I'm continuing my study notes - see part 1 With the scene set, we're ready to delve into Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6 v 11-18
Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. 13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. 14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, 15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. 16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. 18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
It's a famous passage, I've read it millions of times, but I've not really studied it in depth and I've not heard anyone preach on it either, so it blessed my socks off to see some of the little gems in here.
We do have an enemy. There's no sugar-coating it. The bible's quite clear on the fact and if we don't believe it, we're already defeated. However, God hasn't left us helpless. He gave us His Jesus. But just believing in Christ and becoming a Christian doesn't mean life will suddenly automatically be all rosey and perfect. In fact, it's often the opposite: as soon as you get tuned into Christ, you get smacked with something to discourage you. It's all a strategy to throw you off course. But we don't have to be defeated.
Jesus said the even the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. The church (which is the body of Christ - the people, not a building), is powerful. I don't think we realise how powerful we are. But the gates of a fortress are a defensive structure. You don't attack with gates. You put gates up to keep attackers and unwanted people out. So the gates of hell (or the defences of hell) are no match for the church. If we look at this carefully, the church are the people that the defences of hell can not prevail against. Are we the ones who should be attacking? If you're not attacking in a football match, you're having to defend. Once you start attacking, the other team need to defend. Is the church living in a state of constant defence? Is that how we should be living? In a football match, each player is suited up with certain protection such as shin pads. In American football, they wear helmets too. Similarly in battle, the army are clad in their armour to protect them and their weapons to attack. So too God has supplied His church. And even better news - we don't have to find our own armour. It's God's armour we use. Just like a member of the British Army wouldn't fashion his own weapons and outfit, neither do we need to as He supplies it all. And we are told to put it on, so we need to know what it is. Note how it also says to put on His complete armour? We need it all otherwise we'll be left vulnerable. We're even told why we need it - "to stand against all the strategies and deceits of the devil". There's that deceit again. God's armour will help to protect you against the deceit of the enemy. So let's jump right in and take a look at it.
v14 -The belt of truth A belt holds everything up. It stops something falling down and holds things in place. Jesus said in John 8 v 32, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free". If you don't have the truth, and you don't know the truth, you are not free. John 1 v 17 says that "For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ." So truth sets us free, and it came through Jesus. Unlike Eve, who wasn't fully acquainted with God's word, we can know the truth, and God says that having this truth holds everything up, like a belt. What is the truth? It's Jesus! It's the gospel, the good news that Jesus came to set us free by dying for us, and that He lives because He is risen from the grave.
But what are loins? It's quite an old-fashioned word and can refer to the part of the body under the ribs to the hips, but it can also mean the region of the sexual organs and when it's used in this context it refers to procreative power. The Greek word is osphus and means the hip or reproductive area. We can't produce anything good in our lives if it comes from deceit. We must be girded with truth. Another interesting point is that a belt goes all the way around something. The Greek used here is actually "being girded about". There's no area that shouldn't be upheld by the truth.
v14 - The Breastplate of integrity- the KJV translates this as the breastplate of righteousness. The Greek word used is Dikaiosune which means righteousness or a condition acceptable to God. I do like this one. Breastplates are a defensive item of armour. They protect the heart and vital organs. We need to know in our hearts that we are righteous. If we know that we know that we know that we are the righteousness of God through Christ, then condemnation cannot set in and we can never be accused by the devil (he is the accuser of the brethren according to the bible) even when we slip up and make a mistake. Condemnation can take deep roots in us and lead to many other issues, such as guilt, fear, anxieties and even illness in our physical body. Condemnation is not good. We are forgiven by God because Jesus took all our sins at the cross. By believing on Him and His wonderful sacrifice, we become righteous through our faith in Him. It can't be earned, it has to be received. And because it can't be earned, and we receive it through faith, it can't be lost, and we can be of absolute peace in our standing with God. He's just amazing. He deserves all our praise.
The bible also tells us that where our treasure is, that is where our heart is also. In Matthew 6 v 33, Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So our heart is also where we seek God, and His righteousness. So how do we do protect our heart with the breastplate of righteousness? We must ensure that our hearts are always seeking God first and foremost, seeking Him above all in the world. He is our treasure, and should be the treasure of our hearts. We must also know that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. Don't be condemned. Romans 8 v 1 says that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ". If anyone condemns you, use your breastplate of righteousness and declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ!
v15 - Shod your feet - this one is a gem isn't it? Shodding the feet is a rather strange term. In the Greek, it is defined as "bind under one's feet".
The root of the word is from a word meaning "bond, tie, knit". In the culture of the day, feet got very dirty and dusty so shoes were removed and feet washed when entering a house. The action of washing someone's feet was looked upon as a very lowly job. The lowest of the low would be expected to wash feet. This is very interesting in the light of Jesus' willingness to wash His disciples' feet. The dust is also linked with flesh and sinful nature in the bible. The serpent from Genesis was cursed and doomed to eat dust. Man's fate was set to return to dust. Dust is a picture of the sinful nature of the world. So here in this verse we are told to cover or bind our feet with the preparation of the gospel. This means that our feet are never covered with the dust (or sin) of the world. They're ever ready to go - go wherever God takes us. We're not picking up the dust of the world, we are walking in the cleansing power of the gospel, taking the good news with us, and ever prepared to walk in paths that God has for us. How beautiful is that? We walk in the world, but we're not of the world. We look different in the world because of the gospel. Wherever we walk, our feet are perpetually clean, guided by the gospel, prepared for anything, and the dust or sin of the world has no power over us.
We'll take on the last three verses next time.