Commentary - Ephesians 6:10-20

Bird's-eye view

As Paul brings his magnificent letter to the Ephesians to a close, he shifts from detailed instructions about household relationships to the overarching reality that governs all of Christian life: spiritual warfare. This is not a jarring transition but a necessary one. A Christian cannot rightly order his marriage, family, or work without understanding that he does so on a battlefield. This section is the great call to arms for the church militant. Paul's central command is to be strong, but the strength is not our own. It is found "in the Lord and in the might of His strength." The Christian life is not a matter of grimly mustering up our own resources, but of appropriating the limitless power of God.

To do this, we are commanded to put on the "full armor of God." This is not a list of helpful tips for self-improvement; it is a description of Jesus Christ Himself. To put on the armor is to put on Christ. He is our truth, our righteousness, our peace, our faith, our salvation, and the living Word of God. The battle is real, waged not against human opponents but against organized, intelligent, and malevolent spiritual forces. But the outcome is not in doubt, because the armor we wear is the very character of the Victor. The passage concludes by showing us the activity that animates the entire enterprise: constant, Spirit-led prayer, not only for ourselves but for all the saints, and particularly for the bold proclamation of the gospel.

Outline

Context In Ephesians

Ephesians is a book of two halves. The first three chapters are glorious doctrine, what theologians call the indicatives. They declare what God has done for us in Christ: He has chosen us, redeemed us, sealed us, and seated us in the heavenly places. We are saved by grace through faith. This is our position, our identity. The last three chapters are glorious duty, the imperatives. They tell us what we are to do in light of who we are. "Therefore," Paul says, "walk in a manner worthy of the calling." He then applies this to church unity, personal holiness, and the household. The armor of God passage is the capstone of these imperatives. It is not an isolated section for those Christians who are particularly "into" spiritual warfare. Rather, it is the framework for all Christian obedience. We walk in unity, we put off the old man, we love our wives, we obey our parents, we work diligently as an act of war against the spiritual forces of wickedness. The indicatives of chapters 1-3 are the foundation for the imperatives of chapters 4-6, and this final section shows us that the entire Christian life is lived out on contested ground.

Key Issues

The Christian in Battle Dress

When modern Christians read about putting on armor, we are tempted to think of it as a private, individualistic checklist. We imagine ourselves in our prayer closet, mentally strapping on each piece before we go out to face the day. While personal discipline is certainly involved, this misses the corporate nature of what Paul is describing. He is arming the Church, the body of Christ. This is the new man, the corporate community, being called to march as an army. We are not lone commandos; we are soldiers in a vast regiment.

Furthermore, the armor itself is not a collection of abstract virtues we are to cultivate. The armor of God is God's armor, the very armor He wears (Is. 59:17). And God has given us this armor in the person of His Son. To put on the belt of truth is to put on Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to be clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ. Each piece is a facet of the glorious person and work of our Lord. So the command is not "try harder to be more truthful." The command is "put on Christ." Our strength for the battle is not found in our resolve, but in our union with Him.

Verse by Verse Commentary

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.

Paul begins his conclusion with the word "finally," signaling the summation of all that has gone before. The command is simple: "be strong." But the location of this strength is crucial. It is not in ourselves, in our natural abilities, our willpower, or our spiritual disciplines. It is "in the Lord." The Christian life is a supernatural life, and it requires a supernatural power source. We are to be strengthened in our union with Christ, drawing from "the might of His strength." This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Eph 1:19-20). It is an infinite reservoir. The Christian is not like a battery that needs to be recharged, but rather like a lamp that is plugged into the power station. Our job is not to generate strength, but to stay connected to the source.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

The way we appropriate the Lord's strength is by putting on His armor. The Greek word is panoplia, from which we get our word panoply. It means the complete set of armor and weapons. We are not to pick and choose. Leaving one piece off makes us vulnerable. The purpose of the armor is defensive: "to stand firm." Our primary posture in this warfare is to hold the ground that Christ has already won for us. And we are standing against the "schemes" of the devil. The word is methodeia, which gives us our word "method." The devil is not a mindless brute; he is a cunning strategist. He uses wiles, trickery, and deception. He doesn't always attack with a frontal assault; more often, he uses subtle lies, half-truths, and clever temptations that appear attractive and reasonable.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Paul here defines the enemy. We are in a "struggle," a word that evokes the image of a wrestling match, a close-quarters, hand-to-hand conflict. But our opponents are not human. They are not the difficult boss, the hostile neighbor, or the corrupt politician. Those people may be instruments, but the real enemy is the spiritual power working behind them. Paul uses a cascade of titles to describe this enemy: rulers, authorities, world forces of this darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness. This is not a disorganized rabble; this is a hierarchy of intelligent, malevolent beings. They operate "in the heavenly places," which is not some distant galaxy, but the unseen spiritual reality that overlays our own. We are fighting a cosmic war against a highly organized and powerful foe. To forget this is to exhaust ourselves fighting symptoms instead of the disease.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Because the enemy is so formidable, Paul repeats the command to take up the full armor. The armor is what enables us to "resist in the evil day." The "evil day" refers to any time of intense testing, trial, or assault, whether personal or corporate. It is those times when the spiritual battle heats up and the pressure is on. The armor is not for peacetime parades; it is for the day of battle. The goal, once again, is to endure the assault and, when the smoke clears, to still be standing. Victory in this context is perseverance. It is holding your ground, refusing to retreat, and remaining faithful to Christ.

14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

Now Paul begins to detail the specific pieces of armor. The first is the belt of truth. A Roman soldier's belt, or girdle, was the foundational piece of his equipment. It held his tunic in place and was the piece from which his sword and other items hung. For the Christian, truth is what holds everything together. This is not just the virtue of truthfulness, but the objective, propositional truth of the gospel. More than that, it is Jesus Himself, who is the Truth (John 14:6). To gird our loins with truth is to have our entire life organized around and held together by the reality of who Christ is and what He has declared in His word. The breastplate protected the vital organs. Our breastplate is righteousness. This is first and foremost the imputed righteousness of Christ, which we receive by faith. It is the declaration that we are legally right with God, not because of our performance, but because of Christ's perfect performance credited to our account. This protects our hearts from the accusations of the devil and the condemnations of our own conscience.

15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.

A soldier's footwear was crucial for stability and mobility on the battlefield. Our shoes are the "preparation of the gospel of peace." This means we stand on the firm foundation of the good news that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. This gives us stability in the midst of conflict. It also speaks of readiness. We are to be ready to move, ready to proclaim this gospel of peace. It is a striking paradox: we put on shoes for war that are made of peace. This is because the way we wage war is by announcing the peace that Christ has made between God and man, and between Jew and Gentile. Preaching peace in a world at war is itself an act of war.

16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,

The Roman shield was a large, oblong shield that could protect the entire body. Paul says that "in addition to all," or "above all," we are to take up this shield. Faith is our all-encompassing defense. This is not faith in our faith, but active trust in God and His promises. This shield has a specific function: to extinguish the "flaming arrows of the evil one." These are the enemy's incendiary projectiles, fiery temptations, bitter accusations, paralyzing doubts, terrifying threats, insidious lies. They are designed to set our souls on fire with lust, anger, fear, or despair. Faith acts as a shield by taking God at His word, believing His promises over and against the lies of the enemy. When Satan whispers, "You are a failure," faith holds up the shield and says, "But God says I am accepted in the Beloved."

17 also receive THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

The helmet protected the soldier's head, his command center. Our helmet is salvation. This refers to the assurance of our salvation. The devil loves to attack our minds, to make us doubt our standing with God. The helmet of salvation protects our thinking by reminding us that our ultimate deliverance is secure. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. This confidence in our final victory is a vital defense against despair. Finally, we are given one offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit. This sword is explicitly identified as "the word of God." This is the rhema of God, the spoken word, the specific application of Scripture to a specific situation. As Jesus did in the wilderness, we are to wield the Word of God to parry the devil's attacks and to drive him back. This is how we take the fight to the enemy, by speaking and living God's truth.

18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

The armor is put on and wielded in an atmosphere of prayer. Prayer is not a seventh piece of armor; it is the air the soldier breathes. Paul piles up the "alls", at all times, with all prayer, with all perseverance, for all the saints. This is to be constant and comprehensive. We are to pray "in the Spirit," meaning our prayers are prompted, guided, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the will of God as revealed in Scripture. This is not a selfish enterprise. We are to be alert, watchful, and persevering in our prayers for all our fellow soldiers in this war. We are in this fight together.

19-20 as well as on my behalf, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul concludes with a personal prayer request that reveals the ultimate purpose of all this spiritual warfare. He asks for prayer, not for his comfort or release from prison, but for boldness in gospel proclamation. He, an "ambassador in chains," wants the right words and the courage to declare the "mystery of the gospel", the glorious truth that Gentiles are now fellow heirs with Jews in the one body of Christ. He asks for boldness twice. This is not a request to overcome stage fright. This is the request of a man facing down the Roman Empire, knowing that his faithful preaching could cost him his life. The goal of standing firm, of wearing the armor, of wielding the sword, is not simply survival. The goal is the advance of the gospel. We fight so that the good news of King Jesus can be proclaimed with boldness, just as we ought to speak.

Application

This passage is a bracing corrective to the soft, sentimental, and therapeutic versions of Christianity so common today. The Christian life is a fight. We are at war. To forget this is to guarantee defeat. We must therefore begin by acknowledging the reality of our enemy and the nature of the conflict. We are not just struggling with bad habits or negative thought patterns; we are engaged with a spiritual hierarchy of evil.

But this reality should not lead to fear, but to faith. Our strength is not our own. We are commanded to be strong in the Lord. Our victory lies in putting on Christ, in clothing ourselves with His truth and righteousness, and in standing on the solid ground of His gospel. We must learn to see the devil's flaming arrows for what they are, lies, accusations, temptations, and to meet them with the shield of faith, which is a rugged confidence in the promises of God. We must take up the sword, which means we must know our Bibles. A soldier who doesn't know how to use his weapon is a liability.

And all of this must be saturated in prayer. A prayerless Christian is a defenseless Christian. We must pray for ourselves, and we must pray for one another, especially for our pastors and leaders, that they would have boldness. The point of our spiritual warfare is not to achieve a quiet life. The point is to hold the line and advance the kingdom, and the kingdom advances through the bold proclamation of the gospel. So take up your armor. Stand firm. And pray for the courage to speak.