Warfare

Eph 6: 10-18 gives us a blueprint of the Christian as a soldier for Christ. The Apostle Paul describes the armor of the Christian referencing the gear of the the Roman soldier.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

I have taken out the verse numbers in the text for a continuous read.

A. The Enemy

Paul exhorts the Christian as a general encourages his men before they go into the battlefield.

“Be Strong” in its original meaning is to be empowered  or a derivative of the Greek word “dunamis” which speaks of power through God’s ability or through the Holy Spirit. In other words, the strength of a Christian is not resident in himself but is derived from the Lord God Himself.

Paul lets us know immediately that your strength comes from a source that is Eternal. He has to do this because he is about to identify the enemy.

Because we are soldiers in a war that we inherently and automatically signed up for when we chose Christ, we need to put on the armor. We need to be equipped in the war. In other words, Paul has begun to describe to us that while we have chosen sides, we are not unarmed. In fact we have all the weapons for defense and offense that we need. But of course we need the FULL or the WHOLE/ COMPLETE armor. We cannot run into battle with parts of the armor. We need to understand the full implications of having on the FULL armor.

So the enemy is revealed.

  • Schemes/ methods of the devil
  • Not blood and flesh
  • Principalities/ Rulers or hierarchies
  • Powers/ authorities
  • Cosmic powers of darkness/ powers of this dark world
  • Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms

Ok….. so all these have one thing in common- they are spiritual, otherworldly and we need to have special equipment to fight. We need a COMPLETE armor a FULL set of resources in order to resist or to stand against this realm of evil coming against us.

B- The COMMAND IS TO STAND

Be established, steady, steadfast. After we have done all things- whatever they may be- everything, all together, in order to stand when the day of evil comes – which could be everyday. It can also point to a specific day when “all hell breaks loose” against you or against those around you.

Now a soldier is only good as one soldier, but an army brings about a stronger defense and offense. But one thing is commanded to the soldier and to the army- STAND.

C. The ARMOR

The BELT- the first thing mentioned in the center of the soldier- the waist. The belt was the first protective equipment put on by the Roman soldier. The Belt of Truth. The word used for truth here is the same word that Jesus used to describe Himself as “the way. the truth and the life” in John 14:6. So in essence, the belt of truth is Christ Himself. He is your center. He must be your Center if you are to fight for Him.

It leads to the essence of Christianity and the first command of God- “no other gods”. Christ as Lord, Messiah and Savior must be our core from which we move outward. Much more can be said on this alone but let us continue with the armor.

The Breastplate of Righteousness- Certainly not our own righteousness because there “is none righteous but God”. It speaks of a Divine righteousness, justice and justness.The breastplate covers your heart and vital organs. The heart in ancient times was considered to be the seat of the soul of man. Therefore, there are many references to guard the heart. The attacks of the enemy is meant to penetrate to the heart. However, if we trust in the Lord for His righteousness, and by faith believing that, because of and through His righteousness alone, that we have been bought from bondage to liberation, from darkness to light- we will understand that the thing that covers the heart above all is faith in the Lord. “The righteous shall live by faith”. “Put on” suggests clothing, or covering. Let us understand plainly that while we may do good deeds and we should seek to do these in an effort to help humanity, our good deeds cannot clothe us in a spiritual war. It is only the righteousness of Christ that can clothe and empower our hearts and minds to do the right thing.

Shoes of Preparation of the Gospel of Peace–  It is interesting that Paul uses the feet to speak of the gospel. Peace speaks of peace of mind- the root word meaning “to join or tie together in a whole” or “wholeness- i.e when all essential parts are joined together”.  The gospel or the good news of the Messiah who came to deliver us, is that we may become whole- that our being, which was once disjointed by our sin, would be made whole again. It also speaks of the Body of Christ becoming an army joined together- when all the essential parts come together to make a whole so that the chaos and confusion that bring about the opposite of peace or war both within an individual and among individuals, would be diminished and done away with. Preparation speaks of readiness, foundation and a firm footing. This part of the armor speaks of us having a firm footing, a readiness to bring the good news of the Messiah so that peace would be imparted to those in chaos. In other words, for anyone who does not know the Messiah, our direction, our travel, our way should be to go to them so that the message would be imparted. In addition, it also means we should be quick to seek out the things that build us up, to bring about peace within. How can we bring peace to others if we are at war within ourselves? We must first come to the terms of peace in ourselves and understand the good news. We must first of all be reconciled to God before we seek to reconcile others. Shalom!

Shield of Faith– A shield which suggests a FULL BODY shield for full protection. Faith speaks of “faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness”.It speaks of being “fully persuaded. This type of faith comes from God. Understanding that God is who He says He is and that He will accomplish all He said He will. He is the Alpha and the Omega- the beginning and the End. He guarantees that all He said will come to pass. You cannot fight a war if you are not persuaded of its merits. Divine persuasion speaks of revelation of the Word of GOD. As we continually seek after Him, as our faith grows, that faith surrounds us as a full body shield against the missiles of the enemy. Like water over the flaming arrows, so the shield of faith puts out the missile, the darts, the things the enemy sends toward us to deter us from the walk in Christ.

Helmet of Salvation- The  helmet is for the head. The thinking portion of our being. Certainly the seat of thought will be bombarded by an enemy who understands the warfare of the mind. Salvation speaks of the sacrifice of Christ for sinners. The BLOOD of Jesus has more power than a host of darkness. Nothing else can defeat the enemy coming against the seat of thought, than the blood of Christ. All thoughts must be brought to subjection to Him.2 Cor 10:5 says “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.

Rev 12:11- “And they overcame him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

The Sword of the Spirit- What exactly is the sword of the Spirit? It must be a weapon used by the Holy Spirit to conduct warfare. It is a weapon that gives us the ability to attack the enemy instead of just defending. But the attack cannot originate in us. It originates in God. The Spirit Sword- the wind, breath, Spirit of God. The Spirit sword which is God’s word and praying in the Holy Spirit

In the New Testament, there are 2 references to the word of God as the Sword. Eph 6:17 and Heb 4:12. To understand the “word of God”- let us understand that the complied “Bible” at the time of the writing of the epistles did not exist. There was the Jewish Torah and a couple of letters of the Apostles scattered but not yet complied. So, the “word of God” takes a different, more complex meaning than just the “Bible” which is referenced by many expounding on this scripture.The Word of God should include the following:

  • The written God Breathed Word- the Rhema
  • The Revealed Word- Christ
  • The Spirit of the Word- the Holy Spirit

When we see the word of God in this light, we must understand that the Sword of the Spirit must also include “praying in the Spirit”. How do we execute the Sword of the Spirit?

The compiled English Bible, (most translations) have a semicolon or period at the end of verse 17. Note:

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton’s chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan’s verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible version. 

If we take the Verses 17 and 18 of Ephesians 6, we can connect the dots. Most scholars agree that the Sword of the Spirit is the “Word of God”. Heb 4:12 also emphasizes “ For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ” The Word of God is LIVING. As noted above, this includes all three aspects of the Word- Written, Revealed and the Spirit.Understanding the “Word of God” therefore, brings us back to Ephesians.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT AS WATCHMEN, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE WEAPON OF WARFARE TO CONTEND, FIGHT, WAR FOR THE SOULS OF MEN THROUGH TRAVAILING PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT using the WORD of GOD? The Word of God – as defined above, working together, becomes the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. In addition to the Sword of the Spirit being the Word of God, it also includes prayer in the Spirit. The two must work in conjunction to wage effective war. AND WHEN WE PRAY IN THE SPIRIT – Prayer becomes an offensive weapon that tears down the works of darkness – offensive/defensive strategy.

Prayer is not only about us where we get in the presence of God to be transformed through intimate knowledge of the King- but it is the weapon of warfare that we have been given- the Sword of the Spirit-  to conduct Holy warfare against a very real kingdom of darkness and enemy as defined above.

Again- most people may argue that the Sword is just the Word of God and neglect the “praying in the Spirit” partly- because of that semicolon after v 17. However, v 17 and v18 are intricately connected to offensive attack. The double “edginess” of the Sword takes into account the operative word “Spirit” hence “the Sword of the Spirit” includes “praying in the Spirit” and if we pray in the Spirit using the Rhema, the revealed and written word of God,through our understanding of Jesus Christ as the Revealed Word of God then our attack becomes all the more focused and targeted.

It is amazing to note that in the Old testament, the first time that we meet the “Lord of Hosts”- the Lord as Warrior- is when Hannah was deep in prayer for a child. 1 Samuel 1:9-11 ” Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

We simply cannot help but understand that prayer is an intricate part of spiritual warfare and it is absolutely given to us together with the Word of God to be the “Sword of the Spirit”.

Lastly, the armor has been given to wage war. As soldiers in the war for the souls of men, we must be alert-the root word meaning  “we must persevere, continue steadfast in and wait upon the Lord- we must continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty – ‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in”. It is “strong perseverance which prevails by interacting with God”. And we have to do this for ALL SAINTS. ALL meaning every, each,  “all” in the sense of “each (every) part that applies.” The emphasis of the total picture then is on “one piece at a time”. Saints are the ones “set apart”, holy, – meaning “likeness of nature with the Lord” because “different from the world.” As an army, we must contend for the things of God and for one another. The purpose of the armor and the weapon is so that we may fight for, defend and seek to nurture not only ourselves, but the BODY of CHRIST. Verse 18 emphasizes the entire reason for the armor of God….PRAYING FOR ALL SAINTS.

 Shalom.