Glorious things have been written about the church in the epistle to the Ephesians! The church is the fulfillment of the "mystery" which had never been revealed before. Jew and gentile, rich and poor, bond and free, learned and unlearned — they all meet together in the church. Paul has also spoken of the "dimensions" of the love of Christ which has been revealed in the church. This true church of Jesus Christ is the one outside of which is no salva­tion (Belgic Confession Art. 28). This church has been organized at Ephesus! The truth has been made known there. The members have tasted of the glorious salvation which Christ has brought. Is it all joy in the life of that church? Surely, God will guard that church. It shall stand to the last day. Even the gates of hell shall not prevail against the true church. However, that church will remain standing only if she recognizes her responsibility and strives valiantly. Those are the things of which the Apostle speaks in the last chapter of this epistle.

"Be strong in the Lord"⤒🔗

The members of this church are counseled to "be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might." They must realize at the outset that they will not be able to stand, far less conquer, in their own strength. Why not? For the simple reason that they have no strength in themselves! Let them be humble in accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ and let their humility continue in the exercise of their spiritual responsibility. This will become clearer in the fol­lowing verses. But, the fact that they have no strength in themselves should not discourage them, because they are able to draw on a strength which is far superior to any they could have imagined. They are to be strong in the Lord! They must live close to Him and no evil shall befall them. Only in His power will they be able to do what is required. He has an in­exhaustible supply of strength for them. He is the al­mighty One not only in creation and in providence, He is also the Almighty One for the salvation of His people. He has revealed to them that He is both able and willing to give aid to His people. They can look back at all the things He has done in the past for the help of His people. He led Israel out of Egypt; He gave Canaan into their hand; He slew kings for their sakes; He raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand. Let them believe in the Lord but let them also stand strong in Him! They will have to strengthen themselves in Him every day and every moment of their lives.

"Put on the Whole Armor of God"←⤒🔗

To be able to stand strong in the Lord they will be required to put on the whole armor of God, which he explains later as to its various parts. Let it be clear immediately that it is an armor which He supplies. Also, that it is an armor which believers must put on. God supplies all the things necessary but it is not an evidence of faith to say that if He wishes, He will safeguard them. No, they have the responsibility of putting on this armor which He supplies. Only in this way will they be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Able to Stand←⤒🔗

Let them be assured that they will be able to stand in the battle for their souls if they are faithful to the commands which he gives them. This may be difficult for them to grasp because they will have to face the wiles of the devil! Paul believes there is a personal devil. He believes there is that person of the most extreme evil who attacks the church and seeks to destroy it (Revelation 12). He is afraid of this power because he knows it is great and ruthless. Yet, the power of Jesus Christ is far greater than that of the devil. The Lord will finally vanquish him. But, they, the members of the church, must stand in the strength of the Lord! That is the only safe place.

"Wiles of the Devil"←⤒🔗

Not only does he speak of the devil as their antag­onist, but he reminds them of the "wiles" of the devil. He doesn't fight fairly. He uses deception. He uses ambush. He uses any methods available to him. He mixes truth and error. He even comes with the words of Scripture — as in the temptations of our Lord. He reveals himself as an angel of light, while he is the prince of darkness. The people at Ephesus and all who read this epistle must therefore be on their guard. The prayer "Lead us not into tempta­tion" receives new urgency here. How shall they ever be able to stand against such a dreadful and ruthless power which also makes use of every means of deception? Humanly speaking, they will not be able to stand. But, God has supplied them with ar­mor. That is all they need — but they need this des­perately. No armor of man will do. Putting on the whole armor of God they will be able to stand, i.e., hold their ground. They will not be overcome by the evil one. The victory will ultimately belong to the Christ and to those who have placed their trust in Him.

A Spiritual Warfare←⤒🔗

Now the Apostle informs his readers as to the nature of the battle in which they will be engaged. He says that the wrestling is not against flesh and blood. It is not against men or other physical crea­tures. If it were, it would be an equal match. Then they might find an armor which would satisfy. Men have often mistakenly thought their enemy to be other men. But, this is not the case. In the previous verse Paul has spoken of the wiles of the devil and he now explains more fully what kind of adversary the believers will meet. It is a spiritual conflict. The foe cannot be seen. The foe does not have the weak­nesses which are common to men. He, or they, have tremendous power. He refers to them here as "prin­cipalities," "powers," "world rulers of this darkness," "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." This is a description of the host of the wicked fallen angels. These are the ones who dared to defy God and were cast out of the heavens. Believers are completely surrounded by these evil forces. They have no moment of truce. The tactics of this evil host change constantly but the goal always remains the same: ruin the work of God! It is diffi­cult to fight this kind of a foe because it is an over­whelming host. It has superhuman power.

Controlling Powers←⤒🔗

When the Apostle speaks of the world rulers of this darkness we see some of the means which they employ for the destruction of the faith of God's peo­ple. The evil one is in control of the false philoso­phies which fill this world. This is the darkness which even attacks the revelation of God! At the in­stigation of the evil one, men sit in judgment on the word of God itself. This darkness blinds men and leads them astray. It has slain its thousands throughout the history of the church. This darkness is not lifted as time progresses but becomes deeper. This darkness achieves its greatest triumph in the days of Antichrist. Believers must be on their guard that they are not misled by these world-rulers of this darkness. God allows them to rule in this realm for this time.

Paul also speaks of "the spiritual hosts of wicked­ness in the heavenly places." Does he mean that these have invaded heaven itself? No, when he here speaks of the heavenly places he means that it is the area which does not belong to this earth. It is in line with his emphasis on the fact that these are spiritual forces and therefore do not belong to the mundane. Christians must know the enemy well in order that they may make the proper preparation. He who un­derestimates the strength of the enemy will be destroyed.

Take the Whole Armor←⤒🔗

One is able to speak of the strife of the entire church or of the strife of the individual believer. Paul shows us that the strife is personal and that it is intense as well as a strife of the entire body of believers. Therefore they are to take up the whole ar­mor of God. Every piece has its purpose and the one who will fight in this battle will not be able to do without any part of this armor. Wherever there is a "chink" in the armor, the evil one will find a way to defeat the one who has been careless. But, if the whole armor is employed, you will be able to with­stand in the evil day. In other words, victory is guar­anteed to those who are faithful and obedient. That evil day of which Paul speaks cannot be avoided. There comes the time in the life of every child of God when he is vulnerable. The evil one then attacks with all his fury. But, even in that evil day you will be able to stand if you are clad with the whole armor of God.

An Offensive Weapon←⤒🔗

Although these words are introductory to the de­scription of the various pieces of this whole armor of God and each piece of it does not pass in review here, we must not lose sight of the fact that this armor is not only for defense. It includes also the sword of the Spirit with which the believer goes on the offensive. Jesus told His disciples to go out into the whole world and conquer it for Him by making disciples of all nations. So the church goes out with the gospel throughout the history of the church. So also does the individual believer go out with the claims of Jesus Christ into every area of life. It is true that the believer must be safeguarded in his strife with evil, but more is necessary. He must put on the whole armor of God to do the work of Jesus Christ in this world.

Assured Victory←⤒🔗

It is not mere repetition of words when the Apos­tle says in the closing words of verse 13: "and having done all, to stand." He emphasizes the fact that readers will be able to hold their ground when they have put on the whole armor of God. When all is said and done they will be victorious! The evil one, even with all his power and deceit, has not been able to conquer them. They are then still strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

The warning in these words is, of course, clear. The man who is writing these words is indeed inspired by the Spirit of God, but is also writing out of his own experience. How the devil has sought to cap­ture Paul! It seemed as though he had him in his early years, but the Lord took him out of Satan's grasp. Later he fought the good fight — and he kept the faith! No one shall separate us from the love of God! None shall snatch us out of His hand! Strife? Yes, but there is no doubt about the outcome for those who have put on the whole armor of God.

Questions for Discussion:←⤒🔗

1. Seeing Christ has fought the battle for us, why must we fight for our faith?
    
2. Is "Knowing the Lord" the same as being strong in the Lord? How do we become strong in the Lord?
    
3. To believe there is a personal devil is ridiculed to­day. Do you think the devil appreciates this?
    
4.  How do the ungodly philosophies disturb the faith today? Do you think that the "newer" interpretation of the Bible is included in the present "darkness"?
    
5. Do we fight valiantly the battle for the truth when we ignore or criticize our confessions? Why?