10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
The battle is won in this text by wearing gospel items: a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace at our feet, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
Gospel battle involves truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Bible/Word of God.
And prayer.
And a yearning to preach it and a willingness to suffer for it and work at it ceaselessly.
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The Ephesians couldn't have understood the Word of God to mean the bible as we know it, because it was still a work in progress.
is it possible that the sword of the Spirit in v. 17 is Christ, the Word made flesh?
Great Post Scott!
I love this passage of Scripture and what you had to say about it. What a challenge daily to remember that we are called to preach the gospel ceaselessly no matter what the cost. It really is a daily battle agains Satan and a commitment to fulfill our calling as Christians. I am really enjoying your blog!
stephen ... good point. Logos becomes Bible/Word of God, but in Paul it referred to the gospel of Christ preached and taught.
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