This week, we shall conclude the
study of the Book of Ephesians in the New Testament.
After urging the church to make every effort to maintain the bond of peace with the emphasis on the variation in “oneness” in Christ, Paul recognizes oneness does not mean “uniformity” but diversity in the body of Christ:
(1) How does Paul justify the necessity of diversity in spite of the peculiar oneness of the church? (vv. 7-8; read Ps. 68:18)
(2) What is the original context of Psalm 68:18? (see Ps. 68:17)
(3) What is the original purpose of the giving (or receiving) of gifts?
a. According the Psalm 68:18
b. According to Paul here in 4:10 (see Note below)
(4) In mentioning the various gifts apportioned by Christ to the church:
a. What is the function of the apostles and prophets? (2:19-22)
b. According to your understanding, what are the roles of the rest of the gifts mentioned by Paul in relationship to that of the apostles and prophets? (4:11)
(5) The purpose of the apportioning of gifts to the church (vv. 12-13):
a. The primary function of these gifts (of apostles…teachers) is to equip “the saints” for works of service: What is the emphasis here? (v. 12a)
b. The “twin goals” of such “equipping” in building up the church, the body of Christ are (v. 13):
- “Until all reach unity in the faith”: What does it mean?
- And, unity “in the knowledge of the Son of God”: What does it mean?
c. When the above “twin goals” are reached, the body of Christ is described as a mature (or complete) man. This appears to mean the attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. What would such a church look like?
(6) The results (or the marks) of attaining the fullness of Christ as a mature body of Christ (vv. 14-15):
a. What is the first result (or mark) of a mature church? (v. 14)
b. What is the second result (or mark) of a mature church? (v. 15)
c. How are these two results (or marks) achieved? (v. 16)
(7) “As each part does its work” (v. 16)
a. What part do the evangelists, pastors and teachers play in achieving these results (or marks)?
b. What part does the rest of the church play in achieving these results (or marks)?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
It appears that the Apostle Paul has arbitrarily altered Psalm 68:18 from “received gifts among men” to “gave gifts to men”. However, “The reception for men includes the giving to men. If Christ received gifts for men, i.e. intended for them, how could He withhold from men and not give them to those for whom the gifts intended?” (Lenski, 519) Such was the rendering by an Eastern Aramaic Targum in the first century A.D. and in F.F. Bruce’s opinion, “Paul and other NT writers occasionally give evidence of using targumic renderings (or renderings know to us nowadays only from the Targums), especially when such renderings are better suited to the arguments to which they are applied than the Hebrew or Septuagint wording would be” (Bruce, 342). Targum is an Aramaic translation of the OT and it is often referred to as an interpretation or paraphrase of the OT.
“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’’ (Eph. 4:16)
In emphasizing the oneness of this new creation in Christ, the church, the Apostle Paul recognizes that this oneness or unity is not automatic. For one, we are individual spiritual infants who need to grow not only in our own maturity but also in relation to the entire body of Christ. There is also the fact that Satan, although defeated by Christ through the cross, has yet to meet his final destiny and is actively working through deceitful teachings to stymie the growth of young and old believers.
It is with this in mind that the Apostle Paul urges the leaders of the church, namely the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers to use their gifts given by Christ to “equip the saints for the works of ministry” (4:12).
It is important to note that:
(1) Paul does not say that only these leaders mentioned in Ephesians 4 have been given gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, he has already pointed out that all believers are given gifts. No believers are without gifts.
(2) While “apostles and prophets” are the “foundation” based on whom the church has been established (2:19-22), it is implied that the rest of us — those subsequent to the Apostolic Age — should continue to build up their teachings. The evangelists, the pastors and the teachers are the key ministers who do the work of equipping so that “each part does its work” (4:16);
(3) The task of the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers is a dual charge: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God” (4:13). This points to the teaching of not only objective truths but also of experiential knowledge of Christ which cannot be achieved by pure personal pursuit, lest the body of Christ, the church, fail to attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(4) Such a goal of attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ has to come about only “as each part does its work” and “in love” (4:16). While not all of us are gifted as leaders of the church, if we ignore our gifts and do not our part and, if we do not pursue growing in love, the church can never achieve unity nor become a mature body of Christ that can withstand the attack of the evil one.
Allow me to leave you with two questions:
- Do you know your “part” (or role) in the Body of Christ, the church?
- Is “love” the mark of your role in the church?
Having addressed the corporate aspect of the Body of Christ, Paul speaks to the individual parts of the Body—the saints themselves:
(1) In admonishing the Gentile believers to leave their former ways of life, why does the Apostle say that he (can) “testify” in the Lord? (v. 17)
(2) What is the relationship between the mind and the way of life of a person? (v. 17)
(3) The way of life and the thinking of the heathens (vv. 18-19): The main verb in this long sentence is, “they gave themselves up” (v. 19).
a. What do the heathens give themselves up to? (v. 19)
b. What is the purpose of such “giving up”? (v. 19b)
c. The reasons for such a life and thinking of “futility” include (v. 18):
- Darkened understanding (v. 18a):
- What does it mean?
- How is it reflected in one’s life?
- Alienated from the life of God (v. 18b):
- What is the result of such an alienation (Eph. 2:1-3)
- What has led to such alienation? (v. 18c)
- What has contributed to their ignorance? (v. 18d)
d. Why does Paul call such a life and thinking “futile”?
e. Which of the above do you identify with most in your “former” life?
(4) By comparison, how different is the way of life and the thinking in Christ? Can you briefly highlight some of the major differences?
(5) Paul now uses the analogy of putting our clothes on and off to denote our new way of life in Christ (vv. 20-24).
a. How did we learn of the new way of life? (v. 21)
b. Why does Paul call our former self, “the old man”?
c. This “old man” was corrupted by “deceitful desires”: What does it mean? (v. 22)
d. We are told to put off this “old man” of ours by renewing “the attitude of our minds": How is this done? (v. 23; see Rom. 12:1ff)
e. What is the “new man” that we need to put on instead? (v. 24)
f. Why, in your opinion, does Paul use the analogy of the changing of clothes in this respect? How appropriate is this analogy?
(6) More specifically, the Apostle Paul urges us to put off (vv. 25-28):
a. Falsehood (or lying): How important it is to speak the truth and not lies, especially to brothers and sisters in Christ? (v. 25)
b. Anger (vv. 26-27):
- Why does Paul only urge us not to sin in anger, instead of urging us not to be angry?
- How wise is the advice of not letting anger linger beyond sunset?
- How might the retention of anger give the devil a foothold?
c. Stealing (v. 28)
- While most of us have never been a thief in the eyes of the law, what might have we stolen?
- What does Paul teach as one of the proper attitudes of work as a Christian? (v. 28c)
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Therefore I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking.” (Eph. 4:17)
The mind is indeed the battle ground of one’s spiritual life. “We are what we think” is indeed a true saying. As a result, the Apostle Paul urges the Ephesian Christians who were Gentiles to stop living as they did before, and in so doing, he points out that their former lives were dictated by their thinking which was one of futility. Such a mind of futility, of course, is not confined to the Gentiles, but all who are separated from God. This is why Paul adds that he “insists on” it (the Greek word means to “testify” or “witness”), because that also describes Paul’s former way of life apart from God.
Paul gives the following reasons (in 4:18) for describing the mind of all non-believers as a mind of futility:
(1) Their understanding (or intellect) has been darkened: That means no matter how brilliant they might be intellectually and how high an IQ they have, they are incapable of thinking clearly in terms of things spiritual, i.e. things pertaining to God. Therefore, even all the great achievements that their minds might be capable of, as Solomon puts it, are but “vanity”. (Eccl. 2:11)
(2) Their hearts have been hardened: The word for “hardened’ is the word “petrified” as in “rocks”. That means the habitual dwelling in sins takes away any sensitivity not only to God, but even to the basic sense of “right and wrong”. Even we Christians will find this to be true in ourselves. If we persist in resisting the conviction by the Holy Spirit of our wrong, soon we will be de-sensitized in our sinful habits. If this is true of Christians, how much more it is with non-believers.
(3) Their ignorance is deep-rooted and has, according to the Apostle Paul, led to a “deep-rooted ignorance”. The original Greek points to their “being” or the essence of their life is one where they are ignorant of their true condition.
(4) They are alienated from the life of God. The way Paul puts it is that their darkened intellect, their petrified hearts and their ignorance of their condition have perpetuated their continued alienation from the life of God, pushing them farther and farther away from God.
The result of the above condition has caused the heathens to give themselves over to “sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more” (4:19). That means they are determined to do only whatever things that make them feel good which only leads to a bottomless pit that can never give them true satisfaction — that is how futile their lives are.
This sadly is the picture of the world before us which, even without the judgment of God, will plunge itself into complete self-destruction!
The Apostle Paul continues to urge these Gentile Christians to live their new life according to the truth they have been taught in Christ—focusing now mainly on their lives together as a church:
(1) How we should talk to one another (v. 29)
a. How important is it that we should watch every word that we speak with each other in church? (See also Jas. 3:5-8)
b. What are examples of unwholesome (or corrupt) words? (v. 29a)
c. Obviously, we need to think before we say anything: What should we think of before we speak? (v. 29b)
(2) The Holy Spirit (v. 30)
a. Which one of the functions of the Holy Spirit does Paul remind us of?
b. Give examples of things that we might do to grieve Him given that He is the seal of our redemption.
c. What do we know about the Holy Spirit in that He can be “grieved”?
(3) All forms of malice (v. 31)
a. What are some of the forms of evil cited by Paul?
b. What do they have in common?
c. How destructive are they to the body of Christ?
(4) The opposite of “malice” (v. 32)
a. Do you agree that what are listed in v.32a are opposite to those in v. 31?
b. If so, in what ways?
c. What is one of the most important outworkings or expressions of kindness and compassion? (v. 32b)
d. Do you still harbor unforgiveness to anyone in your life?
e. How might you get rid of such unforgiveness? (see 5:1-2)
f. Given what is said by Paul, do you think you have a choice not to forgive others?
(5) More exhortations on their communal life (5:3-7)
a. Why are sexual immorality, impurity and greed so unfitting for the people of God? (v. 3)
b. Why can’t we even hint (i.e. talk about) about them?
c. More on “speech”: We know what obscenity and foolish talk are (v. 4):
- What are “coarse jokes”? Why are they not to be said among God’s holy people?
- Instead, we are to give thanks:
- If we give thanks all the time as instructed by Paul, what will it do to us and our brothers and sisters in Christ?
- For Christians who give thanks all the time, are there any situations that thanksgiving might not be appropriate?
d. More on immorality, impurity and greed (v. 5)
- What does 5:3 say about these sins?
- If those in the church continue to live in these sins, are they true believers? Why or why not?
- Why is greed the same as idolatry? (See Col. 3:5 also)
e. What if there are other teachers who disagree with what Paul admonishes here? (v. 6) What might be their motive?
f. How should we treat them? (v. 7) What does it mean?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Eph. 5:4)
One would assume that the church being the community of saints would be a people of clean language. Such is often not the case, especially if you visit Christians in their work place or at their homes. Worse, some will even continue to speak, as Paul alludes to in Ephesians, obscenities, foolish talk and coarse jokes when they meet with other brothers and sisters whether in a social setting or at a church fellowship.
Paul is very stern with such behaviors and urges the church in Ephesus not to allow “even a hint” of anything impure or immoral; and he urges that anyone who disagrees with him in this respect is a “deceiver” with whom we cannot partner (5:6-7), i.e. not only are we not to serve together with such persons but we are not to get involved with them in such a “dangerous fellowship” (Calvin).
So what kind of speech befits the community of saints? Paul says that the community of saints should be marked by “thanksgiving”. The word, “thanksgiving (euxaristía)” according to Calvin and Lenski is better translated as “talking about the grace of God”. Indeed if we can see everything as given by God, and in the slightest gifts we give thanks to God:
- It would really reflect a life of constant reflection and self-examination so that we would not let any grace of God pass without being recognized in our lives.
- It would also enhance our faith in that the more we recognize that all is grace, the more we will trust Him in our times of need.
- It is then that we learn to give thanks even for “bad things” that happen to us, which makes our thanksgiving truly a “sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess His name” (Heb. 13:15). Frankly this is the mark of a “true thanks-giver” without which even if we give thanks a million times a day, we are only resounding gongs and clanging cymbals.
5:8-14—Living as Children of Light—As Paul continues to urge the saints to be imitators of God, he now uses the image of light:
(1) Paul does not say that as saints we once lived in darkness and now live in light; rather we were darkness once and we now are light in the Lord:
a. What might be the difference between the two sayings?
b. What is meant by “children of light”?
(2) What are the proofs that we are children of light? (v. 9)
(3) As children of light (in the Lord), we need to find out what pleases the Lord (v. 10):
a. Why do we need to “find out” what pleases the Lord?
b. How?
(4) The opposite of the fruit of light (vv. 11-14):
a. How are we to deal with the “fruitless deeds of darkness”? (v. 11)
b. Can we reprove (or expose) such deeds without reproving (or exposing) the doers?
c. Once exposed, what might happen to the doers of deeds of darkness? (v. 13)
d. How might they get out of their darkness? (v. 14)
5:15-20—Living as the Wise
(5) What have “the days of evil” to do with the admonition of being “very careful how you live”? (v. 15)
(6) Wise living is “redeeming the time” (according to the original Greek): What does it mean to “redeem”? (v. 16)
(7) Wise living is to understand the will of the Lord. (v. 17)
a. What is the will of the Lord? (see Rom. 12:1ff)
b. How can we understand what it is?
c. Why is it foolishness if we do not?
(8) Wise living is to be filled not by wine, but by the Holy Spirit (vv. 18-20).
a. Why does Paul contrast the two?
b. “Be filled with the Spirit” contains the only main verb of the sentence here until v. 21 (we shall consider v. 21 tomorrow):
- Why is speaking in psalms, hymns etc. an expression of being filled with the Spirit? (v. 19) What if you do not like music?
- Why is thanksgiving (i.e. speaking of the grace of God) an expression of being filled with the Spirit? (v. 20)
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Be very careful then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16)
I always find it interesting that the Apostle Paul, in urging us to use our time wisely, uses the term, “redeeming the time” (in the original Greek) to talk about time. Allow me to share with you the insight of Lenski in this respect:
“When are Christians really wise? When they ‘keep buying up the opportunity…buying it out completely.’ The classics use a different verb but have the same figure. A ‘kairos’ is the special time that is adapted for a certain thing, the season for something, hence the opportunity. Christian wisdom makes the most of the opportunities. These seasons are brief, they soon slip by; one must recognize them and must buy while the buying is good. We say, ‘use’ the opportunity: Paul says, ‘buy it out,’ purchase all that it offers. That means: pay the necessary price in effort and exertion. It is lack of wisdom to hold back and to wait for a still better opportunity, which then often fails to arrive. It is certainly still greater lack of wisdom not to see the opportunity at all and thus to let it slip by. Our lives are brief and present only so much opportunity; he is truly wise who invests 100 per cent at every opportunity and then is able to report: ‘Lord, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds’…(Luke 19:16).
"Opportunity itself is always a positive invitation and incentive. But a negative reason for the exercise of the fullest wisdom and the purchase of all that any opportunity offers is, ‘because the days are wicked'. The adjective means viciously, actively wicked. The days are such as to spread wickedness of all kinds among men to draw men into damnation.
"This characterization is true also regarding our days. Paul says far more than the times are bad, full of trouble and distress. Paul’s meaning is not that the more wickedness there is, the more opportunity we have to buy up. Wickedness is not opportunity; it reduces the opportunities. This is the reason for using every one of them that is still offered, using it with all wisdom so as to buy it out completely. What a pity to lose a single one or only partly to buy it out!”
(Lenski, 614-5)
And Calvin adds,
“And what be the price of its redemption? To withdraw from the endless variety of allurements which would easily lead us astray; to rid ourselves from the cares and pleasures of the world; and in a word, to abandon every hindrance. Let us be eager to recover it in every possible way, and let the numerous offences and arduous toil, which many are in the habit of alleging as an apology for indolence, serve rather to awaken our vigilance.”
(Calvin’s Commentaries XXI, 314)
Husband and Wife—It is very important to note that as Paul urges the believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, what follows are several participles including:
- Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit;
- Singing and “psalming” from your heart to the Lord; (v. 19)
- Giving thanks always to God the Father for everything…(v. 20)
- Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (v. 21)
(1) How is submitting to one another an expression of being filled with the Holy Spirit?
(2) First, under the heading of “submitting to one another” comes the relationship between husband and wife. Paul begins by applying it to the wives (vv. 22-24).
a. If we are to submit to one another, why does Paul single out wives as the first subject of submission?
b. In what way should wives submit to their own husbands and why? (vv. 22-23)
c. In what way(s) is Christ the head of the church? (v. 23)
d. What then does being the “head” of the wife mean?
e. In what way(s) does the church submit to Christ?
f. How then should wives emulate such submission? (v. 24)
(3) The husbands (vv. 25-32):
a. How did Christ show His love for the church? (v. 25)
b. What is the purpose of His love and how does He achieve His purpose? (vv. 26-27)
c. In what way(s) should husbands emulate Christ’s love? (vv. 28-30)
d. As Paul points out that husbands should love their wives as their own bodies, he quotes from Genesis 2:24: What is the point that Paul tries to make?
e. Why does Paul apply this quote to talk about Christ and the church? Why does he call it a great mystery?
f. How does this great mystery help you have a glimpse of the glorious relationship the church has with her Christ?
g. If you are a husband, how does this mystery help you love your wife?
(4) Conclusion (v. 33)
a. Instead of reiterating “submission”, Paul asks wives to “respect” (or show reverence) to the husband. Why?
b. How might this help us to understand v. 21?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Eph. 5:33)
As I have pointed out in today’s Scripture Reflection, 5:19-21 contain a series of participles which follows the main verb, “to be filled with the Spirit" (5:18) and the last of this series of participles is “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ”. It is under this last heading that Paul exhorts the believers concerning the relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, then slaves and masters.
In other words, it is clear that all these relationships share the following characteristics:
(1) Christ is the reason and the ultimate object of our submission, and thus wives are to submit to their own husbands “as you do to the Lord” (5:22), and slaves are to obey their masters “just as you would obey Christ” (6:5).
(2) The attitude of such submission or obedience is one of “reverence for Christ” (v.21), and the word “reverence” conveys a sense of fear. In other words, our willingness to submit or obey is not dependent on whether the husbands are worthy of our submission, or the masters are good masters. We are willing to submit or obey because we fear the Lord and are willing to obey His words.
Frankly, in my years of marital counseling, I find that, because we are sinners, most husbands are not very worthy of submission (myself included). But if we make Christ the reason, and the ultimate object of our submission, submission is made easier. The same applies to loving our wives — this instruction also falls under the command of mutual submission in 5:21. Thus, as most wives also are not necessarily lovable, if our reason and ultimate object of love is Christ, it is possible to love even if our feeling of love is gone.
But the Apostle Paul ends his instruction about husbands and wives with applying Genesis 2:24—the reality of a husband and a wife as two which are "become one flesh” refers to the mystery of the union between Christ and the church. This is a very powerful picture of the inseparable union between Christ and the Church. If Christ’s love for the church is dependent on her full submission, on her being holy and blameless (i.e. worthy to be His bride), then there is no hope for the church. But Christ’s uses His undying love to woo her and it is this unwavering love and this commitment to the inseparable union that will eventually make the church "radiant ... without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless", worthy to be presented to Him as His bride upon His return.
6:1-4 — Parents and Children
(1) As we know in the Roman society of Paul’s time, “The paterfamilias (head of household) had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them” (pbs.org). Why then would Paul see the need to admonish children within a believer’s family?
(2) What does Paul emphasize in urging the children to obey their parents? (v. 1)
(3) Which of the Ten Commandments does Paul appeal to in his instruction? (Exod. 20:12)
(4) Why does he call it “the first commandment with a promise”? (v. 2)
(5) What does “honor” mean?
(6) Should we take the promise of this Commandment literally? Why or why not?
(7) Proverbs 13:24 teaches us that unless we discipline our children, we do not love them:
a. Of what does Paul caution us when we discipline our children out of “reverence for Christ”? (6:4; see 5:21)
b. Why?
c. Instead, we are to “nurture them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord”. What does that mean and how should we do it?
6:5-9 — Christian Slaves and Masters
(8) Under the system of slavery in Roman times, slaves basically had no choice but to obey their masters absolutely:
a. How should Christian slaves be different from non-Christian slaves? (vv. 5-7)
b. These days, most of us live in a free society, not as slaves but as employees or servants. How then should we apply these principles to our work?
c. What kind of reward is Paul referring to? (Matt. 16:27)
(9) Paul asks the Christian masters to treat their slaves “in the same way” (v. 9):
a. What does he mean?
b. What is the one thing that Paul highlighted to admonish the Christian masters?
c. Why?
d. Since slavery robs people of freedom and dignity and certainly is not God’s will, why does Paul not ask Christian masters to release their slaves at that time?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4)
When it comes to the disciplining of children, Proverbs 13:24 makes it very clear that, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”
We might dispute if it is still appropriate for us to use “the rod” (i.e. physical punishment) to discipline our children, but the fact remains, “discipline” must involve punishment and such punishment must be commensurate with the severity of the disobedience of the child. Failing to do so is not love, but hatred.
However, in 1st century Rome, “The paterfamilias (head of household) had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them” (pbs.org). The problem appears not so much with a lack of discipline of the children, but rather with inappropriate means or motives of discipline. As a result:
- Paul puts this instruction still under the previous heading of mutual submission out of reverence to Christ (5:21). That means even in our disciplining of children we do so with reverence to Christ — doing what He would have done to us.
- This also means that we do not exasperate our children which would include robbing our children of their dignity (as children of God) and disciplining them for no valid reason. Honestly, this was what I received from my father — often it was more for venting his frustration and anger than for my good.
- We are to “nurture them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord”. Clearly this points to using the word of God as the tool for instruction and admonition. This assumes that Christian parents, themselves, know and revere the word of God. Frankly, no one knows more of your true relationship with the Lord than the children under your roof. Food for thought!
6:10-20 — Fighting a Spiritual Battle
(1) Jesus has already pointed out to us that “the world hates us” (Jn. 15:18). Who are actually behind such hatred by the world? (v. 12)
(2) According to Peter, what is the goal of our true enemy in waging war with us? (1 Pet. 5:8)
(3) How then can we be strong enough to fight this spiritual battle? (vv. 10-11)
(4) What is meant by “the full” armor? Whose armor is it? (v. 13)
(5) What is meant by “the day of evil”? (see Note 1 below)
(6) Why are we told to “stand” only? (vv. 13-14; see Note 2 below)
(7) The full armor of God:
a. What is a belt for as part of the armor? (v. 14a)
b. Why does Paul liken truth to a belt?
c. What is a breastplate for as part of the armor? (v. 14b)
d. Why does Paul liken righteousness to a breastplate?
e. Feet are necessarily fitted with footwear for a soldier. Why does Paul liken the gospel of peace to a soldier’s footwear? (v. 15)
f. What does readiness mean?
g. What is a shield for as part of the armor? (v. 16)
h. Why does Paul liken faith to a shield?
i. What is a helmet for as part of the armor? (v. 17)
j. Why does Paul liken salvation to a helmet?
k. The only offensive weapon appears to be the sword:
- Whose sword is it? (v. 17)
- In what way is the word of God a sword? (Refer to Matt. 4:1-11 to see how the Lord uses the word of God as a weapon.)
l. Paul has not assigned any part of the armor to prayer. Consider then the following questions.
- Do you think prayer is, in fact, a vital part of the spiritual battle? Why or why not? (v. 18)
- Paul asks the brethren to intercede on his behalf in his spiritual battle. What should they pray? (vv. 19-20)
6:21-23 — Final Greetings
(8) How do the final greetings reveal the purpose of this letter?
(9) What is Paul’s final benediction to the Ephesian believers?
(10) How special is it?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
“It is not the day of the last battle at the end of the world, Rev. 20:7-9, (but) Paul has in mind the critical and decisive day which comes for each one of us, sometimes but once, again repeatedly, in which Satan pounces up us with all his forces”. (Lenski, 663)
Note
2:
“a Roman centurion, according to Polybius, had to be the kind of man who could be relied upon, when hard-pressed, to stand fast and not give way, and the same quality is necessary in the spiritual warfare.” (Bruce, 406-7)
“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.”(Eph. 6:13)
Paul ends his admonition to the church in Ephesus with reminding them of the reality of a Christian life—a life of spiritual warfare.
I find that one of Satan’s most effective strategies today is to fool Christians into believing that there is no spiritual warfare going on, and thus they do not bother to put on the “full armor of God.”
I know this is a familiar passage if you grew up in a church. In Sunday School, you would have drawn pictures of a Roman soldier in his armor. Allow me to consider with you a picture from the opposite angle—that of a Christian soldier who has not put on the full armor of God, and let us see what he might look like:
- A Christian soldier who does not put on his belt of truth is not one that does not know his Bible, but one that does not put it on, i.e. he is not practicing it. He is like the king with his invisible new dress—a most foolish soldier.
- A Christian soldier who does not put on his breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, but wears his own righteousness, is a tired soldier whose Christian life is one of misery.
- A Christian soldier who does not wear the gospel of peace has basically gone AWOL.
- A Christian soldier who does not take up his shield of faith—trusting in God’s faithfulness and power— is a most timid soldier, easily discouraged by the arrows of the evil one.
- A Christian soldier who does not put on the helmet of salvation is one who has lost his direction, because he has lost sight of eternity and fights only for the temporal.
- A Christian soldier who does not equip himself with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is one who has surrendered to his enemies.
- A Christian soldier who does not pray fervently is a very sick solider who is near his last breath.