10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:10-11)
In the first 9 verses of Ephesians 6, Paul sets forth the “household code” instructions for wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters. Verses 10-20 present another challenging passage. Bibles that supply headings for Ephesians 6:10-20 entitle it with something like “Our Spiritual Battle” or “Spiritual Warfare” or “Be Strong in the Battle.” In the NIV, it is entitled “The Armor of God.” This passage does indeed reveal the spiritual dimensions of the struggles we face in life and how we can both endure in and prevail over them. If there’s one main point in Ephesians 6:10-20, one truth we need to understand, one imperative we need to obey, it comes right at the start. You can’t miss it: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (6:10). Be strong “in the Lord” by relying on the One who created all things. Be strong in the Lord who saved you from death into life. Be strong by resting in God, trusting God, being filled by God, being loved by God. Though verse 10 doesn’t say this explicitly, it might have read, “Be strong in the Lord, and not in yourself.” Yes, God’s strength lives within us through the Holy Spirit. But we are not to live by our own inner strength if we want to stand firm in the struggles we face. Why not? Because our own strength is inadequate. And God’s strength, readily available to us, is more than adequate. As verse 10 notes, God’s power is “mighty.” Of course, the question we want to ask at this point is: How? How can we be strong in the Lord? How do we access His mighty power? We’ll find the answers we need in the rest of our passage. You might want to take a peek at all of Ephesians 6:10-20 if you’re curious about its teaching. Our passage looks underneath the surface, even beneath systemic social issues, to identify the deepest struggle we face. Verse 12 reads, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Behind and beneath the battles of our lives is a fundamental spiritual battle between God and the forces of evil. We are caught in this fight. I will freely admit that I don’t naturally think of life in terms of spiritual warfare. In fact, sometimes the antics of Christians who engage in what they call spiritual warfare turn me off completely. But I also want to take Scripture seriously, to be guided, taught, corrected, and inspired by God’s Word. So, I don’t dismiss Ephesians 6:10-20 because it doesn’t fit my natural worldview. For now, I want to invite you to think of the following question: “How do you respond to the notion that our true battle is spiritual?” Oh God, I confess my ignorance and hesitation. I ask You to teach me what is true. Give me an openness to learning and growing. And give me eyes to see what cannot be seen visibly. Help me to be strong in You and to know how I might live differently in light of the spiritual dimensions of life. Comments are closed.
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