Armor of God
Introduction and thoughts
Ephesians 6:10-24
Be strong on the Lord In the strength of HIS might Put on the whole armor of God WHY?
The ability “to stand” results in firmly holding one’s position. Notably, then, this is not speaking of offensive but defensive warfare, to hold one’s ground, against the schemes or strategies of the devil. In 1 John 3:8 he is identified as one who has sinned from the beginning and, according to Jesus, has nothing to do with the truth because there is no truth in him; he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). John identified the devil as Satan, who is the deceiver of the whole world (Rev 12:9; 20:2). Due to this, one must always be cognizant that the strategies or schemes of the devil are based on lies and are designed to deceive believers. Paul exhorted believers to put on the full armor of God in order to stand firmly against the deceptive strategies of the devil. Paul is not calling believers here to attack the devil or advance against him; they are only to “stand”—to hold the territory that Christ and his body, the church, have already conquered. Without the armor of God, it is certain that believers would be deceived and defeated by those “schemes” of the devil, which have been effective for thousands of years