Ephesians
Chapter 6 – Relationships and God’s Protection for Us
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Here is a command (obey is in the imperative mood) that is addressed specifically to children. The question that must be given some consideration is this: who are children, when does one cease to be a child? We live in a day of extremes in this regard. We have those who advocate a child is subject to the parents until they leave home (particularly girls); on the other hand, we have parents who are, in fact, in subjection to their children. This latter is sheer folly, for the Scriptures are clear that “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). To permit the child to be the decision-maker is foolishness, something that the parents are responsible to remove from the heart of the child through discipline. Yet this has become the common rule for far too many of today’s households. However, there are still families where the father will rule with a rod of iron and will not permit his children (particularly daughters) to function as adults until they marry or leave home. Within the Jewish tradition, a boy at age thirteen goes through a Bar Mitzvah, and the girls at age twelve through a Bat Mitzvah, at which time they are considered personally responsible to fulfill the law.1 A boy, after the age of thirteen, would actually qualify as one of ten men required to establish a synagogue.2 Clearly, that is a rather arbitrary application of responsibility, but the point that is evident is that there is a time when the parents’ authority must be tempered, a time when the parents’ instruction and input into their child’s life must decrease to permit them to function as an adult.
The obedience advocated here is not unqualified; i.e., it is not blind submission. The qualification is that the obedience must be in the Lord; it must not be in contradiction to the Scriptures. A child’s obedience to his parents within the framework of godliness is called righteous (right). The Scriptures never advocate a blind obedience; i.e., because someone says to do something does not mean we are to do it just because of the person’s apparent position of authority. This has been the failure of most independent Baptist churches. They take Hebrews 13:17 as the command that the people within the church are to submit to the pastor in charge, which often leads to abuse of position. First of all, the gifting of “pastor” (Ephesians 4:11) does not carry any authority within the assembly of believers; it is not a position, but rather a gift given by the Spirit for the perfecting of the saints. Secondly, the word “obey” (which some of these “pastors” love to emphasize) does not advocate blanket obedience, but rather a submission that comes through testing those who hold responsibility for the assembly (the elders) and finding them worthy of trust.
Obedience is a very important theme within Scripture, but it must be within the framework of godliness and righteousness. Young children must learn obedience so that they will understand what it means to follow the Lord, and parents can demonstrate their submission to the Lord before their children to support what they are endeavoring to teach them. Permitting children to determine their own lives only establishes their self-centeredness, and it will make it very difficult for them, later in life, to understand what it means to walk in obedience to the Lord. As a matter of fact, it is preparing them to be in rebellion against the Lord, for they will determine to go the way they desire rather than the way of righteousness – in accordance with the pattern established by their parents. Catering to the whims of a child will only serve to establish the foolishness that is bound up in his heart, and places the parent in the position of being disobedient to the Lord.
Scripture is also very clear about our obedience to the governing authorities, yet this, too, is not without qualification. Romans 13:1-7 underscores the importance of being in submission to the authorities that God has placed over us, to which 1 Peter 2:13-17 concurs. However, verse 17 of 1 Peter 2 places the fear of God before our requirement to honor the king. Once again, we are not to blindly do whatever the governing authorities tell us, but we are to weigh the demands made against the words of Scripture to ensure our compliance will not result in disobedience to God, Who placed them there. The difficulty today is that those who profess Christianity do not know God’s Word, which only serves to entrench the pragmatism of the day into the hearts of those who profess to know God. The Biblical ignorance of the average church attendee plays right into the hand of the devil, for they have lost the only means they had to be discerning. As it is, they place all their trust in a clergy who have been tainted by all the modern philosophies and liberal thinking. I am reminded of Jesus’ words to the scribes and Pharisees of His day: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). Those may seem like harsh words, but they are directed at those who provided assurance of heaven through a message that was not true – this is not unlike today’s clergy who have been duped into believing a lie, and spend their lives passing that lie on to the unsuspecting laity. Yet even in this, the duped laity cannot lay the full responsibility on the shoulders of the deceived clergy: “… Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
2. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Presented here is the fifth commandment: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12). Honor means to value or revere, and from this comes our modern understanding of showing respect or admiration.3 This is the only command within the Ten Commandments that carries with it a positive promise. Subsequent to these foundational commands, Israel received many from God that carried promises that were contingent on their obedience to God’s expressed will. The translation including the words may be is not correct, it should be in order that. The Greek structure identifies this as a purpose clause where subjunctive verbs (be) become statements of fact (indicative mood rather than the normal possibility);4 the Hebrew, from which this is quoted (Exodus 20:12), also carries the same thought: God’s intent for us to honor our parents is to provide long life.5 The understood implication of this is that God desires us show respect to our parents; indeed, there is a respect due to parents regardless of who they are, how they conduct themselves, or what they have done. This is something that is largely missing from our society today. Paul warned Timothy of these days: “… in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be … disobedient to parents, unthankful, … without natural affection, … highminded, … [yet] having a form of godliness …” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). There is a generation looming on the horizon who have ruled their parents from their earliest days; of a truth, these promised perilous times are upon us.
4. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The words provoke and wrath come from one Greek word which means to arouse to wrath, or exasperate.6 It is in an intensive form, which is more than making your children upset or even angry with you. Some may try to use this as a basis for catering to their children, because you’re not supposed to upset the little cherubs. This does not support that notion; parents who adopt the appeasement approach to child rearing are in violation of many Scriptures that speak of the foolishness of a child and the need for discipline. The latter exhortation of this verse would suggest that the Scriptures must come to bear upon the child. The Greek word used for nurture is most often translated as chasten, and includes everything for the training and education of a child.7 Biblical discipline, correction, and guidance are to be used in nurturing a child to maturity.
It is noteworthy that this is addressed to the fathers. We have just come through a passage that has dealt very specifically with the marriage relationship, and the importance of understanding the roles that God has ordained for the husband and wife. Despite the ease with which the roles within marriage are mixed today, it does not change what God has ordained. The charge given here is to the fathers – they are not to arouse wrath in their children, but to chasten and instruct them in the Lord’s commands. One of the qualifying criteria for being an elder in an assembly is that he runs his own household well (1 Timothy 3:4; Titus 1:6). The father bears the responsibility for the obedience of the children. Yet today we see the fathers taking a back seat in the rule of their households (very often because the marriage roles have been reversed), and the mothers taking on the dominant role. God is not pleased with this shift and the shambles these homes are in is evidence of His displeasure with such disregard for His Word.
There is a sense here that if the father does not provide a Biblical context for his administered discipline, it could result in the wrath or exasperation of the children. The use of the word but draws a contrast between what has come before and what follows. There is a command not to provoke your children to wrath, and the contrast is to chasten and exhort them in the Lord. If the chastening is not for a purpose, then it could very easily be determined by the child to be a senseless beating; the context for any chastening must be the Lord’s instruction, not our frustrations. The wisdom of the Lord is needed by both parents in order to ensure a proper upbringing of their children.
5. Servants, be obedient to them that are masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
The word servant, as used here, comes from the Greek word doulos, which is an adjective meaning “in bondage,” yet within the Greek it is frequently used as a noun signifying subjection without the idea of bondage.8 The word master, the other side of the relationship, derives from the same Greek word that is most often translated as Lord or lord, and identifies one to whom service is due on any ground.9 Although this would not provide a basis for condoning slavery, it certainly includes the slave-master relationship, which was so common at the time this epistle was written; however, because of the words chosen, it is broad enough to include the employee-employer relationship as well. Doulos carries the concept of willing service rather than the idea of property ownership, as we understand it in slavery. Yet Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians to live in a godly manner included this note: “…ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). However, even in this, the concept is not the same as slave ownership; the difference is this: within slavery, the slave becomes the property of the lord against his will, for the Christian, we willingly become the slaves of Christ. The slave-market slave has no will but the will of his master, not by choice, but through a binding business transaction in which he probably had no part. We, on the other hand, are called on to count the cost of becoming the slave of Christ (Luke 14:25-33); we are very much a party to the transaction that brings us into Christ. Yet, too often today, the message is simply, “Jesus is our Savior,” without any thought that the relationship is far more than that, it is also our submission to Him as our Lord and becoming His servants to do His bidding – these two are inseparable. That is why we are told to count the cost, for there is a price to be paid.
We, who are in Christ, receive many commands to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:20), to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15-16), to walk worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1) – all given for us to obey. We willingly receive the Word of God, yet the parable of the soils teaches us of the need for endurance – the initial joy and growth is not enough (Luke 8:11-15); if we are not willing to pay the price of service to the Lord, we will either wither away or be choked out. We must not forget the admonition to guard against a heart of unbelief which will turn us away from God (Hebrews 3:12). Paul refers to himself as being a servant (doulos) of Christ (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1), as are all who are in Christ, for we have willingly accepted this position. However, it is necessary to count the cost before committing our lives to the Lord, lest we fall away and there be no hope left for us (Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-21).
The admonition to obedience given here is a command; both the employee and the slave are to be obedient to those over them in the physical realm. This is from the same Greek word as used in Ephesians 5:1, and simply means to “hearken to a command.”10 It is noteworthy that the phrase “according to the flesh” is included here; it is as much as if to say that what is being addressed is in the area of physical responsibility, not spiritual. We do not read of a slave-lord relationship within the assembly; on the contrary, we read about submitting to one another (Ephesians 4:21), of Jesus’ instruction to His disciples that there was not to be hierarchical authority among them (Matthew 20:25-28), and of the Lord’s strong condemnation of the Nicolaitane doctrine in two of the seven churches of Revelation (Revelation 2:6,15). The clergy-laity relationship may not be exactly like that of an owner with his slave, but there is definitely an authority given to those taking the position of “pastor,”11 and this, from my experience, is particularly pronounced within the independent Baptist movement.
In his instruction to the Corinthians, Paul puts all of this into perspective: “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” (1 Corinthians 7:20-23; cp. Proverbs 22:7). If you are a slave and have opportunity to be freed, take it; if not, don’t worry about it for you are the Lord’s freed man. If you come to the Lord freeborn, don’t forget that you are the Lord’s willing slave. There is a leveling of the playing field before the Lord; the slave is free in Christ, and the one born free is the servant of Christ. Jesus made it clear that even He did not come to earth to be ministered unto, but to minister, to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for mankind (Matthew 20:28).
We are to serve with fear and trembling; this phrase is “used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.”12 The service is to be done with respect, as to someone who can bring retribution if you do not do what is required; for a slave, this might be physical punishment, for an employee, it could mean being fired. In singlenesss of your heart literally means, with sincerity or simplicity of your heart, but carries the understanding of “the virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy.”13 Our relationship to those who are our masters in life is to be characterized by honesty and integrity, not slacking off when no one is around, rather fulfilling responsibilities as thoroughly as possible.
Lest what we have heard to this point is not sufficient, we are to serve as “unto Christ.” This is not a popular topic for preaching within Evangelical circles, for too often we hear that the worst employees to have are the professing Christians. What a blight on the name of Christ, what a shame on the person, yet this is not as uncommon as it should be. Even within “Christian” organizations, a “they owe me” attitude can develop which results in much time being spent in visiting, coffee times, and the like. Employees, who show little commitment to the work they have been hired to do, are very punctual when it comes to having their two coffee breaks a day. This is in direct violation of this passage; we are to work as unto Christ, “and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).
6. Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Eyeservice refers to the work that is being done when the boss is watching, as well as to the work that is not being done when he is not watching. It would exemplify a heart of deceit and hypocrisy, as those who would seek to please and gain the favor of men with as little effort as possible. There is superficiality to this mindset that is not becoming to the heart of a Christian who is to do all things “as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). The Greek word translated as menspleasers means “studying to please men,” and it carries the understanding that the focus is to please men, not God.14 This is someone who would perfect the art of eyeservice, the ability to cultivate the favor of men, and who has perfected the skill of looking good while doing as little as possible. This is to have no place within the Christian’s life.
By contrast, we are to be servants of Christ; the same Greek word, doulos, is used here to present a relationship of subjection. We should not hesitate to be called the servants of Christ, for we have willingly become His slave (doulos), having counted the cost of being Jesus’ disciples. The one who does all things as unto the Lord is fulfilling the mandate of being a servant of Christ. There is no doubt about the activity of such a servant, for he is to be “doing the will of God from the heart.” What is the will of God? It is nothing other than obedience to His Word. Perhaps this is why Evangelicalism is in such a mess today, for the average Evangelical does not read the Word of God with a heart to obedience. By neglecting the Word in favor of the instruction of the “professional” theologians, Evangelicals have aligned themselves with the theologies of men to the neglect of God’s clear instruction. As Evangelical theologians have delved ever deeper into their discussions with the Liberals, their theologies have become increasingly dark and apostate. Yet, to the delight of Satan, too few recognize the slide into apostasy that is well under way; since they will not receive the truth, they will be deluded to believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Here is a command (obey is in the imperative mood) that is addressed specifically to children. The question that must be given some consideration is this: who are children, when does one cease to be a child? We live in a day of extremes in this regard. We have those who advocate a child is subject to the parents until they leave home (particularly girls); on the other hand, we have parents who are, in fact, in subjection to their children. This latter is sheer folly, for the Scriptures are clear that “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). To permit the child to be the decision-maker is foolishness, something that the parents are responsible to remove from the heart of the child through discipline. Yet this has become the common rule for far too many of today’s households. However, there are still families where the father will rule with a rod of iron and will not permit his children (particularly daughters) to function as adults until they marry or leave home. Within the Jewish tradition, a boy at age thirteen goes through a Bar Mitzvah, and the girls at age twelve through a Bat Mitzvah, at which time they are considered personally responsible to fulfill the law.1 A boy, after the age of thirteen, would actually qualify as one of ten men required to establish a synagogue.2 Clearly, that is a rather arbitrary application of responsibility, but the point that is evident is that there is a time when the parents’ authority must be tempered, a time when the parents’ instruction and input into their child’s life must decrease to permit them to function as an adult.
The obedience advocated here is not unqualified; i.e., it is not blind submission. The qualification is that the obedience must be in the Lord; it must not be in contradiction to the Scriptures. A child’s obedience to his parents within the framework of godliness is called righteous (right). The Scriptures never advocate a blind obedience; i.e., because someone says to do something does not mean we are to do it just because of the person’s apparent position of authority. This has been the failure of most independent Baptist churches. They take Hebrews 13:17 as the command that the people within the church are to submit to the pastor in charge, which often leads to abuse of position. First of all, the gifting of “pastor” (Ephesians 4:11) does not carry any authority within the assembly of believers; it is not a position, but rather a gift given by the Spirit for the perfecting of the saints. Secondly, the word “obey” (which some of these “pastors” love to emphasize) does not advocate blanket obedience, but rather a submission that comes through testing those who hold responsibility for the assembly (the elders) and finding them worthy of trust.
Obedience is a very important theme within Scripture, but it must be within the framework of godliness and righteousness. Young children must learn obedience so that they will understand what it means to follow the Lord, and parents can demonstrate their submission to the Lord before their children to support what they are endeavoring to teach them. Permitting children to determine their own lives only establishes their self-centeredness, and it will make it very difficult for them, later in life, to understand what it means to walk in obedience to the Lord. As a matter of fact, it is preparing them to be in rebellion against the Lord, for they will determine to go the way they desire rather than the way of righteousness – in accordance with the pattern established by their parents. Catering to the whims of a child will only serve to establish the foolishness that is bound up in his heart, and places the parent in the position of being disobedient to the Lord.
Scripture is also very clear about our obedience to the governing authorities, yet this, too, is not without qualification. Romans 13:1-7 underscores the importance of being in submission to the authorities that God has placed over us, to which 1 Peter 2:13-17 concurs. However, verse 17 of 1 Peter 2 places the fear of God before our requirement to honor the king. Once again, we are not to blindly do whatever the governing authorities tell us, but we are to weigh the demands made against the words of Scripture to ensure our compliance will not result in disobedience to God, Who placed them there. The difficulty today is that those who profess Christianity do not know God’s Word, which only serves to entrench the pragmatism of the day into the hearts of those who profess to know God. The Biblical ignorance of the average church attendee plays right into the hand of the devil, for they have lost the only means they had to be discerning. As it is, they place all their trust in a clergy who have been tainted by all the modern philosophies and liberal thinking. I am reminded of Jesus’ words to the scribes and Pharisees of His day: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). Those may seem like harsh words, but they are directed at those who provided assurance of heaven through a message that was not true – this is not unlike today’s clergy who have been duped into believing a lie, and spend their lives passing that lie on to the unsuspecting laity. Yet even in this, the duped laity cannot lay the full responsibility on the shoulders of the deceived clergy: “… Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
2. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Presented here is the fifth commandment: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12). Honor means to value or revere, and from this comes our modern understanding of showing respect or admiration.3 This is the only command within the Ten Commandments that carries with it a positive promise. Subsequent to these foundational commands, Israel received many from God that carried promises that were contingent on their obedience to God’s expressed will. The translation including the words may be is not correct, it should be in order that. The Greek structure identifies this as a purpose clause where subjunctive verbs (be) become statements of fact (indicative mood rather than the normal possibility);4 the Hebrew, from which this is quoted (Exodus 20:12), also carries the same thought: God’s intent for us to honor our parents is to provide long life.5 The understood implication of this is that God desires us show respect to our parents; indeed, there is a respect due to parents regardless of who they are, how they conduct themselves, or what they have done. This is something that is largely missing from our society today. Paul warned Timothy of these days: “… in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be … disobedient to parents, unthankful, … without natural affection, … highminded, … [yet] having a form of godliness …” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). There is a generation looming on the horizon who have ruled their parents from their earliest days; of a truth, these promised perilous times are upon us.
4. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The words provoke and wrath come from one Greek word which means to arouse to wrath, or exasperate.6 It is in an intensive form, which is more than making your children upset or even angry with you. Some may try to use this as a basis for catering to their children, because you’re not supposed to upset the little cherubs. This does not support that notion; parents who adopt the appeasement approach to child rearing are in violation of many Scriptures that speak of the foolishness of a child and the need for discipline. The latter exhortation of this verse would suggest that the Scriptures must come to bear upon the child. The Greek word used for nurture is most often translated as chasten, and includes everything for the training and education of a child.7 Biblical discipline, correction, and guidance are to be used in nurturing a child to maturity.
It is noteworthy that this is addressed to the fathers. We have just come through a passage that has dealt very specifically with the marriage relationship, and the importance of understanding the roles that God has ordained for the husband and wife. Despite the ease with which the roles within marriage are mixed today, it does not change what God has ordained. The charge given here is to the fathers – they are not to arouse wrath in their children, but to chasten and instruct them in the Lord’s commands. One of the qualifying criteria for being an elder in an assembly is that he runs his own household well (1 Timothy 3:4; Titus 1:6). The father bears the responsibility for the obedience of the children. Yet today we see the fathers taking a back seat in the rule of their households (very often because the marriage roles have been reversed), and the mothers taking on the dominant role. God is not pleased with this shift and the shambles these homes are in is evidence of His displeasure with such disregard for His Word.
There is a sense here that if the father does not provide a Biblical context for his administered discipline, it could result in the wrath or exasperation of the children. The use of the word but draws a contrast between what has come before and what follows. There is a command not to provoke your children to wrath, and the contrast is to chasten and exhort them in the Lord. If the chastening is not for a purpose, then it could very easily be determined by the child to be a senseless beating; the context for any chastening must be the Lord’s instruction, not our frustrations. The wisdom of the Lord is needed by both parents in order to ensure a proper upbringing of their children.
5. Servants, be obedient to them that are masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
The word servant, as used here, comes from the Greek word doulos, which is an adjective meaning “in bondage,” yet within the Greek it is frequently used as a noun signifying subjection without the idea of bondage.8 The word master, the other side of the relationship, derives from the same Greek word that is most often translated as Lord or lord, and identifies one to whom service is due on any ground.9 Although this would not provide a basis for condoning slavery, it certainly includes the slave-master relationship, which was so common at the time this epistle was written; however, because of the words chosen, it is broad enough to include the employee-employer relationship as well. Doulos carries the concept of willing service rather than the idea of property ownership, as we understand it in slavery. Yet Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians to live in a godly manner included this note: “…ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). However, even in this, the concept is not the same as slave ownership; the difference is this: within slavery, the slave becomes the property of the lord against his will, for the Christian, we willingly become the slaves of Christ. The slave-market slave has no will but the will of his master, not by choice, but through a binding business transaction in which he probably had no part. We, on the other hand, are called on to count the cost of becoming the slave of Christ (Luke 14:25-33); we are very much a party to the transaction that brings us into Christ. Yet, too often today, the message is simply, “Jesus is our Savior,” without any thought that the relationship is far more than that, it is also our submission to Him as our Lord and becoming His servants to do His bidding – these two are inseparable. That is why we are told to count the cost, for there is a price to be paid.
We, who are in Christ, receive many commands to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:20), to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15-16), to walk worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1) – all given for us to obey. We willingly receive the Word of God, yet the parable of the soils teaches us of the need for endurance – the initial joy and growth is not enough (Luke 8:11-15); if we are not willing to pay the price of service to the Lord, we will either wither away or be choked out. We must not forget the admonition to guard against a heart of unbelief which will turn us away from God (Hebrews 3:12). Paul refers to himself as being a servant (doulos) of Christ (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1), as are all who are in Christ, for we have willingly accepted this position. However, it is necessary to count the cost before committing our lives to the Lord, lest we fall away and there be no hope left for us (Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-21).
The admonition to obedience given here is a command; both the employee and the slave are to be obedient to those over them in the physical realm. This is from the same Greek word as used in Ephesians 5:1, and simply means to “hearken to a command.”10 It is noteworthy that the phrase “according to the flesh” is included here; it is as much as if to say that what is being addressed is in the area of physical responsibility, not spiritual. We do not read of a slave-lord relationship within the assembly; on the contrary, we read about submitting to one another (Ephesians 4:21), of Jesus’ instruction to His disciples that there was not to be hierarchical authority among them (Matthew 20:25-28), and of the Lord’s strong condemnation of the Nicolaitane doctrine in two of the seven churches of Revelation (Revelation 2:6,15). The clergy-laity relationship may not be exactly like that of an owner with his slave, but there is definitely an authority given to those taking the position of “pastor,”11 and this, from my experience, is particularly pronounced within the independent Baptist movement.
In his instruction to the Corinthians, Paul puts all of this into perspective: “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” (1 Corinthians 7:20-23; cp. Proverbs 22:7). If you are a slave and have opportunity to be freed, take it; if not, don’t worry about it for you are the Lord’s freed man. If you come to the Lord freeborn, don’t forget that you are the Lord’s willing slave. There is a leveling of the playing field before the Lord; the slave is free in Christ, and the one born free is the servant of Christ. Jesus made it clear that even He did not come to earth to be ministered unto, but to minister, to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for mankind (Matthew 20:28).
We are to serve with fear and trembling; this phrase is “used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.”12 The service is to be done with respect, as to someone who can bring retribution if you do not do what is required; for a slave, this might be physical punishment, for an employee, it could mean being fired. In singlenesss of your heart literally means, with sincerity or simplicity of your heart, but carries the understanding of “the virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy.”13 Our relationship to those who are our masters in life is to be characterized by honesty and integrity, not slacking off when no one is around, rather fulfilling responsibilities as thoroughly as possible.
Lest what we have heard to this point is not sufficient, we are to serve as “unto Christ.” This is not a popular topic for preaching within Evangelical circles, for too often we hear that the worst employees to have are the professing Christians. What a blight on the name of Christ, what a shame on the person, yet this is not as uncommon as it should be. Even within “Christian” organizations, a “they owe me” attitude can develop which results in much time being spent in visiting, coffee times, and the like. Employees, who show little commitment to the work they have been hired to do, are very punctual when it comes to having their two coffee breaks a day. This is in direct violation of this passage; we are to work as unto Christ, “and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).
6. Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Eyeservice refers to the work that is being done when the boss is watching, as well as to the work that is not being done when he is not watching. It would exemplify a heart of deceit and hypocrisy, as those who would seek to please and gain the favor of men with as little effort as possible. There is superficiality to this mindset that is not becoming to the heart of a Christian who is to do all things “as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). The Greek word translated as menspleasers means “studying to please men,” and it carries the understanding that the focus is to please men, not God.14 This is someone who would perfect the art of eyeservice, the ability to cultivate the favor of men, and who has perfected the skill of looking good while doing as little as possible. This is to have no place within the Christian’s life.
By contrast, we are to be servants of Christ; the same Greek word, doulos, is used here to present a relationship of subjection. We should not hesitate to be called the servants of Christ, for we have willingly become His slave (doulos), having counted the cost of being Jesus’ disciples. The one who does all things as unto the Lord is fulfilling the mandate of being a servant of Christ. There is no doubt about the activity of such a servant, for he is to be “doing the will of God from the heart.” What is the will of God? It is nothing other than obedience to His Word. Perhaps this is why Evangelicalism is in such a mess today, for the average Evangelical does not read the Word of God with a heart to obedience. By neglecting the Word in favor of the instruction of the “professional” theologians, Evangelicals have aligned themselves with the theologies of men to the neglect of God’s clear instruction. As Evangelical theologians have delved ever deeper into their discussions with the Liberals, their theologies have become increasingly dark and apostate. Yet, to the delight of Satan, too few recognize the slide into apostasy that is well under way; since they will not receive the truth, they will be deluded to believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
One of Benny Hinn's many properties.
7. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
Here is the parallel to Colossians 3:23 that we have already noted. The word service comes from the Greek word doulos, a term used in the previous verse to describe one aspect of our relationship with Christ. It is not enough to be busy doing things, they must be the right things – those that our Master, Jesus Christ, would have us to be doing. We see much activity within modern Christianity, but activity alone is not necessarily pleasing to the Lord, even if it is done in His Name. May we be reminded of Jesus’ words: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). These workers of iniquity prophesied in the name of the Lord Jesus, although they were not servants of Christ; they cast demons out of people in the name of the Lord, yet they did not do the will of God; they did many wonderful works, but were unknown to the Lord Whom they professed to serve. A classic modern-day example of someone who would fit this description is Benny Hinn. He claims to be a man of God, to have been spoken to by God, to have a healing ministry, yet he is a fraud who lives a lavish lifestyle on the gifts of those who give to receive a blessing. If Hinn were a man of God he would live in obedience to the Word of God; he arrogantly presents himself as a dispenser of the Holy Spirit, yet all he dispenses are false hopes, empty promises, and spiritual confusion. His healings have been proven to be fraudulent, his teachings are most often in contravention of Scripture, yet within the Evangelical community, he has a significant following. Hinn’s work of service is to himself: he lives lavishly. He publicly claims that none of the money given to his ministry goes to himself personally – perhaps, but he is the primary beneficiary.
By contrast, our service is to be done to the Lord, and not unto men. Jesus called the Pharisees to task because “all their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5). Jesus told the Jews of His day to do the things that the Pharisees taught, but they were not to follow their example; right doctrine is not enough. Rather “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the Benny Hinns of today love to be recognized by men; they love to enjoy the best of the best, and to be served and honored by men. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus taught by word and example, and His example to us is clear: “… the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister …” (Matthew 20:28).
8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Here is where the ears of those who promote a prosperity gospel will perk up. They would say, “See!! Whatever good you do, you will receive the same from the Lord in return.” The Word of Faith movement, as they are known today, promotes a name-it-claim-it gospel that promises financial prosperity and health. The purveyors of this false gospel message are many.
Joel Osteen has been referred to as the “Prosperity Gospel’s Coverboy,” and some of his sermon titles present his thinking: “Enlarge Your Vision,” “Holding onto Your Dreams,” “How Valuable you are in God’s Eyes,” and “The Greatest Hindrance to Healing.”16 Joel declares, “See the Bible says that we can grow in favor …. I believe one of the main ways that we grow in favor is by declaring it. It’s not enough to just read it it’s not enough to just believe it. You’ve got to speak it out. Your words have creative power. And one of the primary ways we release our faith is through our words. And there is a divine connection between you declaring God’s favor and you seeing God’s favor manifest in your life…You’ve got to give life to your faith by speaking it out” (errors in original).17 The Scriptures speak of growing in favor in two cases: the first is with the boy Samuel (“And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men” [1 Samuel 2:26]); the second instance is in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ as a child (“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” [Luke 2:52]). In neither of these cases is there any mention of “declaring” the favor to make it happen. We are told that Samuel “grew before (or, with) the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:21), and that Jesus was subject (or, obedient) to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51). What Osteen has done is to move the focus from the Lord, or obedience to the Lord, onto something that we can do to make our lives grand. The whole prosperity gospel shifts the focus away from God and onto man; we are the ones who hold the key to making our lives what we’d really like them to be – and they are not speaking of obedience to the commands of the Lord.
Here is the parallel to Colossians 3:23 that we have already noted. The word service comes from the Greek word doulos, a term used in the previous verse to describe one aspect of our relationship with Christ. It is not enough to be busy doing things, they must be the right things – those that our Master, Jesus Christ, would have us to be doing. We see much activity within modern Christianity, but activity alone is not necessarily pleasing to the Lord, even if it is done in His Name. May we be reminded of Jesus’ words: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). These workers of iniquity prophesied in the name of the Lord Jesus, although they were not servants of Christ; they cast demons out of people in the name of the Lord, yet they did not do the will of God; they did many wonderful works, but were unknown to the Lord Whom they professed to serve. A classic modern-day example of someone who would fit this description is Benny Hinn. He claims to be a man of God, to have been spoken to by God, to have a healing ministry, yet he is a fraud who lives a lavish lifestyle on the gifts of those who give to receive a blessing. If Hinn were a man of God he would live in obedience to the Word of God; he arrogantly presents himself as a dispenser of the Holy Spirit, yet all he dispenses are false hopes, empty promises, and spiritual confusion. His healings have been proven to be fraudulent, his teachings are most often in contravention of Scripture, yet within the Evangelical community, he has a significant following. Hinn’s work of service is to himself: he lives lavishly. He publicly claims that none of the money given to his ministry goes to himself personally – perhaps, but he is the primary beneficiary.
By contrast, our service is to be done to the Lord, and not unto men. Jesus called the Pharisees to task because “all their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5). Jesus told the Jews of His day to do the things that the Pharisees taught, but they were not to follow their example; right doctrine is not enough. Rather “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the Benny Hinns of today love to be recognized by men; they love to enjoy the best of the best, and to be served and honored by men. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus taught by word and example, and His example to us is clear: “… the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister …” (Matthew 20:28).
8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Here is where the ears of those who promote a prosperity gospel will perk up. They would say, “See!! Whatever good you do, you will receive the same from the Lord in return.” The Word of Faith movement, as they are known today, promotes a name-it-claim-it gospel that promises financial prosperity and health. The purveyors of this false gospel message are many.
Joel Osteen has been referred to as the “Prosperity Gospel’s Coverboy,” and some of his sermon titles present his thinking: “Enlarge Your Vision,” “Holding onto Your Dreams,” “How Valuable you are in God’s Eyes,” and “The Greatest Hindrance to Healing.”16 Joel declares, “See the Bible says that we can grow in favor …. I believe one of the main ways that we grow in favor is by declaring it. It’s not enough to just read it it’s not enough to just believe it. You’ve got to speak it out. Your words have creative power. And one of the primary ways we release our faith is through our words. And there is a divine connection between you declaring God’s favor and you seeing God’s favor manifest in your life…You’ve got to give life to your faith by speaking it out” (errors in original).17 The Scriptures speak of growing in favor in two cases: the first is with the boy Samuel (“And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men” [1 Samuel 2:26]); the second instance is in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ as a child (“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” [Luke 2:52]). In neither of these cases is there any mention of “declaring” the favor to make it happen. We are told that Samuel “grew before (or, with) the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:21), and that Jesus was subject (or, obedient) to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51). What Osteen has done is to move the focus from the Lord, or obedience to the Lord, onto something that we can do to make our lives grand. The whole prosperity gospel shifts the focus away from God and onto man; we are the ones who hold the key to making our lives what we’d really like them to be – and they are not speaking of obedience to the commands of the Lord.
Bill Gothard
Bill Gothard has done something quite similar in his book, The Power of Crying Out: When Prayer Becomes Mighty. In this book, he declares, “For most of my life, I assumed that crying out was simply synonymous with prayer. I’ve come to be amazed, however, to see the specific purposes and potential for crying out—and how this is emphasized time and again in Scripture. God hears our prayers, and the Bible’s testimony reveals that, in a special way, He particularly hears us when our requests are voiced aloud” (emphasis in original).18 This is ascribing power to our words that is not Biblical, and is not far removed from Osteen’s “your words have creative power.” The Lord, on the night of His arrest, cried out to God the Father in great agony of soul, yet His prayer was that the will of the Father would be done. He recognized that it was for this purpose that He came to earth, yet His humanity shuddered at the thought of the pain that He would be enduring. Gothard has made a hypothetical differentiation between prayers that are verbalized and prayers of the heart. Malachi, in his day, understood that God is not moved by our words: “Ye have wearied the LORD with your words” (Malachi 2:17).19 Jesus said: “…when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:6-7). We are told “…the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). It is clear from Scripture that voicing our prayers aloud will not enhance their power with God; within our finite frame, we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit of God intercedes for us in ways that cannot be expressed in words.
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer says, “Why would He (God) want all of His people poverty stricken while all of the people that aren’t living for God have everything? ... I think it’s old religious thinking, and I believe the devil uses it to keep people from wanting to serve God” (errors in the original).20 “Joyce Meyer is one of the most popular Christian personalities in the world and her influence is growing rapidly. With sermons on receiving emotional healing, overcoming the past, freedom from condemnation, and more, Joyce Meyer has grown from an associate pastor at a local St. Louis church to a world wide speaker, author, and conference host.”21 Her charisma has been magnetic for many, as she has come from an abusive past and a failed first marriage. Clearly, her amazing ministry has grown beyond the Word of God, for she fails to adhere to the restrictions that God has placed on us to fulfill her role as a godly woman. She has embraced much of the teaching of the Word-Faith movement, and has openly declared herself to be sinless: “…I didn’t stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn’t a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that’s heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I’m righteous and I can’t be righteous and be a sinner at the same time ... All I was ever taught to say was, ‘I’m a poor, miserable sinner.’ I am not poor, I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I was and if I still am then Jesus died in vain.”22 Yet God declares in 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Who is telling the truth? Despite such contradictions, Joyce remains very popular among Evangelicals today.
Gloria Copeland
Robert Tilton has openly declared, “Being poor is a sin, when God promises prosperity.”23 Gloria Copeland, wife of the famed Kenneth Copeland, has learned her husband’s heresy well; she is quoted as saying, “Give $10 and receive $1000; Give $1000 and receive $100,000 … Give one airplane and receive one hundred times the value of the airplane. … In short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal.”24 Actually this passage (Mark 10:29-30) comes on the heels of Jesus’ teaching on the spiritually crippling power of riches, and Gloria conveniently overlooks the requirement that all these things (house, brethren, sisters, mothers, children and lands – but no mention of money) must be left for His sake, and she omits the promise of persecution that will come with following Jesus. Leaving behind what Jesus calls us to forsake is very different from giving $10 to the Copeland’s ministry and expecting to receive $1000 by return. What Gloria doesn’t clarify is that this will only work if you’re in their type of ministry where you can keep the masses confused by spiritual-sounding rhetoric, and gullible enough to continue sending money in hopes of receiving the multiplied more in return.
Our verse is not a loose promise that the Word of Faith people can claim as another evidence for their selfish lifestyles. This verse is the latter part of a longer sentence, which includes an admonition to work faithfully for those over us, in the same way that we would work for Christ. The sentence charges us to do the will of God from the heart, and we are to carry out our service as to the Lord. The focus of this passage is service done for mankind, but done as unto God; whatever we do, we are to do it for the Lord. This calls for a heart that is right with God, a heart that is attune to His Word, and a heart whose focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The Word of Faith people have done violence to the Word of God through promoting heresy and through focusing on the prosperity and health of our present lives. Paul’s testimony was “what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9). What Paul considered as loss, the Word of Faith heretics seek with all their might, and create all kinds of systems to ensure that they are the beneficiary of all they want. God’s words to Abraham were “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). The Word of Faith people endeavor with all their might to make God their genie; they think God is there to serve them and provide for their every wish. What they have done is made merchandise of God; they have bottled, formulated, and tabulated God into their mold so as to dupe the masses into supporting their lavish lifestyles.
Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians was “be not weary in well doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13) – don’t become exhausted in living Biblically. Our verse provides us with the assurance that our labors will not be in vain; we may not reap physical rewards in this life (as some claim), but we may rest assured that the Lord will reward us for all that we do for Him. We can become weary in living in obedience to God’s Word (weary carries the subjunctive mood, making it a real possibility), and wonder why we strive to remain strong in the faith when no one seems to care or have any regard for what we are doing. Yet we can be assured that the Lord is aware of the sacrifice we make in order to serve Him faithfully, and such labor will not go without His reward – this promise is open to all who serve the Lord from the heart.
9. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Our verse is not a loose promise that the Word of Faith people can claim as another evidence for their selfish lifestyles. This verse is the latter part of a longer sentence, which includes an admonition to work faithfully for those over us, in the same way that we would work for Christ. The sentence charges us to do the will of God from the heart, and we are to carry out our service as to the Lord. The focus of this passage is service done for mankind, but done as unto God; whatever we do, we are to do it for the Lord. This calls for a heart that is right with God, a heart that is attune to His Word, and a heart whose focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The Word of Faith people have done violence to the Word of God through promoting heresy and through focusing on the prosperity and health of our present lives. Paul’s testimony was “what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9). What Paul considered as loss, the Word of Faith heretics seek with all their might, and create all kinds of systems to ensure that they are the beneficiary of all they want. God’s words to Abraham were “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). The Word of Faith people endeavor with all their might to make God their genie; they think God is there to serve them and provide for their every wish. What they have done is made merchandise of God; they have bottled, formulated, and tabulated God into their mold so as to dupe the masses into supporting their lavish lifestyles.
Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians was “be not weary in well doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13) – don’t become exhausted in living Biblically. Our verse provides us with the assurance that our labors will not be in vain; we may not reap physical rewards in this life (as some claim), but we may rest assured that the Lord will reward us for all that we do for Him. We can become weary in living in obedience to God’s Word (weary carries the subjunctive mood, making it a real possibility), and wonder why we strive to remain strong in the faith when no one seems to care or have any regard for what we are doing. Yet we can be assured that the Lord is aware of the sacrifice we make in order to serve Him faithfully, and such labor will not go without His reward – this promise is open to all who serve the Lord from the heart.
9. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Robert Greenleaf
After taking the time to expand on the service of the servant, the Spirit of God now addresses those who find themselves in the role of lords and masters. The summation is that they are to do the same as the servants; they are to serve those who work for them, and do it with diligence as unto the Lord. “Servant leadership” became a popular phrase in the 1970s in the leadership world through the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf who wrote a book with that title. Although many saw this as a radically new approach to leadership, they would have only had to look at our passage, or recall the words of Jesus, to realize that this is not new. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, came to this earth “not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). His specific instruction to His disciples was, “25Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister [or, one who serves]; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant [or, slave] …” (Matthew 20:25-27). Those who would desire to be great (as in having position or power) are to serve, and those who would be chief, or first, among the saints, must be as a slave.
When Jesus sent His messages to the assemblies of Asia through the Apostle John, there were two which drew special instruction in this regard: the assembly at Ephesus received commendation for their hatred of the Nicolaitanes (which Christ also hates), and the assembly at Pergamos was criticized for their acceptance of the Nicolaitanes (Revelation 2:6,15). Who are these mysterious people about whom we hear nothing else? Many hold that they propagated the doctrine of Balaam, advocating a mixing of pagan practices with Christianity. However, a close reading of Revelation 2:15 makes it abundantly clear that the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was in addition to the error of the doctrine of Balaam and not the same thing. The two primary Greek words making up the word Nicolaitanes are nikos (which means victory or to utterly vanquish25) and laos (which means people); so the word means “victors over the people.”26 Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of exercising authority over the people. He told the multitudes and His disciples to do what the Pharisees said, but not to follow their example (Matthew 23:3); rather, “all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8), and “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11; see also 1 Peter 5:1-5). We saw earlier (Ephesians 5:21) that one of the signs of the filling of the Spirit of God is submitting to one another. Pause to consider today’s Evangelical churches: most have a man who provides the leadership – sometimes almost independently, other times through several leaders (if the group is large enough). However, the responsibility is defined; it is generally understood that those who fill this role are the clergy and the rest of the people are the laity. The clergy are those who are ordained to carry out the religious service of the group (whatever that might mean); the laity are the followers of a religion who are NOT clergy.27 There is a division here, a separation of clergy from laity. This is clearly evident within most Evangelical churches today where the spiritual interpretation is left up to the experts, the pastors and theologians; the laity is becoming increasingly ignorant of the Scriptures, the gap between the “clergy” and the “laity” is ever widening. We are rapidly returning to a situation where the general populace leaves the interpretation to those who are deemed more capable or worthy. The average Evangelical is ripe for being deceived by charlatans who bear the title “pastor.” The independent Baptist churches seem to take great pride in their exaltation of the pastor and he is often given full control, even though there is no basis for this within Scripture. To quote from their writings: “One can’t obey God without obeying his pastor, according to Hebrews 13. One can’t obey God without properly submitting himself to the authority of a born-again, independent, fundamental, premillennial preacher.”28 This is heresy in that it finds no basis within Scripture – if God didn’t say it, then how can we? Actually, what we do see from Jesus’ words is that this is how things are not to be within the assembly of believers. What amazes me is that all these Bible-believing, fundamental men, with all their learning and doctorates, still cannot understand 1) that they are abusing Hebrews 13 for their own purposes, and 2) that there is no Biblical position within the assembly called “pastor.” The clergy-laity concept, and the term “pastor,” came into being from the earliest roots of the Roman Catholic Church; as much as these very same men would lament the heretical error of the Catholic Church, they have grasped onto this error and cling to it with all their might. As early at AD 190, we see Victor, the bishop of Rome, endeavoring to force his views on those who disagreed with him upon threat of having them excommunicated from the fellowship.29 It is very evident that there were powerful clergy already in place by this time, less than a hundred years after the Apostle John penned the warnings against this practice in the book of Revelation. Yet what do we find today? For the most part, all churches have succumbed to the temptation to follow the Nicolaitane pattern firmly established by Rome.
It is clear, from our passage alone, that lording-it-over others is not to be; those who are masters and lords in this life are also to leave off threatening. Threats, whether spoken or unspoken, are the way some retain their control over others, and this is often part of the “pastor’s” bag of tricks to keep “his” people in line. Even Victor, Bishop of Rome, used the promise of excommunication as his stick to silence all dissenters – a tool still in the toolbox of modern-day charlatans posing as “God’s pastor” for His people. This is to have no place within our thinking, for the Master of both lord and servant is in heaven, and we are accountable to Him Who shows no partiality.
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
The word finally does not mean “at last,” nor is it used as a preacher’s signal that the end is in sight. Rather the word means “for the rest,”30 and what follows is a general instruction given to the saints at Ephesus, and to us, which will be of help in all those situations that were not dealt with specifically in this letter.
The command given here is to be strong or to increase in strength in the Lord.31 Herein is our ability to face life; it is the Lord Who will see us through, not our abilities. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). God says, “…my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9); our weakness becomes an opportunity for the Lord to display His strength through us. One of Paul’s prayers for the Ephesian believers was that they should be “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). This would be part of the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God in us, to mold us into the image of our Savior, and it fits well with the admonition to “endure hardness” (2 Timothy 2:3). “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It is clear that the ecumenical crowd does not read the Scriptures carefully, or, perhaps, they read this from the perspective of their skewed view of the Christian faith, which is no faith at all. Paul calls on Timothy to “hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me …” (2 Timothy 1:13). To be a Biblical Christian is a call to warfare; we have entered a battle, which knows no “time-outs”: “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
When Jesus sent His messages to the assemblies of Asia through the Apostle John, there were two which drew special instruction in this regard: the assembly at Ephesus received commendation for their hatred of the Nicolaitanes (which Christ also hates), and the assembly at Pergamos was criticized for their acceptance of the Nicolaitanes (Revelation 2:6,15). Who are these mysterious people about whom we hear nothing else? Many hold that they propagated the doctrine of Balaam, advocating a mixing of pagan practices with Christianity. However, a close reading of Revelation 2:15 makes it abundantly clear that the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was in addition to the error of the doctrine of Balaam and not the same thing. The two primary Greek words making up the word Nicolaitanes are nikos (which means victory or to utterly vanquish25) and laos (which means people); so the word means “victors over the people.”26 Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of exercising authority over the people. He told the multitudes and His disciples to do what the Pharisees said, but not to follow their example (Matthew 23:3); rather, “all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8), and “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11; see also 1 Peter 5:1-5). We saw earlier (Ephesians 5:21) that one of the signs of the filling of the Spirit of God is submitting to one another. Pause to consider today’s Evangelical churches: most have a man who provides the leadership – sometimes almost independently, other times through several leaders (if the group is large enough). However, the responsibility is defined; it is generally understood that those who fill this role are the clergy and the rest of the people are the laity. The clergy are those who are ordained to carry out the religious service of the group (whatever that might mean); the laity are the followers of a religion who are NOT clergy.27 There is a division here, a separation of clergy from laity. This is clearly evident within most Evangelical churches today where the spiritual interpretation is left up to the experts, the pastors and theologians; the laity is becoming increasingly ignorant of the Scriptures, the gap between the “clergy” and the “laity” is ever widening. We are rapidly returning to a situation where the general populace leaves the interpretation to those who are deemed more capable or worthy. The average Evangelical is ripe for being deceived by charlatans who bear the title “pastor.” The independent Baptist churches seem to take great pride in their exaltation of the pastor and he is often given full control, even though there is no basis for this within Scripture. To quote from their writings: “One can’t obey God without obeying his pastor, according to Hebrews 13. One can’t obey God without properly submitting himself to the authority of a born-again, independent, fundamental, premillennial preacher.”28 This is heresy in that it finds no basis within Scripture – if God didn’t say it, then how can we? Actually, what we do see from Jesus’ words is that this is how things are not to be within the assembly of believers. What amazes me is that all these Bible-believing, fundamental men, with all their learning and doctorates, still cannot understand 1) that they are abusing Hebrews 13 for their own purposes, and 2) that there is no Biblical position within the assembly called “pastor.” The clergy-laity concept, and the term “pastor,” came into being from the earliest roots of the Roman Catholic Church; as much as these very same men would lament the heretical error of the Catholic Church, they have grasped onto this error and cling to it with all their might. As early at AD 190, we see Victor, the bishop of Rome, endeavoring to force his views on those who disagreed with him upon threat of having them excommunicated from the fellowship.29 It is very evident that there were powerful clergy already in place by this time, less than a hundred years after the Apostle John penned the warnings against this practice in the book of Revelation. Yet what do we find today? For the most part, all churches have succumbed to the temptation to follow the Nicolaitane pattern firmly established by Rome.
It is clear, from our passage alone, that lording-it-over others is not to be; those who are masters and lords in this life are also to leave off threatening. Threats, whether spoken or unspoken, are the way some retain their control over others, and this is often part of the “pastor’s” bag of tricks to keep “his” people in line. Even Victor, Bishop of Rome, used the promise of excommunication as his stick to silence all dissenters – a tool still in the toolbox of modern-day charlatans posing as “God’s pastor” for His people. This is to have no place within our thinking, for the Master of both lord and servant is in heaven, and we are accountable to Him Who shows no partiality.
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
The word finally does not mean “at last,” nor is it used as a preacher’s signal that the end is in sight. Rather the word means “for the rest,”30 and what follows is a general instruction given to the saints at Ephesus, and to us, which will be of help in all those situations that were not dealt with specifically in this letter.
The command given here is to be strong or to increase in strength in the Lord.31 Herein is our ability to face life; it is the Lord Who will see us through, not our abilities. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). God says, “…my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9); our weakness becomes an opportunity for the Lord to display His strength through us. One of Paul’s prayers for the Ephesian believers was that they should be “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). This would be part of the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God in us, to mold us into the image of our Savior, and it fits well with the admonition to “endure hardness” (2 Timothy 2:3). “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It is clear that the ecumenical crowd does not read the Scriptures carefully, or, perhaps, they read this from the perspective of their skewed view of the Christian faith, which is no faith at all. Paul calls on Timothy to “hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me …” (2 Timothy 1:13). To be a Biblical Christian is a call to warfare; we have entered a battle, which knows no “time-outs”: “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
When Joshua took over the leadership of the children of Israel from Moses, the Lord instructed him to be strong (Joshua 1:6-9). However, from the word of the Lord to Joshua, you will notice in the midst of these numerous commands to “be strong,” the purpose is to “observe to do according to all the law.” The admonition in our verse is to be “strong in the Lord”; this is the same instruction that God gave to Joshua – we are to be strong according to the teachings of the Scriptures, the Word of the Lord to us. Yet within Evangelicalism today we hear much encouragement (in the form of pep talks), but little instruction – this is unbalanced. Unless the two (encouragement and instruction) are given equal weight, we are simply being duped. Men like Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and Robert Schuller provide motivating speeches of positive platitudes, but they are based on the psychological reasoning of man, not the Word of God. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17-18). There could be no more apt description of the ministry of these men (and the multitudes who emulate them), nor of those who sit under their teaching and accept it as the truth. It is not a popular thing to stand in opposition to men like Warren, Osteen or Schuller; yet we are not called to seek popularity, but to “hold fast the form of sound words” which we have in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:13). Paul recognized that not everyone who spoke of Christ was Christ’s, and he warned against such people. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame [they glory in what should cause them shame], who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). These men and their ministries are very earthly focused, and they seek to do only those things that will permit their work to grow – which only serves to multiply their willingness to accommodate error. There is probably no greater example of this than in the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) denomination, which was founded and focused to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community a form of Christianity that accommodates their particular lifestyle. Those involved with the Toronto MCC were “key players in the legal action that ultimately brought same-sex marriage to Canada.”32 First Timothy 6:3-5 warns us about what our attitude is to be toward such: we are to withdraw from them, to have no part with them.
11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
This begins a section on the armor of God that we are to wear. Herein is the means for being strong in the Lord; this is the key to enduring. Whole armor comes from a Greek word that gave rise to our modern word panoply, and means “a full suit of armor and equipment for a warrior,” or, more generally, “a covering that protects something.”33 However, this is not just any suit of armor, it is made by God. From time-to-time, we hear of protective gear that soldiers take into battle that fails the test, resulting in injury or death. Here we have reference to armor prepared by God that will enable us to stand against the devil – there will be no failure with this armor, but we must ensure that our hearts do not fail in the strife (Hebrews 3:12).
This armor, if worn as it was intended, will enable us to stand against the trickery and craftiness of the devil. We often hear today of the wars that are being fought with an enemy who doesn’t follow the rules of engagement – they resort to guerilla tactics. The many suicide bombings are just such a matter; these people appear to be engaged in normal activities of life, going about their business, yet when the opportunity is there, they detonate the bomb they are carrying, which often ends with deadly results. They are using deceit in order to carry out their mission of destruction; they do not present themselves as being a soldier or the enemy, else they would face immediate confrontation. Likewise Satan does not come to us appearing as the devil, but as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); if he appeared as the evil that he is, he would be avoided and would fail to accomplish his mission of destruction. He came to Eve as a delightful serpent with a feigned desire for Eve’s good. When he presented himself to the leaders of the New Evangelical movement, it was with the good that could be done through this new approach to Christianity. What could be better than to dialogue with the Liberals, for thereby they would hear the good news of salvation; what harm could there be in revisiting some of the controversial doctrines if it was possible to increase the fold by making some minor, virtually irrelevant, adjustments; yet the result has been the rapid slide into apostasy of those who once knew the truth. Satan may present himself as an angel of light, but it is a thin disguise over the blackness of hell. If he presented himself as evil and explained the destruction that would come to the faith of many, even the leaders of the New Evangelical movement would have avoided him. By failing to uphold the Word of God, as the standard against which everything must be measured, the New Evangelical leaders succumbed to the wiles of the devil; their willingness to relax in the battle has cost them, and millions of others, their spiritual lives.
11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
This begins a section on the armor of God that we are to wear. Herein is the means for being strong in the Lord; this is the key to enduring. Whole armor comes from a Greek word that gave rise to our modern word panoply, and means “a full suit of armor and equipment for a warrior,” or, more generally, “a covering that protects something.”33 However, this is not just any suit of armor, it is made by God. From time-to-time, we hear of protective gear that soldiers take into battle that fails the test, resulting in injury or death. Here we have reference to armor prepared by God that will enable us to stand against the devil – there will be no failure with this armor, but we must ensure that our hearts do not fail in the strife (Hebrews 3:12).
This armor, if worn as it was intended, will enable us to stand against the trickery and craftiness of the devil. We often hear today of the wars that are being fought with an enemy who doesn’t follow the rules of engagement – they resort to guerilla tactics. The many suicide bombings are just such a matter; these people appear to be engaged in normal activities of life, going about their business, yet when the opportunity is there, they detonate the bomb they are carrying, which often ends with deadly results. They are using deceit in order to carry out their mission of destruction; they do not present themselves as being a soldier or the enemy, else they would face immediate confrontation. Likewise Satan does not come to us appearing as the devil, but as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); if he appeared as the evil that he is, he would be avoided and would fail to accomplish his mission of destruction. He came to Eve as a delightful serpent with a feigned desire for Eve’s good. When he presented himself to the leaders of the New Evangelical movement, it was with the good that could be done through this new approach to Christianity. What could be better than to dialogue with the Liberals, for thereby they would hear the good news of salvation; what harm could there be in revisiting some of the controversial doctrines if it was possible to increase the fold by making some minor, virtually irrelevant, adjustments; yet the result has been the rapid slide into apostasy of those who once knew the truth. Satan may present himself as an angel of light, but it is a thin disguise over the blackness of hell. If he presented himself as evil and explained the destruction that would come to the faith of many, even the leaders of the New Evangelical movement would have avoided him. By failing to uphold the Word of God, as the standard against which everything must be measured, the New Evangelical leaders succumbed to the wiles of the devil; their willingness to relax in the battle has cost them, and millions of others, their spiritual lives.
Bill Hybels
The command here is to put on the whole armor of God. It is not enough to put on some of the pieces, unless all the pieces of armor are worn, there will be exposure to harm. The promise of protection from the enemy of our souls comes only through the whole armor. God, Who knows our foe better than we, has prepared effective protection for us. However, for the most part, we fail to recognize that we are in a spiritual battle; we have such an emphasis on unity among professing Christians that anyone who advocates Biblical separation is looked upon as unnecessarily narrow and divisive. We can see the paradigm shift that has taken place by looking at Prairie Bible Institute: their motto used to be “Disciplined Soldiers for Christ,” but today it is “Building a Passionate Body of Christ.”34 It is clear that, in their minds, the battle is over, and it’s now time to build relationships – there could be no clearer declaration of their capitulation to the New Evangelical philosophy than that! However, the Word of God, which is the same forever (Psalm 119:89,160), openly declares that we are in a battle, and it will not be over until God has pronounced the final judgment on Satan and all who follow him. We are to be engaged in the spiritual conflict that is being waged, but most Christians today are AWOL – they have checked out of the battle, cast their armor aside, and are in dialogue with the enemy. They have so modified the terms of warfare that most of those who were once the enemies, are now their allies. Robert Schuller has openly declared that if he came back in 100 years and found his descendants to be Muslims, it wouldn’t bother him.35 This is the man after whom Rick Warren and Bill Hybels have patterned their ministries; it has been evidenced that much of what Rick Warren writes comes almost directly from the writings of Schuller.36 There is little wonder that Bill Hybels had no qualms about turning his pulpit over to a Muslim to explain his faith to those before him; or that Rick Warren welcomed Barack Obama to his pulpit, the Democratic presidential candidate who openly supports abortion (even partial-birth abortion), has opposed those who would seek to provide aid to surviving babies of abortions, has strongly supported the homosexual agenda, and is a supporter of the “hate crimes” legislation movement.37 In Saddleback’s 2007 AIDS Summit conference, Warren gave the podium to Hillary Clinton, who received a standing ovation from those present; five other presidential candidates spoke via video.38 Clearly, both Hybels and Warren are AWOL, and yet their following is huge and their influence continues to grow. The Church Report, in their 2007 rating of the most influential Christians in America, ranked Hybels and Warren number 3 and 16 respectively. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1); “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
In Ephesians 4:24 we read that we are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” This “new man,” created by God, is to be put on so that our behavior, or manner of living, will comply with the new nature that God has given us. We have not followed the light within, as the New Age movement advocates, but through repentance from our sin, God places a new man within us, created in righteousness and holiness. This new man, this new life of holiness, comes through the planting of the Seed, the Word of God (Romans 10:17); yet we must be cognitive of the soil conditions into which the Seed falls. Jesus made it clear that not all soils will permit the Seed to flourish to maturity (Luke 8:5-15). He said that when the Seed is sown, some of it will fall by the wayside – where they hear the Word, but the devil snatches it away before they can believe and be saved (v.12) – the Word is taken away before it can find any penetration into their hearts. Some Seed will fall among the rocks, and the Word will be received with joy; they will believe for a while, but when a trial or temptation comes along, they will fall away or depart from the faith (v.13). The Word brought forth life, this is not a false profession but a genuine indication of new life, yet because the soil of the heart was shallow, there is no endurance. Jesus openly declared, “…he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13); there is an endurance we are called to that we must not miss lest we fail in the time of trial (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 2:3). Some Seed will fall among the thorns or weeds, and, again, there is life – the Seed brings forth evidence of life and growth. However, when these go about their daily activities, the new life from the Word of God is choked out by the care and pleasures of daily living (v.7,14). The word Jesus used for choke in relaying the parable (v.7) is the same word that is used in verse 33 of the same chapter to describe what happened to the pigs that ran into the lake; the pigs died, and so the new life will die through the strangulation of the cares and pleasures of the world. Modern Evangelicals would seem to advocate that the new life and worldly pleasures can grow together and coexist in the same heart, yet it is clear from Jesus’ words that this is a lie, a deception of the devil. The pleasures and cares of life will choke out the new life; the soil of the heart is not too shallow in this case, but filled with too many weeds. The final soil is a good soil and well prepared to permit the Seed to grow to bring forth fruit in keeping with the Word of God (Galatians 5:22-23). Notice Luke 8:15 – the fruit will be brought forth with patience. James tells us: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). Trials, temptations, and testings are not popular themes within Evangelicalism today; they are more content with the positive-only messages of the charlatans who profess to be purveyors of the truth. However, we must consider the reception which the Lord received from the religious rulers of His day, and His reminder that “if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Paul understood this fully, for he wrote, “… all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
However, the theme of Evangelicalism today is unity, brotherhood – we’re all one family; they have set the Word of God aside and joined themselves to those who profess a Christianity of their own making; the words may be the same but the meanings have been changed. The wolves have learned to speak “sheep” well enough so as to dupe the unsuspecting into believing a lie, and the falling away has been dramatic. The devil cares not if he snatches the Word away before it can take root, or if he brings a trial that causes the shallow roots to fail, or if the new life is simply choked out through the distractions of this life – the end is the same. When we have heard the Word, we must be diligent and guard against “an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12) lest we become one with the apostate.
There is an interesting word picture given to us here. We are to put on the complete armor of God so that we are able to stand against the subtleties of the devil. This is not the picture we have of soldiers dressed in their gear; they typically do not stand to fend off the attack of the enemy, but, rather, are active in seeking shelter and in launching an offensive against the adversary. The word stand carries with it the concept of steadfastness.39 Again, the idea of endurance comes to mind; the Lord has called us to endure, to persevere, but He has also provided us with the protection to do so. I am reminded of Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is often quoted as proof of the eternal security of our salvation. However, this is proof of our ability to stand, to persevere if we have put on the whole armor of God. All of these things cited are outside of ourselves, and the Apostle Paul is naming all these things which are not be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can come against us that will be able to cause us to fall; God has provided us with all the protection we will ever need against anything that might come at us, the provision for enduring has been secured in Christ.
However, we are also warned: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [apistia, no faith], in departing [becoming apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).40 Being addressed to brethren, this makes it abundantly clear that the armor of God will not protect us from an “evil heart of unbelief”; God did not design His armor to protect from a deceitful heart. A soldier, who goes to war and, through fear, becomes a deserter, cannot complain that his armor failed him; it may well have protected him from enemy fire, shrapnel, and all sorts of external forces, but it was not designed to protect him from a coward’s heart.
In Ephesians 4:24 we read that we are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” This “new man,” created by God, is to be put on so that our behavior, or manner of living, will comply with the new nature that God has given us. We have not followed the light within, as the New Age movement advocates, but through repentance from our sin, God places a new man within us, created in righteousness and holiness. This new man, this new life of holiness, comes through the planting of the Seed, the Word of God (Romans 10:17); yet we must be cognitive of the soil conditions into which the Seed falls. Jesus made it clear that not all soils will permit the Seed to flourish to maturity (Luke 8:5-15). He said that when the Seed is sown, some of it will fall by the wayside – where they hear the Word, but the devil snatches it away before they can believe and be saved (v.12) – the Word is taken away before it can find any penetration into their hearts. Some Seed will fall among the rocks, and the Word will be received with joy; they will believe for a while, but when a trial or temptation comes along, they will fall away or depart from the faith (v.13). The Word brought forth life, this is not a false profession but a genuine indication of new life, yet because the soil of the heart was shallow, there is no endurance. Jesus openly declared, “…he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13); there is an endurance we are called to that we must not miss lest we fail in the time of trial (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 2:3). Some Seed will fall among the thorns or weeds, and, again, there is life – the Seed brings forth evidence of life and growth. However, when these go about their daily activities, the new life from the Word of God is choked out by the care and pleasures of daily living (v.7,14). The word Jesus used for choke in relaying the parable (v.7) is the same word that is used in verse 33 of the same chapter to describe what happened to the pigs that ran into the lake; the pigs died, and so the new life will die through the strangulation of the cares and pleasures of the world. Modern Evangelicals would seem to advocate that the new life and worldly pleasures can grow together and coexist in the same heart, yet it is clear from Jesus’ words that this is a lie, a deception of the devil. The pleasures and cares of life will choke out the new life; the soil of the heart is not too shallow in this case, but filled with too many weeds. The final soil is a good soil and well prepared to permit the Seed to grow to bring forth fruit in keeping with the Word of God (Galatians 5:22-23). Notice Luke 8:15 – the fruit will be brought forth with patience. James tells us: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). Trials, temptations, and testings are not popular themes within Evangelicalism today; they are more content with the positive-only messages of the charlatans who profess to be purveyors of the truth. However, we must consider the reception which the Lord received from the religious rulers of His day, and His reminder that “if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Paul understood this fully, for he wrote, “… all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
However, the theme of Evangelicalism today is unity, brotherhood – we’re all one family; they have set the Word of God aside and joined themselves to those who profess a Christianity of their own making; the words may be the same but the meanings have been changed. The wolves have learned to speak “sheep” well enough so as to dupe the unsuspecting into believing a lie, and the falling away has been dramatic. The devil cares not if he snatches the Word away before it can take root, or if he brings a trial that causes the shallow roots to fail, or if the new life is simply choked out through the distractions of this life – the end is the same. When we have heard the Word, we must be diligent and guard against “an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12) lest we become one with the apostate.
There is an interesting word picture given to us here. We are to put on the complete armor of God so that we are able to stand against the subtleties of the devil. This is not the picture we have of soldiers dressed in their gear; they typically do not stand to fend off the attack of the enemy, but, rather, are active in seeking shelter and in launching an offensive against the adversary. The word stand carries with it the concept of steadfastness.39 Again, the idea of endurance comes to mind; the Lord has called us to endure, to persevere, but He has also provided us with the protection to do so. I am reminded of Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is often quoted as proof of the eternal security of our salvation. However, this is proof of our ability to stand, to persevere if we have put on the whole armor of God. All of these things cited are outside of ourselves, and the Apostle Paul is naming all these things which are not be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can come against us that will be able to cause us to fall; God has provided us with all the protection we will ever need against anything that might come at us, the provision for enduring has been secured in Christ.
However, we are also warned: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [apistia, no faith], in departing [becoming apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).40 Being addressed to brethren, this makes it abundantly clear that the armor of God will not protect us from an “evil heart of unbelief”; God did not design His armor to protect from a deceitful heart. A soldier, who goes to war and, through fear, becomes a deserter, cannot complain that his armor failed him; it may well have protected him from enemy fire, shrapnel, and all sorts of external forces, but it was not designed to protect him from a coward’s heart.
Charles Templeton is an example of one who professed faith in Christ, but fell away. He cofounded Youth for Christ with Billy Graham, held evangelistic crusades, had a weekly Christian television broadcast on CBS for years, and founded a church in Toronto that is still there today. However, after attending Princeton Theological Seminary, he declared himself an agnostic, and in 1995 published a book, A Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith.41 Once again, the protection of the armor of God was adequate for all external enemies, but Templeton succumbed to an evil heart of unbelief and turned away from God. How well we need to ponder the caution, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
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.
We now find the reason for putting on the whole armor of God; our warfare is not with man. There is an anomaly here. The Spirit of God, Who elsewhere used the phrase flesh and blood, actually says blood and flesh here, not as the translators have shown it. Why in four other instances of where this phrase appears in the Bible, would the Spirit have the order as flesh and blood, but in this case choose to reverse them? That is an interesting question to which I have found no answer.
The understanding is that we are not in conflict with men; this is not a physical battle in which we are engaged, even though we may often face a physical foe. Rather, we are in conflict with principalities, which speaks of primacy or rule.42 Keeping in mind that these cannot be authorities in the physical realm, they are commonly understood to be angels. Second Peter 2:4 tells us of the angels who sinned, who were cast out of the presence of God and are bound with “chains of darkness.” Their bonds are not of restraint from movement, but rather are bonds of blackness; they left the light and glory of God to be bound with the absence of light. Yet we see from 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 that, to us, their blackness may appear as righteousness, as these ministers or servants of Satan transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. How important it is to practice the Biblical call to separation and judgment lest we be deceived by those who appear to be righteous, and do the bidding of the devil himself. It is these angels, bound by blackness, who are able to transform themselves into beings of feigned righteousness, with whom we wrestle. If we could completely understand the darkness, which appears as righteousness, and the wolf that comes to us as a sheep, we would run to embrace the narrowness of God’s calling and Biblical separation that can lead to our sanctification; we would not hesitate to exercise Biblical judgment by condemning that which is not in accordance with Scripture. In the narrow call of God, we recognize that not all who profess to be Christians are actually born-again; the call is very specific, and we are to walk worthy of that calling. In Biblical separation, we find sanctuary from the alluring philosophies of wolves; by exercising Biblical discernment, we will be able to identify those who proclaim Truth mixed with error, and avoid them.
The Greek word translated as powers speaks of the “power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.”43 In the truest sense, this would be applicable to God, but in our context, it is once again applied to the spiritual forces, the angelic hosts who have followed Satan, to those who left the glory of God to be bound by blackness. This would ascribe to them the fighting tactics of guerrilla warfare; they will use any scheme, no matter how deceptive, to accomplish their nefarious goals. We are fighting an enemy who, much of the time, will not be identifiable; for they will disguise themselves as the religious and the intellectually superior, using whatever cloak necessary to make us cower under their onslaught.
There is more. We are also up against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Paul earlier reminded the Ephesians (and us) that “in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience …” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is the prince of this world, and it is his domain. “And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 2:2). The Lord did not rebuke Satan for being out of his territory, for, since the sin of Adam, this has been his domain. Peter reminds us that we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (1 Peter 5:8). Even though Satan’s defeat has been fixed at the cross, he is still on the rampage today. Yet our verse uses the word rulers, plural. We have already seen that powers speaks of those who do as they please, and, being cloaked with blackness, you can rest assured that the fallen angels are mavericks and not necessarily under complete compliance to Satan, the prince of all demons. Anarchy would be the norm within the realm of utter darkness; they are fighting a losing battle (and know it), so their tactics will demonstrate desperation. Each demon will be a ruler within its own right.
We are also wrestling against spiritual wickedness in high places, or in the heavenlies. Satan has been called the accuser of the brethren. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:9-10). Satan will find fault wherever we give him opportunity, yet we read that the brethren “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …” (Revelation 12:11). If we understood the unseen battle that is being waged, we would give greater heed to the commands to “be sober,” to “be vigilant.” Our only hope is “in Christ,” the often repeated phrase throughout the earlier parts of this epistle.
This is a brief glimpse at the foe whom we face. We are finite creatures who, too often, live as though the visible world is all there is. Here we are reminded that we are not fighting a physical enemy, but a spiritual one; our foe is none other than Satan and his myriad of demons – all bound up with blackness. It is only the armor of God that will permit us to stand against the attacks of this enemy; we have no protection within ourselves. How contrary this is to modern philosophy, which teaches everyone to look within himself for light to guide him into his own truth. Jesus spoke of this light: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [or focused, sound], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil [or harassed, annoyed], thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). When Jesus knew His time was come, He “stedfastly set his face” to go to Jerusalem; there was a determination to accomplish what He had come to earth to do. There was a singleness of purpose, and resolute determination to complete the task at hand. Within Satan, we see restlessness, a perpetual roaming about throughout the earth. There is only one way to have a single eye, and that is to have God as our focus, anything else will only be countless distractions, demonstrating the restlessness that comes from Satan. Jesus said “the light of the body is the eye,” so if our eyes are focused on Him, then our body is full of light, but if our eyes are distracted by all the ploys of Satan to keep us looking elsewhere, what a great darkness will fill us. Remember, Satan and his minions are bound up with blackness; we are either for the Lord Jesus or against Him. There is no neutral, middle ground where we could go either way, no fence to straddle – it is either black or white; there is no gray. Modern Evangelicals have mixed the white of God’s Truth with the black of Satan so as to promote a spiritually deadly, gray potion called unity. Charles Colson summarizes the Evangelical error best: “Unity is the essence of the church. To be one with one another as Jesus is one with the Father is a matter of biblical obedience.”44 This error first appeared in Colson’s book, The Body, in 1992, and, eleven years later, he reiterated the same error in his updated book, Being the Body. Our unity is accomplished IN Christ, not by embracing everyone who calls themselves a Christian and accommodating their error; it is not a matter of obedience, but rather is a reality when we are in Christ.
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.
Wherefore – for this reason, because of what was just outlined for us in the previous verse – we are to take the whole armor of God. This is a command. After explaining to us that the foe, whom we face, is not physical, but rather spiritual (of the most devious sort), we are again admonished to take the protection which God has prepared. This is a reiteration of verse 11 – and carries the same emphasis of the WHOLE armor of God, and to STAND.
I am reminded of Jude 9 – “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” A mighty angel from the presence of God did not accuse Satan, but deferred to the Lord – there is here a demonstration of standing, rather than taking the offensive. Yet we find within Evangelicalism today, a group who embrace what is called spiritual warfare, where there is a direct, sought-after confrontation with Satan. John Wimber and his Vineyard movement are those who advocate confronting the Satanic powers directly; Neil Anderson, on the other hand, and those like him, have created a more systematic process for dealing with his influence. Both speak of spiritual warfare, and both advocate a confrontational approach with Satan.
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.
We now find the reason for putting on the whole armor of God; our warfare is not with man. There is an anomaly here. The Spirit of God, Who elsewhere used the phrase flesh and blood, actually says blood and flesh here, not as the translators have shown it. Why in four other instances of where this phrase appears in the Bible, would the Spirit have the order as flesh and blood, but in this case choose to reverse them? That is an interesting question to which I have found no answer.
The understanding is that we are not in conflict with men; this is not a physical battle in which we are engaged, even though we may often face a physical foe. Rather, we are in conflict with principalities, which speaks of primacy or rule.42 Keeping in mind that these cannot be authorities in the physical realm, they are commonly understood to be angels. Second Peter 2:4 tells us of the angels who sinned, who were cast out of the presence of God and are bound with “chains of darkness.” Their bonds are not of restraint from movement, but rather are bonds of blackness; they left the light and glory of God to be bound with the absence of light. Yet we see from 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 that, to us, their blackness may appear as righteousness, as these ministers or servants of Satan transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. How important it is to practice the Biblical call to separation and judgment lest we be deceived by those who appear to be righteous, and do the bidding of the devil himself. It is these angels, bound by blackness, who are able to transform themselves into beings of feigned righteousness, with whom we wrestle. If we could completely understand the darkness, which appears as righteousness, and the wolf that comes to us as a sheep, we would run to embrace the narrowness of God’s calling and Biblical separation that can lead to our sanctification; we would not hesitate to exercise Biblical judgment by condemning that which is not in accordance with Scripture. In the narrow call of God, we recognize that not all who profess to be Christians are actually born-again; the call is very specific, and we are to walk worthy of that calling. In Biblical separation, we find sanctuary from the alluring philosophies of wolves; by exercising Biblical discernment, we will be able to identify those who proclaim Truth mixed with error, and avoid them.
The Greek word translated as powers speaks of the “power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.”43 In the truest sense, this would be applicable to God, but in our context, it is once again applied to the spiritual forces, the angelic hosts who have followed Satan, to those who left the glory of God to be bound by blackness. This would ascribe to them the fighting tactics of guerrilla warfare; they will use any scheme, no matter how deceptive, to accomplish their nefarious goals. We are fighting an enemy who, much of the time, will not be identifiable; for they will disguise themselves as the religious and the intellectually superior, using whatever cloak necessary to make us cower under their onslaught.
There is more. We are also up against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Paul earlier reminded the Ephesians (and us) that “in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience …” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is the prince of this world, and it is his domain. “And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 2:2). The Lord did not rebuke Satan for being out of his territory, for, since the sin of Adam, this has been his domain. Peter reminds us that we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (1 Peter 5:8). Even though Satan’s defeat has been fixed at the cross, he is still on the rampage today. Yet our verse uses the word rulers, plural. We have already seen that powers speaks of those who do as they please, and, being cloaked with blackness, you can rest assured that the fallen angels are mavericks and not necessarily under complete compliance to Satan, the prince of all demons. Anarchy would be the norm within the realm of utter darkness; they are fighting a losing battle (and know it), so their tactics will demonstrate desperation. Each demon will be a ruler within its own right.
We are also wrestling against spiritual wickedness in high places, or in the heavenlies. Satan has been called the accuser of the brethren. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:9-10). Satan will find fault wherever we give him opportunity, yet we read that the brethren “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …” (Revelation 12:11). If we understood the unseen battle that is being waged, we would give greater heed to the commands to “be sober,” to “be vigilant.” Our only hope is “in Christ,” the often repeated phrase throughout the earlier parts of this epistle.
This is a brief glimpse at the foe whom we face. We are finite creatures who, too often, live as though the visible world is all there is. Here we are reminded that we are not fighting a physical enemy, but a spiritual one; our foe is none other than Satan and his myriad of demons – all bound up with blackness. It is only the armor of God that will permit us to stand against the attacks of this enemy; we have no protection within ourselves. How contrary this is to modern philosophy, which teaches everyone to look within himself for light to guide him into his own truth. Jesus spoke of this light: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [or focused, sound], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil [or harassed, annoyed], thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). When Jesus knew His time was come, He “stedfastly set his face” to go to Jerusalem; there was a determination to accomplish what He had come to earth to do. There was a singleness of purpose, and resolute determination to complete the task at hand. Within Satan, we see restlessness, a perpetual roaming about throughout the earth. There is only one way to have a single eye, and that is to have God as our focus, anything else will only be countless distractions, demonstrating the restlessness that comes from Satan. Jesus said “the light of the body is the eye,” so if our eyes are focused on Him, then our body is full of light, but if our eyes are distracted by all the ploys of Satan to keep us looking elsewhere, what a great darkness will fill us. Remember, Satan and his minions are bound up with blackness; we are either for the Lord Jesus or against Him. There is no neutral, middle ground where we could go either way, no fence to straddle – it is either black or white; there is no gray. Modern Evangelicals have mixed the white of God’s Truth with the black of Satan so as to promote a spiritually deadly, gray potion called unity. Charles Colson summarizes the Evangelical error best: “Unity is the essence of the church. To be one with one another as Jesus is one with the Father is a matter of biblical obedience.”44 This error first appeared in Colson’s book, The Body, in 1992, and, eleven years later, he reiterated the same error in his updated book, Being the Body. Our unity is accomplished IN Christ, not by embracing everyone who calls themselves a Christian and accommodating their error; it is not a matter of obedience, but rather is a reality when we are in Christ.
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.
Wherefore – for this reason, because of what was just outlined for us in the previous verse – we are to take the whole armor of God. This is a command. After explaining to us that the foe, whom we face, is not physical, but rather spiritual (of the most devious sort), we are again admonished to take the protection which God has prepared. This is a reiteration of verse 11 – and carries the same emphasis of the WHOLE armor of God, and to STAND.
I am reminded of Jude 9 – “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” A mighty angel from the presence of God did not accuse Satan, but deferred to the Lord – there is here a demonstration of standing, rather than taking the offensive. Yet we find within Evangelicalism today, a group who embrace what is called spiritual warfare, where there is a direct, sought-after confrontation with Satan. John Wimber and his Vineyard movement are those who advocate confronting the Satanic powers directly; Neil Anderson, on the other hand, and those like him, have created a more systematic process for dealing with his influence. Both speak of spiritual warfare, and both advocate a confrontational approach with Satan.
John Wimber
Wimber founded what has been termed the “hyper-charismatic” Vineyard movement.45 He and his group were influential in the “laughing revival,” as well as the very popular, more mainline Promise Keepers movement; yet despite his close connection with the “laughing revival,” Wimber also participated in teaching church growth classes at Fuller Seminary.46 He sat on the Board of the Renovaré, the group founded by Richard Foster, which is heavily involved in new age and Eastern mysticism under the guise of spiritual formation thinking.47 Wimber never lost touch with the Roman Catholics either, thereby truly demonstrating his Ecumenical stance. Out of this conglomeration of hyper-charismatic experience, church growth philosophy, Eastern mysticism and ecumenism, comes a man who openly confronts Satan; yet because of his clear violation of Scripture, it would seem that he and his movement would be a means to bring people under Satan’s power, rather than freeing them. Satan may not be omniscient, but he will learn from his mistakes. I would suspect that he learned something from his experience with the sons of Sceva, who thought to cast demons out through the name of “Jesus whom Paul preacheth” (Acts 19:13-17). In this case, the evil spirit declared that he knew Jesus and Paul, but not them, and turned on them, resulting in the fear of God falling on the people of the area and the name of Jesus being magnified. Such an attack proved to be counter-productive to Satan’s schemes, so you can rest assured that he would not do that again. So even though Wimber and the Vineyard movement are not properly grounded in the Word of God, the results of their actions against Satan will not result in the same response as that drawn by the sons of Sceva; they may experience feigned success, but Satan will use that to delude the unsuspecting and draw them away from God’s Word. We are called to be discerning of error, and the Vineyard group is fraught with it, therefore we are to identify them as such and avoid them (Romans 16:17).
Neil Anderson
Neil Anderson, on the other hand, has taken a more conservative or clinical approach to the matter of spiritual warfare. He has laid out a seven-step process that, if followed carefully, will result in freedom from demonic forces (he says); this includes such things as the renouncing of any involvement in occultic or false religious practices (whether actually or only possibly, by you or anyone in your family), extending forgiveness to others who have hurt you, to God, and to yourself (this is a decidedly psychotherapeutic concept that finds no basis in Scripture), and praying a prayer to break the generational demonic hold that Satan may have on you through the errors made by previous generations.49 In coming to his conclusions, Anderson has openly sought the integration of psychology and theology,49 which has resulted in seeing demonic influence as the primary cause of sin. There is a wholesale disregard of the fallen Adamic nature, which is still a part of every Christian; in Anderson’s view, a Christian no longer has a sin nature. He takes exception to a Christian being called a sinner saved by grace; we are to think of ourselves as saints who occasionally sin (because of demonic influence). By attributing any committed sins to the devil, Anderson ensures himself a steady stream of seekers; however, his saying that we no longer have a sin nature does not make it so. One of his books is titled The Bondage Breaker, yet we have seen those who become involved in this type of practice to be perpetually bound. They are trapped to repeat his method of release over and over again – a process of repeatedly praying prescribed prayers in an effort to produce freedom. Every time you sin, you must repeat the prescribed procedure of banishing the devil from your life, which seems to be more of a bondage maker than a bondage breaker. First John 1:9 is replaced with a seven-step process by which the demonic influence, as evidenced by the sin, will be removed. The freedom and power of the Spirit of God is bound by a ritual, and release is never realized because it is based on a false premise. Rather than seeking deliverance from the power of sin through sanctification by the Spirit of God, he strives to break the power of demons through ritualistic prayers and psychotherapeutic thinking. However, Anderson does have influence within Evangelicalism, and there are whole ministries formed around his thinking. The very fact that he seeks to draw psychotherapy and Christianity together should immediately alert us to his error. Anytime you meld the philosophies of unregenerate men with the holy Scriptures, you can rest assured that the philosophical concepts will come out on top (Satan will do his utmost to ensure that this is the case). Thinking that such a mixture will work together is based on either an elevation of man’s thinking or a downgrading of God’s Word – in either case, the basis is man-oriented, hence man’s philosophy will always dominate. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). The word translated as spoil means, “to carry off booty”; and hence “to lead away from the truth and subject to one’s sway.”50 Satan has become much more civilized in his approach to gaining the upper hand in the heart of man; we must beware!
The whole armor of God will permit us to withstand or resist the enemy, and when our work is done, we will be able to stand against the enemy of our souls. The command of our verse is to take to ourselves the whole armor of God.51 Once again, we are reminded that this is not protection that we are to generate within ourselves or for ourselves; this is a defense that has been prepared by God for us. However, this protective gear was not designed for an offensive attack of the spiritual enemies we face; all the pieces are defensive. Herein is the error of men like Wimber and Anderson who seek to take offensive action against Satan in an effort to banish him from their lives; they view themselves as sinless, and the sin they commit is the fault of the devil – if they could banish the devil from their lives, then they could live their lives perfectly (in their minds, the sin nature we all have disappeared when we were saved – contrary to Romans 7). By holding a skewed view of who we are, and by actively engaging demons, they are opening themselves to the onslaught of the enemy in a way for which God has not provided armor. We are to resist [or stand against] the devil (James 4:7) – the same Greek word translated as withstand in our verse – and we are to flee from sin (1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11), but nowhere are we told to actively engage the enemy in battle; it is clear from our passage that the enemy will attack us with great cunning, and for that battle God has provided protection. If Michael the archangel would not bring an accusation against Satan, why would we presume to take Satan on when God has told us to STAND?
14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
We now have a listing of the various pieces of armor, which God has provided for our protection. It is noteworthy, that even this begins with the command to stand! Because we are dealing with a spiritual enemy (not a physical one), and because God has provided us with armor for our complete protection, we are to stand! We are told repetition is used for emphasis – by now it should be clear, we are to stand! Wimber and Anderson – the command is STAND, not attack!
The first item delineated is truth, which is to be worn about our loins or from the waist to the hips. In keeping with the charges in verses 11 and 13, WE are to put this piece of armor on; it will not be put on for us, we have work to do. The action, “having … girt,” is something that we are to do; we are to wrap ourselves in God’s truth. God has made this available to us, but we must expend the effort to put this piece of the armor on. We then come to the question that Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). If we are to wear truth for our protection, then we must know what it is. Jesus has given us the answer: in John 14:6 He identifies Himself as the Truth – the only way to the Father; He also states, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17); God has preserved His Word for us in the Scriptures – we must be students of the Word. Yet as we have observed from time-to-time, today’s average Evangelical is Biblically illiterate; they might speak of the armor of God, but, for most of them, they have not even picked the first piece up, let alone put it on. To the Thessalonians Paul speaks of the deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who perish; this is the same deception that Eve experienced in the Garden. Just as Eve was convinced that what she was doing was for her own benefit (Genesis 3:6), so there are many today who have a form of godliness but it is a sham, a deception, and they remain in their sins. Even though they are within the professing Christian community, on that final day they will hear the “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Why are they perishing? It is “… because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Our very salvation is dependent upon our attitude toward God’s truth!
This is not a very popular concept today. We live in a day of pragmatism and tremendous accommodation. It is no longer sufficient to be tolerant of another person’s beliefs, no matter how farfetched; we are to be accepting of everyone’s philosophy of life, and we must permit the existence of conflicting forms of “truth.” Today the rights of the individual are of paramount importance, and the accepted question is not, “Is it right?”, but rather, “Does it work?” What is true for one may, or may not, be true for another, but we are to permit each one to come to his own understanding of truth through whatever means works for him. The only thing that is offensive, within this context, is to say that the truth of the Word of God is exclusively true; it is only mutual accommodation that is acceptable. Even within the community of Christianity, this pragmatic thinking has taken root; this is very evident within the unity movement, for they are prepared to reduce their “truth” to a few broad statements, in order to justify embracing those who believe error, yet they call themselves Christians.
The whole armor of God will permit us to withstand or resist the enemy, and when our work is done, we will be able to stand against the enemy of our souls. The command of our verse is to take to ourselves the whole armor of God.51 Once again, we are reminded that this is not protection that we are to generate within ourselves or for ourselves; this is a defense that has been prepared by God for us. However, this protective gear was not designed for an offensive attack of the spiritual enemies we face; all the pieces are defensive. Herein is the error of men like Wimber and Anderson who seek to take offensive action against Satan in an effort to banish him from their lives; they view themselves as sinless, and the sin they commit is the fault of the devil – if they could banish the devil from their lives, then they could live their lives perfectly (in their minds, the sin nature we all have disappeared when we were saved – contrary to Romans 7). By holding a skewed view of who we are, and by actively engaging demons, they are opening themselves to the onslaught of the enemy in a way for which God has not provided armor. We are to resist [or stand against] the devil (James 4:7) – the same Greek word translated as withstand in our verse – and we are to flee from sin (1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11), but nowhere are we told to actively engage the enemy in battle; it is clear from our passage that the enemy will attack us with great cunning, and for that battle God has provided protection. If Michael the archangel would not bring an accusation against Satan, why would we presume to take Satan on when God has told us to STAND?
14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
We now have a listing of the various pieces of armor, which God has provided for our protection. It is noteworthy, that even this begins with the command to stand! Because we are dealing with a spiritual enemy (not a physical one), and because God has provided us with armor for our complete protection, we are to stand! We are told repetition is used for emphasis – by now it should be clear, we are to stand! Wimber and Anderson – the command is STAND, not attack!
The first item delineated is truth, which is to be worn about our loins or from the waist to the hips. In keeping with the charges in verses 11 and 13, WE are to put this piece of armor on; it will not be put on for us, we have work to do. The action, “having … girt,” is something that we are to do; we are to wrap ourselves in God’s truth. God has made this available to us, but we must expend the effort to put this piece of the armor on. We then come to the question that Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). If we are to wear truth for our protection, then we must know what it is. Jesus has given us the answer: in John 14:6 He identifies Himself as the Truth – the only way to the Father; He also states, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17); God has preserved His Word for us in the Scriptures – we must be students of the Word. Yet as we have observed from time-to-time, today’s average Evangelical is Biblically illiterate; they might speak of the armor of God, but, for most of them, they have not even picked the first piece up, let alone put it on. To the Thessalonians Paul speaks of the deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who perish; this is the same deception that Eve experienced in the Garden. Just as Eve was convinced that what she was doing was for her own benefit (Genesis 3:6), so there are many today who have a form of godliness but it is a sham, a deception, and they remain in their sins. Even though they are within the professing Christian community, on that final day they will hear the “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Why are they perishing? It is “… because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Our very salvation is dependent upon our attitude toward God’s truth!
This is not a very popular concept today. We live in a day of pragmatism and tremendous accommodation. It is no longer sufficient to be tolerant of another person’s beliefs, no matter how farfetched; we are to be accepting of everyone’s philosophy of life, and we must permit the existence of conflicting forms of “truth.” Today the rights of the individual are of paramount importance, and the accepted question is not, “Is it right?”, but rather, “Does it work?” What is true for one may, or may not, be true for another, but we are to permit each one to come to his own understanding of truth through whatever means works for him. The only thing that is offensive, within this context, is to say that the truth of the Word of God is exclusively true; it is only mutual accommodation that is acceptable. Even within the community of Christianity, this pragmatic thinking has taken root; this is very evident within the unity movement, for they are prepared to reduce their “truth” to a few broad statements, in order to justify embracing those who believe error, yet they call themselves Christians.
Within the modern unity movement, various approaches are taken to justify their actions. Chuck Colson has declared, “True unity is not sought by pretending that there are no differences, as modern ecumenists have done, but by recognizing and respecting those differences, while focusing on the great orthodox truths all Christians share.”52 To put it another way, he says there are differences, and it is foolish not to acknowledge them, but there are a few orthodox truths held in common, and that must be our focus. Billy Graham has stated, “I’ve found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics, for instance. … We only differ on some matters of later church tradition.”53 This is more of a see-no-differences, hear-no-differences approach – a desire to turn a blind eye to everything other than points of agreement. Then we have organizations like James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, whose VP has declared that those who work with Focus on the Family “cast their theological distinctives aside in order to achieve a common objective.”54 Their approach to unity is to focus on a common goal and ignore everything else. Whatever tactic is taken, truth suffers at the hands of those who seek unity; yet how subtle their message can be, for despite their violation of the Scriptures on many hands, all three of these men (Colson, Graham, and Dobson) are held in high esteem within Evangelicalism. This can only be an indication of the failure of Evangelicals to embrace the truth of the Scriptures in purity (2 Thessalonians 2:10).
The concept of “girting the loins” is used metaphorically to speak of being in readiness, of being prepared for what will come.55 Here we are told that we are to be equipped with truth firmly bound around us; we are to stand, with truth securely in place. We must spend time in the Word of God so that His truth will be our protection; it is not enough to be familiar with theological thinking, we must know what God says. Ecumenism holds much religious reasoning, but the truth of God lies tattered and torn in their hands. We must view the teachings of man through the grid of the Word of God – not the other way around. We must be watchmen, alert to the strategies of the enemy.
Then we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness; again, this is something we are to do, it will not be done for us. The Greek word for “having on” speaks of clothing one’s self.56 This piece of armor covers from the neck to the navel, and protects both the front and back (in similar fashion to the truth). Therefore, we have righteousness fitly joined to truth to provide protection from the neck to the hips, in both the back and the front. In Ephesians 4:24 we are commanded to “put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Job declared, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me” (Job 29:14).
The righteousness of God will provide the protection for our hearts from all things external: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). There is security from all external attacks if we wear the breastplate of God’s righteousness, if we have put on the new man, which God has created in righteousness. However, as we have said before, this armor does NOT provide protection from an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). God is able to keep us if we are clothed in His armor; WE must guard against unbelief turning our hearts away from God.
15. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
With the armor in place for the protection of the torso, our attention is now drawn to our feet. The word shod means to bind underneath, and most often referred to sandals being bound onto the feet.57 Here we have the good news of salvation as the security for our feet. The Psalmist declared: “When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up” (Psalm 94:18), recognizing that it was the Lord Who held him up and provided his stability. We have noted the repeated command to stand, and herein is the security for our stance: the readiness of the Gospel of peace is on our feet. We also noted the anomaly of donning armor only to stand, and here, as a part of it, is footwear that is the good news of peace. Even while wearing the armor of God (symbolizing being prepared for battle) our stance is to be secured in the Gospel of peace.
Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), and the passage goes on to declare the splits that will come into families because of Him (the word variance in v. 35 means to split in two or to sever58); even to the point that “a man’s foes [hated, hostile – most often translated as enemy] shall be they of his own household” (v. 36). This is reiterated in Luke 12:51 – “suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division [a parting or dissension].” Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). If we consider 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” then it would seem that we will have opportunity to practice Jesus’ words, if we put on the new man created in righteousness and holiness. The security of our stance against the enemy of our souls is the Gospel of peace, the good news of Jesus; this is the Gospel as we find it in the pages of Scripture. Whether we face the foes within our families or the enemy of our souls, we are called to wear the Gospel of peace on our feet. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves …” (Romans 12:18-19). There are many gospels out there today: the gospel of unity, the gospel of prosperity, the gospel of growth – but Paul’s words to the Galatians hold firm: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). We must hold to the message of the Scriptures and not waiver; “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The phrase above all carries with it two thoughts: 1) importance, and 2) position in relation to what has just been outlined. It is clear that the shield is an important piece of armor. The Greek word used for shield is one that was originally used for the stone that would cover the mouth of a cave, but came to refer to a large, oblong shield.59 The root of this Greek word is translated as door, and perhaps provides a picture of the usefulness of the shield. Maybe you’ve seen riot police with the large shields; they can place the shield on the ground and it will form a complete protection from a frontal onslaught.
This shield is faith. Keep in mind that this is the armor of God, therefore, this is the faith that God instills within us, and it will be our shield. This is the faith that comes through hearing, and hearing through the Word of God (Romans 10:17); it is the faith of Jesus Christ through which we are justified before God (Galatians 2:16-20). It was the faith of Jesus in the plan of the Father that procured our salvation; it is in this faith that we are to continue with steadfastness (Colossians 1:21-23; 2:6-8). Romans 3:21-23 confirms that this faith applies to all mankind. It is not a faith that man can muster up within himself, else Christ would have died in vain; without Christ we are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-1, 8-9). This shield of faith is another provision from God for our protection; our role is to persevere in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).
The shield of faith will enable us, or make us powerful, to quench the darts of the enemy. The Greek word translated as shall be able to is the same word from which we get dynamite; there is no question as to the ability of this shield to accomplish what it was meant to do. It is powerful to extinguish ALL the burning missiles of the enemy of our souls – God has made it so. Notice what the enemy will be throwing our way: not only darts, which alone could cause significant pain and suffering, but also these darts are burning; they are on fire! In days gone by, this was a favored way of inflicting maximum damage on the enemy; if an arrow missed a target, it was a wasted arrow, but if it was burning as well, it would ignite a fire that would then cause damage. The devil is not without his cunning tactics, and he is out to destroy. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). There are two things that are noteworthy here within the context of our discussion: 1) the word devour means to swallow up or destroy;60 and 2) there is that little word may of which we need to be aware. The promise of our passage is that the armor of the Lord will protect us from the cunning craftiness of the devil, and the shield of faith, which the Lord has prepared for us, will protect us from his fiery darts; however, that protection is only there if we put the armor on and raise the shield. We are called on to be sober, be vigilant, and part of that vigilance will be to ensure that the protection, which God has prepared for us, is in place. WE must wear His truth and righteousness, WE are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), and WE are to take up the faith of the Lord.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The Greek word for take is one most often translated as receive, or to “take with the hand.”61 Once again, two things are obvious: 1) this is not a piece of the armor that we make for ourselves, and 2) for it to serve its purpose, it must be taken and put into place. Helmet is from a compound Greek word, which means about the head,62 so there is no question as to where this part of the armor belongs.
Salvation, here, speaks not of the salvation of our soul, but of the hope of salvation, of our future deliverance. There is both a present reality to our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and a future element, which is our hope of final deliverance from the power of sin. Our hope in Christ goes beyond this life to a life with Him in glory (1 Corinthians 15:19; Colossians 1:5; Hebrews 6:17-20). This hope of glory is Christ in you (Colossians 1:27), and, as this becomes our focus, our minds will not be alarmed by the warfare we face, and so, we STAND. The hope of glory permits us to look beyond this life to a day when we will stand with Christ in eternal glory, eternally free from the penalty, presence, and power of sin. Hebrews 12:2-3 encourages us to look to Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction [opposition or rebellion] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” The example of Christ is to look beyond the present to the future – the hope of glory to come, and to endure.
We are also to take up the sword of the Spirit. The sword, in this case, is a dagger or short sword.63 Revelation 1:16 speaks of a sword proceeding out of the mouth of Jesus; by contrast this is a long sword. The long sword would be more useful for an offensive attack, the short one for close combat – more of a defensive weapon. Notice that this is not just any sword, but the sword used by the Spirit of God – specifically, the spoken words of God. Again, we are faced with the necessity of knowing God’s word to us; we will not be able to utter the sayings of God if we are not familiar with His Word, the Bible. Yet herein lies the greatest failure of Evangelicals today – they have relinquished understanding the Scriptures to the “professionals,” and, when they do read the Word of God, it is without the conviction that what they are reading is life, that it is protection for their souls, and too often they are reading a Scripture that has been corrupted by the hand of man. Through the massive compromise and accommodation that characterizes Evangelicals today, there has come a complacency concerning the devil; the vigilance is gone, and the roaring lion has been made to appear to be simply another sheep to be embraced – they have been swallowed up, and don’t even know it.
This completes the armor of the Lord; it is important to notice that all the pieces are defensive in nature. This fits with the admonition, which preceded the delineation of the armor of God, that we are to stand! God’s provision is designed to ward off the attacks of the enemy: we STAND having His truth and His righteousness wrapped about us, we STAND on the good news of His peace, we STAND holding up the shield of the faith of Christ, with the hope of His salvation guarding our minds, and the weapon of His words firmly in hand. Having donned this armor, we are protected from the wiles of the devil; we need not fear whatever we face, for His protective covering is able to provide us with the defense that will see us through. What we must do is heed the warning of Hebrews 3:12 – “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” The best armor in the world will never protect the soldier from a cowardly heart; what God has provided will not protect us from a heart of unbelief; for that, WE MUST take heed!
18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Here is where our action is defined; after donning the armor just outlined, we are to stand (vss. 11,13,14) and pray in the Spirit! The order of the words in the Greek places a different emphasis, from what we get in English, on this first phrase: “through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit.”64 In our English translation, the always seems to work with the prayer and supplication, but really its emphasis is on praying always in the Spirit. This prayer and petition is tied to our taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – our hope of glory and the words of God. However, even in our praying, we are not alone. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities [or, weaknesses]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts [Psalm 139:1] knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26). “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). When we are confused and cannot sort out in our minds how to pray, we can be assured that both the Spirit of God and Jesus Christ are making intercession for us in accordance with the will of the Father.
We noted earlier that the devil is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). What should be reassuring is that the Spirit and the Son are interceding for us. The Apostle John wrote, “…if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous …” (1 John 2:1). This word advocate is what Jesus used to describe the Spirit of God Whom He would send after He had ascended to the Father, and which is translated as Comforter (John 15:26), and means “one who pleads another's cause before a judge,” “an intercessor.”65 What comfort should come to us through this realization; we are not abandoned – two members of the Godhead have come to our aid and are interceding for us. We need to focus our eyes on the further reality: the hope of glory in Christ (Colossians 1:27).
The words prayer and supplication are similar in the Greek; the former is a word used only for prayer addressed to God, and the latter carries the additional thought of need and entreaty.
The word watching is from the Greek meaning “no sleep.”66 This speaks of a continual vigilance of praying in the Spirit; this is emphasized through the use of all perseverance. Perseverance is an intensive word that means to “be stedfast,” to “continue stedfastly in a thing and give unremitting care to it.”67 This brings to mind God’s instructions to Joshua to “be strong” (Joshua 1:6-9). We are to be steadfast in our prayers for all God’s holy ones, His saints; we are to pray for one another (James 5:16).
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,
Paul here requests prayer for himself that he will be given a word to speak boldly the message of the hidden things of the Gospel. This is the Apostle who had received heavenly revelations directly from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) asking for prayer, in order that he will receive from God a word to speak boldly. Jesus said that when we are brought before rulers because of the Gospel, we are not to be concerned about what we shall speak (Matthew 10:19), for, in that moment, we will be given the words. However, we also need the words when not being hauled before authorities – and that is Paul’s prayer request of the Ephesian believers here, that he would proclaim the Gospel with boldness and with clarity.
We have here the phrase make known the mystery, which would appear to be a bit of an oxymoron. Make known means to gain a thorough understanding of, and mystery speaks of something hidden.68 Colossians 1:21-29 sheds some light on what this mystery is: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v. 27). In the purposes of God, this was hidden from the beginning of the world (Ephesians 3:9) but was now brought to light; what had been a mystery is now made known. The culmination of God’s salvation, which was offered to mankind since Adam, is made known in the sacrifice of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, for the sins of the world. If we are prepared to walk the narrow road which leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14), then we have just seen the protection which God will provide for us. However, we must commit everything into His hands and step onto that narrow Way. In the midst of explaining the cost of discipleship, Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This may sound harsh, but the Lord knows our deceitful hearts and how easily we are distracted from the way that leads to life. The foundation for this is in Deuteronomy 13:6-11, where we find an explicit warning against being enticed to worship other gods and clear instruction on the course of action that is to be taken – this is not a light matter in the eyes of God. The lure of the world is no different today; the objects of worship may have changed, but the reality of our easily distracted hearts is the same. We are called to guard against an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12).
20. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The word ambassador is used today for someone of one country sent as a representative to another country. The Greek word means, first of all, “to be elder,” and so the word carries the thought of being experienced.69 Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding the responsibility of a bishop or elder includes the specific teaching that this individual not be a neophyte, but one who is stable and seasoned in the faith (1 Timothy 3:6).
It seems that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians while he was being held prisoner; he was in bonds or being physically restrained. His request is that he will speak forth the Gospel with freedom, as he should, even while being in bonds for that very action. We see, through Paul’s example, that we are to be in obedience to God first, and when there is a conflict between what God requires and the laws of the land, obedience to God must always take priority. As our society continues its downward slide, it may very well soon be against the law to declare the truth of God’s Word, for it will clash with the prevailing philosophies of the day and be determined by the laws of the land to be a hate crime. More and more we see governments adopting hate-crime legislation, which will provide the framework for persecution in the days ahead. A philosophy that advocates the acceptance of all belief systems will not permit the existence of a conviction that all other beliefs are wrong; in the midst of modern tolerance is an intolerance of the exclusiveness of the Gospel.
21. But that ye also may know my affairs, 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.
Rather than filling his letter with personal information about how he is doing, Paul commits this responsibility to Tychicus, who, when he arrives in Ephesus, will elaborate on Paul’s situation, and comfort the Ephesians concerning Paul’s imprisonment.
23. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24. Grace with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
The concept of “girting the loins” is used metaphorically to speak of being in readiness, of being prepared for what will come.55 Here we are told that we are to be equipped with truth firmly bound around us; we are to stand, with truth securely in place. We must spend time in the Word of God so that His truth will be our protection; it is not enough to be familiar with theological thinking, we must know what God says. Ecumenism holds much religious reasoning, but the truth of God lies tattered and torn in their hands. We must view the teachings of man through the grid of the Word of God – not the other way around. We must be watchmen, alert to the strategies of the enemy.
Then we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness; again, this is something we are to do, it will not be done for us. The Greek word for “having on” speaks of clothing one’s self.56 This piece of armor covers from the neck to the navel, and protects both the front and back (in similar fashion to the truth). Therefore, we have righteousness fitly joined to truth to provide protection from the neck to the hips, in both the back and the front. In Ephesians 4:24 we are commanded to “put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Job declared, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me” (Job 29:14).
The righteousness of God will provide the protection for our hearts from all things external: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). There is security from all external attacks if we wear the breastplate of God’s righteousness, if we have put on the new man, which God has created in righteousness. However, as we have said before, this armor does NOT provide protection from an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). God is able to keep us if we are clothed in His armor; WE must guard against unbelief turning our hearts away from God.
15. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
With the armor in place for the protection of the torso, our attention is now drawn to our feet. The word shod means to bind underneath, and most often referred to sandals being bound onto the feet.57 Here we have the good news of salvation as the security for our feet. The Psalmist declared: “When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up” (Psalm 94:18), recognizing that it was the Lord Who held him up and provided his stability. We have noted the repeated command to stand, and herein is the security for our stance: the readiness of the Gospel of peace is on our feet. We also noted the anomaly of donning armor only to stand, and here, as a part of it, is footwear that is the good news of peace. Even while wearing the armor of God (symbolizing being prepared for battle) our stance is to be secured in the Gospel of peace.
Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), and the passage goes on to declare the splits that will come into families because of Him (the word variance in v. 35 means to split in two or to sever58); even to the point that “a man’s foes [hated, hostile – most often translated as enemy] shall be they of his own household” (v. 36). This is reiterated in Luke 12:51 – “suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division [a parting or dissension].” Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). If we consider 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” then it would seem that we will have opportunity to practice Jesus’ words, if we put on the new man created in righteousness and holiness. The security of our stance against the enemy of our souls is the Gospel of peace, the good news of Jesus; this is the Gospel as we find it in the pages of Scripture. Whether we face the foes within our families or the enemy of our souls, we are called to wear the Gospel of peace on our feet. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves …” (Romans 12:18-19). There are many gospels out there today: the gospel of unity, the gospel of prosperity, the gospel of growth – but Paul’s words to the Galatians hold firm: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). We must hold to the message of the Scriptures and not waiver; “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The phrase above all carries with it two thoughts: 1) importance, and 2) position in relation to what has just been outlined. It is clear that the shield is an important piece of armor. The Greek word used for shield is one that was originally used for the stone that would cover the mouth of a cave, but came to refer to a large, oblong shield.59 The root of this Greek word is translated as door, and perhaps provides a picture of the usefulness of the shield. Maybe you’ve seen riot police with the large shields; they can place the shield on the ground and it will form a complete protection from a frontal onslaught.
This shield is faith. Keep in mind that this is the armor of God, therefore, this is the faith that God instills within us, and it will be our shield. This is the faith that comes through hearing, and hearing through the Word of God (Romans 10:17); it is the faith of Jesus Christ through which we are justified before God (Galatians 2:16-20). It was the faith of Jesus in the plan of the Father that procured our salvation; it is in this faith that we are to continue with steadfastness (Colossians 1:21-23; 2:6-8). Romans 3:21-23 confirms that this faith applies to all mankind. It is not a faith that man can muster up within himself, else Christ would have died in vain; without Christ we are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-1, 8-9). This shield of faith is another provision from God for our protection; our role is to persevere in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).
The shield of faith will enable us, or make us powerful, to quench the darts of the enemy. The Greek word translated as shall be able to is the same word from which we get dynamite; there is no question as to the ability of this shield to accomplish what it was meant to do. It is powerful to extinguish ALL the burning missiles of the enemy of our souls – God has made it so. Notice what the enemy will be throwing our way: not only darts, which alone could cause significant pain and suffering, but also these darts are burning; they are on fire! In days gone by, this was a favored way of inflicting maximum damage on the enemy; if an arrow missed a target, it was a wasted arrow, but if it was burning as well, it would ignite a fire that would then cause damage. The devil is not without his cunning tactics, and he is out to destroy. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). There are two things that are noteworthy here within the context of our discussion: 1) the word devour means to swallow up or destroy;60 and 2) there is that little word may of which we need to be aware. The promise of our passage is that the armor of the Lord will protect us from the cunning craftiness of the devil, and the shield of faith, which the Lord has prepared for us, will protect us from his fiery darts; however, that protection is only there if we put the armor on and raise the shield. We are called on to be sober, be vigilant, and part of that vigilance will be to ensure that the protection, which God has prepared for us, is in place. WE must wear His truth and righteousness, WE are to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), and WE are to take up the faith of the Lord.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The Greek word for take is one most often translated as receive, or to “take with the hand.”61 Once again, two things are obvious: 1) this is not a piece of the armor that we make for ourselves, and 2) for it to serve its purpose, it must be taken and put into place. Helmet is from a compound Greek word, which means about the head,62 so there is no question as to where this part of the armor belongs.
Salvation, here, speaks not of the salvation of our soul, but of the hope of salvation, of our future deliverance. There is both a present reality to our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and a future element, which is our hope of final deliverance from the power of sin. Our hope in Christ goes beyond this life to a life with Him in glory (1 Corinthians 15:19; Colossians 1:5; Hebrews 6:17-20). This hope of glory is Christ in you (Colossians 1:27), and, as this becomes our focus, our minds will not be alarmed by the warfare we face, and so, we STAND. The hope of glory permits us to look beyond this life to a day when we will stand with Christ in eternal glory, eternally free from the penalty, presence, and power of sin. Hebrews 12:2-3 encourages us to look to Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction [opposition or rebellion] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” The example of Christ is to look beyond the present to the future – the hope of glory to come, and to endure.
We are also to take up the sword of the Spirit. The sword, in this case, is a dagger or short sword.63 Revelation 1:16 speaks of a sword proceeding out of the mouth of Jesus; by contrast this is a long sword. The long sword would be more useful for an offensive attack, the short one for close combat – more of a defensive weapon. Notice that this is not just any sword, but the sword used by the Spirit of God – specifically, the spoken words of God. Again, we are faced with the necessity of knowing God’s word to us; we will not be able to utter the sayings of God if we are not familiar with His Word, the Bible. Yet herein lies the greatest failure of Evangelicals today – they have relinquished understanding the Scriptures to the “professionals,” and, when they do read the Word of God, it is without the conviction that what they are reading is life, that it is protection for their souls, and too often they are reading a Scripture that has been corrupted by the hand of man. Through the massive compromise and accommodation that characterizes Evangelicals today, there has come a complacency concerning the devil; the vigilance is gone, and the roaring lion has been made to appear to be simply another sheep to be embraced – they have been swallowed up, and don’t even know it.
This completes the armor of the Lord; it is important to notice that all the pieces are defensive in nature. This fits with the admonition, which preceded the delineation of the armor of God, that we are to stand! God’s provision is designed to ward off the attacks of the enemy: we STAND having His truth and His righteousness wrapped about us, we STAND on the good news of His peace, we STAND holding up the shield of the faith of Christ, with the hope of His salvation guarding our minds, and the weapon of His words firmly in hand. Having donned this armor, we are protected from the wiles of the devil; we need not fear whatever we face, for His protective covering is able to provide us with the defense that will see us through. What we must do is heed the warning of Hebrews 3:12 – “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” The best armor in the world will never protect the soldier from a cowardly heart; what God has provided will not protect us from a heart of unbelief; for that, WE MUST take heed!
18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Here is where our action is defined; after donning the armor just outlined, we are to stand (vss. 11,13,14) and pray in the Spirit! The order of the words in the Greek places a different emphasis, from what we get in English, on this first phrase: “through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit.”64 In our English translation, the always seems to work with the prayer and supplication, but really its emphasis is on praying always in the Spirit. This prayer and petition is tied to our taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – our hope of glory and the words of God. However, even in our praying, we are not alone. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities [or, weaknesses]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts [Psalm 139:1] knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26). “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). When we are confused and cannot sort out in our minds how to pray, we can be assured that both the Spirit of God and Jesus Christ are making intercession for us in accordance with the will of the Father.
We noted earlier that the devil is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). What should be reassuring is that the Spirit and the Son are interceding for us. The Apostle John wrote, “…if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous …” (1 John 2:1). This word advocate is what Jesus used to describe the Spirit of God Whom He would send after He had ascended to the Father, and which is translated as Comforter (John 15:26), and means “one who pleads another's cause before a judge,” “an intercessor.”65 What comfort should come to us through this realization; we are not abandoned – two members of the Godhead have come to our aid and are interceding for us. We need to focus our eyes on the further reality: the hope of glory in Christ (Colossians 1:27).
The words prayer and supplication are similar in the Greek; the former is a word used only for prayer addressed to God, and the latter carries the additional thought of need and entreaty.
The word watching is from the Greek meaning “no sleep.”66 This speaks of a continual vigilance of praying in the Spirit; this is emphasized through the use of all perseverance. Perseverance is an intensive word that means to “be stedfast,” to “continue stedfastly in a thing and give unremitting care to it.”67 This brings to mind God’s instructions to Joshua to “be strong” (Joshua 1:6-9). We are to be steadfast in our prayers for all God’s holy ones, His saints; we are to pray for one another (James 5:16).
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,
Paul here requests prayer for himself that he will be given a word to speak boldly the message of the hidden things of the Gospel. This is the Apostle who had received heavenly revelations directly from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) asking for prayer, in order that he will receive from God a word to speak boldly. Jesus said that when we are brought before rulers because of the Gospel, we are not to be concerned about what we shall speak (Matthew 10:19), for, in that moment, we will be given the words. However, we also need the words when not being hauled before authorities – and that is Paul’s prayer request of the Ephesian believers here, that he would proclaim the Gospel with boldness and with clarity.
We have here the phrase make known the mystery, which would appear to be a bit of an oxymoron. Make known means to gain a thorough understanding of, and mystery speaks of something hidden.68 Colossians 1:21-29 sheds some light on what this mystery is: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v. 27). In the purposes of God, this was hidden from the beginning of the world (Ephesians 3:9) but was now brought to light; what had been a mystery is now made known. The culmination of God’s salvation, which was offered to mankind since Adam, is made known in the sacrifice of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, for the sins of the world. If we are prepared to walk the narrow road which leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14), then we have just seen the protection which God will provide for us. However, we must commit everything into His hands and step onto that narrow Way. In the midst of explaining the cost of discipleship, Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This may sound harsh, but the Lord knows our deceitful hearts and how easily we are distracted from the way that leads to life. The foundation for this is in Deuteronomy 13:6-11, where we find an explicit warning against being enticed to worship other gods and clear instruction on the course of action that is to be taken – this is not a light matter in the eyes of God. The lure of the world is no different today; the objects of worship may have changed, but the reality of our easily distracted hearts is the same. We are called to guard against an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12).
20. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The word ambassador is used today for someone of one country sent as a representative to another country. The Greek word means, first of all, “to be elder,” and so the word carries the thought of being experienced.69 Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding the responsibility of a bishop or elder includes the specific teaching that this individual not be a neophyte, but one who is stable and seasoned in the faith (1 Timothy 3:6).
It seems that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians while he was being held prisoner; he was in bonds or being physically restrained. His request is that he will speak forth the Gospel with freedom, as he should, even while being in bonds for that very action. We see, through Paul’s example, that we are to be in obedience to God first, and when there is a conflict between what God requires and the laws of the land, obedience to God must always take priority. As our society continues its downward slide, it may very well soon be against the law to declare the truth of God’s Word, for it will clash with the prevailing philosophies of the day and be determined by the laws of the land to be a hate crime. More and more we see governments adopting hate-crime legislation, which will provide the framework for persecution in the days ahead. A philosophy that advocates the acceptance of all belief systems will not permit the existence of a conviction that all other beliefs are wrong; in the midst of modern tolerance is an intolerance of the exclusiveness of the Gospel.
21. But that ye also may know my affairs, 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.
Rather than filling his letter with personal information about how he is doing, Paul commits this responsibility to Tychicus, who, when he arrives in Ephesus, will elaborate on Paul’s situation, and comfort the Ephesians concerning Paul’s imprisonment.
23. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24. Grace with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
END NOTES:
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_age
2 Ralph Gower, The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, (Chicago: Moody Press, 2000), p. 51.
3 Strong’s Online.
4 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
5 Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
6 Vine’s, “Anger.”
7 Strong’s online.
8 Vine’s “Servant.”
9 Vine’s “Lord.”
10 Strong’s Online.
11 Within churches today, the pastor fills a position with specific responsibilities and authority; contrary to Ephesians 4:11 where the gifting of a pastor or shepherd is placed within the Body for our edification – there is no inherent authority with this gifting.
12 Strong’s Online.
13 Ibid.
14 Vine’s “Men-pleasers.”
15 http://www.cultlink.com/ar/osteen.htm
16 Ibid.
17 Bill Gothard, Power of Crying Out: When Prayer Becomes Mighty, p. 19.
18 The context from verses 10-17 shows that the people were covering the altar of the Lord with their tears and were crying out – yet because they had disregard for the holiness of the Lord, He hearkened not to their cries. Gothard seeks to build a doctrine on this concept, yet of the phrase “cried out” used in Scripture, twice as many times it is used to refer to those who were crying out against the Lord rather than crying out to the Lord. Clearly, a shaky basis.
19 http://www.rickross.com/reference/tv_preachers/tv_preachers4.html
20 http://www.christnotes.org/_joyce-meyer.asp
21 http://www.pfo.org/wan-star.htm
22 John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p. 285.
23 http://zedekiahlist.com/cgi-bin/quotes.pl?&id=30393647.
24 Strong’s Online.
25 Dealt with in more detail later on; also in Schofield’s notes for Revelation 2:6.
26 Encarta Dictionary, “clergy,” and “laity.”
27 Larry Brown, Blowing the Whistle on the Wolves, p. 9.
28 Eusebius Pamphilius, Church History (pdf edition), Philip Schaff, editor, p. 375.
29 Strong’s Online.
30 Ibid.
31 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Community_Church
32 Encarta Dictionary, “panoply.”
33 With the recent, feigned shift back to more Biblical days, PBI has reverted to their former motto: To Know Christ and Make Him Known. I say feigned because they have not done anything to undo their Biblical compromises.
34 http://inplainsite.org/html/robert_schuller.html.
35 Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose p. 52.
36 http://www.inplainsite.org/html/obama_and_syria.html
37 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58959
38 Vine’s “stand.”
39 Strong’s Online; Gingrich Lexicon.
40 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Templeton
41 Friberg Lexicon
42 Strong’s Online.
43 Charles Colson, Being the Body, p. 75.
44 https://faithinconsistent.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/john-wimber-is-satan/.
45 https://vineyardusa.org/about/john-wimber/.
46 http://www.mediaspotlight.org/pdfs/RENOVARE.pdf
47 http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?id=888&rc=1&list=multi
48 Ibid.
49 Strong’s online.
50 Ibid.
51 Charles Colson, The Body. (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1992), 104.
52 David W. Cloud, Evangelicals and Rome. (Oak Harbor, WA: Way of Life Literature, 1999), 84.
53 http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/dobson/general.htm
54 Vine’s “loins.”
55 Strong’s Online.
56 Vine’s “shod.”
57 Strong’s Online.
58 Ibid.
59 Ibid.
60 Ibid.
61 Ibid.
62 Ibid.
63 Young’s Literal Translation.
64 Strong’s online.
65 Ibid.
66 Vine’s “attend.”
67 Strong’s Online.
68 Vine’s “ambassador.”
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_age
2 Ralph Gower, The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, (Chicago: Moody Press, 2000), p. 51.
3 Strong’s Online.
4 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
5 Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
6 Vine’s, “Anger.”
7 Strong’s online.
8 Vine’s “Servant.”
9 Vine’s “Lord.”
10 Strong’s Online.
11 Within churches today, the pastor fills a position with specific responsibilities and authority; contrary to Ephesians 4:11 where the gifting of a pastor or shepherd is placed within the Body for our edification – there is no inherent authority with this gifting.
12 Strong’s Online.
13 Ibid.
14 Vine’s “Men-pleasers.”
15 http://www.cultlink.com/ar/osteen.htm
16 Ibid.
17 Bill Gothard, Power of Crying Out: When Prayer Becomes Mighty, p. 19.
18 The context from verses 10-17 shows that the people were covering the altar of the Lord with their tears and were crying out – yet because they had disregard for the holiness of the Lord, He hearkened not to their cries. Gothard seeks to build a doctrine on this concept, yet of the phrase “cried out” used in Scripture, twice as many times it is used to refer to those who were crying out against the Lord rather than crying out to the Lord. Clearly, a shaky basis.
19 http://www.rickross.com/reference/tv_preachers/tv_preachers4.html
20 http://www.christnotes.org/_joyce-meyer.asp
21 http://www.pfo.org/wan-star.htm
22 John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p. 285.
23 http://zedekiahlist.com/cgi-bin/quotes.pl?&id=30393647.
24 Strong’s Online.
25 Dealt with in more detail later on; also in Schofield’s notes for Revelation 2:6.
26 Encarta Dictionary, “clergy,” and “laity.”
27 Larry Brown, Blowing the Whistle on the Wolves, p. 9.
28 Eusebius Pamphilius, Church History (pdf edition), Philip Schaff, editor, p. 375.
29 Strong’s Online.
30 Ibid.
31 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Community_Church
32 Encarta Dictionary, “panoply.”
33 With the recent, feigned shift back to more Biblical days, PBI has reverted to their former motto: To Know Christ and Make Him Known. I say feigned because they have not done anything to undo their Biblical compromises.
34 http://inplainsite.org/html/robert_schuller.html.
35 Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose p. 52.
36 http://www.inplainsite.org/html/obama_and_syria.html
37 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58959
38 Vine’s “stand.”
39 Strong’s Online; Gingrich Lexicon.
40 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Templeton
41 Friberg Lexicon
42 Strong’s Online.
43 Charles Colson, Being the Body, p. 75.
44 https://faithinconsistent.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/john-wimber-is-satan/.
45 https://vineyardusa.org/about/john-wimber/.
46 http://www.mediaspotlight.org/pdfs/RENOVARE.pdf
47 http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?id=888&rc=1&list=multi
48 Ibid.
49 Strong’s online.
50 Ibid.
51 Charles Colson, The Body. (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1992), 104.
52 David W. Cloud, Evangelicals and Rome. (Oak Harbor, WA: Way of Life Literature, 1999), 84.
53 http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/dobson/general.htm
54 Vine’s “loins.”
55 Strong’s Online.
56 Vine’s “shod.”
57 Strong’s Online.
58 Ibid.
59 Ibid.
60 Ibid.
61 Ibid.
62 Ibid.
63 Young’s Literal Translation.
64 Strong’s online.
65 Ibid.
66 Vine’s “attend.”
67 Strong’s Online.
68 Vine’s “ambassador.”