Ephesians 6:10-17
10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Be strong in the Lord: Paul speaks of the true source of Christian strength: Jesus. Notice that he does not encourage Christians to be strong in themselves, but in the Lord. This means that Paul is not encouraging Christians to be in religious performance, dedication, or commitment. Real Christian maturity, for Paul, is not about Christians getting stronger but knowing Christ in their weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Not against flesh and blood: According to Paul, there is more going on in our conflicts with people than meets the eye. People are not the ultimate enemies, according to Paul. This includes our spouses, friends, and opponents. Instead, Satan is the enemy. And the way we combat him is with the armor of God.
Armor of God: This is God’s armor, not human armor. This is how we combat the schemes of the devil. Every error the enemy has to throw our way, God has a corresponding truth that will liberate us. Paul’s solution: We put on Jesus. Jesus is the armor of God. He is the truth, our righteousness, our peace, our salvation, and He is the living sword of the Spirit. We are to stand firm in this and have faith in Christ in the midst of Satan’s schemes.
