Paul, Pt. 16: “The Full Armor of God”

THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD (EPHESIANS 6:10-18)
According to a CBS News/New York Times Poll in the nineties, 64% or two thirds of Americans believe in the devil and 63 percent believe in demonic possession. A total of 72 percent of political conservatives believe in the devil, compared to 50 percent of liberals. And fewer Catholics believe than Protestants. Even 17 percent of those who say religion has no importance in their lives believe in the existence of the devil. 59 percent of Americans also believe the mind or body can be taken over by a demon or the devil. While a majority of all age groups believe in possession, younger adults are somewhat more likely to believe.
(“CBS Poll: Could It Be Satan? Yes”)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/04/30/opinion/main8407.shtml?source=search_story

In the new millennium, according to a 2005 Harris Poll, about 6 in 10 Americans, believe in the devil and hell, and about 7 in 10 believe in angels, heaven and the existence of miracles and of life after death.

Professor Appleby, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at Notre Dame, citing an academic study of sermons preached by parish priests in the 1980’s, showed that talk of Satan “had diminished markedly,” while far more emphasis was placed on topics like loving one's neighbor and being a good steward of the earth and its resources. E. Brooks Holifield, professor of American church history at Emory University, noted that among many Protestants, belief in the devil probably fell during “three big shifting points” with the emergence of theological liberalism in the 1830’s, the 1890’s and the 1920’s.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE5D61539F933A25756C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Is the devil a reality or fantasy? Is Satan a friendly ghost looking for someone to befriend or a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8)? What is your role and your responsibility in this spiritual warfare? What are the requirements and the risks of engagement? What are the resources and reserves that God has given us?

Recognize the Devil for Who He is
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:10-12)

A young inexperienced mouse went to look for food. Before he started out his wise old grandpa cautioned him, “Watch out, dear child, for our enemies!” The young mouse promised faithfully to do so and then dashed out into the barnyard. The first one he met was a rooster who stretched out his wings and, looking fierce, cried out in a terrible voice, “Cock-a-doodle-do!”

Scared out of his wits, the little mouse scurried back into his hole. “Grandpa, Grandpa! I’ve just met a terrible creature with a comb red as blood. When he saw me he threw back his head and screamed at me!” Grandpa smiled and said, “Foolish child! This is no enemy of ours! This was a rooster who crowed. You have nothing to fear from him!”

Taking heart the little mouse went out again and the first one he met was a turkey. He got so frightened when he looked at him that he ran back into the hole. “Oh Grandpa! he cried, trembling with fright. “I just saw a horrible black creature. He had yellow legs, a sharp beak and angry red eyes. When he saw me he shook his head and fiercely cried, “Gobble, gobble!”

Grandpa smiled, and chided, “Foolish child! He isn’t our enemy - he’s only a turkey! You will be able to recognize our enemy, the cat, by the humble way he carries himself. He keeps his head down and has beautiful golden eyes. His fur is smooth and he purrs ever so gently. When you meet him - run for your life!”

As in the end of one other epistle, Galatians (Gal 6:17), Paul concludes his epistle with a “finally” admonition, this time urging readers to “be strong” (en-dunamoo), literally meaning “empower” - “en” (in) plus “dunamoo” (strengthen). The word occurs a mere seven times in the Bible - six times employed by Paul (Rom 4:20, Eph 6:10, Phil 4:13, 1 Tim 1:12, 2 Tim 2:1, 4:17) and the last describing Paul’s growth in Acts (Acts 9:22). All seven instances refer to one’s spiritual enablement, and never to physical endurance. We are strengthened in God’s “mighty power,” not in our mortal passion or mental make-up.

Mighty (ischus) “power” (kratos, as in demo-crat, auto-crat, bureau-crat), or “dominion” in Greek (v 10), is used to describe God, and never Satan. The Bible tells us Satan has dominion, too, but never “mighty dominion.” His “dominion” is confined to death, which Christ has rendered this last stronghold and frontier powerless through His death (Heb 2:14). In contrast to Satan’s vanquished dominion, Christ’s dominion or might is described as glorious (Col 1:11), forever (1 Tim 6:16), forever and ever (1 Peter 4:11, 5:11), and “before all ages, now and forevermore!” (Jude 25).

The Greek name for the devil is diabolos – its corresponding verb means “to accuse” (Luke 6:1), or literally “throw thoroughly.” Also known as the adversary, the accuser (Rev 12:10) and the archenemy, he is a character mudslinger and murderer who loves nothing than to throw the darts, the book and the kitchen sink at you. Like Wile Coyote of the Road Runner fame, all Satan has are schemes (methodeia) or methods (v 11), not might (v 10). His traps or snares include scare tactics, psychological fears and mind (noema) games (2 Cor 2:11), using his trickery and not truth, authority (Luke 4:6) and not actual ability, and man’s desires and not actual doom to his advantage to ensnare believers. He is a bottom feeder and lowlife who feed on man’s fears, desires and temptations.

Christians are involved in an earthly “struggle,” or “wrestling” in Greek, not mere sparring, against the devil, who preys after those who are physically, spiritually and emotionally weak, the weary and the wounded. It is not a one rounder, a quick knockout, but a lengthy campaign. A struggle is a combat, a conflict and a clash, not a mere skirmish, a scuffle or a squabble.

The devil’s camp (v 12) includes “rulers” – Greek for “the beginning” - but only Jesus is “the Beginning and the End” (Rev 22:13), and the “authorities” (exousia – the jurisdiction) but only Jesus Christ our Savior deserves “glory, majesty, power and authority” for all ages, now and forevermore (Jude 25). By the way the phrase “He is able” applies only to God and no one in the Bible (Rom 14:4, 2 Cor 9:8, Rom 11:23, 2 Tim 1:12, Heb 11:9). The next word “powers of this dark world” (kosmo-krator) is literally “worldly-dominion.” This cosmo strength (v 12 “powers”) is contrasted with verse 11’s “mighty dominion,” which is all-compassing and all-inclusive. “Darkness” refers to a chaotic world without Jesus, who is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 11:9). Not merely the light, He is the great light (Matt 4:16) who gives light or shines on those living in darkness (Luke 1:79). “Darkness” has to do with the realm of Satan’s influence, but “evil” (vv 12, 13) had to the devil’s character.

Resist the Devil When Evil Days Come
13 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)

There was a large group of people. On one side of the group stood a man, Jesus. On the other side of the group stood Satan. Separating them, running through the group, was a fence. The scene set, both Jesus and Satan began calling to the people in the group and, one by one - each having made up his or her own mind - each went to either Jesus or Satan. This kept going. Soon enough, Jesus had gathered around him a group of people from the larger crowd, as did Satan.

But one man joined neither group. He climbed the fence that was there and sat on it. Then Jesus and his people left and disappeared. So too did Satan and his people. And the man on the fence sat alone. As this man sat, Satan came back, looking for something which he appeared to have lost. The man said, “Have you lost something?” Satan looked straight at him and replied, “No, there you are. Come with me.” “But”, said the man, “I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor him.” “That’s okay,” said Satan. “I own the fence.”

The biggest mistake in spiritual warfare is to be passive, pessimistic, paralyzed by the fear of the devil, ascribing and affording powers to the devil that are not his and that he possesses not, magnifying his power, making him invincible and minimizing your effectiveness. Unlike God, he is not omnipotent, omniscient or omnipresent; mighty, but not Almighty; powerful, but not overpowering; resistible and not irresistible. The devil has no power over believers who are delivered by God, dependent on Him and defended by Him. The devil will persecute (2 Cor 12:7), but he cannot prosecute (Rom 8:33); test us (Rev 2:10) but cannot touch us without permission from God, who enables us to triumph over temptation (1 Cor 10:13). He has wits (2 Cor 2:11), but not wisdom. He judges but God justifies.

There are two Greek words different from but related to each other for “stand” in this passage. The first is in verse 10 and 13 – the first and last “stand” of the passage – and the second is “stand your ground” in verse 13. “Stand the ground” (ant-histemi) literally means “against” (anti) “stand” (histemi) - or “withstand, adding “anti” to the regular word for “stand.” Other translations for “stand your ground” are “opposed” (Acts 13:8, Gal 2:11, 2 Tim 3:8, 3:8, 4:15), “resist” (Matt 5:39, Rom 9:19, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9), “rebel” (Rom 13:2, 13:2), “contradict” (Luke 21:15) and “stand up against” (Acts 6:10). The most famous translation (“resist”) is in James 4:7, which reads, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This resistance is very confrontational. The two concrete examples are Paul’s opposition to Peter’s refusal to eat with Gentiles for fear of the circumcision group (Gal 2:11-12), and Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses (2 Tim 3:8). God did not call us to be ghostbusters or exorcists, but He has provided us resources when the evil day comes. We are to face and not fear or flee; defy and not dread him. God has given us the power to rebuff, rebut, refute, rebuke (Zech 3:2) and reject him. Satan runs with his tail behind his back when we confront him.

The irony of fearing the devil is that the devil has more to fear than we have, and he fears our potential more than we fear his power. Remember, he derives strength only in our desires (John 8:44), deceits (Rev 12:9, 20:10) and disobedience (Acts 13:10). His power is borrowed, his prospect is bleak and his position and pride are bankrupt, busted and broke in Christ.

Repel the Devil with What You Have
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

As much as anyone, the great Reformation leader Martin Luther personalizes and details his battles with the devil. More than anyone his generation, Luther wrote extensively about his fear and fights with the devil. When he was translating the Bible into German, he threw inkwell at the devil who tormented him day and night, not giving him rest. The mark is on the wall is a tourist spot today. In his most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress is our God, he pronounces:
“And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.”

On another occasion, Luther said, “When the devil comes during the night to plague me, I give him this answer: ‘Devil, I must sleep now; for this is God's command: Work during the day, sleep at night.’ If he does not stop to vex me but faces me with my sins, I reply: ‘Dear devil, I have heard the record. But I have committed far more sins which do not even stand in your record. Put them down too…’ If he still does not stop accusing me as a sinner, I say to him in contempt: ‘Holy Satan, pray for me! You never have done anything evil and alone are holy. Go to God and acquire grace for yourself. If you want to make me righteous, I tell you: Physician heal yourself.’”

Since the devil is not of flesh and blood, physical weapons stand no chance against him. These include using one’s willpower, wisdom, work and ways. On the other hand, all the weapons listed in the passage are the devil’s worst nightmare. Foremost in the armor of God is the belt of truth (aletheia), fighting the father of lies with facts, not falsehood. People who peddle half-truths, white lies and true lies stand no chance against the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).

The next piece is the breastplate of righteousness, which counters Satan’s practices. 1 John 3:10 says, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right (righteous) is not a child of God.” The devil, as well as his followers, is
an enemy of all righteousness, as stated in KJV and NASB (Acts 13:10).

The third piece is the gospel of peace (eirene). Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

The shield of faith is to put out the flaming (puroo) missiles, spears or darts – plural - the devil throws at us. This is the defensive weapon. Faith is powerful because 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says that in later times some will abandon the “faith” and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Christ’s soldier cannot enter the battlefield without the helmet of salvation. As in the movies, sometimes the enemies volley missiles in the air when the direct approach to the heart does not work. God appointed us to receive salvation in Christ and not to suffer wrath (1 Thess 5:9), which will be unleashed in the end days in its fury (Rev 19:15) upon the beast and the false prophet (Rev 19:20) and finally, the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan (Rev 20:3).

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is the offensive weapon. The word of God is the only offensive weapon in the armory. In the classic and first encounter between Jesus and Satan, the Lord thrice quotes Scriptures to the devil’s face (Matt 4:4, 7, 10). 1 John 2:14 also records, “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” Another way to put it: truth is the believer’s profession, righteousness is his practice and peace his presence; faith is perseverance in God’s word, salvation is His promise and the sword His power.

Finally, to top it off with prayer; not only praying, but praying and watching (“alert”) – the two participles in verse 18. Also, the word “all” occurs thrice in verse 18 - prayer on all occasions, not just when evil comes; and on all (missing in NIV) alert and for all saints, not just for yourself. The first is about “when,” the second on “how” and the third concerns “who” – the time (when), followed by the mindset (how) and then the participants (who). True prayer is incessant, intense and intercessory.

Conclusion: It’s been said, “Never give the devil a ride. He'll always want to drive.” Are you a true dragon- and devil slayer? Are you awake or asleep? Are you carrying ammunitions or accessories in your armor? Are your weapons sharpened and brandished, or are they rusted, dulled and blunted? Are you in training or out of touch? Are you fat or are you fit in the spiritual battle? Are you fighting in your strength or in God’s power and with others’ intercession? Are you a warrior, a watchman and a witness, or are you a weakling, a wimp and a wanderer? Do you have weapons or do you merely have wishes?