Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The key words in this admonition from Paul are "in the Lord".

Our attempts through our own efforts to achieve the holiness that God requires cannot prevail against Satan and the fallen world system over which he rules, or against our own sinful nature. It is only with the help of God that we can do so -- both by the power of God the Holy Spirit dwelling within us after we are saved through faith in Christ, and also by utilizing the means that God provides to believers to resist the world, our flesh, and the devil.

These means are described by Paul in the verses immediately following the verse cited in the question (Ephesians 6:11-17), where Paul compares them to the full armor and weapons that a soldier uses in battle, since the spiritual warfare in which Christians are engaged against the forces of evil requires protection just as much as earthly warfare does for a soldier. They include:

Truth (especially the truth of God's revealed word) (to counter the deception of the devil, whom Jesus called "the father of lies" (John 8:44)) (Jesus quoted Scripture when tempted by Satan.);

Righteousness (not our own flawed righteousness, but the perfect righteousness of Christ, which God imputes to those who put their faith in the redemption that Christ has gained through His atoning death and resurrection, for the forgiveness of their sins);

Peace that comes from God as a result of praying and giving thanks to God in every situation -- a peace that "passes all understanding" and that will "guard [our] hearts and minds" (Philippians 4:7);

Faith, to extinguish the "flaming arrows" of deception, doubt, and adversity, with which Satan will attempt to defeat, discourage, and dishearten us; 

Salvation, the core or root of our relationship to God, which furnishes spiritual protection that is just as important as the vital physical protection that a soldier's helmet provides to his head; and 

The Spirit of God, which, just as a sword does for a soldier, not only serves to protect us, but also enables us to go on the spiritual offensive against the forces that oppose us, and to defeat them.

In short, don't depend on yourself to be strong, but utilize the strength that God provides, through the tools that He has given to Christians for doing so.

December 21 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report