Our world increasingly has accepted manifestations of the supernatural. We may all know someone who has mentioned communing with a dead relative, participating in a séance (calling up the dead), or playing with a Ouija (pronounced wee-je)/spirit board, even as a kid. In certain clothing stores in the United States of America, one can find books with mystical themes or tarot cards (playing cards that are used to gain insight into someone’s past, present, or future), which are seemingly as prevalent as books on any other topic. When these are combined with popular media, which portrays “souls” or communication with the dead in shows and movies on a regular basis, it is not surprising that such manifestations of spiritism have become “normal.”
Mysticism, accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs), belief in reincarnation, necromancy, ancestor worship, and spiritism all contribute to the normalization of such things in our society and to the confusion about the afterlife. But God takes anything that has to do with spiritism very seriously, and the Bible warns us in extremely strong language against such practices because they are a deception of Satan. The book of Revelation adds to the admonitions found earlier that at the end of time, Satan’s deceptive work will only grow (see especially Rev. 9:5, 6, 10, 11, 19; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 16:13, 14). Therefore, having weapons against such deception is extremely important. We must be grounded in the Word of God and filled with the Holy Spirit in order to hold on to the truth and not fall for Satan’s schemes.
Part II: Commentary
In this lesson, we will focus on what we can do to fortify ourselves against the schemes of the devil. Moreover, we will delve deeper into Ephesians 6 and Paul’s emphasis on the armor of God.
The Armor of God (Eph. 6:10–18)
Paul uses several metaphors for the church in the book of Ephesians. First, he calls the church the temple of God (Eph. 2:19–22); the church is a building that is a dwelling place of God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Second, the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 4:1–16), wherein we are to work together, with everyone doing his or her part in order that we might grow in Christ. Third, the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25–27) with Christ as the Bridegroom preparing her for Himself (He is the one who works in each one of us, transforming and converting). Paul’s final metaphor is of the church as an army (Eph. 6:10–17). This army is well prepared for battle.
Paul starts out by encouraging the believers to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph. 6:10, NIV). The first word for “strong” is endunamoo, which has the basic meaning of “being able” to do something, or to have the power to do something. Thus, Paul exhorts the believers to believe that they have the power they need to do what needs to be done in the spiritual battle waged in our world. They have this power because of Christ’s “mighty power.”
After this exhortation, Paul tells the believers to put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:11). Paul uses the style of Old Testament battle speeches (Deut. 20:2–4, 2 Chron. 20:13–19, 2 Chron. 32:6–8) in order to inspire and motivate believers to trust in what God can do. But Paul specifies that the purpose of the full armor is to “stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11, NIV). The word for schemes is methodeia, which means “craftiness.” It is used only once more in the New Testament, in Ephesians: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming [_methodeia_]” (Eph. 4:14, NIV). In this passage, Paul contrasts our being built up as a church into unity in faith and knowledge of God with our being like little children who are pulled away by anything that sounds good but in reality comes from Satan. The apostle Paul also admonishes believers to be vigilant, “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11, NIV).
The devil’s deception is real and dangerous and present in all ages. However, the book of Revelation tells us that the serpent is enraged and filled with fury because “ ‘he knows that his time is short’ ” (Rev. 12:12, NIV). Therefore, it stands to reason that the closer we come toward the end, the more furious, frantic, and busier Satan gets. Paul uses the word “stand” often in his books (Rom. 14:4; 1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:27; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 3:7, 8) and calls believers to stand firm and to stand fast. In this passage, Paul uses the word “stand” four times (Eph. 6:11, 13, 14). He repeats it again and again in order to emphasize that they are to stand in Christ. In order for them to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, they must put on the armor of God.
Interestingly, Paul doesn’t say believers must fight against the devil, but stand firm. Why? Because God is the One who fights. In fact, God already has won the victory on the cross and through the resurrection; therefore, the final victory at His return is assured. We need only to stand with determination and hold on to God and His Word.
Paul continues, stating that we do not struggle against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12). The word “struggle” comes from the word pale, which means “wrestling” or “conflict.” Interestingly, this word occurs only one time in the New Testament, right here. We may be deceived into thinking that our battle is with humans, but in fact it is with satanic powers. The cosmic conflict is against all the satanic forces, which are described in different terms, possibly in order to demonstrate how large the threat is.
Because we don’t see the invisible world, we can easily be lulled into forgetting that the enemy, and his opposition to God, even exists. But Paul is not naive about the battle between good and evil. He encountered it many times throughout his own ministry; Satan tried to destroy him for years. Thus, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, and chased out of towns, and much of that happened multiple times. Paul points out that it was not just humans who were against him; there was a power behind the opposition. And yet, God kept giving him the strength to keep going, and, thus, his desire to preach the Word was not diminished.
Putting on the armor is a metaphor for holding on to different aspects of God’s Word and for trust in God. The metaphor is built on the imagery of the Roman soldier’s armor. The belt of truth (Eph. 6:14, NIV) fastened around our waist reminds us of how imperative it is to grab on to the truth and not let go “that we may work together for the truth” (3 John 8, NIV). The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14, NKJV) should cause us to think of what Christ has done for us as we are covered by His righteousness because we cannot manufacture our own. Christ is the One who transforms us by His presence. For our shoes, we need the readiness of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15, NIV). This instance is the only place in the Bible where the gospel is called the gospel of peace. The gospel, the good news about Jesus, brings peace to those who accept Jesus into their lives. Paul not only tells us to accept the gospel ourselves but also to take it wherever we go and offer its hope to others. The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) serves to extinguish the arrows of the evil one.
The devil knows what to aim at in each of our characters to cause us to stumble and fall: unkind words for some, alcohol or sex for another. But our taking up the shield means saying no to doubt, sin, and temptation because we trust that God has the power we need. He promised that when we are weak, He is strong (2 Cor. 12:10). The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17) reminds us of the hope of eternal life because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. The assurance of salvation keeps our minds at peace. Last, the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), which is the Word of God, demonstrates our need of Scripture to be the weapon we use against the schemes of the devil. That is why memorizing Bible verses is crucial. If we hold the shield of faith in one hand and the Word of God (the sword) in the other, then we do not have a free hand with which to pick up revenge, malice, a curt reply, immorality, unethical behavior, temptation, lust, hatred, or deceit. If only we used faith and the Word as our weapons, we would not fall into discouragement and despondency so often.
Paul closes this passage by telling us to pray at all times and pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). If we aren’t going to fall for the schemes of Satan, then we need to pray. We need to pray for the Holy Spirit; we need to pray for the power to stand; we need to pray for strength against temptation; we need to pray for wisdom to make decisions with God; we need to pray for love for people; we need to pray for greater faith; we need to pray for boldness to speak about Christ. Satan wants to scare us or lure us away from God with promises of fun, excitement, and freedom, but God wants to equip us to stand in Christ because true freedom and happiness come only from God.
Part III: Life Application
What in your life do you need power to stand for or against? Do you need to speak up for someone or something, or be bolder about preaching Christ? Pray the armor of God over yourself by naming each element and asking God to cover you with it. Try praying it every day for a month to see what difference it makes in your life.
Think of someone you know who is personally struggling against the schemes of Satan. Now take the time to pray the armor of God over him or her. Once again, take every element and pray that God puts it on this person so that his or her mind and heart will be changed and protected from the devil’s attacks.
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Key Text: Ephesians 6:11
Part I: Overview
Our world increasingly has accepted manifestations of the supernatural. We may all know someone who has mentioned communing with a dead relative, participating in a séance (calling up the dead), or playing with a Ouija (pronounced wee-je)/spirit board, even as a kid. In certain clothing stores in the United States of America, one can find books with mystical themes or tarot cards (playing cards that are used to gain insight into someone’s past, present, or future), which are seemingly as prevalent as books on any other topic. When these are combined with popular media, which portrays “souls” or communication with the dead in shows and movies on a regular basis, it is not surprising that such manifestations of spiritism have become “normal.”
Mysticism, accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs), belief in reincarnation, necromancy, ancestor worship, and spiritism all contribute to the normalization of such things in our society and to the confusion about the afterlife. But God takes anything that has to do with spiritism very seriously, and the Bible warns us in extremely strong language against such practices because they are a deception of Satan. The book of Revelation adds to the admonitions found earlier that at the end of time, Satan’s deceptive work will only grow (see especially Rev. 9:5, 6, 10, 11, 19; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 16:13, 14). Therefore, having weapons against such deception is extremely important. We must be grounded in the Word of God and filled with the Holy Spirit in order to hold on to the truth and not fall for Satan’s schemes.
Part II: Commentary
In this lesson, we will focus on what we can do to fortify ourselves against the schemes of the devil. Moreover, we will delve deeper into Ephesians 6 and Paul’s emphasis on the armor of God.
The Armor of God (Eph. 6:10–18)
Paul uses several metaphors for the church in the book of Ephesians. First, he calls the church the temple of God (Eph. 2:19–22); the church is a building that is a dwelling place of God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Second, the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 4:1–16), wherein we are to work together, with everyone doing his or her part in order that we might grow in Christ. Third, the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25–27) with Christ as the Bridegroom preparing her for Himself (He is the one who works in each one of us, transforming and converting). Paul’s final metaphor is of the church as an army (Eph. 6:10–17). This army is well prepared for battle.
Paul starts out by encouraging the believers to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph. 6:10, NIV). The first word for “strong” is endunamoo, which has the basic meaning of “being able” to do something, or to have the power to do something. Thus, Paul exhorts the believers to believe that they have the power they need to do what needs to be done in the spiritual battle waged in our world. They have this power because of Christ’s “mighty power.”
After this exhortation, Paul tells the believers to put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:11). Paul uses the style of Old Testament battle speeches (Deut. 20:2–4, 2 Chron. 20:13–19, 2 Chron. 32:6–8) in order to inspire and motivate believers to trust in what God can do. But Paul specifies that the purpose of the full armor is to “stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11, NIV). The word for schemes is methodeia, which means “craftiness.” It is used only once more in the New Testament, in Ephesians: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming [_methodeia_]” (Eph. 4:14, NIV). In this passage, Paul contrasts our being built up as a church into unity in faith and knowledge of God with our being like little children who are pulled away by anything that sounds good but in reality comes from Satan. The apostle Paul also admonishes believers to be vigilant, “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11, NIV).
The devil’s deception is real and dangerous and present in all ages. However, the book of Revelation tells us that the serpent is enraged and filled with fury because “ ‘he knows that his time is short’ ” (Rev. 12:12, NIV). Therefore, it stands to reason that the closer we come toward the end, the more furious, frantic, and busier Satan gets. Paul uses the word “stand” often in his books (Rom. 14:4; 1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:27; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 3:7, 8) and calls believers to stand firm and to stand fast. In this passage, Paul uses the word “stand” four times (Eph. 6:11, 13, 14). He repeats it again and again in order to emphasize that they are to stand in Christ. In order for them to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, they must put on the armor of God.
Interestingly, Paul doesn’t say believers must fight against the devil, but stand firm. Why? Because God is the One who fights. In fact, God already has won the victory on the cross and through the resurrection; therefore, the final victory at His return is assured. We need only to stand with determination and hold on to God and His Word.
Paul continues, stating that we do not struggle against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12). The word “struggle” comes from the word pale, which means “wrestling” or “conflict.” Interestingly, this word occurs only one time in the New Testament, right here. We may be deceived into thinking that our battle is with humans, but in fact it is with satanic powers. The cosmic conflict is against all the satanic forces, which are described in different terms, possibly in order to demonstrate how large the threat is.
Because we don’t see the invisible world, we can easily be lulled into forgetting that the enemy, and his opposition to God, even exists. But Paul is not naive about the battle between good and evil. He encountered it many times throughout his own ministry; Satan tried to destroy him for years. Thus, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, and chased out of towns, and much of that happened multiple times. Paul points out that it was not just humans who were against him; there was a power behind the opposition. And yet, God kept giving him the strength to keep going, and, thus, his desire to preach the Word was not diminished.
Putting on the armor is a metaphor for holding on to different aspects of God’s Word and for trust in God. The metaphor is built on the imagery of the Roman soldier’s armor. The belt of truth (Eph. 6:14, NIV) fastened around our waist reminds us of how imperative it is to grab on to the truth and not let go “that we may work together for the truth” (3 John 8, NIV). The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14, NKJV) should cause us to think of what Christ has done for us as we are covered by His righteousness because we cannot manufacture our own. Christ is the One who transforms us by His presence. For our shoes, we need the readiness of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15, NIV). This instance is the only place in the Bible where the gospel is called the gospel of peace. The gospel, the good news about Jesus, brings peace to those who accept Jesus into their lives. Paul not only tells us to accept the gospel ourselves but also to take it wherever we go and offer its hope to others. The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) serves to extinguish the arrows of the evil one.
The devil knows what to aim at in each of our characters to cause us to stumble and fall: unkind words for some, alcohol or sex for another. But our taking up the shield means saying no to doubt, sin, and temptation because we trust that God has the power we need. He promised that when we are weak, He is strong (2 Cor. 12:10). The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17) reminds us of the hope of eternal life because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. The assurance of salvation keeps our minds at peace. Last, the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), which is the Word of God, demonstrates our need of Scripture to be the weapon we use against the schemes of the devil. That is why memorizing Bible verses is crucial. If we hold the shield of faith in one hand and the Word of God (the sword) in the other, then we do not have a free hand with which to pick up revenge, malice, a curt reply, immorality, unethical behavior, temptation, lust, hatred, or deceit. If only we used faith and the Word as our weapons, we would not fall into discouragement and despondency so often.
Paul closes this passage by telling us to pray at all times and pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). If we aren’t going to fall for the schemes of Satan, then we need to pray. We need to pray for the Holy Spirit; we need to pray for the power to stand; we need to pray for strength against temptation; we need to pray for wisdom to make decisions with God; we need to pray for love for people; we need to pray for greater faith; we need to pray for boldness to speak about Christ. Satan wants to scare us or lure us away from God with promises of fun, excitement, and freedom, but God wants to equip us to stand in Christ because true freedom and happiness come only from God.
Part III: Life Application
What in your life do you need power to stand for or against? Do you need to speak up for someone or something, or be bolder about preaching Christ? Pray the armor of God over yourself by naming each element and asking God to cover you with it. Try praying it every day for a month to see what difference it makes in your life.
Think of someone you know who is personally struggling against the schemes of Satan. Now take the time to pray the armor of God over him or her. Once again, take every element and pray that God puts it on this person so that his or her mind and heart will be changed and protected from the devil’s attacks.