The Full Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Paul concludes his letter to these new Christians at Ephesus with a solemn warning about their opposition. He has reminded them of all God had accomplished in Christ for them and the behavior it should elicit on their part. He had cautioned them to forsake their previous pagan worldview and behavior. He had even reminded them that they already have the power within to overcome the wicked forces at work in the world. They shared in Jesus’ victory over the forces of evil. The same power that had raised Jesus from the dead was at work in them so that every spiritual blessing available in Christ and every (imaginable and unimaginable) power made possible through the Holy Spirit was at work in their fight against evil.
Now he encourages them to put on the whole armor of God in their fight against the powers of wickedness. Theirs was a hand to hand combat with evil; preparation was necessary!
I’ll say more in my lesson. — Joey
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