I have been to so many seminars and attended so many services on the topic of spiritual warfare that my Bible almost jumps open to Ephesians chapter six verse ten on its own. It seems that everyone who teaches on the topic starts with this classic verse, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. (Ephesians 6:10) However, the word “finally” should be a clue to us that there is really another starting place. In the same way that we don’t read a book from the last chapter and we don’t climb a ladder from the top rung, we can’t start our spiritual warfare at the final point. The word “finally” means “in conclusion” or “bringing a summary to what has previously been said, we come to a concluding point.” With this in mind, we must see Ephesians 6:10 as the ending, not the starting point, in understanding spiritual warfare.
Out of all the messages we have heard on spiritual warfare, we have probably never heard anyone lay a groundwork for the word “finally” in chapter six verse ten. Speakers usually just jump into the passage without looking back to what Paul previously said. Yet, if we are going to have a real understanding of where we will end up finally, we have to look back to see the whole journey which has brought us to this final point. There are five and a half absolutely indispensable chapters that precede Ephesians 6:10. We must have this knowledge and foundation incorporated into our lives before we are able to grasp the true meaning and power of Ephesians 6:10.
By starting at the end rather than the beginning in their study of spiritual warfare, many Christians have entered into spiritual warfare ill prepared, only to come back bruised and bleeding. They went out with the “finally, my brethren” challenge, but lacked the preparation it takes to get to this final stage. When the devil is able to inflict this sort of collateral damage on the Body of Christ, he has triumphed in his strategy because he has not only wounded one soldier but has also pulled other good warriors from the frontlines to tend to their fallen comrade and has discouraged even more recruits from joining in the fight at all.
There are many layers of what we might call “underwear” that we have to put on before we can don the spiritual armor. We often think of Christians as arrayed in the shining armor of a medieval knight going into battle. But I – for one – would not want to wear all that metal outerwear without the proper padding underneath. Just imagine how the knight’s skin would be fried if it were in direct contact with the metal armor as it heated up in the sunlight or how he would be pinched with every movement if there were nothing to protect him from the metal edges at each joint. The same is true with our spiritual armor; therefore, Paul took the entire book of Ephesians to lay the groundwork to get us to the point where we are able to put on the final warfare armament.
Before Paul teaches us about the spiritual armor, he helps us develop our spiritual authority because he knows that unless there is a warrior inside of us, there won’t be a warrior inside our uniforms. In fact, even when he makes his classic statement in this touchstone verse on spiritual warfare, his direction is actually focused on who we are more than what we put on. He directs us to be strong; putting on the external armor seems almost secondary to this commandment to exert our internal strength. You see, God is not in the business of just passing out uniforms; He is in the business of equipping soldiers. Remember – if there’s not a warrior inside of you, there won’t be one inside your uniform!
Chapter One
Faithfulness
Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians by addressing them as saints and as faithful. It would seem obvious that it is saints – not sinners – who are going to be waging spiritual warfare against the devil. After all, why would anyone who is still on Satan’s team try to fight against him? The second quality he mentions is the concept of faithfulness that has been woefully lacking in most contemporary Christian teaching – yet it is a vital key to spiritual victory.
We are all desirous of being overcomers and more than conquerors. Unfortunately, we too often feel that we can achieve these spiritual qualities through some “spiritual microwave” quick fix, such as having some anointed spiritual leader lay hands on us or by going on an extended fast. We seem to have forgotten (or maybe never learned) that in order to overcome, we must endure – all the way to the end. In describing the Christian life we are called to, Jesus said, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 10:22) The quality that keeps us on task to the point where we can be said to be enduring and eventually overcoming is called faithfulness.
When St. John was given a vision of the victorious army of the redeemed (overcomers at their best) returning with Christ for history’s final conquest of evil (the ultimate in spiritual warfare), he listed only three qualifying requirements. While two of these qualifiers are totally at God’s own discretion, one is under the control of the individual. The only character trait listed that the individual Christian can develop in order to be numbered among the overcomers is faithfulness!
These (Antichrist’s forces) shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14)
If each individual soldier is not faithful to appear at all the roll calls, practice all the drills, and follow all the commands of his superior officers, there is no army. Just as no army can exist if the soldiers are unfaithful and undependable, the spiritual army of God cannot be successful in its mission unless each of its members develops faithfulness.
The world is full of Christians who began the race but eventually dropped out. Because they could not stay on focus, they lacked the staying power necessary to succeed. Because faithfulness is a major attribute that equips an individual for the “long haul,” it is one of the main qualities God is looking for – and requiring – in His servants. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. (I Corinthians 4:2)
Psalm 101:4-8 contrasts God’s pleasure with the faithful and His contempt for those who lack this quality.
A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
Notice all the contrasting options this passage offers when listing those who lack faithfulness: the froward (or perverse) of heart, the wicked persons, those who slander their neighbors, ones with high looks and proud hearts, those who work deceit, and those who tell lies. Not only do those who fail to qualify as the faithful lack the admirable quality of being able to stick to the task, they actually display a long list of negative and destructive attributes. There is no middle ground where we can be good guys in every area except that we are just a little short on our loyalty. Notice how Jesus described the person who lacked faithfulness:
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Luke 12:42-47)
As soon as the servant of the Lord abandons faithfulness, he becomes abusive (beating the other servants), self-indulgent (eating and drinking to excess), negligent concerning his responsibilities (not looking for the master to whom he is responsible), faithless (he is listed among the unbelieving), rebellious (knowing his lord’s will but not doing it), and careless about his faith (being unprepared for the return of his lord). Who would have thought that so much depended upon our being faithful? Normally, we think that there are only temporary and immediate short-ranged consequences if we let our responsibilities slide. We think that our actions are either of no consequence at all or that they will produce only a small ripple effect.
For example, we know that we should be faithful in our tithing, but we feel that there will not be any really big consequences if we fudge a bit one week. We may think, “Sure, the church will be out a few dollars; but what does that matter? Everyone else is giving, and there may even be a visitor who will drop a little something extra into the offering plate. Besides, what does my offering have to do with the total budget of the church anyway?” The thing we fail to recognize is that when we hold back on our tithing, we are actually inviting the devourer into our lives. In Malachi 3:11, God obligated Himself to the task of rebuking the devourer away from the lives of those who tithe. As soon as we fail in our faithfulness to this responsibility, God’s “hands are tied” so that He can no longer resist the devil for us. When the devourer rushes in, he will certainly begin to eat up our finances, but do you think he’ll stop there? Of course not, he will eat up any and everything he can get to: our health, or relationships, and – as we can tell from the parable we just read – our character!
While practicing faithfulness in small matters will help us to develop a greater sense of responsibility, unfaithfulness concerning even the slightest of our obligations will lead us to shirk more important responsibilities. Jesus said, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10) Failing in our faithfulness has more than just a simple ripple effect. A more accurate illustration could be drawn from a little story we learned at our mothers’ knees about the little Dutch boy who held his finger in the dike to keep the city from flooding. The breach in our faithfulness may look like a tiny hole, but it will soon make the whole dam collapse and we will be inundated!
While we are busily pursuing more flashy spiritual manifestations, it may be very easy to overlook the “wallflower” quality of faithfulness. According to Proverbs 20:6, Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? The average man is busy “putting on airs” trying to make himself look good and cover up the fact that he has a perverse heart, is wicked, slanders his neighbor, is proud, works deceit, and tells lies; all the while the faithful man lives a simple, unassuming life which may make him almost melt into the background. He may not stand out as a superstar to men, but – and this is an all-important “but” – he will attract the attention of God.
When we have God’s attention, we become targets for His blessings. In His parables, Jesus repeatedly spoke of the promotion that the Lord has in store for those He considers to be faithful.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:23)
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? (Luke 12:42)
Advancement, finances, and spiritual fulfillment are the inheritance of those who are deemed faithful and dependable. God rewards faithfulness because it shows stability. Because He knows that a faithful person is trustworthy, He will entrust him with gifts, privileges, and responsibilities. He knows that the faithful person will be with Him when He needs him and that he will take on any responsibility with the same care he has consistently shown.
At the literal conclusion of spiritual warfare as the final blows are being struck at the Valley of Megiddo, even Jesus Christ Himself will be identified with two outstanding qualities – one being His faithfulness! And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)
Chapter Two
Knowing Our Position
Paul then turns to the topic of knowing our relationship with God. It is a necessity for us to know our position with Christ in God before we go out to fight the enemy.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (verse 1:3)
We are not just blessed with some spiritual blessings, but we are blessed with all spiritual blessings. The first thing we have to realize about this passage is that it is written to all believers, not some elite group of church leaders. It is all too easy for us to begin to think that pastors and televangelists have some extra spiritual blessings that we as laymen lack. On the contrary, Paul described the entire church as having all spiritual blessings.
In a later passage (verse 2:6), Paul says us that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above every principality and power. It is important for us to recognize that we are seated with Christ and that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. If we are with Christ and in Christ in those heavenly places, then we are seated together with Christ and hold a position far above every principality and every power.
Most people, when trying to enter into an understanding of spiritual warfare, neglect this basic foundational truth. They enter into the study thinking that they are nose to nose with the devil, on equal ground with him, and that it is up to them to somehow outfox and outwrestle him. But Paul does not take us into spiritual warfare with the understanding that we have a fifty-fifty chance of winning or losing because we are on equal ground with the enemy. Paul went into the teaching on spiritual warfare building on one basic foundation: “I am with Christ, and I am seated with Christ in heavenly places far above all principalities and powers.” If we go into spiritual warfare with the knowledge that we have the upper hand from the beginning, an entirely new revelation of spiritual warfare opens up to us. We generally think of spiritual warfare as quickly fighting back before the devil throws another punch. Paul did not depict spiritual warfare as being out of fear or intimidation; rather, he said that we already have the upper hand in our fight. We are already seated above principalities. They are far below us, and we have the advantage. He goes into this teaching with a positive victor’s attitude.
It, of course, helps if we understand how battles were fought in biblical days. Today, we have an entirely different perspective on warfare because we use modern ballistic armaments. At the time of Paul’s writing, warfare was hand-to-hand combat. If one individual happened to be on higher ground, he had a definite advantage over his enemy on lower ground because gravity was working with him. When he threw his spear, it was propelled by not only his energy but also by the force of gravity. Gravitational force actually accelerated his spear at a rate of thirty-two feet per second – and that was to the second power! His enemy was at a disadvantage because he had to exert most of his energy to overcome gravity to be able to throw his spear toward his opponent. As he was throwing his spear up, gravity was trying to pull it back down. The force of gravity pulling it down would cause the spear to virtually stop in midair and fall to the ground. Gravity would actually negate all the energy that the enemy had put into the battle. In fact, his weapon could actually fall back upon him! Remember the story told in the book of Esther of how Haman wound up being hanged from the gallows he had constructed for Mordecai (Esther 9:25) and the adage in Psalm 7:15 that our enemy might dig a ditch to entrap us but would wind up falling into it himself!
Paul said that we are seated in heavenly places. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings because we are seated higher than the demon forces. Spiritual gravity is on our side. Our spear, with our force complemented by spiritual gravity, zeroes right in on the target. Because the devil’s forces are working against the law of spiritual gravity, they are negated. Battles and attacks will continue to come, but we know from the book of Isaiah that no weapon that is formed against us will prosper. (verse 54:17) Their weapons cannot prosper because we are sitting higher than the demon forces that are attacking us.
We have all heard the expression about a level playing field – indicating that just a slight incline can give one team an advantage over the other. Well, in our case, we have a tremendous advantage over our enemy since we are like the “king on the hill” in the little children’s game. We are in a highly favored position, and he has all the disadvantages!
Blameless and Curseless
Paul told the Ephesian believers that they were holy and without blame.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. (verse 1:4)
When Balaam was called to put a curse on the children of Israel, he went to a high place to overlook the people encamped in the valleys before him. As he opened his mouth to hurl a curse at them, out flowed a blessing instead. He tried again and again; however, his curses came out as blessings every time. After being confronted by Balak, Balaam replied, How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? (Numbers 23:8) The book of Revelation tells us that the sin of Balaam was that he taught Israel to commit adultery and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. (verse 2:14) Reading between the lines, we are able to see what must have transpired between the prophet and the king: Balaam told Balak, “If the children of Israel curse themselves by breaking the Ten Commandments that the Lord has just given them, then I won’t need to curse them. If God curses them because of their disobedience, then you won’t need my assistance.” The next chapter in Numbers tells us that the people of Israel did indeed commit adultery with the women of Balak’s tribe and that those women led them into idolatry and eating meat sacrificed to idols. Balaam could not overcome the spiritual force of God’s blessings upon the people, so he devised a plan to cause the people of Israel to walk out from under God’s blessing. Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight tells us that if we keep all the commandments of God, we will be blessed coming in and going out. However, those who do not keep the commandments of God are cursed coming in and going out.
God has chosen us to be holy and without blame before him in love. (verse 1:4) If we are holy and without blame, we will live in the blessings of God and cannot be cursed. It doesn’t matter how many demons might come against us with all their wiles; their curses will bounce off because they cannot curse whom God has not cursed. It didn’t work for Balaam, and it won’t work for any devil today. In Proverbs 26:2, the wise man Solomon said that it is no more likely for a curse without a cause to come into our lives than it is for wild birds to land on our shoulders. However, if we are in disobedience to God and He has given us over to be cursed, then their curses can take hold. If we align with His choice that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love, then He will set up the conditions that will put us in the place where no curse will ever be able to attach itself to us. On the other hand, it can be totally devastating for us to try to enter into spiritual warfare if we are not in the right relationship with God – holy and without blame. Our enemy is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), and he will try to slander us before God just as he did Job; however, our God will defend us just as He did this ancient saint. (Job 1:8) The other wonderful promise we have is that we have a ready remedy if our lives are not blameless: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(I John 1:9)
Deuteronomy 23:14 teaches us, The Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that He will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. (NIV) If we are anticipating to win spiritual victories, we must start with allowing God to make us victorious within our own personal lives.
In my years of experience teaching in Bible colleges, I’ve had some very interesting students – some who came from backgrounds in the occult. One young man was a high priest in a Satanic cult before he was born again, and one young lady was a practicing witch before her conversion. Both students told some fascinating stories which confirmed the principles Paul presented here. Jeff related his experience of “toying” with his demonic power while standing in a second story window, watching the people on the sidewalk below. On snowy days, he would command people to slip on the icy pavement. He said that he would stand there for hours and watch the people as, one after another, they would slip and fall – that is, most of the passersby. Occasionally, there were ones who kept walking at their normal pace regardless of how much spiritual power he would exert in his attempt to make them fall. When he could identify who these individuals were, he would always find that they were born-again Christians who were really living their faith, not just wearing the label. Penny related similar stories from her days in witchcraft. She said that she eventually learned not to try to place curses on certain people because the things that she tried to impose on the targets would bounce back and attack her – usually with worse results than what she had intended toward her victims. Again, when she was able to identify those individuals, she would discover that they were Bible-believing, Spirit-filled Christians.
Predestined for Victory
The next concept Paul introduced is that we are predestined unto the adoption of sons.
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (verse 1:5)
Imagine the pride of the father of a newborn son. The young man holds the baby for the very first time and, looking into his firstborn’s wrinkled little face, proclaims, “Son, I believe that you are really going to make a mark in this world. I expect you to succeed and someday actually be listed among the top ten on the FBI’s most wanted list!” Of course not! Instead, we always pronounce high anticipation of good achievements over our children. Then, we actually start putting things in motion to make our proclamation possible. We open a college fund to provide for the child’s education, we make regular appointments with the pediatrician to ensure that the child’s body is properly cared for, and – interestingly enough – studies show that we actually start attending church more regularly to guarantee that our child’s spiritual life is secure. If we as humans have that instinct, certainly God would never proclaim evil destinies over His creation. If we look at all the passages concerning God’s foreknowledge and predestination, we will find that every one of them is in the context of His anticipation that we will succeed. There is never a hint that He purposely or randomly predestined some to be saved and blessed and others to be lost and damned – as some people teach when considering the doctrines of predestination and God’s sovereignty. Ephesians 1:5, for example, says that He has predestinated us unto the adoption of children according to the good pleasure of his will – which isn’t to be on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list! For further study, please read Jeremiah 29:11, John 3:16-18, Acts 2:23, Romans 9:1-33, Romans 11:2, Ephesians 1:3-14, I Peter 1:2, and II Peter 3:9.
Predestination is a doctrine that is often misunderstood. Some have the concept that there are those who are predestined beforehand to be good and that others are predestined to be bad. They think that some are predestined to be saved and that others are predestined to be damned. Many people envision God’s choosing: “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. You are saved; you are damned. You are blessed; you are cursed.” However, when we study all the occurrences of terms such as “predestination” or “foreknowledge,” we never find that anyone is predestined to destruction. Every time predestination is mentioned, it is in a very positive light. God predestines people to be blessed, ordained, and adopted. The predestination by God is always for our blessing. God’s will for mankind is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. There is a good pleasure to His will, and we are predestined to that. Just as none of us would make a bad plan for the future of our children, the heavenly Father also makes good plans for the future of His children. (Jeremiah 29:11) The problem is that we don’t always choose to comply with His plans.
If we walk into spiritual warfare with the revelation that God has predetermined for us to be adopted into sonship by Him, we have a tremendous advantage. If when we go into battle, we are not confident that God wants us to win, we can’t fight with determination. God has not chosen us to be losers! He has already predetermined that He is on our side. He has chosen us for His team. He has adopted us into sonship with Him. He intends that we will be champions and victory trophies for Him. You might say that He intends to see our pictures on the Heavenly Wheaties box! We can go into warfare with a victor’s attitude, knowing that we are not losers. We must erase all the question marks in our minds and change them to exclamation points. We must go into battle knowing that we will come out victoriously on the other side. No matter how many fires we have to go through, the scripture says that they won’t kindle upon us. No matter how many floods we have to walk through, we will not be drowned. (Isaiah 43:2)
After a meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to hammer out the strategy of the Anglo-American alliance for World War II, US President Franklin Roosevelt announced to the press that the two leaders were determined to accept “nothing less than unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan!” It was this spirit that drove our men to victory, and it will be this same determination that we are nothing less than triumphant victors that will propel us to victory.
There is a difference between adoption and natural childbirth: the element of choice. Pregnancy is not always a conscious choice; however, adoption is never without deliberate decision. Additionally, in natural childbearing, you have to take what you get; whereas, you can set certain standards – essentially handpicking the child – when going through the adoption process. Wow, what a revelation – you are not an accident but were hand picked by God!
The practice of adoption in biblical times was one of providing an avenue of passing on an inheritance. If a man had no son, he would usually adopt a nephew to become his heir. This practice kept the wealth inside the family rather than letting it be lost to outsiders. Notice, in the story of Abraham and Lot, that it was only after Lot had separated from Abraham (Genesis 13:14) that Abraham became concerned about the fact that he had no heir (verse 15:2). Unlike adoption today, which may be based on sympathy for orphaned children or the loneliness of childless couples, the adoption mentioned here was based solely on the desire to pass on benefits. If we see our position in Christ in this light, we will understand that God is not intending that this benefit be jeopardized in warfare. He wants to make an investment in us, and He does not intend to see that investment stolen, destroyed, or beaten up. Remember how careful you were to prevent even the slightest ding on your new car? Remember how concerned you were when your little child scraped his knee or was bullied by some kid at school? How do you think your heavenly Father will react if He sees insult or injury being inflicted upon His adopted son? One of my students told me about her concern for her son who was a fighter pilot in the Air Force. After several years of worry for his safety, she one day realized that her son had been through a multi-million-dollar training program and was flying a twenty-five-million-dollar jet. At that point, she understood that he was not in danger because the US government was not going to let such a high-dollar investment go unprotected. God has invested far more in us than the US government had invested in that young pilot.
Following immediately on the heels of this teaching, Paul said that we are accepted in the beloved.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (verse 1:6)
When I was growing up, all the neighborhood boys would gather in an empty lot for what we called “sandlot baseball.” The boy who owned a ball would bring it, the kid who had a bat would bring it, and the one who had a glove would bring it. Once we found four pieces of wood to use for bases, we were in business. The next item on our agenda was to pick the teams; so, the two biggest guys would appoint themselves as team captains and begin to choose players to be on their teams. When no one else was left to pick, one of the captains – knowing that I was certain to strike out – would reluctantly point to me and say that I could be on his team. I was finally accepted, but only because there was no one else to select. Well, that’s not the kind of “accepted” that Paul was talking about here. When Paul said that we are accepted in the beloved, he used a term that appears only two times in the New Testament – here in Ephesians 1:6 and in Luke 1:28, where the angel Gabriel used this term to tell the Virgin Mary that she was “highly favored.” God accepts us with the same level of favor that He showed toward the Virgin Mary! In other words, our acceptance is not just a toleration; it is a full-blown celebration of adoption. If we couple this understanding of the word with the context in which it is used here – to the praise of the glory of His grace – we will begin to get an insight into how exuberant God really is about having us as part of His family! Unlike Cinderella’s stepmother, who hated and rejected her, our heavenly Father accepts and loves us.
Take a look at your refrigerator. You’ll probably see so many little magnets on the door that you will begin to wonder if their magnetic force fields aren’t causing a strain on the motor inside. It’s likely that almost every one of those magnets is holding up a crayon drawing, a good test paper, or a photograph of your kids or grandkids. Why? Because we are proud of them and our way of letting them know it is to post their accomplishments on the refrigerator door. Boy, I’d love to take a peek at God’s refrigerator door! I’m sure that it is loaded with trophies from every little accomplishment of every one of His kids.
It is important for us to notice that God has made a very costly investment in our lives. Jesus invested His very life’s blood. Certainly, He is not going to leave us to protect that kind of investment with only our own limited human ability and intellect. He is going to actively provide for us everything we need in order to adequately protect His investment. There is no way that He is going to leave us unprotected or undefended. If earthly parents – humans and animals – protect their young, how much more will the heavenly Father see to it that His sons and daughters are under His covering when in spiritual warfare.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. (verse 1:7)
Notice that Paul said, according to the riches of his grace. If we really want to get the impact of this statement, we have to stop to understand what the word “according” means. The connotation of this particular wording is that we have forgiveness and redemption in direct proportion to the riches of His grace. To visualize this better, let’s stop in front of the shopping mall on a cold wintry day just before Christmas. Braving the bitter cold artic winds, a bell ringer draws people’s attention to the Salvation Army kettle beside her. A gentleman, all bundled up in his warm wool topcoat, takes a step toward her and drops something into the collection bucket. The bell ringer smiles warmly and wishes him a merry Christmas, never realizing that the gentleman is a multimillionaire business tycoon and that he had just dropped a one-dollar bill into her charity kettle. Certainly, the gentleman had responded to the need and shown a charitable heart. Yes, his donation would help the ministry provide a bit of warmth to one of the homeless men who file into their facility every day; however, his gift was not in any way in proportion to his ability. If he had really cared to, this one donor could have built a whole new facility for the homeless shelter and funded its operation for the whole coming year. Instead, he put in enough to provide just one cup of coffee to a needy man. Christ, on the other hand, works in our lives according – in direct proportion – to the riches of His grace. His provision is infinite and unlimited!
In Ephesians 1:8, Paul speaks of wisdom and prudence that He made to abound toward us. The New International Version translates this clause, He has lavished upon us… “Lavish” implies an over-the-top excess – like the world-record-breaking three-hundred-thirty-eight-pound burger produced at Mallie’s Sports Grill and Bar in Southgate, Michigan; it was three feet high, had more than half a million calories, and took twenty-two hours to cook. Why did Mallie’s make such a monster of a hamburger? Because they could. Why does God lavish His blessing upon us? Because He can. We serve a God named El Shaddai, the God of More Than Enough. He lavishly gives us abundance, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. (Luke 6:38)
One day, I stopped in for lunch at a fast-food franchise that is known for their roast beef sandwiches. When I placed my order, the young lady behind the counter slipped her hand into a plastic glove and reached into a bin of shaved meat. She pulled out a handful of meat and placed it on a scale which registered the weight of the meat just over four ounces. At that point, the young lady proceeded to pick off tiny bits of meat until the scale indicated exactly four ounces. She was not going to allow me one tenth of an ounce of extra roast beef on my sandwich. As I watched her meticulously guarantee that I would not get even the slightest amount more beef than I was paying for, my insides were screaming. I made a pledge that I would never eat at that food chain again – and decades later I am still sticking to that promise. The next day, I had my lunch at a restaurant just down the block from that roast beef sandwich shop, and my experience at this place was entirely different from the one on the previous day. When I walked in, I discovered counter after counter laden with hot entrees, side dishes, salads, and desserts. There was even a station where a gentleman was cooking steaks to order and another counter with a self-serve ice cream dispenser and an array of toppings for creating any sort of sundae one could imagine. At the head of each counter was a stack of plates and a sign inviting the customers to use as many plates as they wished with only one rule – that they leave the used plates at their table rather than reusing them when they came back to the buffet for refills. The amazing thing is that I paid only a dollar or so more for the endless smorgasbord than I had spent on the exactly-four-ounce serving of roast beef the previous day. This is an illustration of the lavish way God manifests His blessings in our lives!
Verses seven and eight list a number of things that are the result of His predestination and His self-determination: redemption through the blood, forgiveness of sins, the riches of His grace, and things that have to do with redemption, grace, and forgiveness. God knows that if He overruns our cups, we will surely have enough. We may only need a little forgiveness, but He lavishes it upon us. We may only need one dose of grace, but He lavishes it upon us. There is always more than enough. We walk into spiritual confrontation knowing that we are not just conquerors – we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) because the God we serve is more than enough and He has lavished upon us all that we need for life and godliness. (II Peter 1:3)
Most Christians have a conqueror mentality; they want to go out and fight the devil – “tooth and toenail.” That may be a noble idea, but it just isn’t biblical. Let’s think about soldiers who go off to war to the confront the enemy or of prizefighters who go into the ring to face their contesters. They suffer injuries, get bloodied, and make extreme sacrifices to conquer their opponents. However, it is their wives and children back home who enjoy the benefits of those victories. In the case of the soldiers, their families enjoy living in a free society but did not fight to earn it. In the case of the prizefighters, their wives and children enjoy the trip to the mall to the spent the prize money but did not have to go into the ring to afford it. For Christians, we must realize that Jesus is the one who went toe-to-toe with the enemy and defeated him. In turn, He has given us all the benefits of salvation, healing, and blessings to enjoy – and He has given them to us lavishly without our having to fight for them or earn them!
Paul continued with having made known to us the mystery of His will… If we know the mystery of the will of God, we walk with a new determination. When we go into warfare, if we understand the will of God and we know how the end of the Book reads, we don’t have to panic or have question marks in the middle of the struggle. Because we know that we are going to win, we can fight with renewed vigor and confidence. Ephesians 1:11 tells us that we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated… We are predetermined; therefore, we know that our course has already been planned out by God and that He has a will for things to work according to His course. We must remember that inheritances go to survivors, not casualties!
Our lives are to the praise of his glory. (verse 1:12) God is determined to make our lives work out that we should be to the praise of His glory. Every father who has watched his son hit the ball at a Little League game can relate to jumping to his feet and yelling, “That’s my boy!” at the top of his lungs. That’s exactly what our Heavenly Father wants to do for us when we victoriously face the enemy; however, if we were to come out of spiritual warfare beaten, bruised, and defeated, there would be shame rather than praise for our God. (Proverbs 10:1, 15:20, 17:25, 19:13) God’s desire is that we are to march out victoriously – bringing Him praise. When the three Hebrew children were thrown into the fiery furnace, they didn’t come out with blisters all over them. When they came out, not even the smell of smoke was upon them, and none of the hairs on their heads had been singed. (Daniel 3:27) Their clothes were “April fresh” – as one detergent ad would say. The only thing burned was the rope that had once held them captive. When the Babylonian king saw this victorious deliverance, he glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus Himself emphasized this same point in the Sermon on the Mount when He taught us:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
Tamperproof
The little boy excitedly ripped open his package of animal crackers and very carefully began to lay them all out on the kitchen table. Suddenly, he began to cry and ran away from the table. His mother chased after him and drew his tear-stained face close to her apron, asking what was the matter. Between the sobs, he blurted out that he had read the warning on the box, “Do not eat if the seal is broken.” Yes, it’s just a humorous little story, but the truth is that many of us are just as confused as this little boy when it comes to understanding what the seal of the Spirit really is. You see, the seal of the Spirit has to do with our protection, not salvation.
According to Ephesians 1:13, we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit has put a seal, a guarantee, on us that means that we cannot be tampered with. We are tamperproof and the devil doesn’t have any right to get a hold on us. Knowing this enables us to walk into spiritual battle, to take the spiritual armor and weapons, and to know that we can march toward the victory.
In 1982, seven individuals in the Chicago area died of potassium cyanide poisoning from Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been tampered with after the medicine was delivered to the pharmacies in the area. These poisonings led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and to federal anti-tampering laws. In 2003, a batch of worm-infested candy in India prompted the Cadbury Company to implement a new double-sealed wrapper for the customers’ protection. Just like these products in the grocery stores and pharmacies are marked, “Do not purchase if the seal has been broken,” we must ensure that the seal on our lives has not been broken. We can do this by always submitting to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when He reproves sin and error in our lives. (John 16:8) Each time we do a wrong thing, think a wrong thought, or have a wrong attitude, the Holy Spirit causes an uneasiness in our spirit man. If we will immediately acknowledge His warning and repent of that error, His seal remains intact. If we refuse to yield to His wooing, we damage that seal and, therefore, jeopardize our purity by allowing contaminants into our spirits. Paul frequently mentioned his good or pure conscience. (Acts 23:1, II Timothy 1:3) He knew the power of living his life free from tampering with the tamperproof seal that the Holy Spirit placed upon his heart. I can imagine that he must have learned a lesson from the story of David’s defeat of Goliath. The stone from the shepherd’s sling found that singular point of vulnerability in the giant’s armor – the opening between his eyes. Paul realized that the enemy could and would take advantage of even the slightest glitch in his armor in just the same way that David had taken advantage of the almost unnoticeable breach in the giant’s protection. Therefore, he constantly made sure that he kept his tamperproof seal intact through carefully guarding his conscience. If we violate His conviction, we break the protective seal on our lives. Once that seal is broken, we cannot enter spiritual battle with full confidence as before. We might say that we can’t live like hell and expect heaven’s results. If the seal is broken, we must have it reapplied in accordance with the promise of I John 1:9 that we have already noted, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The godly life that is the product of living according to the Holy Spirit’s promptings becomes an identification that signifies that we belong to Jesus. In the same way that we put collars on our pets, we mark our children’s clothes before we send them off to summer camp, or a store clerk puts a “sold” sign on a piece of furniture while it is waiting to be delivered to the customer, God marks His possessions while He is waiting to come and redeem them. When Paul directs us in chapter four not to grieve the Holy Spirit, he is essentially saying that we must be careful not to frustrate God’s plan by pulling off the labels that identify us as God’s property.
Supernatural Wisdom and Revelation
In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prayed that we would have wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He realized that, unlike simple factual knowledge, these truths were more realistically “caught” than taught. Until we have that spirit of wisdom, revelation, and knowledge, we are not in a place to do proper spiritual warfare. If we don’t know by divine revelation that we have these precious promises Paul has been teaching us about, they will not benefit us in our spiritual conflict.
Once, I took my wife to a nice restaurant for a delicious dinner. As I was getting into the car to leave the parking lot, I suddenly remembered a coupon in my pocket for a free meal at that restaurant. My buy-one-get-one-free coupon did me absolutely no good, even though I had it with me. I paid full price because I didn’t exercise the benefits of the coupon. Until we have the wisdom, revelation, and knowledge so that we know who we are and what is our position in Christ, we aren’t prepared to fight. We will try to pay the bill when Jesus has already paid it in full for us. We will be doing things in our own flesh and soulical power and we will probably be defeated by the devil in the process. The power of our position is tied to the fact that we have a spirit of wisdom, a spirit of understanding, and a spirit of knowledge that tells us who we are.
A British pastor who ran a home for the elderly members of his church was on one of his routine visits to the home when he stopped to chat with an illiterate woman who had been taken off the streets and placed in this home as a charity case. As he was visiting with her, he noticed something pinned to the wall and asked her what it was. She said that it was a picture of the queen of England, which a wealthy gentleman whom she had once served as a cook and housekeeper had given to her. Before he died, the man had given her a beautiful picture of the queen. Because she couldn’t read, she didn’t know that it wasn’t just a picture of the queen of England; it was a bank note worth a lot of money! She was actually a very wealthy woman with enough money to take care of all of her own expenses, but did not have wisdom, revelation, and knowledge to know that she was living far below her capabilities.
Paul told us that he was praying for us to have this spirit of wisdom and revelation working in us in the knowledge of Him that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. If we do not have a spirit of wisdom, revelation, and knowledge, we do not have this understanding and cannot know the hope of our calling and how we should be living. Remember that in verse eight, he told us that it was through wisdom and prudence that we would be able to experience the lavish blessings of God.
One of the things that we must come to realize is that the working of His mighty power is within us.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. (verse 1:19)
As a child, I used to enjoy touching a nine-volt battery to my tongue to feel the tingle of the electricity. However, I never want to stick my finger into a light socket to feel the power of a hundred and ten volts. Why? Because it is exceeding great power. Yes, it is the same electricity that comes from a nine-volt battery, but it is at a significantly different level. We need to constantly live with the awareness that we have more than just a nine-volt battery inside us!
Notice that Paul says that this exceeding great power has already been wrought, or put into play. It came into effect when Christ was raised from the dead. This is the essence of the gospel! The word “gospel” means “good news”; it is the reporting of good things that have already happened. When we turn on the television or pick up the newspaper, we see what has already happened – not what is going to happen. In the same way, we need to search the scriptures to see what has already happened – not what might happen in the future. Unfortunately, far too many of us read the promises of God from the viewpoint that He might someday in the sweet by-and-by bless us with healing, deliverance, prosperity, etc. In reality, all these things have already been provided; they are part of the gospel – the news that has already happened. We just need to change our vantage point. Instead of seeing ourselves down on the same level with our problems, we need to begin to see ourselves as already raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places far above all the works of the enemy. We need to see ourselves as participants in a victory that has already been won. There is exceeding power, and it works through us according to God’s very own mighty power. When we go into a spiritual confrontation, if we think that we are going in on our own power, we don’t have any hope of being victorious. The truth of the matter is that whatever works in us is according to God’s power. We have the spirit of wisdom, revelation, and knowledge so that we can have the comprehension that the power working in us is God’s power. Paul calls it exceeding power. It is not just barely enough power. It is more than enough power. If we had begun our study on spiritual warfare at chapter six verse ten, our focus would have been on the power of our enemy as is mentioned in verse twelve. However, since we started at the beginning rather than at the end, our focus is now on the exceeding great power we have in comparison to the enemy’s simple power.
Paul prayed for us continually that we would have this spirit of revelation, wisdom, and understanding so that we can begin to appreciate and live in this exceeding power of God which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. (verse 1:20)
The climax of this section of Paul’s discussion focuses on the fact that Jesus is far above all principalities.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. (verse 1:21)
We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places because we are seated with Jesus in the heavenly places. Since He is seated far above every principality, power, might, and dominion, and every name that is named – so are we!
We must understand the forces that we, as Christians, have to deal with: they are principalities; they are spiritual forces – kings with armies of warriors. When some Christians learn about this enemy, they have a wrong concept of warfare and respond in fear because they haven’t built a solid spiritual foundation for encountering the enemy. This foundation starts back in Ephesians chapter one where Paul says that Christ is far above these principalities. He is not just a little bit above them; rather, He is far above them. I understand that a marble dropped from the top of the Empire State Building would break through the concrete sidewalk below. That’s the power of being positioned far above rather than just being elevated by a few inches or feet.
We are not coming into the battle on equal ground. It is not “maybe so, maybe no.” On the contrary, we know that those principalities and powers are already under our feet. We don’t have to be intimidated by their names or their positions, and we don’t have to be in fear of their faces! Second Corinthians 2:14 declares that Christ always – not sometimes – causes us to triumph. We miss this pertinent and powerful truth if we begin our study on spiritual warfare at the “finally.” By starting our study with Ephesians 6:10, we are focused on the principalities mentioned in verse twelve rather than the fact that we are already positioned in a far superior position of authority than these principalities could ever achieve.
If we don’t have the revelation of how strong we are and how beloved we are to God and that He has seated us above the enemy principalities, we will involve ourselves in an unnecessary fight and return home beaten and bruised on a stretcher, or even in a spiritual body bag. On the other hand, if we have this revelation we will go into that warfare with a different kind of a mentality – the “I’m more than a conqueror” attitude.