Standing Firm
Ephesians 6:10-17
“Standing Firm”
When was the last time you listened to a good requiem? Some of you may not know what a requiem is, but you can tell right away that it’s not a very pretty word; thus, you’re not feeling very deprived at not having heard one recently! Others of you do know what a requiem is and are therefore probably wondering how I could use it in conjunction with the adjective good!
A requiem is generally understood to mean a mass for the dead. It is usually thought to be only a part of the catholic tradition and, in that context, is a plea to God to grant rest to those who have died—a plea that is set to music. Therefore, the text is rather established and constant, but some of the most famous composers in music history have earned their reputation, at least in part, through the beauty of the music they have written to communicate that text—Giuseppe Verdi, Hector Berlioz, even the great Mozart.
Other composers, however, have started fresh, leaving behind the catholic mass for the dead and establishing a new text. Johannes Brahms is one such composer. And I would have to say that my favorite oratorio—even beyond Handel’s Messiah, or Mendelssohn’s Elijah, or other well known works by Bach and others—my absolute favorite is Brahms’ German Requiem. German identifies not only the original language in which it is written, but the theological tradition in which it stands. It is post-Reformation Germany—a protestant requiem. It is the greatest collection of Scripture passages on death and resurrection ever assembled, I believe, and it is carried along by the typically engaging melodies and lush harmonies we all love in Brahms.
Beyond that, though, it is structured with the perfect symmetry you’d expect even from a German—even a romantic German! It opens and closes with the affirmation from Rev.14:13, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on (for) they rest from their labors and their deeds will follow them. These are the first and last of seven movements.
The second movement drills into our minds that all flesh is as grass; it withers and dies. But yet, the word of the Lord endures forever.
That is balanced by the sixth movement as that enduring word of the Lord from 1Co.15 assures us that our corrupted and mortal flesh will be raised immortal and incorruptible at the last trumpet! Death will be swallowed up in victory! This is probably the richest musical moment in the whole oratorio.
Anyway, that symmetry is present throughout, drawing attention to the central movement, number four, in which the glorious beauty of heaven is celebrated in the words of Psa.84:1-2: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
So why do I tell you all of this? Well, certainly the message set to music by Brahms is worthy of reflection in its own right. But also, the structure we see in mature expressions of music is one which we see recurring in other mature artistic and literary genre— even Scripture. I choose this illustration today because vv.10-20 of Eph.6, our text for this morning, remind me very much of the final movement of the German Requiem. The symmetry in that work requires that Brahms use the seventh and final movement to put away carefully every musical theme he introduced not only in the partner first movement, but in all five of the movements that follow it into the present one.
Paul does the same thing with the glorious melodies and harmonies of his letter the Ephesians; he ties them off, puts them away in this final movement of c.6, v. 10-20. We’ll unpack a few of those as we look at the text. And we won’t handle the whole paragraph—we’ll stop after v.17 and pick up the rest as part of the conclusion next week, God willing. But I wanted to take a few minutes this morning to put this musical image in your minds to benefit any further study you may want to do in Ephesians.
Paul begins this section with the word finally, and I’ll be using that here as an introduction to the specific content that is unique to vv.10-20. But I’d be doing you a disservice if I did not point out that we could also use it as a leading tone—an appoggiatura perhaps—arousing our anticipation of the fact that a number of themes introduced throughout the letter will be drawn together in the words that follow. For now, though, let’s look into the teaching of just the passage itself. In Eph.6:10-17, Paul issued two final commands which are intended to enable the Ephesians to stand firm in the battle against the enemy as they seek to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Command #1: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might (v.10).
Finally means what remains, insinuating that the following is what remains in order for them to walk in a manner worthy of their calling (4:1). Walking in a manner worthy of our calling is no easy task. We can’t do it ourselves. Thus, the verb here is passive—another one of those passive imperatives. It actually means be strengthened in the Lord; allow yourself to be strengthened in the Lord, perhaps. Don’t work against it. Being strengthened is something which is done to us, just like in Phi.4:13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. It is something which God does to us as a result of our salvation, and it should be very hard to resist.
I liked to play a little game with my children. Sometimes while I’m tickling one of them I get very stern and say, “Stop laughing! I will stand for no more laughter!” Now if there is one trivial fact about my children which is demonstrably true, it is that they are ticklish. I could prove it to you even now! So, if I am tickling them and I say, “Don’t laugh,” I may as well be saying, “Jump over the moon!”
So it is with believers when it comes to receiving the strength of the Lord. Resisting it should be all but impossible, and at least equally undesirable. But I fear that it is much easier than that. In fact, I believe it may be quite commonplace. Perhaps that is why Paul moves us on to command #2. But before we go, let’s make mental note of one fact. Remember back in c.1 (v.19-20) when Paul was praying that the eyes of the Ephesians’ hearts may be enlightened to the immeasurable greatness of his power toward all who believe? And he told them that this was the resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the heavenly realms far above all rule and authority and power and dominion in this age and the one to come. Then we found out in c.3 (v.10) that these powers and authorities describe both angels and demons, but that Paul’s references to them here in Ephesians seem mostly to focus on demons. God’s power raises us above those demons. The scope of redemption is made known to the demons through the mere existence of the church. Well, three of the four words Paul used to describe that great power back in c.1 are used again here in 6:10. The eyes of our hearts may have been enlightened to that great power in answer to Paul’s prayer in c.1. But now in c.6, it’s time to put that power to work—to take it out for a test drive to see how it runs! With that insight, then, let’s move on to command #2.
Command #2: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (v.11-12).
Put on is a familiar charge in Paul’s writings. But what is the whole armor of God? Clearly it seems to make reference to the whole armor of the Roman soldier—perhaps sparked by Paul’s seeing his Roman attendant who would have been dressed in his whole armor for his task as a prison guard. But that’s Roman armor, not the armor of God. So, what is the armor of God?!
This is one of those biblical metaphors that is so compelling that we may actually forget to take the trouble to clarify in our minds what it means! If someone were to walk up to you on the street and ask you, “What is the armor of God?” Would you be able to respond with anything other than simply a list of the pieces? “Oh, it’s the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and all the rest.” Well, it’s probably been a while since any of us wore a helmet and breastplate to work—unless you’re a soldier or police officer. Just listing the pieces is not really very much help! What is it?!
Did you know that the armor of God appears in the OT? The full set of pieces is not listed, but the armor is worn by God himself as he moves forth in judgment. The passage is Isa.59, and scenario is the rampant sinfulness of people, clogging the court system with frivolous, dishonest, self-gratifying law suits. Thus, the passage reads, beginning with v.14, Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. (V.17) He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.
Here in Isa.59 the pieces of armor are an attribute and a work of God that he establishes in a sinful world for the restoration of his standard and his purpose. Righteousness and faithfulness are also mentioned as a belt in Isa.11:5. God made the prophet’s mouth like a sword in Isa.49:2. And in Isa.52:7, beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bring the good news—the gospel as translated in the LXX. The armor of God is quite present in Isaiah!
So, what is the armor of God in Eph.6? I believe it consists of attributes of God that are communicated to us, enabling us to stand firm in victory as Christians. To stand against the schemes of the devil, who seeks to devour us according to 1Pe.5:8. To stand firm against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil that permeate this present darkness and many, many people within it. Thus, sometimes our battle is against flesh and blood, but if we are wise we’ll grant that even then an invisible enemy is behind the visible. In other words, there really is a devil and he really is bent on destroying God’s people. But for all of his power, his tactics are really quite familiar. We saw back in 4:25-32 many of the strategies he employs. Lying, uncontrolled anger, stealing, corrupting talk, bitterness, slander, malice; these are all tendencies of the flesh that are easily magnified by the enemy, giving him an opportunity or providing him a foot hold in a believer’s life.
The ultimate battle, then, is waged in the unseen world so our weapons have to be suited for that setting. That itself is remarkable, isn’t it? How do you fight an unseen opponent? We’re facing that very question right here in the US today and we have troublingly few good, solid answers. But Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2.10:4), The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Here Paul’s weapons are a life lived and words spoken in obedience to Christ for the sake of the gospel. And it is quite similar here in Eph.6. The whole armor of God is made up of different disciplines or attributes of a life lived in obedience to God. If they are present they have a protective effect in a believer’s life in this world. But if they are lacking, their absence compromises his strength and resistance against the enemy’s schemes.
The purpose of the armor, then, is to enable us to take our stand against Satan’s schemes. We’re not moving out on the attack like God in Isa.59. No, nothing could be clearer than that we’re to put on this armor of God in order to stand firm (11, 13), on the ground we’ve already been given. This word stand is itself “a military term for holding on to a position” (Wood 86). The four-fold, (five-fold) repetition of the word against there in v.12 lets us know that it is our enemy who is advancing against us—ours here is simply to stand firm. And we do that by taking up—a new imperative in v.13, but with essentially the same meaning as v.11—taking up the whole armor of God. Again there is purpose—to stand firm in the evil day (13). Evil day is not a particular day, but when most needed.
“Stand [firm] therefore, v.14, yet another imperative, having these attributes of God active in your defense. Let’s look at how they functioned as armor, and how they function for us.
The belt of truth (14) was not just an ornament but served an essential purpose. It gathered the short tunic and also helped keep the breastplate in place once it was fitted on. From it hung the scabbard in which the sword was sheathed. The truth mentioned here could refer to the truth of the gospel—that is, God’s own truth—but that can’t really be separated at this point from the idea of truthfulness in the life of the believer—that lack of deceitfulness in mind and heart; the warrior who has put away falsehood (4:25) in order to give no opportunity to the enemy.
How are you doing in the area of truthfulness, purity of heart? Do you speak with integrity as you were charged back in c.4? Or are you inclined to stretch the facts just a bit to make the story more exciting—or to make yourself, your family, your business look better in comparison to some adversary? Is truthfulness rooted in the gospel fitted around your waist? The belt of truth is a lifestyle of truth that reflects the truth of God. Do you live the truth? God has given you the power to do so.
The breastplate of righteousness (14) protects the vital spiritual organs which represent life itself. The image comes directly from Isa.59:17, as I mentioned earlier, and, again, it appears to have two meanings, both of which are at home here.
This could be forensic righteousness—being declared righteous by God, acquitted of guilt, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, saved—that’s one. Then there is also the lifestyle of righteousness—putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (4:24). The breastplate appears to be both; they’re truly inseparable.
How, then, are you faring in righteousness. How consistently are you living according to the standard set for us in Scripture, even just right here in Ephesians? Do you see that a lifestyle of righteousness is as vital to a Christian as the breastplate was to a Roman soldier? Would you have gone into battle without a breastplate when all others were wearing theirs? Righteousness is uprightness, a life approved by God. Remember, righteousness is anchored to truthfulness as the breastplate is anchored to the belt. According to Strong it is also integrity, virtue, purity of life. Thus, it is character, distinct from reputation. Character, said D. L. Moody, is that which is true of a man in the dark, when no one is watching. How is your character, your integrity? Are you living a life approved of God? Do you protect your character even when you’re alone, or is it simply a public thing? Is God as pleased with you when you’re at home or at work as He is when you are at church? Do you live Christ wherever you are? God has given you the power to do so.
The readiness given by the gospel of peace which is fitted as shoes for our feet (15) is a challenging metaphor to unpack. According to Josephus, the shoes of a Roman warrior were significant in his readiness for battle. They were cleats, with nails protruding from the soles, enabling them to move easily over rough terrain. We could dig quite a bit into v.15 here in order to determine whether the shoes of readiness for spiritual battle make reference to having had a personal experience with the gospel of peace, or, borrowing from the Isa.52:7 image on which it clearly draws, is it talking about a readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace? How beautiful on upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God Reigns.” We could dig deeply into the construction of v.15 here and still not know with certainty which is truly best. Commentators are divided. However, given the double meaning of each of the first two pieces, I am quite comfortable endorsing both again here. This is a readiness that comes from having so experienced the gospel of peace personally that there is also a readiness to proclaim it, even in the midst of spiritual battle.
Are you personally at peace with God? Are your ready to stand firm against a culture that despises Christ and abhors his gospel? Are you ready to proclaim that gospel at every opportunity? Or do you secretly blush with embarrassment when identified as a Christian? Do you believe that you could proclaim it boldly, just as Paul requested enablement in v.19? God has given you the power to do so.
In all circumstances (16 esv) probably means besides all these, or perhaps simply, next, take up the shield of faith. In the context of Ephesians this is likely referring to the faith of the Christian to believe in and draw upon the resources of God in the midst of spiritual battle. O’Brien wrote, “To take up the shield of faith, then, is to appropriate the promises of God on our behalf, confident that he will protect us….” It isn’t and cannot be divorced from the content of our faith, but this shield is our active faith which extinguishes all the flaming darts of the evil one—it nullifies the effectiveness of his attacks directed at us personally. This is the large Roman shield, not the little round one you may have seen. It was made of wood, covered in leather and perhaps even soaked in water; thus, it didn’t simply deflect flaming arrows, it actually extinguished them as they stuck in it! What a great picture of the impact of the believer’s faith in God when attacked by the enemy! This is the believer holding on the things hoped for. This is the believer more confident in the unseen than in that which is seen. This is Heb.11 faith—the unseen shield of God, as spoken of so often by the psalmists, more real to us than the very visible attacks of our enemy.
How is your working faith this morning? Do you trust God so completely that you’re not concerned about what tomorrow may bring? Or are the flames on the enemy’s arrows more compelling to you than the promises of God? Is your faith working for you or against you? Do you trust God? He has given you the power to do so.
Take the helmet of salvation. Interestingly, the word take is not the same as take up in v. 13 & 16. First, it is a different word. It means to receive or accept (Wood, 88) as opposed to the other verb which does me to take up or raise or lift up and carry. Second, though, it moves from active voice to middle voice. Handling the middle voice is notoriously complex in Greek, but it is safe to say that while the active voice focuses on an action done by a person, the middle voice emphasizes more the result of an action upon a person. Most significant here is simply the fact that there was such a change. There is something different about our obtaining salvation than our obtaining of experiential truth or righteousness or faith. The latter is a more active pursuit than the former. The picture of salvation here, though, borrows directly again from Isa.59:17 where God wears the helmet of salvation. It also echoes 1Th.5:8 where Paul refers to the helmet of the hope of salvation. Thus, the helmet protects the head, the mind, and also looks forward to final protection and deliverance.
Have you received salvation by trusting in Christ as your sin-bearer? Are you looking forward to the day when you will step into the presence of the Lord and leave behind the struggles and pain of this world? Are you living each day in light of that day today? God has given you the power to do so.
Finally, take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The sword is the only offensive weapon mentioned, but this sword actually may be more defensive. Paul ignores the spear (which could be hurled at the enemy from a distance), and also the big sword (which can bring wide, indiscriminate damage), and mentions only the short-handled, two-edged dagger usable in hand to hand combat. The wording on the last two pieces clarify that the shield actually is faith and the helmet actually is salvation. Here, though, the sword is not the Spirit, but the word of God. Of the Spirit refers to the source. Foulkes wrote (184), The Spirit “puts the sword into (our) grasp and enables (us) to use it.” This particular sword was intended to strike at the point of greatest weakness or vulnerability in the enemy; a specific blow specifically applied. And the word here emphasizes spoken or proclaimed word. The implications of this are that the sword of the Spirit is not a general reference to the Bible, but to the verbal use of God’s Word—the Word rightly understood and applied to daily life with wisdom and insight—the word that works!
Do you live daily in light of God’s Word? Do you spend enough time in it even to recognize it, not to mention use it, apply it? Does it change the way you think or evaluate life? Does it have a place in each of your conversations, explicitly or implicitly? Do you wield it from you lips as a sword, like the resurrected Jesus described in Rev.1(16)? God has given you the power to do so.
Conclusion
This is the armor of God—the equipment for a lifestyle of obedience, embodying all of the blessings of heaven given to us in Christ according to 1:3ff. It is putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (4:24). It is imitating God as beloved children (5:1). Give yourself to it and it will be available when you need it—in the evil day. Ignore it, however, and it will not be available.
The armor of God describes patterns of life which must be cultivated. It cannot be put on when you need it and neglected at other times. In that sense it is much like wisdom as she is described in Pro.1:20-33. She calls out in the streets to all who will listen, but if they ignore her they will not be able to find her when they need her. Listen to this account. Read Pro.1:20-33. So it is with the armor of God: ignore it and it will not be available when the evil day comes; cultivate it, though, and it will enable you to stand firm.