PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

Verse 11 opens with the words, "Put on the whole armor of God." To fight the spiritual warfare, we need not only the power of the Lord, but also the armor of God. Our weapons do not avail, but God's armor, even the whole armor of God, does.

The whole armor of God is for the entire Body, not for any individual member of the Body. The church is a corporate warrior, and the believers together make up this unique warrior. Only the corporate warrior can wear the whole armor of God; no individual believer can. We must fight the spiritual warfare in the Body, not individually.

The charge to put on the whole armor of God is an imperative, a command. God has provided the armor for us, but He does not put it on for us. Rather, we ourselves must put on the armor God has provided....

ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE STRATAGEMS OF THE DEVIL

We need to put on the whole armor of God so that we "may be able to stand" (v. 11). In chapter six the word stand is crucial. In chapter two we sit with Christ in the heavenlies (v. 6), and in chapters four and five we walk in His Body on the earth (4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15). Then in chapter six we stand in His power in the heavenlies. To sit with Christ is to participate in all His accomplishments; to walk in His Body is to fulfill God's eternal purpose; and to stand in His power is to fight against God's enemy.

By putting on the whole armor of God, we are able to stand against the stratagems of the Devil. These stratagems are the Devil's evil plans. Not only does the Devil have an evil will, but he also has subtle stratagems to work out his will. Even now Satan is busily working and plotting to carry out his evil, subtle stratagems.

V. OUR WRESTLING

A. Not against Blood and Flesh

In verse 12 Paul goes on to say, "For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies." "Blood and flesh" refers to men. Behind men of blood and flesh are the evil forces of the Devil, fighting against God's purpose. Hence, our wrestling, our fighting, must not be against men, but against the evil spiritual forces in the heavenlies....

B. Against the Rulers, the Authorities, the World-rulers, and Spiritual Forces of Evil

The principalities, the authorities, and the world-rulers of this darkness are the rebellious angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and who now rule in the heavenlies over the nations of the world, such as the prince of Persia and the prince of Grecia in Daniel 10:20. This indicates that the Devil, Satan, has his kingdom of darkness (Matthew 12:26; Colossians 1:13). In this kingdom, Satan is at the top, and under him are the rebellious angels.

"This darkness" refers to today's world, which is fully under the dark ruling of the Devil through his evil angels. The world-rulers of this darkness are the princes Satan has set up to rule the various nations.... Because of the working of Satan, who is the authority of darkness, the earth and its atmosphere have become "this darkness." In verse 12 Paul also speaks of "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies." The heavenlies here refer to the air (2:2). Satan and his spiritual forces of evil are in the air. But we are seated in the third heaven above them (2:6). In fighting a battle, the position above the enemy is strategic. Satan and his evil forces are under us, and it is their fate to be defeated by us.

ABLE TO STAND IN THE EVIL DAY

Verse 13 says, "Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day." In verse 11 we are told to put on the armor of God, and in verse 13 we are charged to take it up. We have seen that the armor of God is prepared and provided by God for us. But we need to take it up and put it on; we need to use and apply God's provision. Some items of the armor, such as the sword and the shield, we take up. But other items, such as the breastplate, the helmet, and the shoes, we put on. Whether we put on the whole armor of God or take it up, we must exercise our will in a strong way.

HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND

Paul concludes verse 13 with the words, "Having done all, to stand." In fighting we need to stand to the end. Having done all, we still must stand. As we shall see in the next two messages, verses 14 through 16 are a modifier describing how to stand.
Witness Lee, Life-Study of Ephesians Message 63, pp. 525-536

APPLICATION

1. What is the intrinsic source of all the fighting that is now taking place among nations, in society, in the family, and in individuals?

2. Why is there the need for the church to be not only the new man and the bride of Christ, but also to be the warrior?

3. Explain why it is necessary for the believers to exercise their will in a strong way in order to fight the spiritual warfare.