Resources for Our Spiritual Struggle
Ephesians 6:14-17
To withstand temptation we must understand spiritual truth.
We first need to understand what we’re up against. We’re facing the devil, mankind’s chief adversary himself. Just as he slithered into Eden with a clever plan to lure Adam and Eve away from God, so he approaches you with well-planned strategies designed to exploit your weaknesses so that you won’t walk worthy of your calling in Christ. We’re also up against the devil’s countless invisible comrades, powerful demonic beings of all kinds who are active throughout the world today.
We also need to understand how to stand victoriously. It’s as though we’re in an epic military battle and an intense wrestling match all at once. To remain standing in this great spiritual struggle from one day to the next, we must draw our inner, spiritual strength entirely from the Lord. We must also put on the complete set of armor that God provides. This armor is not physical just as our adversary is not physical. Our armor is spiritual. We wear it not on our bodies but in our minds.
Having explained this perspective to the believers at Ephesus, Paul says for the fourth time at the end of this letter, “Stand therefore” (Eph 6:14). God provides the strength. God provides the perspective. God provides the spiritual resources we need to succeed. It is our responsibility to stand by appropriating these things for ourselves
To withstand temptation we must stand together.
Let me point out a small but important detail that’s easy to overlook when we read and study what Paul wrote. We he says “be strong,” “put on,” “we wrestle,” “take up,” “you are able to withstand,” and “to stand,” he is speaking to the members of the church at Ephesus as a group not just as individuals. Though Paul’s teaching enables us to withstand Satan’s tactics in our personal lives, he also intends to help us stand together as a church.
We need to expand our spiritual understanding to embrace the truth this letter to the Ephesians teaches – that we’re all in one. We’re in Christ together and we stand together as a church. We rise and fall together in our spiritual battle knowing it’s not just you that’s in the devil’s crosshairs, it’s your church and he wants to get to your church through you.
Jesus foreshadowed how Satan would attempt to overcome the church when he said this to his twelve disciples: “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt 16:18, NET). The “gates of Hades” was a Jewish, first-century way of speaking about the powers of death and the underworld. According to Christ, Satan and his demonic accomplices would do everything in their power to destroy the church and derail its mission, even by death itself.
For all Satan’s efforts to kill off Christ, he failed miserably as Christ rose from the dead and so he will also fail in his efforts to kill off the church. Still, we must rely on Christ together for the spiritual resources we need to stand strong.
We need all the resources God provides.
Paul describes these full resources as a six-piece set of battle armor:
- Belt of truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Shoes prepared with the gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God)
As we look closely at each of these resources from God, we should keep in mind that Paul is not referring to an actual set of armor, but he is using the concept of armor to help us understand these spiritual truths.
In Rom 13:12, Paul speaks of “the armor of light.” In 1 Thess 5:8, he speaks of “the helmet of the hope of salvation” (similar to Eph 6:17), but he also speaks of “the breastplate of faith and love.” So what is our breastplate? Righteousness as in Eph 6:17 or faith and love as in 1 Thess 5:8?
The point is not that these things are an actual piece of armor but that they are spiritual truths we must appropriate in our lives to overcome our spiritual struggle. That’s why Paul said this to the church at Corinth: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4). So Paul uses armor to illustrate how we need to arm our minds with a proper understanding of spiritual truths.
We wear these truths not with our bodies but with our minds. We make a clear and repeated choice to think about these things and to apply them to our lives. We let these truths shape our mind and affections so we want and make the right choices when Satan’s strategies come our way.
The Belt of Truth
“Having girded your waist with truth” (Eph 6:14). This piece of armor refers to a wide leather belt worn by a Roman soldier to hold his outer garments in place while he fought and which also carried his weapons. Without this belt, a soldier’s entire uniform would come apart leaving him exposed to the enemy to a far greater degree.
Truth refers to what is real, the way things actually are, yet Satan’s strategies rely on the opposite – counterfeits, deception, dishonesty, half-truths, twisted truths, and outright lies. Jesus tells us that there is no truth in Satan, that he is a liar, and that he is the father of lies (John 8:44). This was his strategy for Adam and Eve, wasn’t it? He said, “Has God indeed said?” (Gen 3:1). Then he said, “You will not surely die” (Gen 3:4), even though God had clearly said, “You shall surely die” (Gen 2:17).
Since the devil’s strategies will disregard and misrepresent the truth, it’s important that we know the truth and shape our mindset, personal values, and worldview to the truth. This means we must know what God has revealed to us in his Word so that when Satan presents us with a lie we can identify it as a counterfeit. When we’re ignorant of God’s truth we’re uninformed about reality and will fall for many of Satan’s strategies. Before you meditate on an idea, make a decision, speak a word, or perform an action, be sure that it corresponds with God’s truth. If not, you’ll fall apart in battle.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
“Having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph 6:14). This piece of armor refers to a large, molded metal plate that covered a Roman soldiers front side. Without this breastplate, his chest and stomach would be exposed. Most importantly, his vital organs necessary for health and strength would be vulnerable to injury, leaving him with serious wounds or a mortal blow.
Righteousness refers to the right kind of behavior and lifestyle, the kind that’s appropriate for a child of God. This means that we should strive to be like Christ in our attitudes, words, and conduct both in public and private. We cannot live righteous lives in our own strength, which is why we must rely on the Lord for his strength and righteousness rather than our own. Yet even so, we should make right, moral, godly behavior a daily priority.
We should focus on making the right kind of decisions that correspond with God’s character. We should not give way to thoughts, words, and actions that contradict the righteousness of Christ. When we dabble in, experiment with, and participate in unrighteous, immoral behavior, we expose ourselves to serious spiritual injury, placing our spiritual lives and even our physical lives at great risk.
Shoes Prepared with the Gospel of Peace
“Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). This piece of armor refers to shoes with nails protruding down from the soles, resembling athletic cleats. From a defensive standpoint, these shoes gave a Roman soldier good traction on the battlefield so that he wouldn’t slip, slide, or fall backward. From an offensive standpoint, they gave him stronger, surer footing to press forward.
Paul uses these shoes to illustrate how we should be prepared in a certain way and ready for a certain activity. This activity is speaking about the gospel message and resembles Peter’s instruction when he said, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15).
Notice how Paul emphasizes being “ready” with the gospel. While we shouldn’t be pushy with people, we should be ready to explain or share the good news about Jesus when moments for doing so arise. We should also be in a frame of mind that looking for such opportunities. This forward-thinking, proactive mindset strengthens you against the devil’s attacks and it also weakens his position by winning over more people to God’s side.
When we consider the turmoil that pervades our world today – the bitterness, combativeness, hatred, and violence – we need to recognize that spiritual warfare is the key to combating physical, social warfare. Only the gospel can bring about the peace we all desire. As Clinton Arnold explains:
“It is important to remember that spiritual warfare has nothing to do with literal, physical warfare against human enemies. It represents a struggle against the ultimate enemies—the spiritual forces that stand behind and incite acts of literal violence, aggression, strife, hatred, bitterness, and actual flesh and blood warfare. Spiritual warfare is the solution to human warfare.”[1]
Knowing this, we should invest our greatest efforts into gospel proclamation more than social and political action. Such activism isn’t always wrong (so long as it’s for a just cause and carried out with grace and love) and it is to some degree an obligation for every American citizen (such as voting for biblical values). Yet such activism easily morphs into “flesh and blood” conflict instead, which undermines the message of the gospel.
As we emerge together from our COVID hibernation, we’ll be placing a renewed emphasis on gospel outreach through evangelism. Pastor Chris will be leading us in this direction as we endeavor to bring more and more people to peace with God and with one another through the gospel. If we focus our efforts in other ways, we may subtly and slowly slide away from our mission as a church and support Satan’s deceptive strategies instead.
The Shield of Faith
“Above all” (Eph 6:16) does not mean that this piece of armor is somehow more important than the others. It means “in all situations,” emphasizing that the spiritual resource Paul will introduce next is relevant for all situations we face in our daily struggle.
“Taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Eph 6:16). This piece of armor refers to a large shield that covered a Roman soldier’s body and was able to stifle an intense attack of many flaming arrows. Paul uses this shield to describe Christian faith functions.
Faith in action (see Eph 3:12) focuses firmly and completely on the Lord, who he is and what he has said. It is trusting God to come through rather than relying on yourself or other sources to do what only God can do, esp. when Satan sends repeated, intense temptations our way.
Fiery darts refers to special arrows made to carry fire and set their target ablaze. To defend against this dangerous form of attack, a Roman soldier would cover his shield with wet leather skins. In this way, faith serves as a wet-leather-lined full-body shield that prevents Satan’s attacks from engulfing us in flames.
Some people attempt to identify something specific by these “fiery darts” as though Paul is speaking about a specific form of temptation or attack. They suggest, for instance, that this refers to him interjecting evil thoughts into our minds. While this can happen, we cannot say it is the only thing Paul has in mind. Instead, he is referring to any form of temptation (“all” indicates great variety) that is especially intense and difficult to overcome.
Faith in the Lord is equal to all such challenge, especially the ones which seem to difficult. It is the spiritual resource of depending on the Lord rather than doubting him or relying on your own abilities. It is not a casual dependence, but a wholehearted reliance on him.
The Helmet of Salvation
“And take the helmet of salvation” (Eph 6:17). This piece of armor refers to the metal protective headgear of a Roman soldier. This helmet guarded a soldiers mind and vision, enabling him to remain clear-minded and focused in battle.
Paul uses this helmet to describe our need to maintain a constant mental awareness of our salvation in Christ. This includes our new position in him (present salvation) and our final position, too (future salvation).
Let’s put this in perspective. Imagine that you’ve been robbed, tied up and gagged, and placed in an abandoned, remote cabin somewhere. If you know who owns the cabin and when they come there, you’ll have a much more focused and relaxed mindset about your problem because you know that you will be delivered. But if you have no idea who owns the cabin and whether anyone will come by in the future, then you’ll have a much more anxious, fearful state of mind and may make some foolish and hurtful choices.
Satan wants us to feel abandoned and rejected by God, so we need to keep in mind the fact that we’ve been accepted and redeemed by Christ. Satan also wants us to feel afraid and uncertain about the future, so we need to keep in mind the fact that we’ve been guaranteed a future inheritance with Christ and a permanent place in his eternal kingdom. We know that Christ has saved us and will save us forever in the future. We must always keep that in the forefront of our minds. That’s wearing the helmet of salvation.
The Sword of the Spirit
“And [take] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). This piece of armor, which is a weapon, refers to a short sword (like a dagger or knife) not a large, broad-blade one. Paul uses this weapon to portray the spiritual resource of God’s Word.
In our fight against Satan and evil, we need God’s Word to be readily available at all times. Paul describes this as the “sword of the Spirit.” Perhaps this refers to the fact that the Spirit has given us God’s Word (2 Tim 3:16; 1 Pet 1:21). Or perhaps this refers to how the Spirit empowers or works through the words he has given when we think about them, speak about them, and put them into action (Heb 4:12). Whatever the case, we know that God will equip us to stand strong in our spiritual struggle the more we involve his Word.
King David said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psa 119:11). He understood the importance internalizing the statements of God’s Word so that he could rely upon them when temptations arose.
God told Joshua as he prepared to go into battle against the Canaanites, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Josh 1:8). “Depart from your mouth” and “meditate” here refers to the practice of mumbling and muttering words over and over again so that you wouldn’t forget them.
A printed Bible or Bible app isn’t enough. We need God’s Word to be in our hearts when Satan attacks our minds. When Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness, each time Satan launched a new temptation, Christ responded with a statement from Scripture that clarified the situation and shined truth on Satan’s lies (Luke 4:1-13).
- “Turn stones to bread,” said Satan. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God,” replied Jesus (quoting Deut 8:3).
- “Worship me,” said Satan. “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve,” replied Jesus (citing Deut 6:13; 10:20).
- “Throw yourself down from this precipice,” said Satan, then to strengthen his temptation, he quoted from two OT Scriptures but twisting them of course. “You shall not tempt the Lord your God,” replied Jesus (quoting Deut 6:16).
We need God’s Word even more and cannot simply rely on our own common sense, discernment, and logic. We even need to know the Scripture better than Satan himself because he may even tempt you by twisting the meaning of Scripture.
Are you wearing the complete set of armor?
That’s the question. We can claim or feel that you are relying on the Lord for strength in our spiritual struggle, but our claims and feelings may be nothing more than wishful thinking. Which of these factors are a regular part of your mindset as a Christian and which are you overlooking?
Your Belt
Do you have a true and real perspective about life and the world or are you falling for a false illusion?
Your Breastplate
Are you committed to a life of moral integrity that does what is right or are you weakening yourself by morally wrong decisions?
Your Shoes
Are you prepared to speak about the gospel and looking for opportunities to tell people how to have peace with God through Christ or are you silent and oblivious?
Your Shield
Are you relying on God with all of your heart in all kinds of difficult temptations or are you doubting what he has said and falling back on your own abilities and failing?
Your Helmet
Are you consistently aware that you’ve been accepted and redeemed by Christ and that you have a guaranteed place in his future kingdom or are you allowing yourself to feel abandoned and afraid?
Your Sword
Are you relying on statements of Scripture that you meditate on in your heart and referring to that Scripture when Satan tempts you or do you rely in the same few verses as always or none at all, but relying on your own common sense and logic instead?
Remember, in those areas which you may overlook you are most susceptible to Satan’s attack. You’re like a solider in the middle of an intense battle who’s missing key pieces of his armor. To withstand temptation successfully, we must understand spiritual truth and wear it daily in our minds.
Are we standing together in our spiritual struggle?
It’s easy in our busy, frantic lives to wander away from the group and find ourselves fighting against Satan alone. Yet not only is the Christian life not intended by God to be lived in our own strength, but it is also not intended by God to be lived apart from a spiritual family called the church. God places us in churches and he intends for us to stand firm in our spiritual struggle together as a church.
- Eph 4:12-16 taught us teach one another to protect ourselves against false teaching.
- Eph 5:15-20 taught us to gather for worship in the Spirit so that we can sing, give thanks, and serve one another to prepare ourselves to live out our faith in our home and work environments the rest of the week.
Let’s finish the year standing strong together as a church. Let’s encourage one another, reach out to one another, pray for one another, and gather together week after week so like a group of Roman soldiers in battle we can stand strong in the Lord together.
[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 455.
