Redeeming God

Liberating you from bad ideas about God

Learn the MOST ESSENTIAL truths for following Jesus.

Get FREE articles and audio teachings in my discipleship emails!


  • Join Us!
  • Scripture
  • Theology
  • My Books
  • About
  • Discipleship
  • Courses
    • What is Hell?
    • Skeleton Church
    • The Gospel According to Scripture
    • The Gospel Dictionary
    • The Re-Justification of God
    • What is Prayer?
    • Adventures in Fishing for Men
    • What are the Spiritual Gifts?
    • How to Study the Bible
    • Courses FAQ
  • Forum
    • Introduce Yourself
    • Old Testament
    • New Testament
    • Theology Questions
    • Life & Ministry

Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15)

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/697946263-redeeminggod-171-how-to-wear-the-sandals-of-the-gospel-ephesians-615.mp3

In Ephesians 6:15, Paul instructs Christians to โ€œshod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.โ€ This is another piece of the armor of God, even though Paul doesnโ€™t specifically mention a piece of armor. Since he writes about having something on our feet, he is clearly referring to the sandals that Roman soldiers wore into battle.

So Ephesians 6:15 is referring to the Sandals of the Gospel. And as we did with the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, we will consider the sandals in three ways.

First, we will look at how the sandals were used by the Roman soldiers in battle. Second, we will consider how Christians are to use them in spiritual battle. Finally, we will learn how Christians can put on the sandals of the gospel as we fight alongside Jesus in spiritual warfare.

The Sandals for the Soldier

The sandals of the Roman soldier were very similar to some sandals you might see today. They were made primarily from leather and were fastened to the feet with leather cords that went around the ankle and partway up the calf.

Upon initial inspection, the sandals appear to be quite flimsy, providing little protection or stability to the soldier. But such was not the case.

The sandals were light and airy, which allowed the feet to breathe and stay cool and dry, even when the soldier marched, worked, or stood guard all day long.

While a soldier might have sore feet after marching 25 miles, they would not have blisters, and they would quickly and easily dry after marching through a stream or river. The leather strips were designed in such a way so that they did not rub or cause sores on the feet, ankles, or calves.

One aspect of the sandals, however, made them essential pieces of armor for the Roman soldier, and this aspect to the sandal set these sandals apart from those that the average Roman citizen might wear around town or in the marketplace.

The Roman soldier sandals were fitted with metal spikes on the bottom of the sole. These spikes helped them maintain their footing. The spikes allowed them toโ€”in the words repeated four times in Ephesians 6:10-14โ€”stand firm in the battle.

Often, the soldiers would be fighting in slick or muddy terrain. The grass and soil might get trampled and become slippery with dew, rain, or blood. The spikes on the bottom of the sandals helped the soldier maintain his footing in battle. It helped the soldier stand firm.

It is similar to the shoes that many athletes wear today. Track, soccer, football, and baseball shoes all have some sort of spikes or plastic knobs on the bottom to help the athlete maintain their speed and footing while playing on the field.

The sandals of the Roman solider provided similar stability. While they sandals did not provide much in the way of protection, they certainly helped soldiers stay on their feet in the midst of battle. After all, a soldier flat on his back because he tripped or slipped is at a great disadvantage to an enemy solider who is still on his feet.

So these sandals had one purpose: to keep the soldier on his feet.

The spikes and studs on the bottom of the sandals were also used as weapons. When enemy soldiers fell before an advancing Roman legion, the Roman soldiers would stomp on the fallen combatants, thereby inflicting greater harm and damage on the soldier, making it much less likely for them to rise up and fight again.

What then are the sandals for the Christian?

The Sandals for the Christian

In Ephesians 6:15, Paul states that the sandals are the preparation of the gospel of peace.

There are three key terms in this phrase that must be considered before we can know what the sandals are for the Christian: preparation, the gospel, and peace. Let us consider the central term first, the gospel.

The word gospel means โ€œgood news,โ€ and when it is used on Scripture, it refers to all the good news about Jesus.

definition of the gospelThe gospel is not just the good news about everlasting life and how to spend eternity with God. The gospel is also about how to live this life now, in friendship and fellowship with God and with each other, and also in fulfillment of who God made us to be. The teachings and example of Jesus show us the truth about all such things.

So the biblical gospel is every truth related to the person, work, and teachings of Jesus Christ, not just about how to gain eternal life, but also how to live our lives now as God wants and desires.

Lots of people get confused about what the gospel is and how to share it with others. That is why there is so much confusion in Christianity today about the nature and message of the gospel.

And while it is true that the gospel is centered on the person, work, and teachings of Jesus Christ, it is essential to recognize that there is one central truth of the gospel which forms the foundation for all other gospel truths.

The one central gospel truth is this: Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.

This truth can be stated in various ways. For example, we could say, as Paul does, that justification is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, or as we read numerous times in the Gospel of John, eternal life is by faith alone through Jesus Christ alone.

The gospel is good news and this is the best news there is. But you must get this central truth firmly set in your mind before the rest of the gospel makes any sense. If this central gospel truth is not firmly planted in your life and theology, the gospel of good news quickly becomes bad news.

You see, there are lots of Christians who think that in order to gain eternal life, or keep eternal life, they have to perform a set of good works.

Gospel According to ScriptureSome Christians think they have to get baptized, or attend church, or read their Bible and pray every day. Others believe that they have to live a good life and try to obey the Ten Commandments in order to keep their eternal life or prove that they have it.

But as soon as they start to add these sorts of good works to the central promise of the gospel, eternal life is no longer free, but becomes something we have to work for in order to gain or keep.

And when eternal life is something we have to work for, it is no longer attainable, because we can never be good enough, or work hard enough to gain, keep, or prove that we have eternal life.

Eternal life is based solely and completely on the promise of God that He gives eternal life to anyone and everyone who simply and only believes in Jesus for it (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47). Only by recognizing the freeness of the gospel are we then able to live our lives with assurance, stability, and peace.

This is why Paul calls refers to the gospel as the gospel of peace.

Once we know that we have eternal life through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, peace enters into our lives because we no longer have to worry about where we stand with God.

We no longer have to strive to perform enough good works.

We can know with complete certainty and assurance that we are part of the family of God, that He has accepted us and welcomed us into His family, and that there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from His love (Rom 8:38-39).

There is great peace in knowing that we are safe and secure in the arms of God.

pacfismWhen you do not know that you are safe, your life becomes filled with doubt and fear, which causes you to stumble and fall into the mud and muck of life. You also become fearful of stepping out in faith to follow Jesus into dark and dangerous places on the battlefield of life.

If you donโ€™t know for sure that you have eternal life, or if you are afraid that there is something you can do which will cause you to lose your eternal life, then you will become immobilized with fear.

But when you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are safe, then you can step out in faith to follow Jesus wherever He leads, because you know that He will never let you fall, that you are safe and secure with Him.

Such knowledge will also allow you to interact with other people in ways that bring peace to their lives also.

Paul calls these sandals the gospel of peace, and this is not just peace with God, and personal peace in your life, but also peace with other people.

Ephesians 2 is all about how Jesus created peace on the cross, not just between God and ourselves, but also between ourselves and all other people on earth. Jesus broke down the religious dividing walls of hostility that exist between various groups of people.

Jesus showed us, through His sacrificial death on the cross, how to die to ourselves and create peace with other people.

So the gospel truly is a gospel of peace. It brings peace to our own lives, and it also creates peace between ourselves and other people.

So the gospel of peace is the good news about Jesus that leads to peace in all areas of our lives.

The third key term, then, is preparation.

Gospel PeacePaul writes that we are to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The sandals are not precisely the gospel itself. Rather, the sandals are the preparation of the gospel.

The preparation of the gospel is accomplished in two ways. We become prepared in the gospel by first knowing what the gospel message is, and then secondly, by preparing and planning to share it with others through our words and our actions.

Just as the sandals helped keep the soldier on his feet in battle, being prepared to share the gospel with others will help you stay on your feet as a Christian.

If you are not really clear what the gospel is, and if you donโ€™t really know how to share the gospel with others, then you donโ€™t really know if you yourself have believed the gospel or if you have believed the right thing, or believed enough.

We must, as Peter writes, always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15).

Just like with the other pieces of spiritual armor, it is not enough to own the sandals, you have to put them on. In order to get firm footing on the slippery ground of life in this world, you need to put on your sandals.

You need to get those steel-studded soldier sandals so that you can have firm footing and not slip around in fear and uncertainty while on the field of battle. And Paul says we put on the sandals by being prepared with the gospel of peace.

You must be prepared by knowing how the gospel impacts your own life, and you must be prepared in knowing how to share and live the gospel with others. This is what we learn in the final section: how to strap the sandals of the gospel on your feet.

Putting on the Sandals

We already know from the previous section what the gospel is, but it is important to elaborate on the gospel a little bit further in order to properly prepare ourselves with the gospel.

The gospel is every truth and concept related to the person, work, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ.

This means that there are thousands and thousands of gospel truths. After all, since the entire Bible is somehow related to the person and work of Jesus Christ, this means that every biblical truth is a gospel truth.

Roman SoldiersSince there are so many gospel truths, this is why the gospel presentations of Christians becomes so garbled. Some Christians prefer to share one set of truths, while other Christians prefer to share a different set of truths.

For example, many Christians like to talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus. And these are good things to talk about, for they are gospel truths (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-8). But other Christians like to get into prophecies about Jesus, or how all people are sinners in need of grace. These too are gospel truths and can be mentioned.

But you can see how it gets confusing for Christians and non-Christians alike. One person shares one set of gospel truths and another person shares a different set, and both claim that they are sharing the gospel.

But if we can focus on one central idea, this helps bring every gospel explanation into proper focus. There is one central gospel truth to which all other gospel truths point, and it is this: Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.

Or to state it another way, eternal life is received by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

This is the central truth of the gospel which must always be kept in mind, and which must always be our focus. Once we keep this truth in the center, all other gospel truths flow from it and support it.

So is it true that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead? Yes. And you can share these gospel truths with people if you want. These truths helps support and defend the idea that the promise of Jesus can be trusted. If Jesus was just any other person, then when He died, He would have stayed dead.

But the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead, proves that Jesus was who He said He was, and is able to offer what He offered, namely, eternal life. The death and resurrection of Jesus proves that Jesus can give eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.

Can we talk about prophecy and human sinfulness? Sure! Prophecy about Jesus helps show that God was planning and preparing the world for the truth that would come through Jesus, which is that we donโ€™t need good works and religion to earn our way back into Godโ€™s good graces.

From the very beginning, God predicted and promised that He would send a Messiah who would show the world the one true way back to Him, which is through faith alone in Jesus. Due to our sinfulness, we can never be good enough to work our way into Godโ€™s family, so He freely welcomes us into His family when we believe in Jesus.

Do you see how the one central truth of the gospel helps bring clarity to every other truth of the gospel? The truth of eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is the central, unifying truth of the gospel which pulls all of the rest of the gospel truths together into a coherent whole.

gospel preparation truthsWhen you keep this central truth in mind, you can share a lot of other gospel truths with others without sounding like you are speaking gibberish. You can share a lot of truths, or a few truths. You can answer questions and objections they might have. The gospel becomes simple to share with others, because you no longer have to worry if you have shared enough truth or the right truth. You have one simple truth to share, and everything else flows from that.

When you share the gospel with others, keep it simple and keep it scriptural. Share the central gospel truth with others the same way Jesus did. Whenever Jesus told someone about how to receive eternal life, He told them to believe in Him for it. If this was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us. We do not need to try to change these words or improve upon them. For example, I hear many Christians invite others to do one of the following things:

  • Believe and ___________ (Repent, confess, be baptized, etc.).
  • Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.
  • Repent of your sins.
  • Confess your sins.
  • Be sorry for your sins.
  • Be willing to give up your sins.
  • Confess Christ.
  • Follow Christ.
  • Accept Jesus as your personal savior.
  • Commit/submit/surrender your life to Christ.
  • Put Christ on the throne of your life.
  • Turn your life over to Christ.
  • Give your heart/life to Christ.
  • Let go and let God.
  • Believe in God.
  • Have faith.
  • Believe that Jesus died on the cross.
  • Ask/invite Christ into your heart/life.
  • Pray this prayer.
  • Walk an aisle.
  • Come forward.
  • Raise your hand.
  • Sign this card.

Some of those things are good things to do. Some of them are even biblical things to do. But not a single one of those is stated anywhere in the Bible, or ever used by Jesus, Paul, or any other biblical author, as a way to receive eternal life.

In fact, a person can do or believe every single one of the items on that list, and still not believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Some of the items on that list are good works, so when we use them, we are telling people to perform good works in order to receive eternal life.

what is the gospelSo when Christians start to use practices and phrases like these as a way to share the gospel, it gets confusing for them and for those who hear us.

Rather than use such muddled messages, let us use the words that Jesus used and simply invite people to believe in Jesus for eternal life. Itโ€™s simple; itโ€™s clear; and itโ€™s biblical.

Now, this central gospel truth about eternal life also helps us in our own life. As indicated earlier, it helps keep us on our feet as followers of Jesus. If you donโ€™t know that you have eternal life, then you will be uncertain about what you need to do, or how good you need to be, in order to gain eternal life.

This uncertainty creates much fear and instability in your life.

But once you believe in Jesus, and you know that you have eternal life as a result, you no longer have to worry about whether you are doing enough, or obeying enough, or performing enough good works.

discipleInstead, you can step out in faith to follow Jesus without fear because you know that He will keep you safe and secure, no matter what.

Once we know we have eternal life in Jesus, we can begin to practice all the rest of the gospel truths that are contained in Scripture. After all, if the gospel contains every truth related to the person and work of Jesus Christ, and since many truths related to Jesus are about how to live our life here and now, then this means that the gospel contains many truths about how we are to live.

The gospel is not just about what we believe or what we say, but also about what we do.

But again, if we think that we need to live a certain way in order to gain or keep eternal life, then we will live in constant fear and will never be surefooted on the field of spiritual battle.

But maintaining a hold on the central truth of the gospel, that eternal life is the free gift of God to anyone who believes in Jesus for it, helps us then maintain a proper perspective on the purpose of every other gospel truth. Many of the other gospel truths are given to help us live in this life the way God wants and desires.

greatest sinsWhen we live out the truths of the gospel, we will get rid of sin in our lives, because sin trips us up and causes us to stumble into the muddy ground at our feet. When we live out the truths of the gospel, we will love our enemies, forgive others, and serve those who mistreat us and abuse us.

In other words, we will be creating pockets of peace in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We will be standing on our feet in the field of battle, living out the truths of the gospel of peace with those who surround us. We will have our feet firmly planted on the ground.

So do you have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace?

You must first know that you have eternal life by faith in Christ.

This will then allow you to know how to simply and clearly share this message with others.

And finally, the clear and central gospel message will enable you to live out the rest of the gospel in your life right now.

This is how you shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Knowing the central truths of the gospel, knowing how to share it with others, and knowing how to live in light of the gospel will greatly aid you in staying on your feet during spiritual battle. It will keep you from becoming muddled and unclear as you bring good news of peace to a world that needs to hear.

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.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, The Armor of God, z Bible & Theology Topics: armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-20, Ephesians 6:15, good news, gospel, peace, sandals of the gospel, sin, spiritual armor, spiritual warfare

Advertisement

Who is Our Enemy in Spiritual Warfare? (Ephesians 6:12)

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Who is Our Enemy in Spiritual Warfare? (Ephesians 6:12)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/687809422-redeeminggod-168-who-is-our-enemy-in-spiritual-warfare-ephesians-612.mp3

When Paul embarked on his third missionary journey, Ephesus was the first city he visited. He had briefly visited Ephesus during his second missionary journey and had started a church there (Acts 18:19-20), but he now wanted to return and spend plenty of time teaching and training the Christians in Ephesus what it meant to follow Jesus and be the church in their community.

Acts 19:10 records that he spent about two years teaching them about Jesus. During this time, many miracles were performed, many people were healed, and many people were delivered from evil spirits (Acts 19:12).

Near the end of Paulโ€™s time in Ephesus, some itinerant Jewish teachers came to town and heard what Paul was doing, and so decided to start their own little deliverance ministry by casting out demons in the name of Jesus.

This group developed a following and even had some success, so that some of them became known as the Seven Sons of Sceva. One day the Seven Sons of Sceva were holding one of their deliverance ministry crusades in a local household, and they commanded a demon to come out of a person โ€œin the name of Jesus whom Paul preachesโ€ (Acts 19:13-14).

โ€œThe evil spirit answered and said, โ€˜Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?โ€™โ€ (Acts 19:15). Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped upon the seven sons, overpowered them all, beat them up, stripped them naked, and chased them out of the house, wounded and bleeding.

Word about this spread among the town, and many people became Christians as a result. These Seven Sons of Sceva had attempted to wrestle wicked forces, and had suffered a humiliating defeat. But Paul was successful and so the message of the gospel spread and grew within Ephesus.

It is quite likely that many of the Christians to whom Paul writes the letter of Ephesians had become Christians as a result of this incident. Almost all of them undoubtedly knew about the incident.

And so when Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 about wrestling wicked forces, all of his readers in Ephesus would have perked up their ears, because they know how serious it is to wrestle evil spirits in the wrong way. They donโ€™t want to end up like the Seven Sons of Sceva; they want to be successful like Paul.

Wrestling

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 that he wants his readers to wrestle against wicked spiritual forces. Some Bible translations use the word โ€œstruggleโ€ but the Greek word is palฤ“, which refers to the ancient sport of Greco-Roman wrestling, and so the word โ€œwrestlingโ€ is the best translation.

Initially, the word is a bit confusing. After all, four times in Ephesians 6:10-13, Paul wrote that we should stand against the devil. We must stand our ground, and make it our goal to just stand on the ground that Jesus has won for us. But now Paul writes about wrestling.

And when you think about wrestling as two men or two boys grappling with each other and rolling about on the ground trying to pin one another to the ground, it does get seem a bit confusing. The way most of us think about wrestling, there doesnโ€™t seem to be a whole lot of standing involved.

But Paul was not writing about modern wrestling. He was writing about how wrestling was performed in his day as practiced by the Roman soldiers.

Greco Roman wrestling

One of the favorite pastimes of the Roman soldier was Greco-Roman wrestling.

Greco-Roman wrestling is the oldest sport on the planet, with ancient cave drawings suggesting that competitions may have been held as far back as 3000 BC. But the sport was not just a pastime for the Roman soldier, it also helped train them for battle.

The rules have changed a bit over the centuries, but in Paulโ€™s day, there was only one rule to winning in Greco-Roman wrestling. The only way to win in ancient wrestling was to stay on your feet. There werenโ€™t all the elaborate rules of points and pins. The goal was to stay on your feet and throw your opponent to the ground three times.

So Paulโ€™s description of wrestling against wicked forces is completely consistent with his instruction to stand our ground. The goal of wrestling was to stay on your feet, to stay standing, and so the two concepts are not contradictory, but complementary. Both phrases mean the same thing. When we wrestle wicked forces, we are to stand on our feet while we throw our foe to the ground.

In fact, the Greek noun for wrestling is palฤ“ and the verb form of the word is pallล. The verb means โ€œto throw or swing.โ€ So in wrestling, the goal is to throw the enemy down. This is similar to what the Bible teaches elsewhere. Over in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul writes that in this battle, one of our goals is to pull down strongholds, and to throw or cast down arguments and everything that is against God and the Word of God.

So that is what Paul had in mind here. Stand on your feet, and wrestle, struggle, throw down, cast down the enemy because he is trying to cast you down. He is trying to throw you down with his wiles, tricks, and traps, but as long as we are aware of what he is sending our way, we can stand our ground and throw him to mat instead.

The great thing about wrestling is that even if youโ€™ve been knocked down a few times, this doesnโ€™t mean the wrestling match is over. In ancient Roman wrestling, your opponent had to throw you down three times before you lost.

But in Christianity, due to Godโ€™s infinite grace, you can be thrown down any number of times, and as long as you get back up to continue the fight, you have not lost. Remember, Peter denied Jesus three times, and yet after Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus forgave Peter and restored him so that he could help lead the church in Jerusalem. So no matter how many times youโ€™ve been thrown down on the mat, make sure that you get up one more time than youโ€™ve been thrown down.

Victory in the Christian life only comes through great pain and sweat and effort. The Christian life lived correctly is not one of ease and comfort. If your life is one of ease and comfort, chances are, you are not living as a Christian should.

Do you ever feel like you canโ€™t go on? Take just one more step. Do you ever feel too tired, too weary, too beaten, too battered to continue standing? Just stand another minute more. Do you ever feel as if any moment, you might fall? Do not give up, for in due time, your enemyโ€™s foot will slip (Deut 32:35).

And if you do find yourself thrown on the mat by the enemy, stand back up, get in your defensive stance, and keep wrestling. Sometimes, the best wrestlers can struggle against one another for hours without either one gaining the upper hand. Back in the Olympics of 1912, held in Stockholm, Sweden, the silver medal wrestling bout lasted for 10 hours and 15 minutes. The match isnโ€™t over until the bell ringsโ€”or in our caseโ€”until the trumpet sounds.

And as you struggle and wrestle against the enemy, listen to the roars of the watching crowd. We are, after all, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on as we wrestle against our ancient foe.

And the bout is almost over. The Bible tells us that our enemy cannot place any hold upon you from which you cannot break free. There is always a way of escape (1 Cor 10:13).

So stand on your feet and wrestle, until you gain the victorโ€™s crown.

Let us turn now to learn everything we can about the wicked forces we wrestle against.

Wicked Forces

The wicked forces Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:12 want to make you think that they are a strong tower, or that they tower over you, but the Bible tells us, as we will see by the end of today, that although they seem to be a forbidding force, they have built on a faulty foundation, and so their tower will fall before the power of God and the army of the church.

We have nothing to fear from them.

The word against is found six times in Ephesians 6:11-12. Paul uses the word so frequently because he wants to remind us of the intensity of the battle. We are facing an enemy is completely against us and so we must be against them. There is no possibility of compromise or negotiation (cf. 1 Cor 6:14-17).

We must stand against the devil and his minions with every ounce of our effort and being. When it comes to this battle between the soldiers of Christ and our enemy of darkness, there is no common ground. There is no compromise. There is no peace process. The two sides are totally against one another.

Paul begins, not by telling us who we are struggling against, but by reminding us who we do not struggle against. Paul says we are not wrestling against flesh and blood. This is a reference to other humans. Throughout Scripture the term flesh and blood is used as a way of referring to other members of the human race (Gal 1:16; Heb 2:14).

This will be significant as we consider the other terms, for all the other terms in Ephesians 6:12 can refer to human beings. But Paul says, โ€œNo. As I list these titles that we struggle against, donโ€™t think of the human beings that you identify with these titles. Instead, recognize that there are powers or forces behind the human beings which have enslaved and captivated them. As we wrestle with the powers, our goal is not to defeat the human beings, but to liberate and free them.โ€

This is critical for us to recognize when we think of our foe on the field of battle. When most people think about their enemies, they think of humans. They imagine people of other countries, other religions, other races, other tribes, other economic classes, other families, other political parties, and other gangs. Some view the police as enemies, while the police view criminals as enemies. Whenever you wish that harm would fall upon someone else, you are thinking about them as your enemy.

But people are not our enemy.

It doesnโ€™t matter who they are, what they believe, and how they behave. Though we may fight against other people in the family room, argue with coworkers at our jobs, sue one another in a court of law, disagree with each other in the political arena, or even sometimes kill each other in the deadly combat of war, the people in these conflicts are not our enemies.

Yes, they may engage in violence against you and do all sorts of hateful and hurtful things toward you, but they only do such things because they are trapped and enslaved by the true enemy. And when we treat them like our enemy, we are showing that we too are enslaved and deceived by our true foe.

Yet donโ€™t be relieved. Though our struggle is not against flesh and blood, our true foe is much more fearsome and sinister. In the rest Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes that we wrestle โ€œagainst principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.โ€

Notice that Satan is not listed here. But the devil was listed with the very first use of against back in Ephesians 6:11, where we read that we are to stand against the wiles of the devil. So this is the first title we want to look at. The word devil is the Greek word diablos. The Hebrew equivalent is satan. The word mean accuser, adversary, slanderer, or one who stands against others. The titles often carry the connotation of a prosecuting attorney who seeks to condemn and accuse people in a court of law.

Satan, or the devil, is the spirit of accusation in this world. It is the spirit of condemnation and false judgment. It is the spirit that tempts us to judge between right and wrong, when such judgments belong to God alone.

But moving on from Satan, Ephesians 6:12 lists the four titles of spiritual forces we must stand against. They are the entities that carry out the work of the devil on earth.

Principalities

The first title listed in Ephesians 6:12 is principalities. This is the Greek word archฤ“, which literally means โ€œbeginning,โ€ but when used in connection with people, it refers to their rulers or principle leaders.

Indeed, the word refers to the authority figures of human groups. In numerous places throughout Scripture and other Greek literature (cf. Titus 3:1) the word is used to describe earthly rulers, kings, governors, or magistrates. Indeed, the term almost never refers specifically to evil spirits or demons, but instead to human leaders and rulers.

Now since the word most often refers to human leaders and rulers, it would be tempting to think that Paul is saying that we must struggle against evil human rulers.

But Paul has already told us that this is not the case. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We are not wrestling against human rulers. And yet, the word clearly refers to human rulers. So what does Paul mean?

He means that there are powers, systems, traditions, structures, laws, and permissions that lie behind every earthly ruler, and it is against these that we struggle. They are the spoken or unspoken rules and cultural norms by which we allow certain people, groups, or institutions to tell others what to do.

The human leaders are just as blindly enslaved to them as everyone else, and so as we struggle against these power structures, we seek to liberate both the ruler and the ruled from the set of crushing rules that enslave us all.

So as you think of the way some governments, rulers, kings, and authorities misuse, abuse, and subjugate the people under their rule for their own benefit, this is the power of the archฤ“, or principalities, at work. We are to struggle against such power structures as we seek to liberate and free people so that all can become who God wants them to be through liberty, love, and justice.

Powers

The second term in Paul list is powers. The Greek word is exousia, and powers is a fine translation, but it could also be translated as โ€œauthorities.โ€ It is a close synonym to archฤ“, refers to the permissions and structures which allow persons in power to rule.

It specifically has in mind the power of decision making and law making. Together, principalities and powers are โ€œhuman power arrangements,โ€ such as political, religious, and economic structures and leaders. The terms refer to both the power of the rulers and the way these rulers make laws and govern people.

Rulers

The third title is the rulers of the darkness of this age. The word for rulers is kosmokratoros, and is used only here in the New Testament. It is made up of two words, kosmos, meaning โ€œworld,โ€ and the verb krateล, meaning โ€œto control, seize, or rule.โ€ So the kosmokratoros are the world rulers, or world forces that dominate this world.

Interestingly, the verb krateล is related to the noun kratos, which was referenced back in Ephesians 6:10 (as โ€œmightโ€). Kratos was also the Greek god of war. So when Paul refers here to kosmokratoros, he might be thinking of the world forces and domination systems that lead humans toward warfare and violence.

Indeed, Paul goes on to describe these world rulers as being of the darkness of this age. The concept of darkness as it relates to this age has a rich imagery in Scripture, beginning with Genesis 1:2 (in the LXX) and the oppressive and ominous darkness that covered the face of the earth.

Metaphorically, the word refers to the moral and spiritual ignorance that darkens the minds of unbelievers (cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Cor 4:4-5; Eph 4:17-18; 5:8, 11). Scripture often equates this darkness with the human inclination toward violence and warlike behavior that leads to death (Matt 4:16; Luke 1:79; 22:53; John 3:19).

This theme of the darkness that blinds people about the ways of God and leading them instead toward violence against one another fits perfectly with the mythical imagery of Kratos, the god of war. Kosmokratoros is the world-dominating spirit of war and violence that rules this age.

We can think of Daniel 10:13, 20 which tells us that in Danielโ€™s day, the Persian and Greek empires were controlled by two angels who were attempting to prevent God from carrying out His plans. Both the Persian and Greek Empires wanted to control the world. Hitler and Napoleon both wanted to control the world, so they possibly could fall under this category.

But it is not just power hungry emperors and dictators who can be identified with this title, for once again, it is not the human leaders themselves who are identified by this title, but the violent power behind the rulers. This would include any political rule, economic policy, or educational system that exert power toward a stance of violence and war against the people of this world.

Religious institutions would be included in this as well. Even churches even be influenced and identified with the kosmokratoros. Any church that calls for violence, warfare, or hatred toward other religious groups of sets of people has fallen prey to this fallen and evil power.

As long as our minds are blinded to the truth of Godโ€™s love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy toward all, we will be tempted to encourage violence and wage war against others. Only when we learn the truth revealed by Jesus on the cross about ourselves and about God, and how to live in this world, will war end and violence cease. We, as followers of Jesus, must struggle and wrestle against all kosmokratoros that lead us toward hatred and violence against others.

Spiritual Hosts

The fourth and final term, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, reminds us that there are scores upon scores of these wicked enemies. The word hosts is not actually in the Greek text, but is provided for clarity. Since the theme of the text is about spiritual warfare, it might have been better to supply a militaristic word, such cohorts, legions, or battalions.

The term that is in the Greek is pneumatika. Curiously, pneumatika is usually related to spirit-filled people and their use of spiritual gifts in serving others (1 Cor 2:15; 9:11; 14:1). But here, the word is modified with the noun ponฤ“rias, which means โ€œwickednessโ€ or โ€œevilโ€ (cf. Matt 22:18; 1 Cor 5:8).

So while we, as spirit-filled people, are good pneumatika, these beings against whom we fight are evil pneumatika. While we fight with the power of the Holy Spirit, these beings fight with the power of evil spirits.

This contrast being our holy spirituality as Christians and the evil spirituality of our foe is further made with the descriptive term in the heavenly places at the end of Ephesians 6:12. As a result of this description, some people think that spiritual warfare is taking place in heaven itself, so that the hosts of wickedness are battling angels in the spiritual realm only.

Support for this idea is found in Job 1โ€“2 where Satan enters the courtroom of God to challenge God about the righteousness of Job, and in Revelation 12:7-17 which describes this war in heaven between the angel Michael, the dragon, and the two sets of angels that follow both. But this is not what this phrase in the heavenly places means.

The phrase has already been used several times in the letter to the Ephesians (cf. 1:20; 2:6), and in each case, it refers to the spiritual reality that consists of life with God here and now on this earth. The phrase does not refer to what occurs in heaven itself, but to what occurs when the rule and reign of heaven takes root upon this earth. It has in mind the words of Jesus from Matthew 6:10, where He prayed that Godโ€™s will would be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.

So while the phrase in the heavenlies does refer to a spiritual reality, it refers to the spiritual reality as it is seen can carried out in the physical realm, here on this earth, during our lives now.

Far too often, Christians focus so much on eternity and the afterlife, that they neglect the work that God has called us to do here and now in our lives. As someone once said, โ€œSome Christians are so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.โ€ When this happens, we allow the spiritual hosts of wickedness to have their way on their earth.

As Christians, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places so that we can rule and reign with Christ here on earth, not only in the future, but also (primarily!) during our lives now. The battle is a spiritual battle, but it has far-reaching ramifications and consequences in the physical world.

We do battle in the spiritual world by seeking to help people in the physical world.

These spiritual hosts of wickedness are seeking to destroy peopleโ€™s lives, inhibit the truth of the gospel from spreading upon the earth, and hinder the effectiveness of the church. We struggle against these forces with all our might so that lives can be saved, the gospel can spread, and the church can serve others in this world. The struggle is spiritual in nature, but physical in how it manifests in this world.

Thankfully, Jesus, our Commanding Officer, fights with us in this battle, telling us where to go and what to do so that we can be successful against our foe. The truth of Ephesians is that we, as the followers of Jesus, have been specially called and gifted to carry out the will of God on earth, just as Godโ€™s will is carried out in heavenly places.

It remains the churchโ€™s task not only to proclaim to people that they have been redeemed from the darkness that once held them in bondage, but also to proclaim to the Powers that they are not supreme. That Christ is their sovereign.

Do you want to wrestle against wicked forces? We have learned a bit in this study about who these forces are. In previous studies, we have learned that our primary task in spiritual warfare is to stand our ground against these wicked forces.

One of the primary ways we do this is by putting on the full armor of God. It is to this idea we turn in the next study…

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.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: armor of God, devil, Ephesians 6:10-20, Ephesians 6:12, One Verse Podcast, satan, spiritual armor, spiritual warfare

Advertisement

The Battle Plan (Ephesians 6:11,13)

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

The Battle Plan (Ephesians 6:11,13)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/684427809-redeeminggod-how-to-stand-up-in-spiritual-warfare-ephesians-611-13.mp3

Paul turns from the battle cry in Ephesians 6:10 to the battle plan in Ephesians 6:11, 13. We must not only prepare ourselves for battle by becoming strong, we must also protect ourselves in battle by having a plan.

The battle plan has three parts. We must put on the armor of God, stand our ground, and watch out for traps laid by the devil.

Let us consider each part of the plan.

Put on Your Armor (Ephesians 6:11a, 13a)

The first part of the battle plan is to put on the whole armor of God. Paul states this instruction twice in Ephesians 6:11, 13 when he writes, โ€œPut on the whole armor of Godโ€ and โ€œtake up the whole armor of God.โ€

When Paul wrote these words, he was in prison in Rome and was likely chained to a Roman soldier twenty-four hours a day. Being chained to an armed guard was one of the ways the Roman military put protection and extra security around important prisoners like Paul. He had a first-hand opportunity to study and understand the importance of armor. Maybe he even talked to the soldiers about their armor.

This will be important to remember when Paul goes on to describe the armor in Ephesians 6:14-17. For now, Paul just instructs us to put on the whole armor of God.

Note that Paul doesnโ€™t tell us that we are already wearing the armor. No, he tells us to take up and put on the armor. Though God has given His armor to us, we still need to take it up and put it on. These are commands. Christians are commanded to put on the armor. Obviously, armor sitting on the floor or stuffed the closet never did any soldier any good.

God has given His armor to each of us, by which we can protect ourselves from the enemy. But the armor does no good sitting in the closet. We must pick it up. We must put it on. We must wear it night and day until we feel naked and unprotected without it.

God has given us this wonderful gift to protect us from the enemy in this battle. Let us makes sure we use it. Take it the full armor of God and put it on.

As we discuss the various pieces of armor in future studies, we will discuss how to take it up and put it on.

Let us move on to the second part of the battle plan, which details our primary goal in this battle.

Stand Your Ground (Ephesians 6:11b, 13b, 14a)

Whenever we imagine a battlefield, we think of two opposing armies facing off against each other on the field of battle. Then, as the trumpets sound and the battle cry is shouted, the two armies charge across the field toward each other, where they meet in the middle with a clash of blood and steel. So in light of this, it would seem that Paul would tell us to โ€œCharge!โ€ into battle.

But he doesnโ€™t. Instead, he tell us simply to โ€œStand.โ€ In fact, Paul is so intent on making sure we know that all we are supposed to do is โ€œStand,โ€ he repeats the instruction four times.

In the middle of Ephesians 6:11, he says, โ€œโ€ฆ that you may be able stand โ€ฆโ€ Then in Ephesians 6:13, he writes โ€œโ€ฆ that you maybe be able to withstand โ€ฆ and having done all, to stand.โ€ Finally, at the beginning of Ephesians 6:14, he says, โ€œStand therefore โ€ฆโ€

This is surprising, isnโ€™t it? Most of us assume that the Christian life is all about doing things. Going places. Ministering. Serving. Teaching. Studying. Giving. Most Christians measure spiritual maturity by looking at spiritual activity. It even goes against what we sing. We like to sing the song, โ€œOnward Christian Soldiers,โ€ but Paul doesnโ€™t say, โ€œOnward!โ€ He says, โ€œJust stand there!โ€

This indicates that while Christian activity might be helpful in other arenas, when it comes to spiritual warfare, the most we should do and the best we can do, is to do nothing but stand there.

So these are the battle orders. We are to stand our ground. Donโ€™t give up. Donโ€™t retreat. But also donโ€™t try to advance. Just stand our ground.

Why does Paul do this?

Why does he tell us to do nothing but stand when it comes to spiritual warfare? Why can we walk in other areas of the Christian life, but only stand in spiritual battle?

The main reason is because this spiritual battle has already been won. We donโ€™t have to march out to meet the enemy, because the enemy is already defeated. The enemy has already been vanquished. We are the conquerors.

In fact, we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:37). Jesus Christ defeated the enemy for us. He is the victor (1 Cor 15:57; 2 Cor 2:14) and so we donโ€™t have to advance; we just have to stand on the ground that Jesus has already won.

Part of this is because we humans, on our own, could never defeat Satan. He is much stronger and powerful than any one of us. So thankfully, God has not called on us to march out and meet the enemy that is far superior to us. He has not called us to run out onto the battlefield. He has called us to do nothing but stand on the ground that Jesus has won for us.

Jesus Christ defeated Satan for us. He is the victor on this battlefield. And all we have to do is stand on the ground He has won (Col 2:15; 1 Cor 10:12).

Indeed, standing your ground was the single greatest key to the power and might of the Roman military. While the Roman Empire did conquer the world by sending its armies into other countries to do battle, the great strength of the Roman military was that once the armored Roman soldiers were on the field of battle, their primary goal was to do nothing but stand their ground.

They had various ways of doing this. For example, the Roman military historian Vegetius writes that the smallest Roman security force was a guard unit made up of 16 men. These 16 men were spaced evenly over 36 square yards, which means there was about one every six feet or so. The soldiers were trained to focus on one thing and one thing only: They must not let a single enemy soldier enter into their six-foot square section of the battle field. Each individual soldier was given a single command: Stand your ground. Do not let the enemy into your six-foot square area.

Now this is not very much ground to cover. If you were a soldier and you were told that all you had to do in any war was cover one little six-foot by six-foot section, that doesnโ€™t seem too hard. And it wasnโ€™t too hard. This was the part of the genius of the Roman military power. Vegetius tells us that when arranged in this way, and when each soldier understood that all he had to do was stand his ground, his little six-by-six foot section of ground, those 16 men could stand up against 500 attacking enemies!

It is helpful to think about spiritual warfare in a similar way. When we look at all that is wrong with the world, it can be overwhelming. There are so many problems. So many battles to be fought. There is so much sin, rebellion, and evil. How can one person do anything against all of that?

But you are not called to do anything against all of that! You are commanded to simply stand your ground. To keep standing when an enemy enters into your small area of the field. You donโ€™t need to worry about what is happening on the other end of the battle field.

All you need to focus on is what is happening in your little six-foot square area. God does not expect you to fight the swarming hoards all by yourself. It is not you against the spiritual realm of darkness.

You have been given a little tiny bit of ground. Stand in it and defend it. Thatโ€™s it. Do not let a single enemy enter into your space. That is the area God has entrusted to you, and He wants you to stand your ground.

What is your six-foot square area of land?

It is your own life and the people who are in it with you. Protecting your bit of ground requires you to watch what you see, what you say, and what you think.

We can make sure that the words that proceed out of our mouths are edifying and encouraging toward others.

We can speak with honesty and truthfulness.

We can avoid gossip that tears other people down.

We can be careful about what enters into our minds through the doorway of the eyes.

We can be careful what we watch and view.

We can take our thoughts captive so that we think on what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Php 4:8).

When we live in such ways, we are standing our ground that Jesus has won for us.

But standing our ground is not as easy as it sounds.

Standing our ground requires great vigilance. We must be alert and ready. For as the defeated enemies rush off with their tails between their legs, in shame and defeat, shrieking in humiliation, they still seek to wound and damage any of us that they can. We must be on our guard, because as they go to their destruction they would love to take a few of us out as they pass by.

That is why we need to be careful. If we try to advance, rather than stand our ground, it is almost certain we will walk into a trap of the devil. Standing our ground is the safest way to avoid the snares of Satan. This is the third and final part of the battle plan, to watch out for the traps of the devil.

Watch Out For Traps (Ephesians 6:11b, 13b)

The third and final element of our battle plan is to watch out for the traps of the devil. Paul calls these the wiles of the devil.

The Greek word for wiles is methodeia, which is where we get our English word โ€œmethods.โ€ So the wiles of the devil are the methods he uses to injure, wound, and ensnare soldiers of Jesus Christ.

In fact, Satan is so good at what he does, that sometimes, according to 1 Corinthians 11:3, 14, he appears as an angel of light. This means that sometimes, when people think they are following light and truth, they are actually following darkness and deception. It is even possible that some people think they are worshiping God, but are in fact worshiping the devil.

Therefore, it is critically important to become aware of the wiles of the devil, so that we can easily see his schemes and avoid his traps.

We must understand when these attacks come, what types of attacks the devil will throw at us, where he seeks to target us most often, and the tactics he uses with these attacks.

Though Satan has millions of specific temptations, there are only three main types.

Three Types of Traps

In 1 John 2:15-17, the Apostle John says that there are three types of traps that we can encounter in our life as Christians. He calls them the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. So although there are a wide variety of specific temptations and traps that the devil can throw our way, each and every one will fall into one of these three categories.

For example, in Genesis 3:6, Satan uses these same three traps on Eve. She saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasing to the eyes (thatโ€™s the lust of the eyes), and that it was desirable to make one wise (thatโ€™s the pride of life).

Similarly, when Satan tempted Jesus for forty days in the wilderness, the Gospel accounts tell us that he presented Jesus with three different temptations. Satan wanted Jesus to turn stone into bread (the lust of the flesh), then showed Him all the kingdoms of the world (the lust of the eyes), and tempted Jesus to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple in order to easily declare Himself as the Messiah and prove that God was working for Him (the pride of life) (See further resources here: https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/luke/luke_4_1-4/ https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/luke/luke_4_5-13/ and https://redeeminggod.com/genesis-3-intro/)

This is helpful to recognize for it means that after youโ€™ve been a Christian for a day or two, there is no new temptation you will ever face that you have not faced before.

Oh yes, the specific details might be different, but all temptations will fall into one of these three categories. Therefore, when a temptation comes, rather than say, โ€œUh oh! Iโ€™ve never faced this specific temptation before!โ€ you can instead confidently say, โ€œOh, I recognize this as a temptation that tugs on the lust of the flesh. Iโ€™ve faced similar temptations before and stood strong against them, so I can stand up under this temptation as well.โ€

Once you recognize that every temptation will fall into one of these three types, and you remember that you have withstood various temptations in all of these types before, it will give you more confidence and faith to withstand similar temptations in the future.

Three Targets for Traps

Along with three main types of temptations, there are also three main targets for these temptations. There are three areas that Satan is constantly trying to undermine and destroy. These three targets are the church, the family, and your own personal life.

1. The church

There is a wide variety of ways that Satan seeks to destroy and undermine the church, but the primary method is to confuse people about what the church actually is.

Many people have fallen to this temptation, and are quite confused about what the church is. Some equate the church with a building, while others think of it as an event. If people ask you where you go to church or when you go to church, they have fallen prey to this confusion. Also, some people think that only a certain denomination is the true church, and everyone else is false. This way of thinking creates division and strife.

So what is the church? What does Satan not want you to recognize about the church?

He does not want you to know that the church is made up of people. The church is people. It is not a building. It is not a place. It is not an event. It is not a denomination. You cannot โ€œgoโ€ to church or โ€œattendโ€ church.

Instead, since you are the church, the church goes with you. The church exists regardless of whether or not there is a building. The church functions regardless of whether or not there is a Sunday morning โ€œserviceโ€ with four songs and a sermon.

Satan does not want the church to recognize what the church truly is, because as long as he can keep us deceived about the nature of the church, he can then lead us to argue about what type of building is best, and how long the Sunday service should be, and what type of music to play, and who gets to stand up front and preach, and all the other numerous types of issues that have split and divided the church for centuries.

But as soon as we recognize what the church truly is, the need for all of these arguments disappear, and we will start living as the church in our communities and towns, which is what Jesus has always wanted.

So donโ€™t be deceived about the church. Learn what the church is and how the church follows Jesus so that you can be the church in your community (If you want to learn more about the church, see my โ€œ(#AmazonAdLink) Close Your Church for Goodโ€ series of books, starting with (#AmazonAdLink) Skeleton Church).

2. The Family

Satanโ€™s second primary target is the family.

The family unit is Godโ€™s primary method of world evangelism and life transformation. The family is where people learn about love and relationships, and the importance of working together as a team. It is also through our human families that we learn about how to live within the family of God.

Therefore, the family unit is central to the church, central to the kingdom of God, and central to what God seeks to accomplish in this world.

Since the family is so important to Godโ€™s plan and purposes in this world, Satan does all he can to destroy the family. He tries to break up marriages, and get children to disobey their parents, and parents to neglect their children. This is why Paul spent so much space in Ephesians talking about marriage and family (cf. Ephesians 5:22โ€“6:4).

3. Personal Life

The third primary target of Satan is your own personal life. Each Christian is under nearly constant attack from the devil. He tries to ruin our lives by tempting us to sin, encouraging us to be selfish, and leading us toward activities that can stunt our spiritual growth and make us physically sick.

One Tactic for the Traps

While Satan has three types of traps, and three primary targets for these traps, there is only one tactic he uses when he targets us with these traps.

It is this: he challenges what God has said.

He raises doubts in our minds about the truth of Scripture. He twists and perverts what the Bible says. He makes subtle changes to the Word of God. He adds to the Word of God, or subtracts from the Word of God. He rips verses out of context from the Word of God. He exaggerates the strictness of the boundaries in Godโ€™s Word. He denies the consequences of disobeying Godโ€™s Word. He distorts the supreme revelation of God in Jesus Christ to make us think that Jesus reveals the opposite of what He actually did reveal.

All of Satanโ€™s temptations and traps revolve around misusing or abusing the revelation of God. The serpent tempted Eve in Genesis 3:1-5 by questioning and challenging the instructions of God regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness by challenging why Jesus came and what He was here to do (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). When tempting Jesus, Satan even quoted Bible verses to provide โ€œbiblical supportโ€ for what he was trying to get Jesus to do.

This shows that just because someone has a few Bible verses to support their beliefs or behavior, this does not mean they have properly understood or applied those Bible passages. Other than God Himself, Satan is probably the greatest Bible expert in existence. He knows how to quote and twist Scripture to support his temptations and provide cover for his traps.

Whenever you see someone being tempted in Scripture, it is because they are wondering if Godโ€™s Word can be trusted. This is how Satan tempted the Israelites in the wilderness, how he tempted the kings of Israel, how he tempted the apostles and the early church, and how he tempts you and me.

He not only invites us to believe wrong things or behave in wrong ways, he also loves to support and defend his temptations with fine-sounding arguments from Scripture, which, when carefully examined, prove to be nothing more than twisted perversions of Scripture. But these distortions of Godโ€™s Word are very effective in tricking Christians to follow the ways of Satan instead of the ways of God.

As we consider the Satanic traps, it is important to recognize that there are two secret powers that he claims to have, which in fact he does not.

Two Secret โ€œPowersโ€

Satan is a great deceiver, and he likes to make himself appear more powerful than he really is. Toward this end, he has invented two secret powers for himself. He does not actually have these powers, but he uses them to his advantage, to trip people up and trap people in sin.

The first fake secret โ€œpowerโ€ is invisibility. Yes, Satan is invisible. That is, you cannot literally see him with your eyes.

But Satan likes to more invisible than that. He likes to make people think that he doesnโ€™t really even exist at all. Modern minds love to explain Satan away. To say that he is thing of the past. A figment of imagination. A superstitious story to scare people into obedience. In our modern, scientific world, the โ€œnon-existenceโ€ of Satan is a popular wile of the devil.

One of the greatest lies of Satan is that Satan doesnโ€™t exist.

Satan does exist. Satan is real.

The second secret โ€œpowerโ€ of Satan is his invincibility. This fake power is sort of the opposite of invisibility. If Satan cannot convince people that he doesnโ€™t exist, he instead tries to convince them that he is so powerful, there is nothing we can do to stop him.

temptation of JesusWhen people recognize that Satan is real, Satan tries to get them to think that he is equal with God.

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. Satan is not any of these things, but he wants people to think that he is.

Satan wants people to think that he all-powerful, and can make us sick, cause us to get in car accidents, kill our loved ones, and send tragedies into our lives. He wants us to think that he is all-knowing, and can read our thoughts, predict the future, and know what is going on in every corner of the world. Satan wants us to think he is all-present, and is following us around during out days to personally tempt us.

But Satan can do none of these things.

Yet many Christians give Satan too much power, making him almost equal with God. Some Christians see Satan behind every corner, under ever wrong, and at the root of every bad thing that happens in life. They think that Satan haunts their dreams, tempts them to sin, makes them sick, stops their car from running, and creates every bad thing that happens in their life.

Satan loves to credit for all such things, because it makes him nearly invincible. Most of all, this all-consuming focus on the power and presence of Satan in every aspect of our life causes us to take our eyes off Jesus and put them on Satan instead. It is so sad when some churches spend more time talking about Satan and trying to cast out Satan than they do talking about Jesus Christ and encouraging people to follow Jesus.

Satan would rather have people fear him than fear God. Satan would rather have people focus on him than focus on Jesus Christ. Satan likes people to think he is more powerful than he really is. But he is just a faker, an imitator, and a liar, as we will see in the next lesson.

So those are some of the tricks and traps of the devil that we must watch out for when we are standing our ground on the field of battle.ย Standing your ground is not an easy task, but it is easier when we realize that Christ has already won the battle for us, and though the entire world caves in on top of us, all we have to do is stand.

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.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: accuser, armor of God, Books I'm Writing, Ephesians 6:10-20, Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13, One Verse Podcast, satan, sin, spiritual armor, spiritual warfare, temptation, wiles

Advertisement

Join the discipleship group
Learn about the gospel and how to share it

Take my new course:

The Gospel According to Scripture
Best Books Every Christian Should Read
Study Scripture with me
Subscribe to my Podcast on iTunes
Subscribe to my Podcast on Amazon

Do you like my blog?
Try one of my books:

Click the image below to see what books are available.

Books by Jeremy Myers

Theological Study Archives

  • Theology – General
  • Theology Introduction
  • Theology of the Bible
  • Theology of God
  • Theology of Man
  • Theology of Sin
  • Theology of Jesus
  • Theology of Salvation
  • Theology of the Holy Spirit
  • Theology of the Church
  • Theology of Angels
  • Theology of the End Times
  • Theology Q&A

Bible Study Archives

  • Bible Studies on Genesis
  • Bible Studies on Esther
  • Bible Studies on Psalms
  • Bible Studies on Jonah
  • Bible Studies on Matthew
  • Bible Studies on Luke
  • Bible Studies on Romans
  • Bible Studies on Ephesians
  • Miscellaneous Bible Studies

Advertise or Donate

  • Advertise on RedeemingGod.com
  • Donate to Jeremy Myers

Search (and you Shall Find)

Get Books by Jeremy Myers

Books by Jeremy Myers

Schedule Jeremy for an interview

Click here to Contact Me!

© 2025 Redeeming God · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework