Ephesians 6:10-14

 

6:10

Τοῦ λοιποῦ,   ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν   κυρίῷ  καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ.

Finally my brethren be strong        in   the Lord and in  the  power   of his  might

 

 

"Τοῦ λοιποῦ," translated "finally" or "henceforth" indicates this is the climax of the letter.

 

Literally, "Strengthen yourself in the Lord"

Natural effort and ideas will not work against these spiritual forces.

Though this command is "imperative" giving us the responsibility. We are to take             God's power and use it. In other places in the NT God does the   empowering:

God's power has already been mentioned in Ephesians by Paul:

 

It is the power to resist the forces in the world who are hostile to God and his        ways and his plans.

It is a strength that God has been using against the forces of evil since the           beginning.

 

Three words are used in this verse to refer to power:

This list of "power" words is Paul trying to emphasize the extreme power of God   like he did when he tried to capture it in his words in Eph. 3:16-17

Also, see Colossians 1:11 and Isaiah 40: 20-26

 

6:11

 

ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς

Put on           the whole armour   of God    that  ye   may be able      to stand     against

 

τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου·

the wiles           of the devil

 

"πανοπλίαν" is "panoply" or "πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ" "panoply of theos"

 

Luke 11:21-22 a strong man is stripped of his "panoply" by a stronger man

"Panoply" means literally "whole or complete armor"

The church is now fighting God's battle.

In Eph. 4:22-24 we are to put off the old man and put on the new.

This new creation is to engage in the battle that is still raging.

Christ won the victory but the battle needs to be fought, just like when Christ        returns the war on earth will continue for a period. (Zech. 14:14; Dan.     12:11)

This is a real battle as alluded to in 1 Corinthians 15:24-25.

Fram

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - the weapons are siege engines that demolish arguments             and lofty philosophies that come against God's knowledge.

Colossians 2:8 warns against being taken captive through hollow and deceptive             philosophies.

Ephesians 4:14 mentions the teaching and cunning craftiness of men

 

Ephesians 6:11 it is the wiles of the devil that have to be resisted.

 

Some of the wiles of the devil are:

  1. Exploiting strained relationships and anger from Ephesians 4:27
  2. Blinding the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4)

 

 

6:12

 

ὅτι οὐκ ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς

τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ

πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.

 

For we wrestle not against __ flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places

 

Principalities, Powers, etc. have already been mentioned as neutral in:

A portion (1/3, Rev. 12:4)) rebelled and are now hostile to God having been          disarmed in Colossians 2:15 on the cross.

Disarmed posers are no threat to the saved people who are covered with the        panoply of God.

 

6:13

διὰ τοῦτο ἀναλάβετε    τὴν πανοπλίαν  τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα δυνηθῆτε ἀντιστῆναι ἐν

Wherefore __ take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in

 

τῇ ἡμέρα τῇ πονηρᾷ καὶ ἅπαντα κατεργασάμενοι στῆναι.

the evil day                    and       having done all                  to stand



 

 

 

 

6:14

στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν   ὀσφὺν    ὑμῶν    ἐν    ἀληθείᾳ      καὶ

Stand     therefore having       your     loins  girt about    with      truth           and

 

ἐνδυσάμενοι    τὸν     θώρακα     τῆς     δικαιοσύνης

having on               the breastplate              of righteousness