I m interested to hear what you think about the following quote do you agree? Disagree? John MacArthur: I am amazed at the number of Christians being drawn into the burgeoning spiritual warfare movement. I am convinced it represents an unhealthy obsession with Satan and demonic powers. Judging from the turnouts, thousands of Christians really believe that if you don t attend a spiritual warfare boot camp and learn some strategies for fighting demons, Satan will have them for breakfast. Is that true? Is there some secret strategy to be learned from experts in the art of spiritual warfare? (continued )
Do Christians need to study mystic techniques for confronting and commanding evil forces, binding the devil, breaking the strongholds of territorial demons, and other complex stratagems of metaphysical combat? Is it simplistic to think that the basic armor described in Ephesians 6 is sufficient to keep us from being breakfast for Satan? Absolutely not. What do you think? Is that an overly simplistic way of thinking? How do we stand against the enemy of our souls? What are we supposed to do? Can we do spiritual warfare for others?
Well, we ll look at all of those questions, including the last one, as we go along in this series. The armor of God that Paul describes in Eph. 6, what is it, really? He is describing the spiritual resources that God has provided us in this conflict with the enemy of our souls. We looked earlier in this series at the origin of this concept of the armor of God (see lesson 3 on the website) Paul draws his theology from (where else?) the OT where God is portrayed as the well-armored divine Warrior-King, the protector (or Judge, as needed) of His people.
The armor of God that Paul describes in Eph. 6, what is it, really? Remember too, that while Paul was writing his letter to the church at Ephesus he was sitting in prison in Rome, with armored Roman soldiers around him every day it is likely that the Holy Spirit used that picture, along with the OT portrayal of God in His heavenly armor, as Paul wrote. The armor is the way for us to stand (Eph. 6:10-14). Stand never regress, no surrender, not stumbling, not stunted in your growth. It is how the attacks of the enemy hit and then drop away.
A little detour just for a second here At the risk of further beating a dead horse (strange expression, isn t it?) I want to point out one thing about this concept of putting on the armor of God so that we can resist the schemes of the devil here s another way to say spiritual warfare: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree Psalm 1:1-3a
A little detour just for a second here Basically, everything that Paul says in Eph. 6:10-18 is in there. Doing Ps. 1:1-2 is at the core of how you do James 4:7 and 1 Pet. 5:8-9. Meditating day and night on the Scriptures doesn t stop Satan s schemes, but it helps you to recognize and resist. And it s worth mentioning this here too Remember the foundational thought of Proverbs 4:23 that is Psalm 1:1-2. And Psalm 119:9, 11 that too is Psalm 1:1-2. And while we re at it, Prov. 2 is also Psalm 1:1-2.
The belt of truth v. 14 What s the point of a belt? To hold everything together not necessarily a piece of armor to a soldier, but essential for him to be able to do battle. Without truth, nothing else is in place. Isaiah 11:5 the coming Messiah is shown wearing a belt of righteousness and faithfulness; the Gk OT (the Septuagint) was Paul s Bible it renders faithfulness in Is. 11:5 as truth. We can see the danger of not holding truth with firm conviction Eph. 4:11-15 (also 1 Tim. 4:1-3). Notice the ref s to truth in both passages.
The belt of truth v. 14 Ps. 15:1-2, 51:6. Truth is integrity in the heart. What happens without it? Ps. 86:11 what does it mean to walk in Your truth? John 17:17 (Ps. 119:160) it is truth that sanctifies, that renews/changes the mind of a growing believer (Eph. 4:22-24). Jesus refers twice to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth John 15:26, 16:13. If we live lives of sincere commitment to Him, we will leave no room for Satan to gain an advantage on the battlefield. MacArthur
The belt of truth v. 14 In ancient times the finest pottery was thin. It had a clear color, and brought a high price. Fine pottery would often crack in the oven. Cracked pottery should have been thrown away, but dishonest dealers were in the habit of filling in the cracks with a hard pearly wax that would blend in. This made the cracks undetectable in the shops, especially when glazed; but the wax was immediately detectable if the pottery was held up to the sun. In that case the cracks would show up darker. Honest dealers marked their finer product by the caption sine cera without wax. James Montgomery Boice
The breastplate of righteousness v. 14 The breastplate was the armor that covered the upper body; it protected the vital organs. Think of this as heart. Biblically, what is the heart? And why does it need protection? The heart is what we love with (Deut. 6:5), and it must be guarded carefully (Prov. 4:23) because it is sinful and vulnerable to deception (Jer. 17:9). What we value the most shows where the true affections of our heart lie (Matt. 6:21). Again, Paul draws from Isaiah s description of God in His own armor Is. 59:17.
The breastplate of righteousness v. 14 In the context of Is. 59, you see God looking on the unrighteousness of Israel and taking upon Himself the responsibility of opposing and eradicating sin (see v. 15-19). Righteousness in Scripture is two things: first, it is the righteous standing given to believers as a result of Christ s sacrifice on the cross (Rom. 3:21, 4:1-6, 5:18-19; Phil. 3:8-9). A clear understanding of that privileged position we are given by grace certainly helps guard the heart, but that is not all that Paul has in view here.
The breastplate of righteousness v. 14 Earlier in Philippians Paul told them to work out your own salvation; to live the gospel, to show that righteous standing in holy living in other words, to live obediently to God. Eph. 4:17-27 focusing on holy living in daily obedience to the Lord keeps your mind where it should be (on Christ, the cross, and the glory of God) and not on the satisfaction of the flesh. In Rom. 6 Paul tells us to present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness (v. 13). See also Rom. 13:12-14.
The breastplate of righteousness v. 14 Christianity admits no breathing time, no armistice, no truce. On weekdays as well as on Sundays, in private as well as in public in little things, like management of tongue and temper, as well as in great ones the Christian s warfare must unceasingly go on. The foe we have to do with keeps no holidays, never slumbers and never sleeps. So long as we have breath in our bodies we must keep on our armour and remember we are on an enemy s ground Let us take care that our own personal religion is real, genuine, and true. The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict in their Christianity. J.C. Ryle
The gospel of peace v. 15 Notice that Paul speaks of the feet here. He draws his imagery again from Isaiah, 52:7. See 2 Sam. 18:24-27 a picture of one bringing good news. Nahum uses the same imagery in 1:15 for the fall of Nineveh. Paul uses the imagery once again, this time in Rom. 10:15, again coupling feet with the proclamation of the saving gospel. The picture? Thwarting the lies of Satan by being concerned about someone else s spiritual condition thinking about someone else.
The gospel of peace v. 15 But there s more...why does a soldier need shoes? To protect his feet, to enable him to stand; without that protection the soldier cannot stand. What gives us the assurance and strength to stand is what Christ has accomplished for us through the gospel. This is why we say preach the gospel to yourself every day! This is why Rom. 8:1, 26-39; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 1:3-14; 1 John 1:9 and so many others are in the Bible to stand against the enemy s attacks we have to soak our minds regularly in the gospel.
The shield of faith v. 16 It is faith that extinguishes Satan s flaming darts: the destructive missiles of doubt, temptation, fear, discouragement, laziness, love of worthless things. 1 Pet. 5:8-9, being firm in your faith enables you to resist your adversary, the devil. Peter writes in the context of believers suffering. Battle shields were approx. 2.5 x 4.5, wood covered by metal or leather. Held together, they formed a long forward line to protect archers. John Murray: There are 3 things that need to be said about the nature of faith. Faith is knowledge, conviction, and trust.
The shield of faith v. 16 Notice how the writer of Hebrews describes faith (or better, the object of faith) in 11:1. 1 John 5:4. Mankind s first sin was a faith issue to doubt God and trust instead in the father of lies, who interjected doubt about God s clear word. Prov. 30:5 Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. How to increase your faith? 1) Biblical preaching, Heb. 10:25, 1 Pet. 2:1-3. 2) Regular fellowship, Heb. 3:12-13. 3) Be in the Word, Ps. 1:1-3. 4) Prayer, Heb. 4:15-16. 5) Trust, Eph. 10; Luke 22:31-32.
The helmet of salvation v. 17 The helmet protects the head...the metaphor is of salvation protecting the mind. Paul draws the image again from Is. 59:17; see also 1 Thess. 5:8. What helped Job get through the suffering he endured? 13:15 Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. He looked beyond the suffering. What kept Paul going? 2 Tim. 4:6-8, his confidence in the eternal glory of Christ that he would see. This is the helmet: Take it so as never to lay it down until God takes off this helmet to put a crown of glory in its place. William Gurnall
The helmet of salvation v. 17 It is this final aspect of salvation that is the real strength of the believer s helmet. If we lose hope in the future promise of salvation, there can be no security in the present. The helmet of salvation is that great hope of final salvation that gives us confidence and assurance that our present struggle with Satan will not last forever and we will be victorious in the end. We know the battle is only for this life, and even a long earthly life is no more than a split second compared to eternity with our Lord in heaven. We are not in a race we can lose. - MacArthur
The sword of the Spirit: the word of God v. 17 The only offensive weapon mentioned here. Notice Is. 11:4 (Messiah as Judge), 49:2 (the Messiah); Hosea 6:5 (God s judgment on lying prophets); Heb. 4:12 (the effect of God s word); and Rev. 19:15, 21 (Christ judging the nations). John describes Jesus in Rev. 1:16 from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. In these verses the word of God exposes sin, judges sinners, pierces to the heart, carries all the authority of God Himself, and is always triumphant.
The sword of the Spirit: the word of God v. 17 With that in mind, remember how Jesus defeated the temptations of Satan in Matt. 4. And think back to Psalm 119:9-11. And Psalm 1:1-2. Which believer has a valid excuse for not growing in his/her knowledge and use of Scripture? With the other weapons we stand our ground; with the sword of the Spirit we gain ground it is the critical element in the renewing of our minds, Eph. 4:22-24. So do this: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16).
The sword of the Spirit: the word of God v. 17 Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Ps. 63:3). Which means that the power of sin s promise is broken by the power of God s. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands over against what sin promises to be for us without Him. John Piper