www.GodsLovingKindness.com: Bible Study

I am referring to the King James Version Bible for the scripture references.  
 Ephesians 6

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the 
wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against 
spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to 
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the 
breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench 
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
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, and watching 
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth 
boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as 
I ought to speak.
21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved 
brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our 
affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the 
Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Verses 10-18 

These verses are a guide to encourage us to be constant in our Christian walk, 
and to encourage us in our Christian warfare. We struggle with the opposition 
of the powers of darkness, and with many enemies who would keep us from God 
and heaven. We have enemies to fight against, a captain to fight for, a banner 
to fight under, and certain rules of war by which we are to govern 
ourselves. "Finally, my brethren (v. 10), it yet remains that you apply 
yourselves to your work and duty as Christian soldiers."  It is requirement 
that a soldier be both stout-hearted and well armed. If Christians be soldiers 
of Jesus Christ, we must be strong in the Lord, and have need of a great deal 
of courage. Be strong therefore, strong for service, strong for suffering, 
strong for fighting. A soldier must be armed with a good heart, or his armor 
will stand him in little help. Note, spiritual strength and courage are very 
necessary for our spiritual warfare. Be strong in the Lord, in His cause and 
in His strength. We have no sufficient strength of our own. Our natural 
courage is as perfect cowardice, and our natural strength as perfect weakness; 
but all our sufficiency is of God. In His strength we must go forth and go on. 
By the acts of faith, we must seek His grace and help to enable us to do that 
which of ourselves we cannot do, in our Christian work and warfare. We should 
stir up ourselves to resist temptations in a reliance upon God's all-
sufficiency and the omnipotence of his might.

We must be well armed: "Put on the whole armor of God (v. 11), make use of all 
the proper defenses and weapons for repelling the temptations and cunning 
schemes of Satan—get and exercise all the Christian graces, the whole armor, 
that no part be naked and exposed to the enemy. It is called the armor of God, 
because He both prepares and bestows it. We have no armor of our own that will 
be armor of proof in a trying time. Nothing will stand us in stead but the 
armor of God. This armor is prepared for us, but we must put it on; that is, 
we must pray for grace, we must use the grace given us, and draw it out into 
act and exercise as there is occasion. Christians should be completely armed, 
that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. That we may be 
able to hold out, and to overcome, all the devil's assaults, both of force and 
fraud, all the deceits he puts upon us, all the snares he lays for us, and all 
his machinations against us.
What our danger is, and what need we have is to put on this whole armor, 
considering what sort of enemies we have to deal with—the devil and all the 
powers of darkness: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, etc., v. 12. 
The combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary human 
enemies, not barely against men compounded of flesh and blood, nor against our 
own corrupt natures singly considered, but against the several ranks of 
devils, who have a government which they exercise in this world. We are 
dealing with a subtle enemy, an enemy who uses wiles and stratagems (cunning 
schemes), as v. 11. He has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls: he is 
called a serpent for subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art and 
trade of tempting.

He is a powerful enemy: Principalities, and powers, and rulers. They are
numerous, they are vigorous; and rule in those heathen nations which are yet
in darkness. The dark parts of the world are the seat of Satan's empire. They
are usurping princes over all men who are yet in a state of sin and ignorance.
Satan's is a kingdom of darkness; whereas Christ's is a kingdom of light. They
are spiritual enemies: Spiritual wickedness in high places, or wicked spirits,
as some translate it. The devil is a spirit, a wicked spirit; and our danger
is the greater from our spiritual enemies because they are unseen, and assault
us when we are unaware of them. The devils are wicked spirits, and they
chiefly annoy the saints, and try to provoke them to, spiritual wickedness,
pride, envy, malice, etc. These enemies are said to be in high places, or in
heavenly places, or spreading out in the air between the earth and the stars,
the air being the place from which the devils assault us. Our enemies strive
to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings and to
obstruct our communion with heaven. They assault us in the things that belong
to our souls, and labor to deface the heavenly image in our hearts; and
therefore we have need to be upon our guard against them. We have need of
faith in our Christian warfare, because we have spiritual enemies to grapple,
struggle or deal with, as well as of faith in our Christian work.. What our
duty is: to take and put on the whole armor of God, and then to stand our
ground, and withstand our enemies.

We must withstand, v. 13. We must not yield to the devil's allurements and
assaults, but oppose them. Satan is said to stand up against us, 1 Chr. 21:1.
If he stand up against us, we must stand against him; set up, and keep up in
opposition to the devil. Satan is the wicked one, and his kingdom is the
kingdom of sin: to stand against Satan is to strive against sin. That you may
be able to withstand in the evil day, in the day of temptation, or of any sore
affliction.

We must stand our ground: And, having done all, to stand. We must resolve, by
God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we
distrust our cause, or our leader, or our armor, we give him advantage. Our
present business is to withstand the assaults of the devil, and to stand it
out; and then, having done all that is incumbent (necessary) to the good of
thesoldiers of Jesus Christ, our warfare will be accomplished, and we shall be
finally victorious.

We must stand armed, in complete armor and the armor is divine: Armor of God,
armor of light, Rom. 13:12. Armor of righteousness, 2 Co. 6:7., both offensive
and defensive. Truth or sincerity is our girdle, v. 14. It was prophesied of
Christ (Isa. 11:5) that righteousness should be the girdle of his loins and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins. That which Christ was girded with, all
Christians must be girded with. God desires truth, that is, sincerity, in the
inward parts. This is the strength of our loins; and it girds or protects all
other pieces of our armor. This is the Christian soldier's belt: ungirded with
this, we are blessed. Righteousness must be our breast-plate.

The breast-plate secures the vitals, shelters the heart. The righteousness of
Christ imputed to us. The righteousness of Christ, implanted in us, and our
breast-plate is to fortify the heart against the attacks which Satan makes
against us. 1 Th. 5:8, Putting on the breast-plate of faith and love. Faith
and love include all Christian graces; for by faith we are united to Christ
and by love to our brethren, truth, and charity. And their feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace, v. 15. Shoes, or greaves of brass, or the
like, were formerly part of the military armor (1 Sa. 17:6): the use of them
was to defend the feet against the gall-traps, and sharp sticks, which were to
be laid hidden in the way, to obstruct the marching of the enemy, or those who
fell upon them being unable to march due to injury. The preparation of the
gospel of peace signifies a prepared and ready to take action frame of heart,
to remain faithful and to stick to the gospel and abide by it. Which will
enable us to, walk with a steady pace in the way of Christianity: our walk
with Christ, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be in it.
It is the gospel of peace because it brings all sorts of peace, peace with
God, with ourselves, and with one another. With this our feet must be shod:
for by living a life of repentance we are armed against temptations to sin,
and the designs of our enemy. That you may be ready for combat, be shod with
the gospel of peace, to seek after that peaceable and quiet mind which the
gospel calls for. Be not easily provoked, nor prone to quarrel: but show all
gentleness and all long-suffering to all men, and this will certainly preserve
you from many great temptations and persecutions, as did those shoes of brass
the soldiers from those gall-traps. Faith must be our shield: Above all, or
chiefly, taking the shield of faith, v. 16. This is more necessary than any of
them. Faith is all in all to us in an hour of temptation. The breast-plate
secures the vitals; but with the shield we turn every way. This is the victory
over the world, even our faith. We are to be fully persuaded of the truth of
all God's promises and such a faith being of great use against temptations.
Consider faith as it is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of
things hoped for. Our enemy the devil is here called the wicked one. He is
wicked himself, and he endeavors to make us wicked. His temptations are called
darts, because of their swift and un-discerned flight, and the deep wounds
that they give to the soul. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on
fire of hell, are the darts which Satan shoots at us. Faith is the shield with
which we must quench these fiery darts, wherein we should receive them, and so
render them ineffectual, that they may not hit us, or at least that they may
not hurt us. Observe, Faith, acted upon the word of God and applying that,
acted upon the grace of Christ and improving that, quenches the darts of
temptation. Salvation must be our helmet (v. 17); that is, hope, which has
salvation for its object; so 1 Th. 5:8. The helmet secures the head. A good
hope of salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify the soul and
keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it
from being troubled and tormented by Satan, he would tempt us to despair; but
good hope keeps us trusting in God, and rejoicing in Him. The word of God is
the sword of the Spirit. The sword is a very necessary and useful part of a
soldier's weapons. The word of God is very necessary to the Christian, in
order to combat the spiritual warfare and succeeding in it. It is called the
sword of the Spirit, and sharper than a two-edged sword. Scripture-arguments
are the most powerful arguments to repel temptation with.

Christ himself resisted Satan's temptations with, It is written, Mt. 4:4, 6,
7, 10. This, being hid in our heart, will preserve us from sin (Ps. 119:11),
and will mortify and kill those lusts and corruptions that are hidden there.
Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armor, v. 18. We
must join prayer with all these graces, for our defense against these
spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God. We should keep up
constant times of prayer, and be constant to them. We must pray upon all
occasions, and as often as our own and others' necessities call us to it. We
must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public,
private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the
parts of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgivings for
favors received. We must pray in the Spirit; our spirits must be employed in
the duty and we must do it by the grace of God's good Spirit. When God says,
Seek my face, our hearts must comply, Ps. 27:8. This we must do with all
perseverance. We must abide by the duty of prayer, whatever change there may
be in our outward circumstances; and we must continue in it as long as we live
in the world. We must persevere in a particular prayer; not cutting it short,
when our hearts are disposed to enlarge, and there is time for it, and our
occasions call for it. We must pray with supplication, not for ourselves
only, but for all saints; for we are members one of another. Especially the
condition in this world, we need our prayers.

Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and
suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at
all grace; and put on the whole armor of God, which he prepares and bestows.
The Christian armor is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armor
till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. The combat is
not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to
do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The
devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labor to deface
the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield
to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If
we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armor, we give him
advantage. The different parts of the armor of heavy-armed soldiers, who had
to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are here described. There is
none for the back; nothing to defend those who turn back in the Christian
warfare. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other
pieces of our armor, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without
sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate
against the arrows of Divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in
us, fortifies the heart against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as
greaves, or armor to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward
in rugged paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace.

Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clear knowledge of
the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptation. Faith, as relying on
unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so
deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defense every way. The devil is
the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell,
are darts Satan shoots at us. Also, hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves.
Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ, quenches the darts of
temptation. Salvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a
Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from
being defiled by Satan. To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the
apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires
and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error
as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly
applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most
formidable adversary. Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian
armor. There are other duties of religion, and of our stations in the world,
but we must keep up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be
seasonable when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted
out, always are so. We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vain
heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public,
private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the
parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for
favors received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in
dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular
requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves
only, but for all saints. Our enemies are might., and we are without strength,
but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome.
Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called, often
neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers
with patience.

Notes: Eph 6:19-24

The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the
work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers
need the prayers of believers. Those particularly should be prayed for, who
are exposed to great hardships and perils in their work. Peace be to the
brethren, and love with faith. By peace, understand all manner of peace; peace
with God, peace of conscience, peace among themselves. And the grace of the
Spirit, producing faith and love, and every grace. These he desires for those
in whom they were already begun. And all grace and blessings come to the
saints from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace, that is, the favor of
God; and all good, spiritual and temporal, which is from it, is and shall be
with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and with them
only.

Lord, at times we take it for granted, the privilege of coming daily into Your
presence. We want to be closer to You and to hear Your voice daily. Please
help us to put aside a quite time in our life, to daily read the Bible and to
pray. Teach us the joy of spending time with You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Closing:

Our love to Christ is not acceptable, unless it be in sincerity: there is no
such thing as love to Christ, whatever men may pretend, where there is not
sincerity. Grace, that is, the favor of God, and all good (spiritual and
temporal), and it shall be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ. This
should be the desire and prayer of every Christian.

God Bless,
Karen Conklin