The believer is exhorted to be "strong in the Lord"
and in the "power of His might" by putting on the "whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-11)
To be "strong in the Lord" and in the "power
of His might" is to be "strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 2:1) by being built up thru the "Word of His grace" (Acts 20:32)
The "armor of God" is the "armor of light"
that is able to "cast off the works of darkness" (Romans 13:12)
Explanation concerning the Type
of Warfare(Ephesians 6:12)
The believer's warfare is explained as being NOT against
"flesh and blood", BUT against "the rulers of darkness of this world" and against "spiritual
wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12)
Satan is the "prince of this world" (John 12:31)
who directs the "course of this world" (Ephesians 2:2) and "deceiveth the whole world" (Revelation 12:9)
He is a spiritual enemy who can ONLY be defeated by spiritual
weaponry (II Corinthians 10:3-5)
Satan's main area of attack is doctrine wherein he takes
those that "oppose themselves" captive "to do his will" (II Timothy 2:24-26)
Exhortation concerning the "Armor
of God" (Ephesians 6:13)
The believer is exhorted again to take the "whole
armor of God", so that the believer will be able to remain standing in the "evil day" (Ephesians 6:13)
During the time known as the "evil day", the
believer is exhorted to "walk circumspectly, as wise" by "redeeming the time, because the days are
evil" and to be "NOT unwise, BUT understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15-17)
The believer is to implement the following pieces of spiritual
armor:
"Loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:14),
which is the "Word of truth, the gospel of salvation" (Ephesians 1:13) that says salvation is by "grace thru faith" and "not
of works", but is the "gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8-9)
To "put on" the "breastplate of righteousness"
(Ephesians 6:14), the believer must FIRST "put off" the corrupt "old
man" and THEN "put on" the "new man" which "is created in righteousness" (Ephesians 4:22-24)
The believer can only do this by FIRST "knowing"
that the "old man is crucified with Christ" (Romans 6:6) and THEN "reckoning" (believing) that he/she is "indeed
dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11)
ONLY THEN can the believer "yield" the "members"
of his/her body "as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:13)
"Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace" (Ephesians 6:15 cf. Ephesians 2:17) concerning the Peacemaker Who has reconciled BOTH Jew and Gentile
to each other into ONE body and has also reconciled BOTH Jew and Gentile back to God - ALL "by the CROSS"
(Ephesians 2:14-16)
The "shield of (the) faith" (Ephesians 6:16)
is that which is able to "establish the believer" (Romans 16:25) for "obedience to the faith" (Romans 1:5), according to:
"My gospel" (Romans 16:25), which is Paul's gospel (Romans 2:16) concerning the "righteousness of God without (apart from) the
Law" (Romans 3:21), which is about the "redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
that was FIRST proclaimed ("AT THIS TIME") by Paul (Romans 3:24-26)
"The preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation
of the mystery" (Romans 16:25), which says that the Gentiles are FELLOW (EQUAL) heirs with the Jews
(Ephesians 3:1-6) and, therefore, have EQUAL "access to God", are EQUAL citizens
in the "household of God", and are EQUALLY indwelt by the Spirit as the "habitation of God"
(Ephesians 2:18-22)
"The Scriptures of the prophets" (Romans 16:26)
which testify of their persecutions from the Jews, which Paul's Gentile converts experienced "from their own
countrymen" (I Thessalonians 2:14-15) and, thus, the things "written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we thru the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4)
The "helmet of (the) salvation" (Ephesians 6:17)
is also called a "helmet (the) hope of salvation" (I Thessalonians 5:8), which is the knowledge that whether "we wake (watch) or sleep,
we should live together with Him", because "God hath NOT appointed us to wrath, BUT to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9-10 cf. I Thessalonians 5:5-7)
The "sword of the Spirit, which is a word (saying)
of God" (Ephesians 6:17) refers to the believer's speech (words), which "should be always
with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6)
The believer is to "hold fast the form of sound words,
which thou hast heard of (from) me (Paul), in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 1:13)
The believer is exhorted to be vigilant (watchful) in
prayer for ALL saints (Ephesians 6:18) concerning this mighty SPIRITUAL conflict (Colossians 1:28 - 2:3),
which requires focus on the SPIRITUAL needs of the saints (Ephesians 1:15-20)
Paul enlisted prayer support for himself in his prison
ministry of proclaiming the gospel (Ephesians 6:19-20)
Paul desired every believer to have "the Lord's understanding"
concerning what it is to "suffer trouble, as an evil doer ... for the elect's sakes, so that they may also
obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (II Timothy 2:7-10)
Paul desired every believer to NOT ONLY "live with
Christ", which is certain for every believer (II Timothy 2:11,13 cf. Romans 6:3-5), BUT ALSO to "reign with Christ" which is conditioned upon
"suffering with Christ" (II Timothy 2:12 cf. Philippians 3:10-14)