Bible Study - Ephesians 6:11-13
Highlight – The passage you will be covering in this study
“11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” Ephesians 6:11-13 (CSB)
Explain – Explain what this passage says
Let's break this one down verse by verse. In verse 11 Paul writes “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.” What's he saying here? When you are getting ready to go into battle what kind of preparation should you take? Will your belt block the assault of who you're battling? Would throwing your helmet at the enemy stop the attack? Will you be able to fully protect yourself with just a few of the things available? It would not be wise to try these things. To be victorious against an opponent as experienced as the devil you have to use the right defense & weapons for all the ways he might attack.
He tells us that to we are to put on the full armor of God. What is the full armor of God? The answer to that question comes a couple verses later. Verses 14-17 describe the full armor of God. They say, “14Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”
First he tells us to gird our waist with truth. Another translation calls us to put on the “belt of truth”. Why do we need truth to battle the enemy? We need truth because Satan is the father of lies & that's a weapon he will use whenever he gets a chance. He tells lies to deceive us. In the many years the devil has been doing this he has gotten very, very good at it.
Where do we go to find this truth we need to combat the devil? To fully understand that let's take a closer look at the word truth Paul uses here.
The word translated truth is the Greek word aletheia (al-ay'-thi-a). In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This verse also uses the word aletheia. The same word is used in John 17:17 which says “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”.
Looking at these two verses we see that Jesus is truth AND God's Word is truth. How can that be? How can a person & a Word be the same thing? John 1:14 tells us “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God's Word & is full of truth. Jesus is the Word & the Word is truth.
By having a strong relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ we have the truth to overcome the evil lies of Satan. God wants us to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, as well as for the benefit of those to whom we witness. No one will believe us if we are known to be liars. We want our reputations to be righteous & trustworthy.
The belt of a Roman soldier in Paul’s day was not just a leather strap like the ones we wear today. It was a heavy leather & metal band with a protective piece hanging down from it. The belt held the soldier’s sword & other weapons. The belt of truth in spiritual armor holds the sword of the Spirit, which links truth to the Word of God.
What's the next thing Paul writes about in the armor of God?
Next he writes about the breastplate of righteousness. Couple things to talk about here. First, why is the breastplate an important thing for someone going into battle to have on? What does it do? What's it protecting? A breastplate shields a warrior’s vital organs from blows that could be fatal. Not many warriors would survive a direct attack to the heart, lungs, or other organs that the breastplate would be protecting. That's why Paul urged warriors in Christ to put on this armor.
It's a “breastplate of righteousness”. How do we get this righteousness? Whose righteousness is it? The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross. At salvation, a “breastplate” is issued to each repentant sinner. God assigns Jesus' righteousness to us when we ask for Him to come to our hearts. It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil & deception. Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan’s attacks. The breastplate of righteousness has Christ’s name stamped on it. Jesus is telling us, “Your righteousness isn’t strong enough to protect you. Here, wear mine.”
What does he tell us next about the armor of God? What else are we to put on?
Verse 15 tells us we are to “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” Another translation says “have you feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.” Why is it important to have our sandals/boots on & be ready? Having them on shows that we are always ready to advance the gospel message. We have to have our footwear on in order to march into Satan's territory. Satan has many obstacles placed along the path to stop the spread of the gospel. The enemy wants us to think that telling others the good news of the gospel is a worthless act. But always having our sandals on shows that we know otherwise. Many times soldiers in combat sleep with their boots on to be ready to fight at any minute. The message of God's love & grace is essential to winning souls to Christ.
We've covered the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, & sandals on our feet. What does Paul tell us next is in the armor of God?
He writes about the “shield of faith” that protects us against flaming arrows the enemy throws at us. This shield of faith makes Satan’s attempts at planting seeds of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word ineffective. Our faith is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and impenetrable. With this solid faith the lies the devil fires at us will not enter to our heart & will be rendered useless. Faith is a protective barrier between us and the schemes of Satan.
What's the next item in the armor of God?
The final 2 items are listed in verse 17. It says “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
What is the helmet of salvation & why is it important?
Helmets are protection of the head & mind. The helmet of salvation is keeping a critical part of the body safe from attack. The head is the location of the mind, which, when it is sure of the gospel promise of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations. The unsaved person has no hope of defense from false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation & his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth & spiritual deception. The assurance of salvation is our impenetrable defense against anything the devil has in his arsenal to use for attack. As we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet & buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is a state that His children enjoy continuously. It's daily protection & deliverance from our sin nature & from Satan’s schemes. It's a vital part in the full armor of God.
We are almost fully suited up in the armor of God. We've talked about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, sandals on our feet, the shield of faith, & the helmet of salvation. What is the final item listed in the armor of God? The last part of the armor of God is “the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God”. This is the only weapon of offense listed in the armor of God. All the others are for defense from attacks of the enemy; but the sword of the spirit is a tool we have to use to attack. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. The battle we are in is a spiritual battle & not a physical one. A greater spiritual weapon than God's holy Word does not exist. In Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. When the devil tried to tempt or attack Jesus He would respond by telling Satan, “It is written...” What a blessing that the same Word is available to us!
God refers to His Word as a sword in Hebrews 4:12. Here the Word is described as living, active, & sharper than a double-edged sword. The Roman sword was commonly made this way. The fact that it had two edges made it easier to penetrate, as well as to cut in every way. The idea is that in piercing, or penetrating; the Word of God reaches to the very heart of the matter, and lays open the motives and feelings of those it touches.
The purpose of the sword of the Spirit, the Bible, is to make us strong & able to withstand the evil onslaughts of our enemy Satan. The Holy Spirit uses the power of the Word to save souls and then to give them spiritual strength to be mature soldiers for the Lord in fighting this corrupt and evil world in which we live. The more we know & understand the Word of God, the more useful we will be in doing the will of God & the more effective we will be in standing against the enemy of our souls.
In the scripture we are looking at, the “full armor of God” is the majority of the study. Verse 12 tells us more about the realm of the enemy we are combatting. It says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” This verse points out that the deepest struggles we face in life are not of the physical nature but of supernatural powers, rulers, & authorities in the heavens. The physical weapons we have are useless against these enemies.
Verse 13 says, “For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” It tells us to be fully protected against the enemy we must put on the full armor of God & be immediately ready to face attack whenever it should happen. We can't pick & choose what we suit up with. We need the full armor of God!
Apply – How does this passage apply to life today?
How many military attacks are successful without much preparation beforehand? Leaders get the soldiers prepared in every way they can. Given that this battle is in the supernatural realm physical weapons will be useless to those who are fighting for the mission of the Lord. We must be ready to go to battle at all times.
The eternal enemy is Satan & his demons. They are in rule of the darkness. Today this Earth is getting darker every day. Satan's forces are raging against God's people & His ways. We definitely need the protection of the armor of God.
Where do we find the armor of God? Can we find it on Amazon, at Wal-Mart, or the local grocery store? Where do we go to buy it? How much will it cost?
It will cost us nothing to receive the full armor of God; it is a gift from our Heavenly Father. Its been paid for by Jesus & His sacrifice. All we have to do is willingly accept the gift. At the moment of salvation God comes to be with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Having a strong relationship with the Lord through the Spirit is crucial to having an effective life in His Kingdom. The Spirit is also the source of the armor we've talked about. Jesus is truth & we find truth in Him. Jesus hands us His breastplate when we become His spiritual brother.
We feel the need to be ready at all times when we know the urgency of the matter in this wicked world. Salvation is needed by so many & the end is near. Being this urgent of a call we want to have our feet sandaled all the time.
As we wear the helmet of salvation every day, our minds become more insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps the enemy lays for us. We choose to guard our minds from excessive worldly influence & instead think on things that honor Christ. In doing so, we wear our salvation as a protective helmet that will guard our hearts & minds in Christ Jesus.
The final item listed in the armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God has graciously provided His true Word for us in the Holy Bible. The Word of God is spiritual nourishment we should be taking in every day. Through it He tells us all we need to know about living according to His will. The entire Bible has been translated into 704 languages & portions have been translated into over 3000!
We can't say that we don't have the Word because technology has made it more available than ever. We can get dozens of free Bible apps on our phone & any other device we have. Satan hates that because it makes us more ready to battle with him.
We are in a world where the eternal enemy of Satan is attacking God's people in so many ways. It seems like man is more wicked than ever. How are we to defend ourselves against these powerful attacks? We are to obey the Word of God & put on the full armor He has provided. If we are to be effective people in the Kingdom of God we have to use the tools He's provided to defend ourselves against the devil's attacks & pick up the Sword of the Spirit, the Holy Bible, & use it as often as opportunity presents itself.
Respond – Respond in prayer
Gracious Heavenly Father,
I ask that you would strengthen my body with holy light and strengthen my soul by putting the armor of God upon me for protection.
I pray you will protect me from all evil and danger as I go out into this world to do your work. Help me to stay strong against temptation and the works of the devil. I pray to be ready for your son’s return and to please you in all ways, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I ask that you would strengthen my body with the Holy Spirit. Hold me safe and keep me from harm with your armor. All glory & honor to Your holy name. Amen.
Takeaway – What truths do we takeaway from this study?
We are unable to defend ourselves from satanic attacks without protection from God.
God has given those who come to Him all we need to shield ourselves from attack
We must put on the armor of God to be effective disciples of Christ
What are some other truths we've learned from this study?
