The apostle Paul wanted the Ephesian Christians, and he wants us today to understand that we are in a war. As Christians, we have to understand we are in this war until the day we die or until our Lord returns. Other passages of Scripture tell us we are in a war against our flesh, our unredeemed humanness. But in Ephesians 6, Paul makes clear that our war is also against hostile demonic forces.
For us as Christians, our knowledge and understanding of the truth—guided and illumined by the Spirit of God—are the very means by which we are sanctified. And the more we become like Christ, the better we are able to ward off Satan’s attacks.
The Christian life is one of battle, in the sense that every Christian, every day, faces a powerful enemy. An adversary, one that Scripture calls the devil, or Satan. But God’s people haven’t been left in the dark on how to fight against him.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 instructs every believer to equip themselves with the armor of God. As it pertains to the breastplate of righteousness, believers are to daily apply several truths related to the great doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he makes clear that we, as Christians, face a powerful enemy—Satan—who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy all God’s people. And since he is too powerful for us to handle alone, Christ has given us spiritual armor to help us withstand the enemy’s relentless attacks.
If you have repented of your sin and believed in Christ, you are at peace with God. So no matter the trials or temptations that you will inevitably face in this life, God is using those things for your good and His glory.
If we, as God’s people, are to fight against the evil one and to keep our minds pure, we must put on spiritual armor, including the shield of faith.
In the ancient world, Roman soldiers used a shield to protect themselves from the enemy’s arrows. At the same time, Roman soldiers would often interlock their shields for greater protection. For the Christian, we have been given a spiritual shield, the shield of faith, to protect us from the constant onslaught of the enemy.
As soldiers of Jesus Christ, we, as believers, are to use a spiritual helmet that is intended to protect our heads—that is, our minds. According to the apostle Paul, this piece of armor is to be used to preserve and protect our minds against the attacks of Satan and his demons.
If we, as the Lord’s people, are going to be protected from Satan’s constant attacks against us, we have to be reminded of the importance of protecting our minds, and the helmet of salvation does that.
The whole of Scripture, as well as the arc of human history, shows us that God’s enemy, Satan, will do everything possible to oppose God and God’s people. This is because of his hatred for God and those whom God has redeemed through Jesus Christ. But God hasn’t left his people defenseless. He knows His people need spiritual armor to defend themselves.
Scripture records that Satan himself personally tempted Jesus—but every time, Jesus responded with Scripture, the “sword” of the Spirit. If Jesus Christ used Scripture in His battle against Satan, how much more do we need to know, understand, and apply the Bible to battle against Satan?
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