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There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at Galatians 5:19-23 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group.

So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from Galatians 5:19-23.

The Fruit of the Flesh in Galatians 5:19-23; 6:8

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8).

The church in Galatia was divided over the issue of circumcision. Some argued that circumcision was required by God, while others said that it was not. Paul wrote to the Galatians to weigh in on this matter.

The term flesh often refers to the tendency of humans to focus primarily on fleshly, material matters for decision making, and when it comes to religion, to focus only on external behaviors and actions as a way of deciding who was in the right with God and who was not.

The Circumcision of the Flesh

The issue of circumcision is a perfect example of how religious zeal for an external behavior causes some to judge, condemn, and divide from others people. Some were even accusing, cursing, and condemning others over the issue of circumcision (see Accursed).

The letter to the Galatians is one of the places where Paul exhibits some profound humor and wit. Since the word flesh can euphemistically refer to the male sex organ, and since the Galatians were giving in to their fleshly desire to separate from one another over the external religious behavior of circumcision, Paul uses the term flesh to refer to both the male sex organ and the religious issue of circumcision.

So, for example, in once place Paul writes that if cutting a bit of skin away from one’s “member” makes them more spiritual than others, maybe they could become super spiritual by cutting everything away and emasculating themselves (Galatians 5:12).

This is theological humor at its finest! Paul makes a dick joke to reveal the infertility of fleshly thinking. Cutting some flesh from the male sex organ does nothing to make a person morally or spiritually superior to others. Neither the flesh nor the cutting of it produces the righteousness of God.

The Fruit of the Flesh

There is something, however, that the flesh does produce. Paul lists the “fruit” (or offspring) of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. And while many of the behaviors listed in these verses are sexual sins (adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness), most of the behaviors listed are those that come from a sense of moral and religious superiority over others (hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders).

Paul’s point is that cutting a bit of skin from one’s body does nothing to make one more righteous and holy before God, but in fact, can lead to the exact opposite. What matters, therefore, is cutting away the behaviors and attitudes from one’s life that are damaging and destructive toward others.

This is why Paul encourages the Galatians to not be led by their “flesh,” but by the Spirit, which will result in character and behaviors like that of Jesus Christ.

To put it crassly, Paul is saying, “Don’t be led by a dick; be led by the Spirit.” To truly accomplish God’s will in our lives, we must follow the example of Jesus and the spirit of the law by practicing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Such things are the true signs of a godly person.

This is the point Paul makes in the concluding remarks of the main body of his letter. In Galatians 6:8 he writes that sowing with the flesh results only in corruption, while sowing with the Spirit leads to everlasting life. The image of sowing seed with the flesh is another euphemism.

While the flesh is not evil, it cannot produce the righteous life that God wants and desires for His children. Christians cannot accomplish what God really desires for us in life by focusing on external and physical religious rituals such as circumcising the male sexual organ. Only a life led by the Spirit can produce what the Spirit of God wants in our lives.

At the end of the Galatians 6:8, Paul says that sowing in the Spirit allows us to reap everlasting life. This does not mean that living by the Spirit allows a person to gain or earn eternal life for themselves. Instead, Paul’s terminology is parallel to the terminology in Galatians 5:23 where he writes about inheriting the kingdom of God.

Since inheriting the kingdom of God means experiencing the rule and reign of God in our lives now, reaping eternal life also refers to experiencing some aspects of eternal life here and now.

Eternal life begins the moment we believe in Jesus for it, and while the full experience of eternal life awaits glorification in our resurrected bodies, we can begin to experience eternal life now by how we live as followers of Jesus. Just as we will live in light of spiritual realities for eternity, we can experience eternity now by living in light of these spiritual realities now.

What do you think of this explanation of the fruit of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-23? Let me know in the comments below!

Understanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

What is the “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58?

By Jeremy Myers

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There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from 1 Corinthians 15:35-58.

The “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds (1 Corinthians 15:39).

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:50).

One of the first things to note about Paul’s discussion of the bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 is that he uses the term flesh in reference not only to the human, physical body (sarx and sōma are used interchangeably in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58), but also to the physical body of animals, fish, and birds (1 Corinthians 15:39). If flesh referred to some sort of sinful nature, this text would seem to indicate that animals, fish, and birds also have a sinful nature. Since they do not, it is better to see Paul’s references to flesh as basically synonymous to the physical body made of skin, muscles, and blood.

And yet, as seen in other biblical references, the flesh is more than just the physical body. It also includes the desires and habits of the physical body. This fits perfectly with Paul’s description of the flesh of animals, birds, and fish. Animals are not only different from humans in their physical composition, but also in their fleshly desires, instincts, and habits. This confirms again that flesh is not inherently sinful, but is simply a purely physical, and therefore limited, way of looking at the world and living in it.

God’s Goal for our Flesh

Paul states that our goal, or destiny, is to have our natural bodies become like the spiritual body of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:42-49). He writes that the natural body comes from dust in the likeness of Adam, but the spiritual body comes from heaven in the likeness of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:47).

This clearly means that the spiritual body is superior to the natural body. But it does not mean that the natural body is inherently sinful or evil. After all, Jesus had a natural body, and even after His resurrection, His spiritual body was not incorporeal, but was material. He could eat and be touched, but could also pass through walls.

Paul’s point is that the spiritual body of the resurrection is still a physical body, but it will differ in various ways from the natural body we have right now.

Nowhere in this text is a condemnation of the material, fleshly body.

Paul’s only point is that we have one type of body now, and we will have a different type of body in the resurrected stated. It will be more in tune with the things of the Spirit, but it will still be a physical body.

Flesh Cannot Inherit the Kingdom of God?

In regard to life lived according to the flesh, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

It is important to remember first of all that the phrase “inherit the kingdom of heaven” is not equivalent to “going to heaven when we die.” Inheriting the kingdom of heaven is an experience that can be obtained here and now, in this life, before we die. It refers to the practical, day-to-day experience of the rule and reign of God in our lives now.

So when Paul writes about our flesh not being able to experience the rule and reign of God in our lives now, he is pointing out the truth he has written about previously (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:1-4) that life lived according to the flesh is limited in its understanding about how to properly live this life.

Those who live according to the flesh are focused solely on their own physical needs and desires, without any attention given to spiritual truths and godly perspectives. Yes, the fleshly perspective may also include religious zeal for outward obedience to laws and regulations, but such zeal reveals a gaping ignorance of what God really wants from His people.

The spiritual perspective, as seen in Jesus, is one of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness, and it is this perspective which allows a person to experience the rule and reign of God in their lives now. This perspective will be the only perspective we have in eternity with our glorified spiritual bodies, so as we begin to live in this perspective now, we also begin to gain a preview and foretaste of eternity.

So while the flesh in 1 Corinthians 15 primarily refers to the physical bodies of humans and animals, Paul develops this idea to show that while our resurrected bodies will still be physical, they will also be fully in tune to spiritual realities.

When a person is focused solely on the physical side of life, which includes a zeal for man-made religion, they cannot experience the kingdom of heaven in their life. It is only as we embrace the spiritual principles of love and forgiveness as revealed in Jesus that we will begin to experience all that God wants for us.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

What is the “Flesh” in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4?

By Jeremy Myers

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There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.

The Flesh in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another says, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

The primary theme of 1 Corinthians concerns the actions, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of spiritual (Gk., pneumatikois) people versus the fleshly or carnal (Gk., sarkinois) people. Paul seeks to correct the Corinthian understanding of both ways of living. On the one hand, spiritual living does not mean that a person rejects the material world and engages in practices that makes one appear more spiritual to others. Instead, the spiritual person is a mature Christian who knows that all things in life are good, pleasing, and holy if accepted with thanks, and that true spirituality is shown through love and service toward others rather than through ecstatic experiences.

The carnal person, then, is the opposite of the spiritual person. The carnal person may appear to be quite “spiritual” and religious, but they are unable to grasp, understand, or practice the greater truths of Christianity which lead us lay down our lives for others in love and service to them. The carnal, or fleshly person is not necessarily one who gives in to the passions and lusts of the flesh, but is rather one who thinks that the chills and thrills of ecstatic religion makes them superior to others.

This is the truth Paul emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. Paul indicates that the Corinthian Christians are carnal, fleshly, and therefore, were not able to receive some of the more important truths about following Jesus that he would have liked to teach them. As indications of their carnality, Paul points to the “envy, strife, and divisions” among them. While such behaviors certainly are sinful, the context reveals what precisely was leading to these divisions within the Corinthian church.

The Corinthian church was dividing over who was a better teacher, Paul or Apollos, and who were better Christians based on whether they followed Paul or Apollos. Paul says that these sorts of religious arguments are sure indicators of a carnal mind. The spiritual person is one who overlooks such differences and works to live in love and unity with one another, as we all grow together into the church that God wants, built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:5-17).

It is indeed true that some of the Corinthian Christians were engaging in sinful sensuality (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9-10). But when Paul uses a word to describe this sort of behavior, he does not use the word “flesh” to describe this behavior, but the word “unrighteous” (1 Corinthians 6:9). Yes, fleshly, carnal thinking leads to unrighteous behavior, which is why Paul instructs the Corinthians to hand a man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5; see Satan for a discussion of what this means).

Fleshly thinking is not identical to unrighteous living, but is rather a cause of it. When a person puffs themselves up through religious pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness, this mentality eventually leads them into various forms of unrighteousness.

So even here in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, the flesh is not described as sensual living, or any sort of “sin nature,” but is instead the religious mindset that causes people to condemn and accuse others in God’s name. It is a religious sense of superiority based on external behaviors such as ecstatic utterances and fervent conformity to religious laws. It is this same idea that Paul expands upon in more detail in 1 Corinthians 15:35-50, where he writes about the resurrection.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

What is the “Flesh” in Romans 6:19?

By Jeremy Myers

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There is no such thing as a “sin nature.” The Bible never refers to the “sin nature.” It is a myth of modern theology. However, the Bible DOES teach a lot about the “flesh.” This study looks at Romans 6:19 (and other passages from Romans) to learn what the flesh actually is, and what we are to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

So let us see what we can learn about the flesh from Romans 6:19 and other texts.

The Flesh in Romans 6:19

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh …

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

… So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

The concept of flesh is prominent in the Pauline epistles. In general, when Paul refers to the flesh, he is referring to “the whole of man’s physical existence” (TDNT, VII:125). This not only includes the tissue that makes up the body, but also a person’s mental capacities, inner anxieties, and physical strength. For Paul, the term flesh “describes earthly life in its totality” (TDNT, VII:126).

As a result of this way of thinking, Paul frequently differentiates between the earthly life of the flesh and the heavenly life of the Spirit. The earthly life is not inherently evil or hostile to God; it is simply limited in its scope and understanding. The early life of the flesh lacks all of the information needed to make proper decisions about what is important in life and how to understand the events of life.

So, for example, when Paul writes in Romans 6:19 about speaking in human terms because of the weakness of the flesh, he is simply saying that he is describing how life works from physical, earthly, and human perspective. When humans sin, we do not think we are giving up our freedom to the sin. To the contrary, sin often seems quite liberating. But Paul point out that this is only because of the weakness of our flesh (or mind, in this case), to understand what is really happening.

We only gain proper perspective about slavery to sin and freedom in the Spirit through the regeneration that comes as a result of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-14). The spiritual awakening and understanding that comes through Spirit baptism helps us see the world, ourselves, and our slavery to sin in a whole new light. Prior to this awakening, the flesh is unable to fully comprehend or grasp the danger of giving ourselves over to sin. But the way of slavery to sin is the way that leads to death (Romans 6:21-23).

This concept of ignorant flesh leading to sin and death is further explained in Romans 7.

The Flesh in Romans 7:5, 25

In Romans 7, Paul also shows how the law works together with the flesh to bring about sin and death. The flesh, being ignorant of the ways of the Spirit, loves to focus on externals as a way to determine what is right and wrong. The law is only concerned with external actions and behaviors. One can keep the whole law, and yet still not have the true, inner change of heart that is wanted and desired by God. This is why God did not want or desire to give the law to the people of Israel. He wanted a relationship based on love, rather than a religion based on law.

But when the law is followed in the blindness of the flesh, it leads a person to think that they are doing what God wants, and are therefore, “in the right” with God. It further allows people to judge, accuse, and condemn other people for not obeying the law. Such condemnation and accusation leads them into a life of death. They themselves do not accomplish what God actually wants in life, but instead die to His purposes and plans for them.

Furthermore, as a result of their judgment of law-breakers, they feel justified in their zeal to call for the condemnation and killing of people whom they view as the enemies of God. The law and flesh work together to create a religion based on death. The “sinful passions” that Paul speaks of in Romans 7:5, therefore, are not primarily the passions of lust and sensuality, but the zealous passions of religion which lead people to kill and condemn in God’s name.

In Romans 7:25, Paul contrasts the law of God with the law of sin. His mind, that is, his spiritual mind, serves the law of God, but his flesh serves the law of sin. Paul has already pointed out that the law of sin is the religious Mosaic Law that is based on externals. This means that the law of God cannot be the same as the religious law. Rather, the law of God is a spiritual law written upon the heart of the regenerate person. It is not based on a list of things to do, but on a relationship of love for God and others.

The Flesh in Romans 8:6-7

As a result of living according to the law of God, all condemnation and accusation is done away with. We are not condemned; nor do we condemn (Romans 8:1-8). It is only the fleshly, carnal mind that is still focused on the externals of the religious law of sin that condemns and accuses others. This way of life, as Paul already stated, leads only to death for all involved.

But true life and liberty is found by allowing the Spirit to work with our mind and show us what God really wants for us in life (Romans 8:6-7). We live our best life when we do not allow our fleshly mind with its limited perspective to rule and dominate, but instead allow the illuminating Spirit to guide our thoughts and actions so that we love, accept, and forgive others, just as God loves, accepts, and forgives us (Romans 8:16-17, 26-39).

The carnal mind therefore, is not evil. It is not the “sin nature.” It is simply ignorant. It does not have all the information about God and His true will for lives. The carnally minded person sees only externals, and bases its life and actions toward others on the external commands of religious law.

But this way of living results only in death. It is death for the person because they are not “alive” as God intended or desired, and it is death for others because living according to the law of sin leads a person to condemn and kill others in the name of God. They think this is what God wants, but it is actually the opposite.

The spiritually minded person sees the whole truth, and knows that living like God means loving like God.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Study the Bible this Year

By Jeremy Myers

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I will be returning to publishing my Bible Studies and podcasts next week so you can learn the meaning of some tricky passages in Scripture. Hopefully these studies will continue to help you in your spiritual growth in 2020 the way they have for the past 20 years.

Can you believe it? I’ve been writing and teaching online for TWO DECADES!

If you want to study Scripture along with me and maybe even learn how to better study the Bible, let me recommend two resources.

1. Join my Discipleship Group

When you join my discipleship group, you get immediate access to ALL TEN of my online courses. Plus you get free ebooks, free audiobooks, and a numerous other resources to help you follow Jesus into the world.

One of the courses is about how to study the Bible. In this course, I walk you through some of the things you need to know to study the Bible and how I go about studying Scripture. This course is valued at $197, but you can start taking it for free after you join my discipleship group.

Can’t wait to see you there!

2. Get Logos Bible Software

Along with my ten courses, I’ve written nearly 20 books, and I publish a weekly podcast and blog article. People sometimes ask how I get so much done. One thing that has helped me is using Bible software. Right now, my preferred Bible software package is Logos Bible Software.

And for only two more days, you can get 20% off any of the base packages.

But that’s not all! Logos has extended their Christmas sale for two more days as well. Many of their best sets of commentaries and resources are now 40%-60% off. For example, you can get the entire NIV Application Commentary set (Old and New Testament) for only $399. This is 60% off the regular price of $999.

Furthermore, if you have Logos Bible Software, they are giving away three free books for Christmas.

If you already have Logos Bible Software, make sure you snap up those three free books today.

And guess what? I am partnering with Logos to give you even MORE free books. If you purchase Logos Bible Software through my partner page, they will give you five additional free bonus books. You can also use my Promo Code “REDEEMINGGOD8” at checkout to get these five free books as well.

And yes, when you buy through my link, Logos sends me a small referral commission. So this helps me out as well. Thanks!

I know this entire post sounds a bit like an advertisement. I’m sorry about that. But I want you to know that I would never recommend anything I don’t believe in or use in my regular study of Scripture. Logos Bible software is the best Bible study software suite available today. So if you want to study Scripture along with me in 2020, I highly recommend this Logos Bible software. Get it today and get studying!

If you have any questions about the software, let me know in the comments below.

See you in 2020!

Give the Gift of Bible Study for Christmas!

By Jeremy Myers

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I read and study Scripture every day, not only for personal and spiritual growth, but also because I like to teach others what I have learned from the Bible.

As I study, I normally like to read and study using paper books, but in recent years, I have found that Bible study software is increasingly helpful. Bible study software reduces the time I spend reading and studying, and also helps me use the powerful search functions.

In the past, I have used two different Bible study software resources: BibleWorks and Logos Bible Software. I used BibleWorks for Greek and Hebrew studies, and Logos Bible Software for everything else.

But BibleWorks has gone the way of the Dodo. They shut down last year and will no longer be selling their software.

Thankfully, Logos has me covered. They have an excellent suite of original language tools for my Greek and Hebrew studies.

So if you are looking for a good piece of software to help you study Scripture, the choice is easy: Logos Bible Software is the way to go.

I’m telling you this because right now, they have a great bunch of sales running for Christmas. They have the 12 Days of Logos Christmas where some of their most popular study resources and commentary sets are on HUGE discounts. Some sets are 80% off!

If you don’t yet have Logos Bible Software, you can get it through my link here and get a discount off any of the software packages. And when you use my link, you also get several free books to go along with your purchase.

I do want to tell you that if you use my link, I get a referral commission. But I would never recommend something to you that I do not use or endorse. So when you use my link, you get a good discount and free books, and you also support the work I am doing through my own teaching and writing. Thank you!

Logos Bible Software would be a great gift to give to someone for Christmas. Maybe to your pastor, parent, or seminary student in your life! Just chat with the good people over at Logos about how to give the gift of Logos to someone else for Christmas. And if you talk to them, remember to mention me and my referral code: REDEEMINGOD8

And remember to take advantage of the 12 days of Logos Christmas sales! I have never seen these sets of books priced this low! Merry Christmas!

Speaking with God in Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:18-20)

By Jeremy Myers

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Although we have already learned about the six pieces of spiritual armor which Paul mentions in Ephesians 6, there is still one vitally important element left. It is not exactly a piece of the armor, but it is nevertheless, still essential for victory on the field of battle.

It is the ability we have to call in “air support” from heaven. It is prayer. Prayer is the messaging system between God and ourselves.

In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul writes about prayer. He writes about the importance of communicating with God and allowing God to communicate with us.

As we look at this final element of the spiritual warfare, we will consider it as we have the six pieces of armor. We will look at how messaging worked for the Roman military, how it works for us as soldiers of Jesus Christ, and then finally, how we can start communicating better with God and allowing Him to communicate with us.

Messaging for the Soldier

Communication is key on the field of battle. Commanders need to send instructions to their solders, and the different commanders of different units need to communicate with each other to coordinate their attacks and to help each other out as needed.

To achieve these goals, the Roman military used a variety of methods for sending messages. When they needed to send a message over a short distance, they would use runners. Roman officers always had a team of runners whose job it was to carry messages from one part of the battlefield to another. They would deliver these messages either verbally or with waxed tablets.

But sending a runner was not always the best option. Runners could not be used when the distance was too far, when the message was too urgent, or when enemy forces were in the way. So the Roman military devised an ingenious solution for such situations. They developed a system of communication which could quickly send short messages over long distances and even to other units that were separated from the main force.

The Romans developed an early form of text messaging using two sets of five flags. The flags were bright red with the numbers 1-5 painted on them, and were fixed to poles about 12 feet in length. The military then arranged the Latin alphabet into a grid of five columns and five rows, assigning each letter to one box on the grid.

So the “A” was in the first box which had a numerical value of 1-1 (Row 1, Column 1), the “B” in the second box with a numerical value of 1-2 (Row 1, Column 2), the “C” in the third box with a numerical column of 1-3 (Row 1, Column 3), and so on. Then they would send letter-by-letter messages using the numerical values of the alphabet. At night, they used torches instead of flags to accomplish the same goal, raising one to five torches to indicate the rows and columns.

To send a message, the sending side simply had to spell it out using the flags and alphabetical grid. The receiving side would write the message down on a wax tablet and pass it on to the commander.

With such methods, the Roman army was able to communicate back and forth. Commanders could send messages to each other and to their soldiers, and in so doing, all the parts could work together as a unified whole. This was one of the things that helped the Roman military gain victory on the field of battle.

The downside to this sort of messaging was that it was time consuming and could only be used to send short messages. Rather than send a message which said, “The enemy is in full retreat with our legions in pursuit,” they would instead say, “Enemy retreat.”

Even that short message would take a minute or two to send. But it was better than no messaging at all.

However, in Ephesians 6:18-20, if Paul is indeed hinting at another tool that is at our disposal for spiritual warfare, then the method of messaging that is available to us is not time consuming, is not slow, and is not for short messages only. Let us look at what this form of messaging is for the Christian.

Messaging for the Christian

In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul invites his readers to pray. Prayer is the Christian form of messaging. It is how we receive messages from God, and send our messages to Him. Prayer is how we ask for help, make our needs known, and seek help for other people around us.

This is the third time Paul has written about prayer in his letter to the Ephesians. He previously asked for prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23 and then again in Ephesians 3:14-21. So Paul mentions prayer at the beginning, middle, and end of his letter.

For Paul, prayer is the beginning, middle, and end of life and ministry. And in all three of these section, Paul writes that one of the main things he prays for, and one of the main things the Ephesian Christians should pray for, is power. Power from God. Power for our lives. Power to live. Power to defeat the enemy.

Why power? Because are engaged in spiritual warfare, and if we are going to stay on our feet against the enemy forces arrayed against us, we are going to need power. And one of the best ways to receive power is to pray for it. Prayer is what enables us to fight back against the enemy.

In his book (#AmazonAdLink) Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote that this world is enemy-occupied territory and that Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. And it is primarily through prayer that much of this sabotage takes place.

But many Christians don’t think of prayer as warfare activity in which we sabotage the enemy’s plans and goals. This is seen in where and how most Christians pray. The attitude of many Christians is that prayer should be a peaceful, soothing practice.

I have been in churches where there are prayer closets. Some people’s homes have prayer corners, or prayer nooks. Usually, these areas have the dim lighting, cushioned seats, and padded kneelers. There is soft music playing above, some stained glass windows, a little counter for your Bible and pencils, and a cup holder for your latte.

But prayer is warfare activity. A prayer closet should be a foxhole, with sandbags and bullet shells. Why? Because prayer is not a leisure-time activity; it is a wartime activity. Prayer is not chatting on the phone with God as we stroll through a bed of tulips; it is the frantic radio calls of a platoon under heavy fire calling for air support: “God! Send help! We need your intervention, and we need it now, or we are not going to survive!”

It is often helpful to band together with other Christians in this sort of prayer. When the pioneers headed west, they would always situate their wagons into a circle to provide better protection. We should do that as well in prayer.

When we pray, it is wise and helpful to pray with others. This doesn’t make our prayers more powerful or effective, but it is helpful to know that we are not alone in calling to God for help. We are in a war and we need to pray like it.

So prayer the Christian form of military messaging. Through prayer, we communicate with our commander, calling for help and aid, and we also receive instructions and directions from Him, for how to proceed and what to do in battle. In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul provides several instructions about what to pray for and how to pray. So let us to see how to engage in messaging with God.

Messaging with God

(#AmazonAdLink) The greatest problem with prayer is that many Christians don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. Quite often, they have picked up some seriously bad habits about prayer from their parents, their pastor, or their church. In my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Prayer?, I write about a lot of these habits, and also explain why prayer should not be mysterious or difficult.

Prayer is not a magic incantation, where if you say the right words in the right way, God is required to act on your behalf. As I reveal in my book, prayer is nothing more (and nothing less!) than simply talking to God as you would talk to any other person.

And if prayer is simply a form of communication with God, then this means that prayer not only involves talking to God, but also involves allowing Him to talk to us. Prayer is not a monologue, but is a conversation with God.

So it is not surprising that in Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul writes about both aspects of prayer. Ephesians 6:18 provides instructions about talking to God in prayer, and Ephesians 6:19-20 gives instructions about how to hear from God. We will begin by looking at Ephesians 6:18, and how to communicate with God.

What is interesting about Ephesians 6:18 is that just as the Roman military used five numbered flags to help communicate with other parts of the military, Paul lists five things in Ephesians 6:18 about how to use prayer in spiritual warfare. Just as there were five flags in the Roman military, Paul lists five elements to praying as God wants. Let us consider them one at a time.

Perpetual Prayer (Ephesians 6:18a)

The first two words of verse 18 are praying always. The first aspect to warfare prayer is that it should be perpetual. We must constantly be in communication with God.

This is similar to what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “pray without ceasing.” This does not mean that we should always be on our knees praying, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But you can communicate with God about anything, at any time, and in any place.

You don’t kneel, close your eyes, and fold your hands when you talk to anyone else, so you don’t need to do this with God either. But you can talk to anyone else as you go for a walk, drive your car, work out, eat your meals, and go about your day. So also with God.

As we go about our day, we are to maintain a constant and perpetual sense of God’s presence and say in communication with Him always.

This is the truth that Brother Lawrence writes about in his book, (#AmazonAdLink) The Practice of the Presence of God. Since God is invisible, it does indeed take some practice to keep your mind and thoughts focused on the presence of God throughout your day. But it can be done.

As you begin to develop the recognition that God is always be your side, and you can always be in communication with Him, you will come to realize that He wants to have an ongoing dialogue with you. As this happens, you will find that all of your thoughts can be transformed into prayers.

As you drive to work, you can thank him for the job you have, and the car to get there. As you walk your dog, you can thank him for the companionship of animals, the beauty of the clouds in the sky and the birds in the trees. As you eat your lunch, you can thank him for the food and the wonder of taste. And whenever you face struggles, fears, questions, doubts, or temptations, you can cry out to God for help, strength, courage, and the power to resist.

Another key to aid you in praying without ceasing is to do away with the set times and places for prayer. I personally recommend doing away with prayer closets and prayer meetings. Such places and times subconsciously train us to hold off on praying until we are in one of those places and at one of those times.

When we become aware of a need in the life of a friend of family member, rather than pray about it right then and there, we tend to think to ourselves, “I must remember to bring this up at the prayer meeting on Wednesday night.” But why wait? When a need is made known to you, pray about it right then and there! Since God is always with us, we can always talk to Him about anything. Recognizing this truth is the key to perpetual prayer.

So the first step to warfare praying is to pray always. As we go about our lives, seeking to live for Jesus and stand against the devil, we must be in a perpetual state of prayer with God so that we can communicate with Him about our needs and struggles, and also so that He can communicate with us.

But what sorts of things should we pray for? Paul gets into this next. The second aspect to prayer is that it should be petitionary.

Petitionary Prayer (Ephesians 6:18b)

In the second part of Ephesians 6:18, Paul tells us to pray with all prayer and supplication. The first term, prayer, refers to general requests, whereas the second term, supplication (some translations have petitions or requests), is a word for specific prayer needs.

So Paul is just calling us to pray for all different types of requests and needs—general and specific. Most Christians automatically make requests to God in prayer, and we often naturally transition between general and specific needs. For example, someone might pray generally for all missionaries around the world, but then also pray specifically for a certain missionary family and a specific need that they have.

Since it is obvious and natural for Christians to pray for general and specific needs, why does Paul even bring it up? I think it because our prayers are often too “physical.” Christian prayer is often limited to the physical needs of ourselves and other people. If you listen to most prayer requests of most Christians, they primarily ask for prayer about sicknesses and money. They want their spouse to recover from the flue, their mother to have a successful surgery, and for themselves to find a job so they can pay their bills.

There is nothing wrong with such prayers, for all of our needs can be expressed to God, but such prayers only scratch the surface of what God wants us to pray for. In the context of spiritual warfare, God wants us to move past such prayers for physical needs, and start praying for greater power, influence, and courage to stand up against darkness, defeat temptation, and spread the light of God’s love to those around us.

As you look at what Jesus prayed for, what Peter prayed for, and what Paul prayed for, you see that they focused their prayers on the issues, needs, and requests that would break down the walls of the enemy, give spiritual sight to those who were blinded by Satan, and set free those who were enslaved to sin and the devil.

Warfare prayer is not primarily prayer about sick family members and unpaid bills, but is about the kingdom of God overtaking the kingdom of darkness on this earth.

Sometimes, I think that we only pray for health and financial needs because these are the needs that are foremost on our minds. If you are unsure what else you can be praying for, there are a couple things you can do.

The first is to draw your prayer requests from Scripture. You can do this by praying the biblical prayers of Jesus (cf. John 17), Paul (cf. Eph 1:15-23; 3:14-21), or other biblical characters (cf. Dan 9:3-19), but you can also simply pray Scripture itself. As you read through one of the prophetic books, or any of the letters of Paul, Peter, or John, you can take the teachings and ideas in those texts and change the wording around into prayers. This is a wonderful and easy way to pray according to the will of God.

But secondly, we can also learn to listen to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts so that we can pray according to the Spirit. This is the third flag in Ephesians 6:18 about how to pray to God. As we pray in the Spirit, our prayers will be powerful.

Powerful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18c)

When we pray, and whatever it is we pray for, the true effectiveness, the true answers to prayer, come when we are praying in the Spirit. This is not a reference to praying in tongues. Instead, the context reveals that praying in the Spirit refers to something else entirely. We see this in two ways.

First, by going back to Ephesians 5:18, we remember that being filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. In the context of Ephesians 5:18, one of the things the Spirit does is helps us sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Songs, hymns, and spiritual songs are nothing more than prayerful words put to music. So Spirit-filled prayer is when the Holy Spirit guides and informs the words that come out of our mouth when we pray and sing.

But secondly, and in the more immediate context, we learned from Ephesians 6:17 that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. This means that when the Holy Spirit guides the words the come out of our mouth, these words will be based upon the truths and ideas of Scripture.

Spirit-filled prayer is Scripture-filled prayer. When we pray in the Spirit this way, we can know that we are praying according to the will of God. Prayers from Colossians 1 for our families, Romans 12 for fellow Christians, and Ephesians 4 for the church will always be powerful and effective prayers because such prayers are led by the Spirit, informed by Scripture, and in accordance to the will of God.

When we pray according to the will of God as it is recorded in Scripture, this helps us learn to pray according to the will of God for things that are not specifically mentioned in Scripture. As we following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in praying Scripture, we learn what God wants and doesn’t want, and discover the way God thinks about various subjects and ideas.

This growing intimacy with the heart of God allows us to pray with better passion and certainty for other areas in our life, such as where we live, what kind of job we hold, what God thinks of current events, and how He wants us to get involved in our community.

As we go about our day, the Spirit helps inform us about how we should pray and what we should pray for. As we see a need in our community, or hear about an issue that a friend is facing, the Spirit gives us wisdom to know what words to use as we bring these needs and issues before God in prayer.

Even when we are unsure in our own human wisdom about what to say, the Spirit gives us the words to pray according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-27), so that God will respond with power to bring answers to our prayers. All of this brings great power and efficacy to our prayers, for if we are praying according to the will of God, then we know that our prayers will be answered.

After all, Jesus promised in John 16:23 that if we ask for anything in His name, it will be given to us. This doesn’t mean that if we tack on the magical words “In Jesus name we pray” to the end of our prayers that we will receive what we pray for.

No, to pray in the name of Jesus means to pray for the things Jesus Himself would pray for. It means to pray as if Jesus Himself was praying through us. When we pray in Jesus’ name, it means that we should only pray for the things Jesus Himself would pray for, which means we should only pray for things that are according to the will of God.

A similar truth is taught in 1 John 5:14-15, which says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray according to the will of God. And when we pray according to God’s will, we will receive the things we ask for. This makes Spirit-guided prayer extremely powerful!

John Wesley boldly stated that God does nothing but in answer to prayer. Wesley statement is a bit of an exaggeration, for it appears from Scripture that much of what God does, He does without anyone praying for it, but John Wesley has hit on something that few Christians really grasp. Prayer is an aspect of omnipotence that God has granted to us.

The more we pray in the spirit, or according to the will of God, the more is accomplished. There truly are some things God will not do unless we pray. When God works in human history, and in our lives, prayer is one of the central variables God takes into consideration.

Spirit-guided prayer is powerful prayer. Such prayer is the pipe-line to the power of God. Such prayer is the power that moves the world, changes history, and accomplished God’s will on earth. There truly is power in this sort of prayer.

So when we pray, it must be in the Spirit, according to the will of God. Such powerful prayer becomes exponentially more effective when we persevere in prayer, which is the fourth flag to messaging God.

Perseverant Prayer (Ephesians 6:18d)

Ephesians 6:18 goes on to say that we must be watchful to this end with all perseverance. This means that we must continue to pray and keep on praying until we have received what we have asked for in prayer.

Persevering in prayer may be one of the more difficult aspects of prayer because it sometimes seems that we repeat the same prayer requests over and over to God, with little indication that He hears or is doing anything to grant our requests.

Furthermore, if God is all-powerful, then why would asking Him for something ten times (or a hundred) be more effective than asking Him only once? Is prayer a game with God by which He sees if we really want something before He responds and grants what we ask?

Some believe that Luke 18:1-8 teaches the importance of persevering in prayer. In this text, Jesus tells a parable about a widow who is trying to get justice from an unjust judge. According to this story, though the judge tried to ignore her, the widow finally received from him the judgment that she wanted. How? She was grated her request only because she constantly badgered the judge until he gave her what she wanted so that he could get some peace and be left alone.

This is a confusing parable because it appears to teach that God is an unjust judge who ignores the needs of His people until they annoy Him with their constant requests. But we know this understanding of the parable must be wrong, for God is not an unjust judge. He is the exact opposite.

The proper understanding of this parable emerges when we realize that Jesus is not comparing God to the unjust judge, but is rather contrasting God with the judge. Unlike the judge, God is as a loving Father, a kind and gracious God, who loves to hear and answer our prayers and do what is right for us. God does not give us a stone when we ask for bread, or a serpent when we ask for fish (Luke 11:11). Instead, God loves to give good gifts to His children. So although Luke 18 is sometimes used as a parable to teach about the importance of persevering in prayer, it actually teaches the opposite.

So then why should we persevere in prayer? If we are praying according to the will of God, why doesn’t God immediately and quickly grant the requests we present to Him. There are three possible reasons.

First, it is possible that God did immediately answer our request, but various aspects of spiritual warfare are keeping God’s answer from getting to us. This, after all, is what the angel tells Daniel in Daniel 10. Daniel prayed for 21 days, and God sent the answer to his prayer immediately, but the fallen angel of Persia stood against the angel bringing the message to Daniel (Dan 10:12-13).

So although Daniel’s prayer was answered on the first day, the angel could not get through for three weeks. Daniel’s perseverance in prayer enabled the angelic realm to be victorious over the forced arrayed against them, and bring the message through to Daniel.

Daniel 10 seems to teach that what goes on in the spiritual realm may significantly affect how, when, and even whether or not God can answer any given prayer. Due to spiritual warfare, perseverance is required to receive answers to some prayers.

Second, it is possible that some requests are not granted by God because they do not fully line up with God’s will or God’s timing. In such situations, God might want us to wait until He grants our request, or to change our heart so that we don’t make the request at all.

Either way, perseverance in prayer will maintain the lines of communication with God which will eventually allow us to see God’s perfect timing for our request, or will allow us to change our heart so that it is more in alignment with the heart of God.

This bring up the third reason some prayers require perseverance. Sometimes, God does not immediately answer our requests because He wants us to remain in communication with Him. God is not playing games with us by making us wait for some of the things we request, but at the same time, God doesn’t want us to play games with Him.

God does not want us to treat Him as a giant genie in the sky who grants all our wishes the moment we rub His magic bottle. God is not as interested in giving us what we want as He is in giving us what we need. And what we need more than having our prayers immediately answered is to grow in our relationship with Him, learning to trust and rely upon Him, His wisdom, and His timing as we remain in communication with Him about His plans for our life and this world.

So when you pray and do not see God immediately answer your requests, keep praying! Don’t give up. Continue to bring your requests to God, until He either answers the request or changes your heart to see why the request does not fit His will.

God is working to bring about the answers to the prayers of many Christians, but sometimes, we give up too soon, before He can fully bring about the solution we seek. Spiritual warfare prayer requires persevere. This is the fourth flag to proper communication with God.

Purposeful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18e)

The fifth and final flag to sending our messages to God is that we must pray with purpose. At the end of Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs his readers to make supplication for all the saints. The word for supplication is the same one that was used previously, referring to specific prayer requests, and here, we are to make such requests for other Christians. We are to intercede on behalf of other believers.

Paul mentions this because quite often, Christian prayers are self-centered prayers. When praying, we tend to focus on our own sickness, injury, job, finances, marriage, children, struggles, temptations, and problems. There is nothing wrong with praying for our needs and our concerns, but Paul wants his readers to expand their prayer horizon and pray for the needs and concerns of others as well.

We are, after all, a band of brothers on the field of battle (cf. Eph 6:10), and none of us are Lone Rangers in this battle. We need the people on either side of us to remain strong and healthy so that they can defend and help us in our times of need, just as we help and defend them in theirs.

But what should we pray? Victor L. Walter performed a study of all the prayers, prayer instructions, and prayer promises in the Bible and discovered some shocking insights about what biblical prayer looks like. For example, he noticed that many prayers were initiated by God instead of by a human.

Victor Walter also found that most prayers were for groups of people, rather than for individuals. If a prophet or apostle had an issue with a person or a solution for a problem they faced, they spoke directly to that person about it, rather than praying to God for it.

He also noted that the Bible doesn’t contain any prayers for the unredeemed. All prayers are only for the people of God. This doesn’t mean that the unredeemed should be ignored. Rather, while people pray for the redeemed, they witness to and evangelize the unredeemed.

Finally, prophetic and apostolic prayers seemed to focus primarily on strengthening and supporting what was already working, rather than fixing or correcting what wasn’t. So if a church was known for its faith, Paul would pray that their faith would increase even more (cf. Col 1:4, 6).

All such prayers make sense in light of spiritual warfare. On the field of battle, our primary concern is the health and well-being of our fellow soldiers, rather than the prisoners we are trying to free and rescue. If the solders are wounded, we cannot rescue anybody.

Furthermore, rather than send communication to God about the soldiers to our right or left, it is much easier to simply talk to the soldiers on our right and left. And of course, on the field of battle, we want those who have special skills and abilities to grow in the power and effectiveness of those abilities.

In modern warfare, snipers are commanded to spend time practicing as a sniper. The same is true in spiritual warfare. Gifts are given so that we practice and use them. These are the sorts of things we can pray for when we pray for the saints. We should pray that teachers become better at teaching, that servants become better at serving, that givers become better at giving. We do not focus on praying to fix people’s weaknesses, but pray that they become more effective in their areas of strength.

Ephesians 6:18 has revealed the five flags of sending our messages to God. But what about receiving His messages to us? Victory on the battlefield requires two-way communication. It is essential that we not only send our messages to God, but also perceive His messages to us. Thankfully, there are many ways God communicates His will and commands to us. One of these methods of messaging us is discussed by Paul in Ephesians 6:19-20.

Perceiving the Messages of God (Ephesians 6:19-20)

In the last two verses of this section on the spiritual armor, Paul has invited his readers to pray for him so that he can properly communicate to them the words of God. Why does Paul give such an instruction? Because it is through the preaching and teaching of Scripture that we hear back from God.

Just as the Roman military had people who were tasked to receive the flagged messages from other units and commanders and then pass these messages on to their own commanders, so also, there are those within the church who are tasked to receive the messages from God and pass these messages on to the people. Paul was one such person, and so he asks the Ephesians to pray for him so that He can accurately and boldly proclaim God’s message to them.

When it comes to messaging with God, it is not a monologue in which we do all the talking. No, God communicates back to us. There are numerous ways He can do this. He can do it through the inner, whispered guidance of the Holy Spirit. He can do it through angels, dreams, and visions. He can do it through Scripture itself as we read and study. And God can communicate to us through those people who are specially gifted to preach and teach the Word of God.

Though many Christians say they never hear God hear God speak to them, every Christian receives direction from God by reading the written Word of God and by hearing it preached and explained to them. Paul wanted to boldly and clearly proclaim the messages from God to the people of God, and so he asked his reader to pray for him so that he might do so with boldness.

There a few noteworthy things about Paul’s statements in Ephesians 6:19-20. First, he wants utterance to be given to him. The Greek word he uses here is logos¸ which is the Greek word for “word.” In Ephesians 6:17, in speaking about the sword of the Spirit as the word of God, Paul used the Greek word rhema, but here he goes back to the normal term for Scripture, which is logos. This means that Paul wants to provide direct and clear revelation from God to those who hear him preach and teach.

And what is it that Paul wants to proclaim? He says that his message is about the mystery of the gospel. The gospel, of course, is the good news about Jesus as proclaimed in the pages of Scripture. The mystery of the gospel is a particular truth of the gospel that was hidden for ages and generations, but which had been made clear in the days of Jesus and the apostles (Col 1:26).

This mystery was that in Jesus, there were no longer any “insiders” or “outsiders” before God, for all were now insiders. Jews and Gentiles alike were now invited to become one family, one group, in Jesus Christ, thereby forming the church. This is the truth that Paul wanted to proclaim.

Why does he want to proclaim this truth? Because this is a central truth for spiritual warfare. The lies and deceptions of the devil lead humans to war against each other. But when we realize that we are all one in Jesus Christ, that our enemy is not flesh and blood, we can then work to make peace with other human beings, regardless of their race, religion, or culture.

The mystery of the gospel is a warfare truth, breaking down dividing walls of hostility (cf. Eph 2:11-22), and the human rivalries that lead to accusation, blame, and violence. The truth of the gospel is a rallying cry about how Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil so that we humans, who formerly hated one another, can now live at peace with one another, presenting a united front against our true enemy.

This is why preaching the gospel is warfare activity. It is how we advance the front line against our defeated foe. As the gospel is preached, the Kingdom of God advances, overtaking the enemy fortress of deception, death, and darkness.

Indeed, Paul has firsthand knowledge and experience of this front line warfare, and he indicates this by describing himself as an ambassador in chains. Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians from prison, likely while being chained between two Roman guards. And he was in prison because he had declared the gospel, and was facing a death sentence for the same reason.

Yet Paul wanted to boldly proclaim and live the gospel, regardless of the consequences that came upon him. So he likely preached the gospel to his captors, the Roman guards, and he prepared to preach the gospel to Caesar as well.

In this way, Paul reveals the gospel truth that neither the Roman guards nor the Roman emperor were his enemies. Rather, they too were his brothers, but they had been trapped by the deceptive lies of evil spiritual forces. Paul recognizes this, and sought to proclaim the gospel to them in hopes of liberating them from the prison they themselves are in.

Paul was not the prisoner, but was an ambassador to those who were in prison. Though he might have been sent to prison by the Roman government, he knew that he had actually been sent there by God, to boldly proclaim liberty and freedom to the people who were truly in prison. And so he asked for boldness to keep proclaiming the message of God to them.

There is power is the proclamation of the gospel, for it is through the truth of the gospel that lives are changed and the kingdom of God is unveiled upon this earth. For reason, Paul asked that others pray for him to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Conclusion

On the field of spiritual warfare, we must communicate with God, and God must communicate with us. Ephesians 6:18-20 has shown the five elements to our messages to God, and one of the primary ways that God sends messages to us. Without such back-and-forth messaging, the battle would be chaotic, many lives would be lost, and God’s rule and reign would not advance upon the earth.

The way we communicate with God and allow Him to communicate to us is through prayer. Prayer is a powerful warfare activity.

Through prayer, we make our needs known to God, and call down fire power from heaven to defeat the forces of darkness arrayed against us.

Through prayer, we listen for the leading and guidance of God, as He speaks to us through the Spirit and the power of biblical teaching.

Through prayer, we coordinate our attacks against enemy strongholds with the command and goals of God, so that enemy strongholds are destroyed, deceptions are laid bare, and people are freed.

If you want to be victorious on the field of battle, do not neglect the power of messaging God through prayer.

Do you want to learn about spiritual warfare and how to put on the full armor of God? If you want to defeat sin and gain victory in your life over temptation so you can better follow Jesus, take my course on the Armor of God as it is explained in Ephesians 6:10-20. This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Taking Up the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b)

By Jeremy Myers

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In the book of Nehemiah we read about how the Israelites returned from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They came with the blessing of King Artaxerxes, but not everyone was glad that Israel was returning to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. There were enemies in the land of Israel who sought to destroy and kill the Israelites, and keep them from returning to the land God had given to them.

Nehemiah was aware of these enemies, and so as he assigned tasks and went about overseeing the rebuilding of the walls, he instructed the workers to strap a sword to their side so that if enemies appeared, they could defend themselves in battle (Neh 4:18).

As we go about our own work as Christians, we too must keep a sword strapped to our side. Not a sword made from steel with which to kill other people—for our struggle is not against flesh and blood—but a spiritual sword with which to demolish spiritual enemies and defend ourselves against all the wiles of the devil.

The spiritual landscape is full of enemies. When Christians lay down their sword and neglect the study and application of Scripture, we end up losing ground to the devil when he comes in and attacks our work, seeking to stop us from building our spiritual walls, defending our moral borders, and rescuing the perishing in our midst.

So we must take up the sword and carry it with us as we follow Jesus into the world. Let us keep our swords at hand. Let us keep them polished and sharp. Let us know how to use them best.

This is the instruction we receive from Ephesians 6:17 as we look at the sword of the spirit. As with every other piece of armor, we will consider the sword in three ways. First, what the sword was and the way it was used by Roman soldiers in Paul’s day. Second, we will learn what the sword is for us as Christians in spiritual warfare. And third, we will discover how we can take up the sword for our use.

The Sword for the Soldier

Everybody knows what a sword looks like. And we have likely all seen pictures or movies of Roman soldiers carrying their sword. The swords that were typically used in Paul’s day were made of iron, and were double-edged. Like many swords, they came to a point, had a hilt, and a guard to protect the hand of the sword bearer. The Roman sword also had a metal knob at the base of the hilt which could be used to bash an enemy in the face or head if needed.

One surprising characteristic about the Roman soldier sword, however, was that the blade was only about 18 inches in length.

Typically, when we think of a sword, we imagine one that is about three to four feet long, such as those carried by European Medieval knights. If you had to choose between a sword that was 18 inches or three feet long, most people would choose the longer sword. But the Roman military preferred the shorter sword.

This was not because they did not have the longer swords. They did. The longer sword was called a rhomphaia or spathe, and was closer to what we would call a broadsword. It was six to eight feet long and was used to hack off the limbs and heads of enemy soldiers.

But due of its size and weight, it had to be used with two hands, which didn’t allow the soldier to hold a shield. And since they didn’t have the full metal armor like the knights had in the medieval times, a soldier without a shield left himself exposed to arrows and spears. So the longer sword was nearly useless for the close hand-to-hand combat style that was common in the days of the Roman Empire.

Therefore, the Roman soldiers were primarily trained in use of the short sword, called a machaira or gladius. This is the sword that Paul refers to here in Ephesians 6:17. This sword was light and could be maneuvered quickly and with ease. It also only required only one hand to use it, which allowed the soldier to carry a shield.

To make a machaira, or gladius, the blacksmith would take a soft core of steel and surround it with several layers of hardened steel. This allowed the sword to be strong enough to inflict serious damage, but also flexible enough to not snap or break in battle.

In training with this short sword, the soldier was taught to stab and thrust instead of cut or slash. The reason is because the cut, even delivered with force, frequently does not kill. It only wounds because of the protective armor and bone. But a stab nearly always penetrates into the body, and when thrust into the torso, as Roman soldiers were trained to do, they had a much higher probability of hitting a vital organ, thereby killing the enemy soldier instead of just wounding him.

This was the same for spears and pikes. While Roman soldiers did often carry spears and pikes, these were only used when the soldiers sought to advance their position against an enemy position. They would form up in a tight unit, which shields interlocked, and then advance forward while thrusting with their spears. Once they arrived at the desired position, they would use the short sword to hold the ground which they had just obtained.

In this way, the sword that Paul mentions here is primarily defensive.

We would think that of all the pieces of spiritual armor, the sword would be the one piece with which the soldier could attack the enemy, but this is not really the case. Even here, as with all the other pieces of armor, the short sword was primarily used for defense. It was not used to advance against an enemy army, but was used to defend a position on the field of battle which had already been gained.

Yes, although the short sword could be used to attack enemy soldiers, it was only used this way when the enemy soldiers advanced upon position that the Roman soldiers sought to maintain. This fits perfectly with the basic Roman military strategy of standing their ground on the field of battle.

Remember, Paul has stated numerous times in the context that our number one task in spiritual warfare is to stand our ground. And now we have seen that for the Roman soldier, even the sword was used to simply stand their ground. It was not primarily a weapon for attacking or advancing, but was simply to defend the soldier as he stood his ground. This tell us a lot about how the sword works for the Christian on the field of spiritual battle.

The Sword for the Christian

What is the sword for the Christian? Paul explains what it is in two ways. First, Paul states that this is the sword of the Spirit, and then secondly, Paul goes on to clarify that the sword is the Word of God. Some have confused Paul’s statement here by thinking that the sword is the Spirit; but it isn’t. Paul clarifies that the sword we use in spiritual battle is the Word of God.

But what is the Word of God?

Though the previous paragraphs have been referring to Scripture, the Word of God, as Paul writes of it here, is not precisely the same thing as the Bible. You see, many people think they have the sword of the Spirit if they have a Bible. But Paul does not agree. You do not have the sword of the Spirit if you own a Bible. You do not take up the sword of the Spirit by having possession of a Bible. We will discuss next about how to take up the sword of the Spirit, but in leading up to that, it is important to recognize that Paul does not use the normal term here for the Word of God.

Typically, when biblical authors want to refer to written Scriptures, they either use the term graphē, which means “writings,” or they use the term logos, which means “word.” Both terms refer to Scripture, in its entirety, as it was originally written down on paper by the original authors.

The graphē, the writings, or the logos, the Word of God, refers to what we call the Bible, as a written revelation from God. It is important to note that the second term, logos, can also refer to Jesus as the living, incarnate Word of God (cf. John 1:1-11). There is a written logos, the Bible, and a living Logos, Jesus, and both are divine revelations from God.

So which terms does Paul use here in Ephesians 6:17? Neither.

Instead, Paul uses the Greek word rhēma. This term differs from graphē and logos in that while these latter two terms refer to the entire written Word of God, rhēma refers to speaking individual verses or passages from Scripture to help or aid in a particular circumstance or situation.

This is how Paul used the word in Ephesians 5:26 when he wrote about the washing of water with the word. The written Scriptures do not cleanse us or wash us unless they are spoken to use and applied to our lives.

So while logos is the written Word of God, rhēma is when the written words of Scripture are spoken into our lives for encouragement, instruction, and correction. As Harry Ironside said: “The Bible is not the sword of the Spirit, it is the armory. There are thousands of swords in [the Bible] and every one of them is powerful and two-edged.”

If Paul meant that the sword of the Spirit was the Bible—he would have used the word logos. But he didn’t. He used the word rhema, which shows us that the sword of the Spirit is the individual verses and phrases and passages of the Bible which we can wield quickly in battle. The individual statements, promises, and truths of Scripture are useful for stabbing and thrusting into the weak spots of our enemy attackers.

Every time you memorize a verse, you have added another sword to your arsenal. Every time you learn a new truth about a verse, you have sharpened the blades on that sword. Every time you learn a new way to apply a verse, you have become quicker and more deadly in using that sword. This is why practice is needed in correctly handling and rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). And when we practice using Scripture, the Word of God becomes powerful and effective.

It can destroy Satan’s arguments and defend us against his temptations (Matt 4:1-11). Remember, this is how Jesus defeated the temptations of the devil in the wilderness. When Satan came at Jesus with three temptations, Jesus used verses from Scripture as a way to fend of the attacks of the devil. We can do the same thing.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 that the Word of God helps us tear down enemy strongholds and the false and deceptive teachings spread by Satan. So you need to know the Word of God to defeat the enemy.

The Word of God can also pierce men’s hearts and show them the truth about their own sin and the only way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. (Jer 23:29; Acts 2:37; Heb 4:12; Rom 10:17). When we share the Gospel with people, we need to use Scripture. Witnessing without the use of the Word is like trying to win a battle without a sword. The Spirit uses the Word of God to convict sinners and convince them of their need of Jesus Christ (John 16:7-11).

It provides comfort, encouragement, instruction, and correction as Christians (Mark 4:20; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16–4:4; 1 Pet 1:23–2:2). It is like a scalpel, carefully cutting away all the dead flesh and scar tissue that is left behind from our old way of life. It is a knife that cuts the bonds of sin that trip us up and drag us down. But it is also milk and meat (1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12; 1 Pet 2:2), providing us with sustenance and energy to grow strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The Word of God does all of these things and more for the Christian who knows how to use it. And since it does all of these things—keeping the enemy at bay, helping us bring light to sinners, showing us how to become more Christlike, the Word of God should be our constant companion. Like a sword, Scripture should always at our side, as a ready defense in times of need.

And just like the people of Israel in the days of Nehemiah as they went about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, we need to make sure we always have our sword at our side, as we go about our days and do whatever it is Jesus has called us to do in life. Toward this end, let us consider a few brief ways to take up the sword as a Christian on the field of battle.

Taking up the Sword

Since the Sword of the Spirit is made of the individual promises and truths of Scripture, this means that the only way to take up the sword of the Spirit is to become familiar with the Scriptures.

The only way to arm ourselves with the word of God is to memorize, study, and learn the word of God. We must practice using the Scriptures. We must drill with the Bible. Through endless repetition and training, must learn the forms and stances of the Bible.

We must exercise with the Bible until it is stamped into our minds, so that when it is needed, our muscle memory kicks in and the use of the sword becomes second nature and automatic.

There are no short cuts or fast tracks. The only way to take up the Sword of the Spirit is to spend as much time as you possibly can in the word of God. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Talk about it. Meditate upon it. Pray through it.

Think about it.

Just as the Roman soldiers spent hours every day drilling with their sword, so also, we must spend plenty of time drilling with ours. This is the only way to take up the sword of the Spirit so that it is ready and available on the field of spiritual warfare.

When I was younger, my parents sent me to summer Bible camp, and one of the activities I remember from this Bible camp were the “Sword Drills” as part of the chapel time. During the sword drill, the camp director stood up in front of the chapel, would shout “Bibles High!” and all of us would raise our Bibles into the air. Then he would shout a verse reference, such as “Ephesians 2:8!” and we would shout the verse reference back to him. Then, after a small pause, he would shout “Charge!” and we would all pull our Bibles out of the air and frantically flip through our Bibles for Ephesians 2:8. The first person to find it would stand up and read it. If they were right, they would get some points for their team. These sword drill were an early way of teaching us to use our Bible and find the swords within them.

It would be helpful, I sometimes think, for adults to do similar sorts of sword drills, but rather than trying to find Bible verses within the pages of Scripture, we would be invited to discuss what sorts of truths or ideas the Bible contains which would help us in the various temptations and troubles that life throws our way.

We could sit in a circle and say, “Very often, we feel like God does not love us and cannot forgive us for some sin we have committed. What truths or verses in Scripture can remind us of God’s infinite love and complete forgiveness?” (Some possible answers: John 3:16; Rom 5:8; 8:38-39; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:7-10).

Or someone could propose this: “A Jehovah’s Witness has just knocked on your door, and he is telling you that Jesus Christ was just a god, but He was not the one and only God. Where would you turn in Scripture?” (Answer: John 1; Mark 2; Luke 18). Or someone could say, “A coworker has gone through some troubling times in her life, and she walks up to you some day, and says, ‘You’re a Christian right? What must I do to get to heaven?’” What would you tell her? (Answer: John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:11-13).

Through such sword drills, we are training and practicing with the sword of the Spirit, learning to defend ourselves against the lies and deceptions of the devil. Through such practice with our sword, we are preparing to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope we have in Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:15).

We must know the Bible well enough so that we are ready for any challenge that comes our way. We must take it up in the morning, take it up on our lunch break at work, take it up at night with our family, and take it up as the last thing we do before bed.

Many Christians are weak and ineffective at defending themselves against the attacks of the devil because they have no skill with their sword. We might have the shiniest armor, the newest sandals, a perfect leather belt, and a helmet with no dents or rust, but if they cannot handle the word of truth, then Satan can press his attack with no though of getting harmed or chased off. He can take his sweet time in wearing us down until we fall to the ground from fatigue.

To truly stop the attacks of the devil, we must defend ourselves with a counter-attack, which we can only do with the sword of the Spirit. As we resist the devil in this way, he will flee from us, just as he fled from Jesus (Jas 4:7).

So what can you do? Study Scripture. Memorize Scripture. Learn what the Bible says and apply it to your life. Attend a Bible study. Read books and articles about the Bible. Listen to good teachings about the Bible on the radio or through podcasts.

And you must keep immersing yourself in Scripture, day in and day out, so that you know what the Scripture says and how to apply its promises to your life when lies and deceptions of the devil start to tear you down. If you want to have your sword with you in spiritual battle, you need to be skilled with the Word of God. And the only way to gain skill in Scripture is to practice using Scripture as much as possible.

Roman soldiers knew that their skill with the sword was their lifeline in battle. The better you were with your sword, the greater your chances were of survival. And so that is why the best soldiers spent almost all of their free time practicing with the sword.

The same is true for you.

Spend as much time in the Bible as you can. Fight the good fight. Become heroes of the faith. Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In this way, you will be able to stand our ground against our enemy the devil for the praise and glory of our commander and chief—Jesus Christ.

Putting on the Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)

By Jeremy Myers

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It has been said “You are what you eat.” A truer statement however is that “You are what you think.” Few people realize the significance of our thoughts. It is our thoughts that guide our lives, control our world, shape our future, and create our destinies.

This does not happen in a magical way, or through the much-discussed and often-mocked “power of positive thinking” but rather through a single basic principle of human psychology.

If you have ever been to a counselor, therapist, or psychologist, they will likely tell you at some point in your session that thoughts create emotions, and emotions lead to certain behaviors and actions. So our actions and behaviors are determined by how we think.

Therefore, if we want to change our actions, we must begin by changing our thoughts. To change how we act, we must begin by changing how we think.

If there is destructive habit in your life you wish to change, or a negative behavior you desire to get rid of, the first step in this process is to start thinking in new and different ways. These different thought patterns will lead to different emotions which will, in turn, generate new actions and behaviors.

This basic connection between thought patterns and human behavior is revealed all over the place in Scripture.

For example, Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2 that we can begin to transform our lives into what God wants and desires by the renewal of our minds. As we learn to think differently about ourselves and others, this leads us to live differently as well.

It is for this same reason that Paul instructs the Corinthians to take every thought captive, making it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Cor 10:5). As we learn to control our thinking, conforming our thought patterns to the values and vision of Jesus Christ, our lives will change as well, becoming more like Jesus every day.

And then there is Philippians 4:8, where Paul tells his readers to think on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, right, and praiseworthy. Why? So that we can experience the peace of God in our lives and with other people (Php 4:7, 9). The entire world wants peace, and Paul says we can have it by changing how we think.

This is the truth we come to in Ephesians 6:17a as we look at the fifth piece of spiritual armor, the helmet of salvation.

We have seen already learned about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel, and the shield of faith, and now we learn about the helmet of salvation.

As with the previous four pieces of spiritual armor, we will consider the helmet in three ways. First, we will learn how the helmet helped the Roman soldier in battle. Second, we will look at what the helmet is for the Christian, and how it can help us in life. Finally, we will learn how to put on the helmet of salvation.

The Helmet for the Soldier

The Roman soldiers had the best helmets in the ancient world. While many other nations used helmets made by wrapping cloth or leather around animals bones or hooves, the Roman helmet often had a chinstrap, a visor, and was designed to cover the back and sides of the neck.

The helmet in Paul’s day was most often made of heavy bronze or iron, and had additional pieces of metal which came down to protect the side of the face. The soldiers would often pack their helmets with some sort of cloth or padding to make them more comfortable on the head.

The highest ranking officers might also have helmets that were plated in gold or silver. Many helmets also sported large, colored crests or plumes made from feathers or horse hair. These were often used to signify rank or to show identification with a particular legion, but most archaeological evidence suggests that these decorations were not used in battle, but were only used during celebrations and military parades.

The helmet often had a little ring attached to the top of it, by which the soldier could fix the helmet to his belt or backpack when marching. The plume could also be attached to this ring. But since the helmets were hot and uncomfortable, the helmet was typically only worn during battle or military parades. At most other times, it would be taken off and set aside.

But what purpose did the helmet serve?

Obviously, just as with any helmet today, the helmet was designed to protect the head. Construction workers wear helmets to protect their heads from falling objects, football players wear helmets to protect their heads during clashes on the football field, and motorcycle riders wear helmets to protect their heads for when they get in an accident.

Similarly, the Roman soldier’s helmet protected his head from damage that would come from swords, arrows, and rocks on the battlefield.

In this way, the soldier’s helmet was a last line of defense.

The shield, which we considered in the previous section, was the first line of defense. The shield took most of the damage and was used to fend off the worst of the attacks. If any attack got past the shield, the soldier would hopefully be able to fend it off with his sword, which will be considered next. If the sword missed, it was probably best to take the attack on the breastplate.

But the helmet was the last line of defense.

Nobody wants to get hit on the head, even if they are wearing a helmet. If you have ever worn a helmet, you know that it does not feel good to have your head hit, even with a helmet on. No soldier would go into battle and stick his head out into harm’s way, thinking, “Go ahead and whack away on my head with your sword. It’s okay, because I’ve got my helmet on.”

No, the helmet is there so that if you get hit in the head, it will protect you from getting greater damage.

After all, it is much better to get a dent in the helmet than to get an arrow or sword in the head, right? Even a person who is wearing a helmet can receive great damage—such as a concussion—if they are hit in the head, but the helmet will protect the head from receiving even greater damage than if the helmet had not been worn at all.

But why is it so important to protect the head? Obviously, because that’s where the brain is! You protect the head because of what is actually inside your head—the brain. Without the helmet, if you sustain an injury to your head, depending on the damage, anything can happen from loss of certain bodily functions like walking or talking, to partial or complete loss of memory. You can get something like a concussion, or enter into a coma.

If the damage to the brain is severe enough, you could become paralyzed or even die. Furthermore, it is not just the brain that the helmet protects, but also the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Humans have five senses, and the helmet protects four of them.

With all of that in mind, let’s move on to discuss what the helmet is for the Christian.

The Helmet for the Christian

So what is the helmet for the Christian?

In Ephesians 6:17, Paul compares the helmet to salvation.

But what is salvation? When most people hear the word “salvation” they think of having their sins forgiven so they can escape hell and go to heaven when they die. Or something along those lines.

But this is not what “salvation” means in the Bible.

The word “salvation” (and similar words like saved and Savior) is the most misunderstood word in the Bible. Despite how the word is used by most Christians, there is not a single passage in Scripture which clearly equates it with gaining eternal life or going to heaven when we die.

So what does the word mean? The basic definition of “salvation” is “deliverance.” It means “to be rescued, delivered.” (My course, The Gospel Dictionary, will eventually have a lesson on the word “Salvation”.)

And we can be delivered, or rescued, from almost anything negative. Whenever you see the words “salvation” or “saved” in the Bible, you should pause, substitute in the word “deliverance” or “delivered” and then look in the context to discover what sort of deliverance is in view.

When you do this, you will see that salvation in the Bible is deliverance from enemies, sickness, premature death, the devastating consequences of sin in our life, and a wide variety of other calamities.

But not once does “salvation” refer to going to heaven when we die.

When the disciples are out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and a great storm comes upon them, they cry out to Jesus, “Lord! Save us!” (Mark 4:35-41). When they say this, are they asking Jesus to forgive their sins and help them go to heaven? No. They want to be delivered from the storm. They don’t want to drown.

So here in Ephesians 6:17, when we see the word “salvation,” we should stop, substitute in the word “deliverance,” and then look in the context to discover what kind of deliverance is in view.

When we do this, we see that in the immediate context, we are struggling against the wicked spiritual forces that Paul listed in Ephesians 6:11-12. So the salvation of Ephesians 6:17 is the deliverance from wicked spiritual forces and their evil schemes. The helmet of salvation protects our minds, thoughts, will, and emotions from the wiles of the devil and the evil plans of the principalities and powers of this dark age.

Once we realize this, the astute student of Scripture might recall that salvation was also mentioned back in Ephesians 2:8-9. And not surprisingly, in the context of talking about salvation, Paul referred to the prince of the power of the air which is at work in this world to deceive and destroy (Ephesians 2:1-3).

So even in Ephesians 2, the salvation, or deliverance, that Paul has in mind, is deliverance from the wiles of the devil and the ways of wickedness that dominate this world. When Paul writes about salvation in Ephesians, he is not thinking about going to heaven when we die, but about living in this life free from the deceiving powers of wickedness that guide and direct the lives of most other people.

“Salvation” in Ephesians is to live free of satanic deception in this life, with our eyes open to see things as they really are so that we can know how to think about and treat other people.

Specifically, in Ephesians 2, Paul describes the exact form of deception he wants his readers to be liberated from. In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul writes about the racial and religious divisions that occur between various people groups, and how these divisions were caused by the spirits of accusation and wickedness, but Jesus has torn all such divisions down.

In Jesus, we have seen the truth that all are accepted, all are loved, and all are forgiven by God. Since this is the truth revealed in Jesus, we can now live at peace with other people rather than at war with them. We can love and accept, rather than condemn and kill.

The greatest deception of the devil in this world is that God hates people who are not like us, who do not look like us, who do not behave like us, who do not believe like us, and that God wants us to condemn and shun them. Such ideas are the lies of the devil.

Jesus revealed the truth, and now, we who have seen that God loves, accepts, and forgives all, can live in similar ways toward others. When we do this, we will experience the salvation of God. We will experience peace with other people (Ephesians 2:14-18). This is what Paul has in mind when he writes about salvation in his letter to the Ephesians.

Salvation in Ephesians is not about going to heaven when die, but about living at peace with other people in this life.

Salvation in Ephesians is deliverance from the lies and deceptions of the devil that cause us to hate, condemn, and kill other people.

Salvation in Ephesians occurs when we change how we view and treat other people, especially those people we would rather hate.

So the helmet of salvation is a change in the way we think, view, speak, and talk about other people, especially those people we used to consider our enemies. How we view and treat other people all begins in the head, with how we think about them.

And since our thoughts come from the brain, this is why Paul equates salvation with the helmet. The helmet protects our head.

Our head, or our brain, forms our thoughts. Our head also contains our eyes, allowing us to properly see other people as loved, forgiven, and accepted by God. Our head contains our ears, allowing us to hear other people, with their perspective, ideas, and concerns. Our head contains our mouth, allowing us to speak friendly words of encouragement and acceptance toward others.

And this truly is what spiritual warfare is all about.

Previously, in Ephesians 6:12, Paul stated that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness.

Yet we humans continue to think that we struggle against other humans. The helmet of salvation reveals to us that we can be saved, or delivered, from thinking about other humans as our enemies. We can see that they are victims of spiritual lies and oppression just as we are, that they also are fellowship solders in this battle against the spiritual forces that wish to tear us down and pit humans against one another.

So in order to be saved from the lies that create disunity, hatred, bloodshed, and violence in our world, we must put on the helmet of salvation and learn to see others, think about others, and talk to others in ways that reflect Jesus, rather than in ways that reflect Satan.

Toward this goal, let us turn now to learn how to put on the helmet of salvation.

Putting on the Helmet

To begin with, we must first of all recognize that the helmet, like all the other pieces of spiritual armor, belongs to God. Isaiah 59:17 speaks of God putting on the helmet of salvation when He goes out to do battle against wickedness.

The fact that the helmet is something God wears when He battles against wickedness proves that this salvation does not occur when we gain eternal life so we can go to heaven when die, for God does not need such salvation.

But God does work to bring peace to this world by destroying the wicked works of the devil. God puts on the helmet of salvation to deliver the world from the lies and deceptions that lead people to hate and fight one another. God wants us to join Him in this struggle for peace, and so gives to us His helmet of salvation to wear.

So how do we wear it? How do we put on the helmet of salvation?

It begins with how we think about other people. The helmet protects our brain, and the thoughts of our brain guide our emotions, which in turn determine our actions. So if we want to treat people like Jesus treated them, we must learn to think about people the way He thought about them.

And what did Jesus think about people?

He thought every single person on earth was worth dying for. Jesus thought that each and every person had unsurpassable worth. Jesus infinitely loved every person, including those who hated Him and wanted to kill Him. When Jesus thought about people, He didn’t think of anyone as an enemy, but only as people who had been trapped by sin and the devil.

So we can begin to think about people in similar ways.

Rather than judge and condemn people who are different from us—whether they are of a different race or religion, of a different economic or political position, or of a different age or sex—we can start thinking about people as worthy of our love and concern.

We can refuse to believe that anyone is our enemy. We can begin to think about others as trapped in sin and deception, so that our job is not to fight against them, but to rescue and deliver them from their enslavement.

When we put on the helmet of salvation, we begin to think about other people differently.

But we also begin to see other people differently, for the eyes also are part of the head. We can view people as God views them.

God views all people as His children. He infinitely loves each and every person. He sees the dignity and value of every person, and desires that each person discover and develop their unique characteristics so that each person can shine with glory and beauty in this world.

God does not view any person with loathing or hate, but only with love and respect. God views each person as worthy of His time and attention. God never rejects anybody based on how they look, how they dress, or how they behave.

In God’s eyes, every person is beautiful and amazing to behold.

We can learn to develop similar eyes in viewing other people. Rather than try to get on another to conform to a mold or pattern of what we think the perfect Christian looks like, we can encourage one another to discover our unique areas of giftedness and passion, and then help one other pursue those with wild abandon (See my course on Spiritual Gifts for more about this.)

We can look at people as God views them, with eyes of wonder and amazement at our diversity.

We can view people as worth loving and knowing.

We can put on the helmet of salvation by learning to speak differently about other people. The Bible warns us everywhere about the dangers of the tongue, and so if we are going to fight for peace, love, and unity among all people, we must watch the words that come out of our mouths. We must speak the truth, but say it in love (Ephesians 4:11), so that others are built up, encouraged, and edified by what we say.

We must tell people that they are forgiven and accepted, not just by God, but by us as well. We must speaks words of beauty and praise to other people for the good things they do and the accomplishments they attain.

The words that come out of our mouths are one important way of donning the helmet of salvation.

Finally, related to the words we say, we can be careful about hearing the words that others say.

The Christian soldier who wears the helmet of salvation seeks to protect what comes into his or her ears, especially in regard to other people.

We will not listen to baseless accusations, slander, or gossip about others. We will not listen to negative and cutting remarks that someone might say about someone else. We will allow only statements about others that are positive and uplifting to enter into our ears. In this way, we will make sure that the helmet of salvation stays strapped firmly on our heads.

In all these ways, we wear the helmet of salvation, thereby creating and encouraging peace in this world. As we think about people, view people, and talk about people in ways that reflect Jesus, we will no longer view others the way the world does, as people who are different from us, and need to be shunned, condemned, or even killed.

Instead, we will begin to see that the vast array of differences are all part of the beauty of humanity, and that we can celebrate these differences with wonder and joy. In this way, we will be wearing the helmet of salvation, and will be led into the way of peace.

Conclusion

As you know, the Roman Empire eventually crumbled and no longer exists. At least not as a political power upon the earth.

And do you one of the factors that led to the decline of the Roman Empire? Some historians argue that the beginning of the downfall of the Roman Empire was when Roman soldiers stopped wearing their helmets. Gibbon, in his book (#AmazonAdLink) The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, notes that relaxation of discipline and the disuse of exercise made the soldiers unable to survive the fatigue of service. They complained of the weight of the armor and finally obtained permission to lay some of it aside—in particular, the helmet.

This lack of protection and discipline led to weaker armed forces and ultimately, to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

The church has been given an important piece of spiritual armor with the helmet of salvation.

It helps us maintain unity, love, and forgiveness within the church and in how we treat other people. The helmet of salvation creates peace between people groups who formerly were at war. It creates love where there was previously only hate.

But if the church sets aside the helmet of salvation and returns to the ways of accusation, blame, slander, hate, and violence toward other people, we will crumble and fall, just as did the Roman Empire.

So wear the helmet of salvation. Watch what you think and say about other people.

Make sure you view people with the eyes of Jesus Christ, as people of unsurpassable worth.

Speak to other people, or about other people, with words of love, grace, compassion, and forgiveness.

When we think, see, hear, and talk about other people in this way, we will be wearing our helmet of salvation and will be transforming this world into a place of love as peace, allowing the kingdom of God to live, thrive, and grow in our midst.

Taking Up the Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

By Jeremy Myers

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This study looks at the shield of faith in Ephesians 6:16, which is another part of the armor of God.

As with all the other pieces of spiritual armor, we will first consider how the shield worked for the Roman soldier, then how the shield works for the Christian, and finally, how we can take up and use the shield of faith in our daily lives.

The Shield for the Soldier

The Greek word Paul uses for shield in Ephesians 6:16 is thureon, which is the generic word for shield, but there were two kinds of shields used by soldiers in Paul’s day.

The first, called a parma shield, was smaller and round and could be used by moving the arm to defend a certain part of the body which was being threatened. It was about 3 feet in diameter, and was the lighter of the two shields. However, while this is generally the type of shield we think about when we imagine a soldier carrying a shield, it was not the shield of choice for the Roman legions.

The shield of choice was the scutum shield. It was somewhat larger in size, nearly four feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide, and weighed over 20 pounds. The shield was made by gluing several layers of wood together, similar to how plywood is made today, and was then covered with leather for extra protection and durability.

It was not a flat shield, but was somewhat curved so that the soldier could hide behind it if needed. This curve also allowed for rocks and arrows to be deflected from the shield, rather than hitting it directly. If the shield was flat, a rock or sword hitting the shield would cause more blunt force, requiring the soldier to expend more energy in absorbing the blow. But the curve of the shield allowed a large percentage of that power to be deflected off to the side, thereby conserving the soldier’s strength.

Due to its size and weight, the soldier was not able to move this shield around very well, and so once a soldier was in position, he would typically plant it on the ground and crouch behind it for protection while darting out with his right hand to attack enemies with his sword.

Remember, the strength and genius of the Roman military was their ability to stand firm and stay in once place on the field of battle, defending their small piece of land from any and all attackers. The shield served a significant role in this strategy.

Due to the nature of this shield, it was sometimes referred to as a “door.” To would a Roman soldier, the enemy first had to get past the door, that is, past the shield. These shields could also be interlocked by a line of soldiers to create a nearly impenetrable wall against attacking forces. Sometimes the front line of soldiers would create this shield wall, allowing a second line of soldiers to thrust with their spears over the top of the shields at the enemies on the other side. The shields could also be raised overhead to create a barrier against arrows and rocks from above.

Often, when seeking to advance on the field of battle, a number of soldiers would create a formation called a testudo, or “tortoise,” in which the soldiers would gather close together in a tight, square group, with the soldiers on all four sides creating a wall of shields, and the soldiers on the inside raising their shields above to protect from arrows and rocks.

In this way, they could advance onto almost any area of the battlefield with minimal damage, or even up to the gates of a city to set it on fire or to start tearing them down with a battering ram.

In this way, the shield also helped the Roman soldiers work together as a unit. The shields not only protected the soldier himself, but also the soldier on either side of them. The soldiers, remember worked as a band of brothers, as a unified whole, and the shields were one of the primary methods of defense for the soldiers on the shield of battle.

When a soldier fell, the two soldiers on either side would close ranks, protecting their fallen comrade from further damage, while the soldiers behind would drag the fallen soldier backward into safety and protection. So the shields were extremely effective in helping maintain unity and mutual protection among the soldiers.

Finally, the center of these shields often had a raised mound of bronze or iron that could be used as a weapon. The shield could be raised and bashed into the chest or face of an enemy soldier, causing blunt force trauma, possibly disabling the other soldier.

In light of all this, Paul’s choice of words in Ephesians 6:16 is interesting. He introduces the shield in a way that is unique from the other pieces of armor. He says, above all, taking the shield of faith. Some Bible translation say, “in addition,” which loses some of the force of what Paul appears to be saying. When Paul talks about the shield, he is not just writing about another piece of armor we are to take up and put on. He wants this one to be above all.

This doesn’t mean the shield is the most important piece of armor, for all of the pieces are critically important. Instead, Paul means that the shield is above all, over all, before all, or in front of all. The shield is the first line of defense for the Roman soldier. It was “the door.” You can’t get to the soldier unless you first all get past the door.

To get to any other piece of the armor, or to get to the soldier himself, the enemy had to get past the shield first. The shield not only protected the body of the soldier, but the other pieces of armor as well. Since the shield was over all, in front of all, and above all, the shield protected everything.

Specifically, Paul says in Ephesians 6:16 that the shield is the primary form of defense against the fiery darts of the wicked one. These fiery darts Paul writes about were the most advanced weapons in Paul’s day.

Archaeologists have discovered that some arrows and spears had tips made of a combustible material which was then lit on fire and shot or thrown into the enemy forces where it would ignite or even explode. Military forces also used some arrows and spears with hollow tips which were then packed with this combustible material. When it struck a soldier or a shield, it would splatter and burn.

This was before the days of gunpowder, so these weapons were ingenious and effective at decimating enemy forces. These fiery darts came in quickly so they were hard to see, and when they hit, they would burn or explode.

But Paul says that the shield is effective at quenching the most dreaded and cunning weapons of his day. They come in too quickly to react, but if the soldier has his shield in place, then he doesn’t need to see the flaming darts, for the shield will stop them.

In this way, the shield protected the Roman soldier from all sorts of attacks; the swords and spear attacks he could see, the rock and arrow attacks from above, and the flaming dart attacks that came in too quickly to see. The shield was above all and over all, protecting the soldier himself as well as the soldiers on either side.

So that how the shield worked and functioned for the Roman soldier in Paul’s day. Let us now consider what the shield is for the Christian.

The Shield for the Christian

(#AmazonAdLink) Paul states in Ephesians 6:16 that the shield is faith. He instructs us to take up the shield of faith. So what is faith? How do we get faith? And how do we know that we have faith? For example, since Scripture tells you to believe in Jesus for eternal life, how do you know that you have really believed? I have written a book on (#AmazonAdLink) the topic of faith, which answers these sorts of questions in much more detail, but let me summarize the content of that book for you here.

Many people are confused about what faith is, how faith works, and how to know if they have really believed something. Part of this confusion is because there are numerous popular illustrations used to describe faith which really only just obscure the reality of faith.

There is the illustration of the man pushing a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, saying that unless people get into the wheelbarrow with him, they don’t really believe he can do it. There is the illustration of faith as a deck of cards so that if you pull one out, the entire deck comes tumbling down. There is an illustration about faith being one wing on an airplane, with good works being the other wing, so that you need both to properly fly. All of these illustrations mislead and confuse people about the true nature of faith.

Then there are adjectives used to describe faith, such as head faith, heart faith, temporary faith, spurious faith, false faith, small faith, great faith, and numerous others which usually only create confusion about the nature and character of faith. Curiously, only two of those—small faith and great faith—are biblical and even these two are widely misunderstood and misapplied.

So what is faith?

Faith, as taught in the Bible, can be defined as a reasonable certainty about any truth claim or statement of fact.

In other words, if you know that something is true, then you believe it. We believe, or have faith, when we agree or give assent to a factual statement.

If you know that the earth is round, then you believe the earth is round. If you know that 2+2=4, then you believe that 2+2=4. If you know that the sky is blue, then you believe that the sky is blue.

So we have faith about something when we know it to be true. I know this explanation might raise more questions than it answers, and if so, I direct you to my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith? Let us turn now to see how to get faith, grow our faith, and know that we have faith so that, as Paul writes, we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And what are these fiery darts of the wicked one? While looking at how the shield worked for the Roman solider we also briefly considered how the fiery darts and flaming arrows functioned on the field of battle, so what are these fiery darts for Christians in spiritual warfare?

Since the wicked one is a reference to Satan and the wicked forces that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 6:12, the fiery darts are the weapons that Satan uses to trick and deceive us.

We previously discussed the one tactic and the three types of temptations the devil uses in sending these temptations. The wicked forces arrayed against us always questions the promises of God in an attempt to get us to fall prey to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Yet even though we know what sort of weapons these wicked forces use, it doesn’t mean that we are always ready for them when they come. They are fiery darts that come in quickly and without warning.

Sometimes they come one at a time, like sniper fire from afar, while other times they fall in a heavy barrage, as a storm of arrows falling from the sky. When the hit, they are painful and destructive, causing great devastation in our lives.

Thankfully, the shield of faith causes the flaming darts to lose their fire and their force. The shield is able to protect us from each and every one of the trick, traps, and temptations that the devil sends our way. Not just some of them, but all of them.

And the shield doesn’t just stop the arrows; it is able to quench them. It snuffs out the flame of the fiery darts so that when they strike the shield, the shield does not burn, but remains intact and able to defend us on the field of battle.

But, just as with all the other pieces of armor, this protection is not automatic. Just as we have to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the sandals of the gospel, so also we have to take up the shield of faith.

Taking up the Shield

Before we look at how to take up the shield of faith, it is important to be reminded that, just like all the other pieces of armor, this piece also is from God’s armory. The image of faith as a shield is everywhere in Scripture, but with a small twist.

For example, when we read that Abram believes God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness, we are told in Genesis 15:1 that God Himself will be Abram’s shield. God will protect Abram as Abram places faith in God.

We find this same idea throughout the entire Old Testament. The concept of God being our shield when we place faith in Him is found at least twenty times in the book of Psalms alone. Over and over again, God is described as our shield and fortress, the One who protects us from the enemy. In Psalm 91:4, God’s faithfulness itself is described as a shield, and in Psalm 76:3 we read that God breaks the arrows of our enemies. In Proverbs 30:5, we read that God is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

So the little twist or surprise in Ephesians 6:16 is that when Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, we learn from the Old Testament that the shield is actually God Himself. When we believe in Him and His promises, it is He Himself that protects us.

Think about what this means.

Remember that the shield Paul has in mind was like a wall, or a door, behind which the Roman soldier hid. The shield was considered to be the first line of defense. For an enemy to get to the soldier, the enemy first had to get past the shield.

But with God as our shield, what have we to fear? Nothing! There is nothing that is large enough, powerful enough, or strong enough to get past God when He has set Himself to protect us from harm.

Therefore, as Christians, we have nothing to fear from Satan, or wicked men, or future events. God is on our side. To get through to the other pieces of armor, the enemy has to get past God first.

As Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39, nothing in death or life, among the angels, principalities, or powers, in the present or the future, in heaven above or the depths below, nor any created thing, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. He shields us and protects us from all such things.

Like the shepherd protecting the sheep in the pen by laying himself down as the door so wolves have to go through the shepherd to get to the sheep (cf. John 10:11-18), so also any fiery dart of temptation that comes our way has to first go through God, because He is our shield; He is our door.

When temptations do get through, and when we get wounded by the fiery darts of the devil, it is because we have dropped our shield. The only way the fiery darts of temptation get past the protective shield of God is when we have not properly taken up the shield of faith, as Paul instructions in Ephesians 6:16. When the shield drops, when we let down our guard, it is then that the fiery darts are able to get through and wound us.

So how do we take up the shield, and how do we keep it up? Since this is the shield of faith, we take it up by believing in what God has said. The more we believe, the more effective our shield becomes at protecting us from the fiery darts of the wicked one.

As we believe in God’s Word, God’s promises, and the truth revealed by God in Scripture, we are taking up the shield of faith and gaining the protection God provides.

But this is where the problem begins, because some people think that faith has to be “all or nothing.” I have talked with numerous people throughout the years who want to believe the Bible and what God has said, but there are some things in the Bible that they just cannot believe, such as the idea in Genesis 5:27 that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, or that the world was created in six days (Gen 1), or that an ax head could actually float on water (2 Kings 6:1-7).

Some people don’t believe in God or some of the various truths of Scripture because they cannot believe that God would allow bad things happen in this world, or that God wants blood sacrifice and commanded the genocide of the Canaanites (I don’t believe God wanted the genocide of the Canaanites either … but I do believe God wanted the historical record of Canaanite genocide in the Bible… I will explain why in a future book).

And since they cannot believe some of these more difficult truth claims of Scripture, they decide they cannot believe any of it. They stop believing in God, in Scripture, and in what Jesus has showed us through His life, death, and resurrection. As a result, they drop their shield of faith entirely, and leave themselves open to the attacks of the devil.

But thankfully, faith does not work like this.

Biblical faith is not an “all or nothing” house of cards. It is completely possible to believe some, or many, of the things taught in the Bible, while being unsure about, or even not believing, many other ideas and concepts of the Bible.

Nobody becomes a Christian by knowing and believing everything in the Bible.

We become a Christian by knowing and believing a few simple facts about God, ourselves, and Jesus. We become a Christian by believing in Jesus for eternal life. Our shield of faith strengthens as we build upon these facts over time and as we come to learn and believe more truths from Scripture.

In other words, our set of beliefs grow over time as we follow Jesus on the path of discipleship and as believe more of what God has revealed in the Bible.

So to grow our faith, to walk by faith, to live by faith, and to take up the shield of faith, we must begin with the facts and truths we know to be true, and then build upon these ideas with more truths and ideas from Scripture.

Building our faith in this way allows our faith to act as a shield against the tricks, traps, and fiery darts of the devil. Our enemy tries to get us to doubt God’s promises and fall into the pitfalls of sin.

When we begin to think that God cannot love us because of what we have done, we can remember the promise of God in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God.

When we are tempted to think that God cannot forgive some sort of sin we have committed, we can remember the truth of Scripture that God has already forgiven us for all sins we have committed, past, present, and future (Col 2:13).

If you ever begin to wonder if you matter to God, all you need to do is believe the promises that God knows your name (Isa 43:1), knows every detail about you, even to the point of numbering the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7), has specifically gifted you with special talents and abilities so that you can serve a significant role in His plan for the world (1 Cor 12; Rom 12; Eph 4; 1 Pet 4), and wants nothing but the best for you and your life and He works nonstop to bring these good plans to fruition in your life (Prov 3:5-6; Heb 13:20-21; Jas 1:5).

When temptations to sin come our way, we can believe the promises of God that sin only leads to destruction (Matt 7:13-14; Rom 6:23; Jas 1:15).

When we face doubts about whether or not we have eternal life, we can remember the numerous promises of Jesus that anyone who believes in Him has everlasting life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

Do you see? As we come to learn and believe these promises of God, they become a shield and a barrier protecting us from all the lies of the devil.

Faith in the promises of God keeps us bold and strong in the face of sin, temptation, and doubt. This is why faith is so important to our life as a Christian.

Believing what God has said is the shield that protects us from the darts of the devil which question and challenge what God has said.

So where are you at with your faith? What is it that you believe? Start with the basics, and then go from there.

For example, do you believe that God exists? This is a basic biblical belief, but many people are not sure that there is a God. But a person cannot move on to believe much of anything in the Bible until they first believe that God exists. Thankfully, there are ways to learn that God does indeed exist, such as (#AmazonAdLink) books on apologetics and various evidences for the existence of God.

And once you come to believe that God exists, you can move on from that belief and add further beliefs to your system of beliefs. You will come to believe that God wants to communicate with humans, as He has done in various ways, such as through Jesus and the revelation of Scripture.

You will come to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that Jesus explains how to receive eternal life and live this present life in the best way possible. You will learn how to treat other people with love, grace, and forgiveness.

As you learn all these things, you come to believe them, because you see that they are true. And as you develop this ever-widening system of beliefs that are based on the truth reveled in Scripture and through Jesus Christ, your shield of faith becomes ever-more effective at protecting you from the fiery darts of the wicked one.

The temptations and doubts he shoots at you are quenched before they can reach your mind and heart.

God, as our shield, protects us from all harm. Living by faith in the promises of God eventually allows you to walk by faith in what God has said He will do, for you know that God is on your side and God will do what He has said.

So take up the shield of faith. Believe in what God has said. Then go forth with the certain knowledge that victory is at hand.

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The Fruit of the Flesh in Galatians 5:19-23; 6:8

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The Shield for the Soldier

The Shield for the Christian

Taking up the Shield

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