Posted on 06/26/2017 8:05:42 AM PDT by Salvation
In a lot of these cases the Biboloter has never been asked what putting on the whole armor of God looks like in practice, so they sputter and try to distract as they realize their advice is pretty much worthless as action plans go....
Your point?
In a lot of these cases the Biboloter has never been asked what putting on the whole armor of God looks like in practice, so they sputter and try to distract as they realize their advice is pretty much worthless as action plans go....
What does this look like in practical application?
It's a good question.
The image Paul is drawing upon is the Roman soldier which would be a familiar one to the believers in Ephesus considering its status in the Roman Empire.
The spiritual armor Paul is describing each plays an important part in the defense of the believer and protects all of the vital areas.
The first thing to notice is the strength of the believer comes from the Lord and only the Lord as noted in v10. This is key to the understanding of the remainder of the passage.
The second is the reliance upon the word of God. Verses 14,15 and 17 all draw from the OT.
Paul gives three commands in this passage. In v10, v11 and v14 the words be strong, put on, and stand are in the imperative which in Greek is used to issue a command or an exhortation. As we are in spiritual warfare with Satan, and Paul is drawing upon a soldier for reference, this makes sense. He's giving us marching orders!
The command to stand firm in v14 is an interesting one. It is derived from the Greek verb ἵστημιa meaning to cause to be in place, to make stand, to be there. It conveys the idea of holding your ground. It is followed by the participle περιζωσάμενοι meaning having girded.
Notice the process. We can only stand firm once we put on the armor.
The command to stand conveys the idea of not yielding ground to the enemy but only once you are ready for battle.
To enter the battlefield without the armor a soldier risks serious injury and would most likely have to retreat from the battlefield.
Truth, righteousness and the gospel of peace are all derived from the word.
The shield of faith is our faith. And again, this is drawn from the word of God.
Most of the equipment Paul describes is utilized in defense. Again, go back to the command to stand firm. The only potential offensive weapon Paul notes is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The Greek word Paul uses is μάχαιραν. It was a short sword or dagger mainly used for stabbing.
The word of God can be used in offense or defense but defense seems to be more the perspective in light of the command to stand firm.
One last thing...we do not directly challenge Satan to battle.
I draw this from Jude regarding Michael the archangel and his exchange with Satan.
9But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude 1:9 NASB
The Lord will fight Satan.
No doubt though there is battle with the evil one as Paul notes in Ephesians 6. We need to be ready for the battle.
To summarize this very brief study.
1) the believer relies only upon the Lord
2) recognize we are in spiritual warfare
3) the believer must know the word of God
4) the believer must be in prayer and this prayer will be to the Lord
I hope this answers your question(s).
Beautifully and succinctly explained. You have a gift! There will be readers who this will help for there are eager souls God hears ...
God gets the glory!
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