God, Satan is not all-knowing, all-powerful, or everywhere-present. Then how does he accomplish so much in so many different parts of the world? The answer is in his organized helpers.
Satan’s helpers. Paul called them “principalities … powers … rulers … spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Charles B. Williams translates it: “For our contest is not with human foes alone, but with the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark world; that is, with the spirit forces of evil challenging us in the heavenly contest” (WMS).
This suggests a definite army of demonic creatures that assist Satan in his attacks against believers. The Apostle John hinted that one third of the angels fell with Satan when he rebelled against God (Rev. 12:4), and Daniel wrote that Satan’s angels struggle against God’s angels for control of the affairs of nations (Dan. 10:13–20). A spiritual battle is going on in this world, and in the sphere of “the heavenlies,” and you and I are a part of this battle. Knowing this makes “walking in victory” a vitally important thing to us—and to God.
Satan’s abilities. The admonitions Paul gave indicate that Satan is a strong enemy (Eph. 6:10–12), and that we need the power of God to be able to stand against him. Never underestimate the power of the devil. He is not compared to a lion and a dragon just for fun! The Book of Job tells what his power can do to a man’s body, home, wealth, and friends. Jesus calls Satan a thief who comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Not only is Satan strong, but he is also wise and subtle, and we fight against “the wiles of the devil.”
6:12. Some people in the Old Testament learned that the nature of their battle was spiritual (cf. Gen 32:22–32; Dan 10:10–21), although in both Daniel and Paul the battle was fought by prayerfully submitting to God and doing his will, not by directly addressing the hostile powers (Dan 10:12–13, 21).
6:18–19. If prayer for one another (v. 18) continues the figurative image of warfare in the preceding context, it might relate to how the soldiers had to stand together in their battle formation, covering one another by moving as a solid unit. A Roman soldier by himself was vulnerable, but as a unified army a Roman legion was virtually invincible. “Watching” or “being alert” may also be military language (suggested by Jesus; cf. Mk 14:38). Prayer in the Spirit probably implies inspired prayer (cf. 1 Cor 14).
Believers must adorn themselves with the armor of God in order to stand against the devil’s schemes. Five defensive weapons are identified: (1) the enabling nature of truth that resists lying and false doctrine; (2) the covering quality of righteousness that resists accusations of conscience and despondency; (3) the stabilizing quality of peace that resists slander and selfishness; (4) the protective ability of faith that resists prayerlessness and doubt; and (5) the encouraging nature of salvation that resists fear and disappointment.
Two offensive weapons are included in the armor of God: (1) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and (2) prayer. It is fitting that this prayerful and meditative letter concludes with an exhortation to prayer (6:18) and a request for prayer (6:19–20).
6:10–17 The true believer described in chaps. 1–3, who lives the Spirit-controlled life of 4:1–6:9, can be sure to be in a spiritual war, as described here.
wiles. This is the Gr. word for “schemes,” carrying the idea of cleverness, crafty methods, cunning, and deception. Satan’s schemes are propagated through the evil world system over which he rules, and are carried out by his demon hosts. “Wiles” is all-inclusive, encompassing every sin, immoral practice, false theology, false religion, and worldly enticement.
2:11 devices. The devil wants to produce sin and animosity that will destroy church unity. He uses every possible approach to accomplish this—from legalism to libertinism, intolerance to excessive tolerance (cf. 11:13, 14; Eph. 4:14; 6:11, 12; 1 Pet. 5:8). Paul used a different word (but with similar meaning) for “devices” (wiles) in Eph. 6:11. It, along with the words for “take advantage” and “ignorant,” strongly implies that Satan targets the believer’s mind, but God has provided protection by unmasking Satan’s schemes in Scripture, along with providing the counteracting truth.
6:10 be strong. Relying not on our own inadequate strength but on God’s “mighty power” (cf. 1:19).
6:10 be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Cf. Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:1.
Ultimately, Satan’s power over Christians is already broken and the great war is won through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, which forever conquered the power of sin and death (Rom. 5:18–21; 1 Cor. 15:56, 57; Heb. 2:14). However, in life on earth, battles of temptation go on regularly. The Lord’s power, the strength of His Spirit, and the force of biblical truth are required for victory (see notes on 2 Cor. 10:3–5).
6:10. Paul exhorted believers to be strong in the Lord and in the might (kratei, “power that overcomes resistance” as used in Christ’s miracles) of God’s inherent strength (ischyos; cf. “the power [kratous] of His inherent strength” [ischyos] in 1:19). Hence believers can be strengthened not only by the person of the Lord but also by His resources (cf. Phil. 4:13).
Three of the four synonyms for power noticed in Ephesians 1:19 (cf. 3:16–21) are brought together again here. Paul’s readers will recall that this is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (1:20) and brought them to life when they were dead in trespasses and sins (2:1). Its adequacy cannot possibly be in doubt.
6:11a. The form of the Greek imperative put on indicates that believers are responsible for putting on God’s (not their) full armor (panoplian, also in v. 13; all the armor and weapons together were called the hapla; cf. 2 Cor. 6:7) with all urgency. The detailed description of the armor (given in Eph. 6:14–17) may stem from Paul’s being tied to a Roman soldier while in prison awaiting trial (cf. Acts 28:16, 20).
6:11 Put on. Recalls 4:24 (see note there), suggesting that putting on the “new self” is fundamentally the same as putting on God’s armor. the full armor of God. The means by which we are to “be strong in the Lord” (v. 10).
4:24 put on. Believers have already “put off” (v. 22) the old and “put on” the new at their conversion (note the past action in the parallel in Col 3:9; cf. Rom 6:6). The exhortation here to “put off” and “put on” does not mean to repeat continually the original putting off and putting on but means to live out its significance in light of who believers now are in Christ. new self. Related to the “new humanity” of 2:15 since both are “created” by God and both terms are based on the same Greek words kainos anthrōpos (or “new man”). While 2:15 emphasizes the corporate aspect of this new self as one humanity comprising Jewish and Gentile believers, this verse focuses on the individual aspect of this “new self,” who in contrast to the “old self,” is the individual who lives in the life of the age to come and who is part of the new creation. The change from the old to the new speaks not of a change in nature but of a change in relationship. The “old self” is what believers were “in Adam”; the “new self” is what believers are “in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22).
Paul may have drawn his picture “live” from the soldier he was chained to in his house arrest, though it is not altogether certain that such a custodian would have been in full battle dress.
Because the warfare in which Christians are engaged is on the scale described in v. 12, the command to take advantage of the panoply God has provided is reiterated from v. 11. The verb, though translated in NIV “put on,” is a different one from that in v. 11 where endysusthe? Literally, “be clothed in,” is used. Here it is elabete, “take up, assume.” So when the battle is at its fiercest, the soldiers of Christ will still be able to hold their line even against the most determined attack. “The day of evil” is neither a particular juncture like approaching death or the last great satanic outbreak at the end of the age nor the whole of the present age (5:16). It is “when things are at their worst” (NEB)—because of “the devil’s schemes” (v. 11).
When the emergency is over for the time being, it will be found that not an inch of territory has been yielded. Christians will “have done everything” (hapanta katergasamenoi) not only in preparing for the conflict but also in pursuing it. The verb has to do with achievements either in war or in the games. The KJV mg. has “having overcome all,” which R.P. Martin considers to be “just possible” (NBC3, p. 1123) though there is no parallel in the NT.
