Commentary on Ephesians 6:10-20

There is a cosmic sweep to this Letter which goes right through it and it is on that note that we conclude our readings from Ephesians today. Paul describes the spiritual and Christian life as a battle not only against the realities of this world, but also against spiritual powers which are alien to God. We cannot deal with these powers on our own. Rather, we can only do so with the help and support of God’s invincible power. He says:

…be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power…

Paul’s vision throughout the Letter has been cosmic. He has referred constantly to the unseen world, which was very real to people living in a world whose cosmology was very different from ours. He now sees the Christian life as a battle with these:

…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

He says that one should:

put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

Isaiah describes God as arming himself against his enemies and it is with these arms that Christians, too, are to equip themselves. The reason is that our real enemies are not ” blood and flesh”, creatures of the earth, but powerful spiritual beings in the world that we cannot see.

They are the source of darkness in our world. They are “cosmic powers” who were thought to move the stars and, consequently, the universe. The Jerusalem Bible comments:

“They live in ‘the heavens’ or in ‘the air’, that is, the space between the surface of the earth and the heaven where God lives… They disobeyed God and want to enslave the human race to themselves in sin… If Christians are armed with the power of Christ, they will be able to fight them.”

Against such forces only the “armour of God” is effective:

…so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.

The image is not that of a massive invasion of evil, but of individual soldiers resisting an assault.

Although our modern world does not see the cosmos as filled with such superhuman creatures (although they still live in our science-fiction movies), the weapons that Paul will recommend are just as practical now as they were then.

What exactly is the armour he is thinking about? First, there is truth (“belt your waist”) and integrity—”the breastplate of righteousness”. These are indeed powerful weapons. With truth, we are on the side of God. The evil spirit is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). With integrity there is perfect transparency and no shadow of deceit or dissimulation. What the evil spirit dreads is to have light shone on the darkness where he hides. These are truly effective weapons.

The “breastplate of righteousness” is another effective defence against evil. God himself is symbolically described as putting on a breastplate of righteousness when he goes forth to bring about justice.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing
and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle. (Isaiah 59:17)

Also needed are feet on which you:

…lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace.

While the feet of those who bring good news in Isaiah are seen running barefoot, here the image is more of the strong shoes of the Roman soldier enabling the wearer to cover long distances. What is called for here is an eagerness or zeal to proclaim and spread the Gospel and a strong faith in God and Christ. Faith is seen as a protective shield which, when soaked in water, can easily quench the flaming arrows of the enemy.

God’s saving work in us is our “helmet of salvation”, and the “word of God” (the Scriptures) is the sword of the Spirit with which to fight the enemy. The helmet both protected the soldier and was a striking symbol of military victory. And in a way, most important of all, is to:

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.

We need to pray night and day for each other. And Paul also asks especially that they:

Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Prayers for him, so that even in captivity he can continue to uncover to others the mystery of the Good News.

The “sword of the Spirit” and the need to pray are reminders that we are engaged in a spiritual battle to be fought in God’s strength boosted by the Word of God and prayer. We, too, need to arm ourselves with the protecting qualities mentioned here so that we can live an effective Christian life in an environment where there are so many threatening influences. We need to pray for each other and give each other the support we need to remain faithful to the spirit of the Gospel. Above all, we need some of Paul’s courage to speak out boldly and not be ashamed to share our faith.