EPHESIANS: In Conclusion

EPHESIANS Number 78

In Conclusion

As we come to the end of our study of this wonderful letter, I want to redirect our attention back to verse 13 to help us see in a practical way, what it means for us to put this wonderful armor on.

Ephesians 6:13 tells us “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

When Paul talks about putting the armor on, it is very easy to make it into something we must do to be protected. While the text does use an imperative verb (something we are to do) Paul’s intention does not appear to be to prescribe a series of steps we must follow if we are to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy. The question is what exactly it means for us to put on the armor.

“Put on” is phrasing that Paul uses often. In Romans 13:12 he wrote, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (KJV 1900)

It is obvious that neither salvation nor our acceptance by God is at risk if we fail to do this. If that were the case, Jesus died for nothing, and Christians are worse off after salvation than they were before in terms of what is expected of them.

Here is what I mean. The only thing that is required for anyone to be saved is for them to respond to Father’s gracious gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ. No behavioral change, rite, or ritual results in salvation. Justification before God comes only by simple faith in Jesus. Jesus made this very clear in John 3:36 and 6:29b, where He said, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” And “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

If believing God is all that is required for salvation, but one must rid oneself of the deeds of darkness to remain saved or accepted, then life in Christ requires something in addition to the forgiveness and reconciliation provided by Jesus at the cross. It means His work is not finished as He claimed, and we must perform righteous acts to accomplish it fully.

So then, putting on the armor of light, the armor of God, or any of the other things Paul urges us in various places to put on, is not so much about a direct action on our part as it is about walking by the Spirit each day. Paul is not prescribing a formula of behavior. He is urging us to act in a way consistent with who we are in Christ. He is urging us to walk by faith and not by sight. As we live in dependence on Jesus in everything, we find that the tactics of the enemy are thwarted more readily.

Putting on the armor then, is keeping our minds set on Jesus. Remembering that He is truth, righteousness, and the best news ever for us. Putting on the armor is walking by faith, knowing that our salvation is secure in Him and nothing and no one can separate us from His love. The knowledge of our righteousness protects us like a breastplate. Because our faith is in the One who cannot lie, the darts shot at us by the enemy are extinguished. He is a liar, and truth is his kryptonite. He cannot harm us because he cannot touch us (see 1 John 5:18).

So, while some may say, “the devil only messes with those who are strong in Christ,” “God allows the enemy to mess with those who he knows are strong in their faith,” or even silly things such as “new level, new devil.” None of that is taught in scripture.

The very idea that Father brings evil or temptation into anyone’s life is simply false according to James 1:13–14, which reads, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (KJV 1900)

When our focus is not on Jesus, when we choose to walk in the fleshly way of the world rather than by faith, we find ourselves tempted and beset by all sorts of evil. Such wandering from the path quenches the Holy Spirit because when we are focused on the noise of the world and the flesh it’s like wearing noise-canceling headphones. We find it difficult to hear Him.

Whether one is facing difficulty in life, or everything is going well is not an indication of one’s spiritual maturity. Neither of these situations is permanent for anyone on this side of the veil. Everyone suffers. Everyone has good days. This is the way of temporal life.

Our adversary sets us up for failure and then accuses us of failing. But we have been given the very righteousness of God (see 2 Corinthians 5:21) and the Spirit of the God of the universe lives in us. We have been given eternal Life (God’s Life) and He who is Truth lives in us. We have been given the Light, so we no longer walk in darkness.

Romans 8:37–39 tells us that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (KJV 1900)

Don’t let the enemy get away with selling you the big lie. When thoughts inconsistent with what you know to be the truth come, be ready to knock them down with truth. The enemy need not shake us, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Regarding spiritual warfare, the fight is over, and Jesus won.