Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Dressed For Protection-The Whole Armor of God

All of the references for this set of eight posts will be listed at the end.

Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Eph. 6:10–13

These are Paul’s words to the Ephesians, some of the most famous in all of the New Testament. The message is powerful and practical, beginning with his choice of words. In verse 11, he tells the Ephesians to “stand” against the wiles of the enemy, using a Greek word that means “to vigorously, strongly and actively oppose.”


In verse 12, the word used for “wrestle” is the same word used for that activity in the public games, indicating a very real battle. (See blog entries Wrestling Against Darkness Part 1 and 2 --- oct. 5-6 2009)


In verse 13, the word “withstand” has the connotation of being the last man standing. When the battle is over and the battlefield is littered with the dead and dying, the Ephesians were to be on their feet, victorious, and preparing for the next battle.

continued...

3 comments:

  1. I always enjoy learning about the greek words. Not sure if you take requests, but I once heard that in greek they use 5 words to describe all the different types of love that exist. Since in English only one word is used it would be good to clarify the mis-interpretations that occur.

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  2. Hi Kevin. There are several words for love in Greek. I'm out of town right now, but when I get back I can do a post on that. I don't have my books with me.

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