Ephesians 6:1-24
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,” which is the first commandment with promise:
3 “THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
From the previous chapter, there is a continuation of what walking in the Spirit will look like with regard to relationships, especially those we’re engaged in most frequently with families and work. A walk can’t circumvent some of the most obvious steps taken with those where authority is received and administered. From each perspective, there is an attitude of the heart that will either be of the Spirit, or destructively of the flesh. Actions cannot be taken independently from how they will be obedience or rebellion to the Lord. What is going on in this war of flesh vs Spirit that is most prevalent in these areas is much more than just how someone is being treated. This is a war for whether or not we will be standing with confidence in the presence of the Lord as His obedient servant at the end of the conflict. This is not something we can just determine to do on our own, though, but requires donning the spiritual armor of war that touches every part of our being. Wherever there is an opening or failure to put on truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and the Word in an atmosphere of acknowledging the Lord in prayer, there will be vulnerability to falling. Strength in one of these garments alone will not disallow the necessity for the others. Humility will always enable vigilance against those potential openings, prompting a continuance in prayer for the requirement of God’s equipping grace there. Paul then includes a needed subject of that prayer that goes beyond our own needed strength. As standing victors there is a need for lifting up the voices of the truth, that this revelation be more boldly and effectively spoken. Without unfiltered proclamation there can be no hope of transformation.
In such a familiar passage, I am so thankful that God is so faithful to have New things jump out at me!
When I read, Put on the WHOLE armor of God, that word whole jumped off the page at me! A stand against the devil requires us to be fully armored, a whole suit of armor with nothing lacking and nothing missing. We cannot excel in one piece of armor but then completely neglect another. We need to be whole in the armor of God, stirring up those pieces of armor that we might not be completely clothed in yet.