The Whole Armor of God – Ephesians 6: 10- 24
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench 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 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Personal Matters and Benediction
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ
What does the passage say?
V. 10-12 Who do we need to be aware of? Paul points out that it should not be others in our community, but rather the evil power. Even though we might want to deny the evil, in the world, it is very clear that it exists. It is the darkness that doesn’t want us to live according to God’s will so that the darkness can prevail.
V. 13 – 17 For us to stand firm, against the darkness and shine the light of Jesus Christ, we need to put on the ‘Armor of God.’
1. Belt of Truth
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
3. Shoes of readiness to share the Gospel of peace 4. Sheild of Faith
5. Helmet of salvation
6. Sword of the Word of God.
V. 18 – 20 Paul asks the people to continue to pray and pray for others. This prayer has one purpose, for us to live in unity and according to God’s purpose. The main purpose of prayer is to help and encourage others to live as light in this world.
V. 21 – 22 Tychicus might have been the person delivering the letter. Paul is hoping that his letter and Tychicus will be an encouragement to help the people live in unity.
What does this mean to me/us
As I spent this past couple of weeks focusing on Ephesians, now I understand the main idea. Paul’s entire attention is to encourage God’s people to live for the purpose. The Love God and Love each other. We fall into the snares of the world daily. Our own understanding clouds the truth of God.
Paul asks us to live in God’s Love and passes it on. Instead of using the analogy of ‘Armor’ Eugene Peterson says, “Truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them.” v. 17-18 The Message
Let us hold on to the word of God, which is our sword, and apply it to our life daily.
We will be able to see how God builds us in unity.
What does this MEAN to you?
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