Ephesians 6:24

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:24

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24 Grace [charis] be with [meta] all [pas] them that love [agapao] our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] in [en] sincerity. [aphtharsia] Amen. [amen]  To [pros] the Ephesians [Ephesios] written [grapho] from [apo] Rome, [Rhome] by [dia] Tychicus. [Tuchikos]  KJV-Interlinear

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.   NASB

Grace, ‘charis,’ is Gods favor. 

Sincerity, ‘aphtharsia,’ means incorruption, existence, genuineness, incorruptibility. 

Therefore, Gods favor comes to those who maintain a relationship with God, through Christ.  A genuine relationship that is based on the content of the scriptures learned in the proper way, and by means of Gods one and only method for the functional and developing spiritual life.

Sincerity is not an emotional or well intentioned attitude, but an adherence to the method of functioning within the spiritual life as God intended.

Gods favor does not come to you through wishes or hoping or wishing or good intentions or by means of your own idea of how spirituality is supposed to work.

There is but one method, one apparatus, one mechanism by which the spiritual life functions and succeeds, and it is defined very well in the scriptures.

And that method is that you must first be saved by means of believing in Christ.

Second, you must live your life in fellowship, which is obtained by means of confession of your sins to God the Father, repetitively on a regular basis.  ‘Father, I did this and that and this and that, etc.’

While in fellowship, you must engage in a daily Bible study, learning, pondering, thinking, understanding, and using that which you learn in your daily life.

And while you may be learning simple stories and verses and words and so forth, it is not those words per se that develop your spiritual growth, it is the function of the Holy Spirit that circulates that information into your human spirit which helps you to discern truth from lies, then transferring it down into your soul. 

And from within your soul, that information begins the building process or the edification process of the spiritual fortress, spiritual mansion, spiritual temple within your soul.  That construction is the framework for your spiritual productivity (what you do in life), which in turn completes your spiritual life.

All of this forms a strong soul, in faith, which is the spiritual muscle of your life.  Faith is based on actual content, never on luck.

And all of this process culminates in your clear and perspicuous view and understanding of life and truth and the world around you.

And to you, comes Gods favor because of the accomplishment of doctrine within you.  God does not bless you for you, but for that which is in you.  Truth is the source, God, and truth is the target, a spiritually sound soul.

Jesus Christ is the living manifestation of the written word.  Doctrine in you, places Christ in you in a functional way.

The subscript indicates that Paul used others to write his words. Whether he dictated and they wrote, or whether he wrote and they copied is irrelevant.  A similar comment is written at the end of Romans and 1 Corinthians.

The subject of Ephesians is the church, its role, its development, its obligations, its responsibilities.

You as a believer in Christ are a member of that church, which by the way is the one and only legitimate church in existence.  It includes Adam and Eve and every person who has ever believed in the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ.

By the end of the Millennium, there will likely be several trillion members, when history is all said and done. 

So while you are a member of the only legitimate minority during history, you are also a member of the greatest organization, family, nation, and army that will ever exist.

You have a phenomenal opportunity to construct your life and determine your eternal future.  Don’t waste it through rejection, antagonism, or plain stubborn indifference.

Ephesians 6:23

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:23

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23 Peace [eirene] be to the brethren, [adelphos] and [kai] love [agape] with [meta] faith, [pistis] from [apo] God [theos] the Father [pater] and [kai] the Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ. [Christos]  KJV-Interlinear

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  NASB

Peace, ‘eirene,’ means rest, quietness, prosperity, to be set at one.

Love, ‘agape,’ is one of several words for love, this love being the content of the scriptures, the principles, mandates, precepts, and so forth of the word of God.

Faith, ‘pistis,’ refers to moral conviction, confidence, credence, authority, weight, belief, dedication.

Peace is the ultimate objective of spiritual growth.  It is the climax and destination of ones travels through life and study of truth.  The peace represented by the meaning of the city of Jerusalem, the city of peace, is constructed by doctrine, the content of the scriptures, by means of a consistent study and learning, resulting in understanding and application, and then production by means of that pattern.

One gains a relaxed mental attitude, as the content of the soul based on truth, gives one confidence and discernment of all that is.

All doctrine comes from the Father, who is the author of the Word, by means of Christ who is the manifestation of truth in the flesh, and by means of the Holy Spirit, not mentioned here in this verse but mentioned previously.

All truth comes from only one source, and never from any religion, never from any philosophy, never from any invented belief system.  Christianity is not a religion.  Religion is mans invented method of gaining access to God or some higher form, by means of mans efforts.  Christianity is a relationship with God, through Christ, by means of Christs work, never mans, and under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6:22

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:22

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22 Whom [hos] I have sent [pempo] unto [pros] you [humas] for [eis] the same [autos] purpose, [touto] that [hina] ye might know [ginosko] our [hemon] affairs, [peri] and [kai] that he might comfort [parakaleo] your [humon] hearts. [kardia] KJV-Interlinear

22 And I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. NASB

To those who are without a spiritual life or even a functional spiritual life, then life in this world is delusional at best.

To those who lack contact with God in any manner, if their life is under suffering, under incarceration, under stress of any kind, then they lose not only now, but throughout eternity if they persist in their anti-God attitude.

But to those who have God, have salvation, have spiritual growth, then no matter what their circumstances, life is good, because they have a definite future and destiny.

Paul, not unlike so many others, was incarcerated and sentenced to death.  For him there was not going to be any way out of that situation.  And most certainly he prayed for some form of relief or deliverance from his imprisonment and for a better life, but that was not going to be.

Most everyone prays for better things, for a better life, for better circumstances, and that is only natural and certainly legitimate. But, God has a plan for each one of us, and though we may not see that purpose at any given point in our life, we can all see our purpose in hindsight when it is all over.

Paul remained positive.  Paul remained active.  Paul remained productive.  He studied and wrote and kept in communication with everyone possible.  He had messengers and sent them to and fro, delivering his letters, as well as news of his condition.

Paul did not fall into the poor-me trap.  He did not cry about his situation.  He did not quit on life.  He took a bad situation and made it work for himself and others.

And so we all have circumstances and certainly ample opportunity to complain and feel sorry, and even quit on life.  But is that what God intends?  Should we not look at our situation and figure out what it is that we should be doing that is positive and productive?

You know you better than anyone, but God knows you better than you, so take a good look at yourself and ask the question.  Why are you in this situation?  What can or should you be doing to make it positive and productive for you or for someone else?

Certainly your Bible study should be a priority, but there are twenty-four hours in the day and we all know that you do not study around the clock.  So what else can you or should you be doing?

Ephesians 6:21

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:21

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21 But [de] that [hina] ye [humeis] also [kai] may know [eido] my [eme] affairs, [kata] and how [tis] I do, [prasso] Tychicus, [Tuchikos] a beloved [agapetos] brother [adelphos] and [kai] faithful [pistos] minister [diakonos] in [en] the Lord, [kurios] shall make known [gnorizo] to you [humin] all things: [pas]KJV-Interlinear

21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. NASB

Tychicus is from Asia, Acts 20:4, and he is mentioned in several others passages, Col 4:7; 2 Tim 4:12; Titus 3:12.

He did many things to help Paul, he delivered messages and information from place to place.  He stayed with Paul and he traveled a great deal.

Tychicus means fortunate, and Paul was fortunate to have him as a friend and helper.  Apart from these references, which is not very much, we do not know much else about Tychicus.  But it is enough to tell us that he was responsible, and faithful, and loyal to Paul who was in prison, and at a time when many others dared not be associated with Paul because of his imprisonment. 

So, Tychicus did not fear the Romans or their anti-Christian policies, which could very well have placed his own life in jeopardy.  He had a purpose in life and he focused on his life and his role with respect to Pauls teaching.

And so we all have roles in life.  Most likely you are not going to be traveling back and forth across the globe delivering bible studies.  After all we have the internet for that sort of thing these days.

But you do have responsibilities and obligations to yourself, to your spiritual life, to your family, to your job, to your chores at home and elsewhere, and so forth.

And while we all have a tendency to place a priority on the things we like best, or on the things that are most convenient to us, we still need to be aware of our overall responsibility to God.  And in these days, that responsibility is to persevere with our daily studies, to live our life in fellowship, and to grow up in our spiritual life. 

Everything else is merely logistics for sustaining our life while we can advance in our spiritual life.

And so you have two parallel responsibilities.  One to your temporal life, to your job and your livelihood.  And second, to your spiritual construction, which includes your learning, and understanding and obligations to self and God, in preparation for your longer eternal life in heaven.

Ephesians 6:20

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:20

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20 For [huper] which [hos] I am an ambassador [presbeuo] in [en] bonds: [halusis] that [hina] therein [en] [autos] I may speak boldly, [parrhesiazomai] as [hos] I [me] ought [dei] to speak. [laleo] KJV-Interlinear

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. NASB

We are all royal family.  We are all ambassadors, 2 Cor. 5:20.  We have so many blessings, that the Bible does not have enough room to list them all.  For a short list, review the Bible Blessings study in the Special Studies section of the Library.

An ambassador is a representative from his home country, in a foreign land.  Royalty is the highest rank that a person can possess, from their home country.

Being in prison, in chains as it were, is the lowest and most disrespectful position that a person of royalty can be held in, and yet with the application  of this principle, we are all ambassadors and bound with the chains of sin, the sin nature, and the evil from this world.

Our home country is heaven, not this planet.

But despite Pauls dire circumstances, he continued to speak the gospel and doctrine and he wrote scripture despite all opposition to his writing.

There is evidence that Paul had support from many.  There is written evidence that Paul had no support from many.  There is ample evidence that there were phenomenal attempts to discredit and destroy Paul.  And yet God, who does not need any third party help in accomplishing His purpose, did so.

Your support for doctrine is not necessary for God to accomplish His purpose.  What your obligation to support doctrine accomplishes for you, is the fulfillment of your personal responsibility in your spiritual life.  Your actions or thoughts, confirm your fulfillment of your responsibilities or your failure.

Too many hold their blessings to their chest as though they might lose them or might not get them back.  That is greed and a failure to understand the importance of doctrine versus the worthlessness of earthly possessions.

Paul had nothing and yet persevered in his responsibilities to write.  And his writing is benefiting you and everyone right up to this very day.  What if no one supported him back then?  What would any of us have today?

So, todays generation as well as future generations depend on God certainly, but will receive their truth through your effort.

You are royal family.  You are an ambassador to earth from heaven.  You are also a royal priest, which is a personal representative direct from God.  But do you act the role, or do you pretend the role, or are you faithful and loyal and patriotic to your true home, or is that an empty front?

Ephesians 6:19

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:19

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19 And [kai] for [huper] me, [emou] that [hina] utterance [logos] may be given [didomi] unto me, [moi] that I may open [en] [anoixis] my [mou] mouth [stoma] boldly [en], [parrhesia] to make known [gnorizo] the mystery [musterion] of the gospel, [euaggelion] KJV-Interlinear

19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, NASB

Our subject is the armor of God, which in the last several verses we have studied, is how the entire realm of doctrine serves as the front line protection for the individual believer in Christ.

And in order that we may have this doctrine made available to us, we need to pray for the people and methods that bring the study of the scriptures to us, in addition to supporting them in any way that is possible or practical for you.

Paul was in prison and obviously was under stress simply because of that situation.  And yet even while under that stress, God allowed him ample time and support, to process and write several books that we now have in our Bibles.

And here, Paul states that prayer was necessary in order to help him to write, and to speak and to otherwise communicate the gospel or the good news, which is the entire content of the book which he was writing.

When most folks hear the term, gospel, they think only of the message related to Christ and the Cross. But, the gospel in a general sense includes the entire content of the Bible, and all scriptures and principles and mandates and so forth, that relate to ones entire spiritual life.

Thus we have the armor or covering of ourselves, that certainly begins with salvation, but the spiritual life does not stop there.  Your entire life after salvation opens up the greatest aspect of your life and prepares you for the completion of yourself as a believer in Christ, not only for this life, but forever.

Without God, nothing would exist. Without doctrine, truth would not be known.  Without the mechanism for learning and growing up in the spiritual life, then completion of oneself would not be possible.

Then we are therefore dependent on the availability of the communication of doctrine, which if it were not available, none of us would have a chance for any form of life in this world.

Therefore, support for the teaching of the word of God is important.  An indifferent society fails to support the teaching mechanisms and therefore that society falls on hard times.  An individual who presumes that someone else will provide support, rejects his own individual obligation for that support, and he loses.

And the greatest threat of losing out, comes from the attitude that doctrine will always be there.  And then one day it is not available or is not so easily accessible, and the scramble to find it ends up with great frustration.

Doctrine comes at a price.  Doctrine has to be developed.  Paul wrote for many years. The Old Testament was written over the course of many centuries.  Instructors do not appear instantly.  And when they are gone, then it takes time to prepare another, if they are developed at all.

And here, the word for mystery, ‘musterion,’ stands for that which is closed and known only to those who are given privileged access.  In some instances various religions or clubs would have secret sayings or secret handshakes or something secret that only the members could know.

And so it is for believers.  No unbeliever can or will ever understand the secrets of doctrine.

Anyone can learn the academics of the scriptures.  They can even quote scripture.  But understanding and wisdom and certainly the spiritual benefits will never be available to unbelievers.

Likewise, spiritually negative believers will never gain access to the deep things of God, because they do not comply with Gods mandates, and part of those mandates are to support, even in prayer, the sources from which they receive their spiritual instruction.

Life is a serious business.  If you do not take God serious, then your own life becomes frivolous and without meaning.  And when you care nothing for supporting that which will develop your entire essence, then you are not committed to the spiritual life for yourself or even for Gods plan for all.

We live in an interesting time.  We know that this dispensation has been ongoing for almost two-thousand years, and that, as we near the end of our dispensation, that a great apostasy will begin to develop, wherein doctrine and the spiritual resources for everyone will become less and less available.  That is not because they simply disappear, but because the support for and interest in, Christianity, will fade leaving fewer and fewer outlets available for learning.

In times past, when society became negative, God eventually raised prophets or instructors, or He allowed great catastrophes to occur in order to rekindle a spiritual interest.

But as our dispensation advances to its end, and we do not know when that end will be, God will not raise up instructors, but will bring the Rapture to shock the world in to realizing that they have missed out on the greatest dispensation ever, and will then be exposed to the greatest and most terrible period in all of human history.

With that principle, then your interest determines what will be available to you, or what will not be available to you.  If you want a plant, a job, a career or whatever, to feed you, then you have to care for it.  If you do not, then you will lose.  Doctrine is no different.

Ephesians 6:18

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:18

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18 Praying [proseuchomai] always [en] [kairos] [pas] with [dia] all [pas] prayer [proseuche] and [kai] supplication [deesis] in [en] the Spirit, [pneuma] and [kai] watching [agrupneo] thereunto [eis] [touto] [autos] with [en] all [pas] perseverance [proskarteresis] and [kai] supplication [deesis] for [peri] all [pas] saints; [hagios] KJV-Interlinear

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

Praying, ‘proseuchomai,’ means to pray of course, but it also means to worship, to supplicate, to petition, and otherwise applies to the entire application and function of your spiritual life.

In the spirit, applies to the function of the Holy Spirit when you have confessed your sins and are resident in fellowship as described in 1 Jn. 1:9.

In your life, you are under control of either the Holy Spirit or the sin nature.  There is no third choice. 

Out of fellowship, which is your status when you commit a sin, you are under the control of your sin nature. 

When you confess your sins, then that control moves to the Holy Spirit.

As a human being, you have both intellect and volition with which you have some semblance of self-determination, but, there is an unseen influence out there which you cannot see or detect or measure, and that influence consists of the presence of truth, or the lack of it.

Truth is the accurate link between facts and reality. Salvation is by faith.  Jump off of a roof and gravity will dictate your next move.  These are truths.

Anything else is the inaccurate interpretation of reality based on incorrect applications of facts.  Salvation is by means of your own efforts. The spiritual life is based on your sincerity.  Monkeys have arms and legs and must be our ancestors.  These are lies.

When you are out of fellowship, then your spiritual life does not function.

When you are in fellowship, then your spiritual life functions properly, and with the addition of doctrine through study, you develop the ability to discern between truth and non-truths, and this builds legitimate wisdom and faith.

Therefore, with your continued residence in fellowship, you are in the Spirit, meaning under the control of the Holy Spirit who facilitates the spiritual process in your life, and continually complying with this verse, through your continued worship, which includes everything you do while in fellowship.

Watching with perseverance, is your continual alertness as to your spiritual status, as a soldier stands his watch, ever watching out for the enemy, which is sin and distractions and so forth, that are aimed to derail your spiritual life.

You are not only watching out for yourself when you are utilizing your functional spiritual life, but in the same token, you are also watching out for all believers throughout all of history.

The spiritual synergy of all believers whether alive here on earth or resident in heaven, is phenomenal, because it is that combined presence before God the Father, through our common savior, Jesus Christ, that gives us the spiritual muscle to look forward to the certain future or eternity in heaven that God has promised, and much more.

With each and every believer, there is just one more added fulfillment of Gods promise for all.

Ephesians 6:17

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:17

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17 And [kai] take [dechomai] the helmet [perikephalaia] of salvation, [soterion] and [kai] the sword [machaira] of the Spirit, [pneuma] which is [ho esti] the word [rhema] of God: [theos] KJV-Interlinear

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

While earthly articles of protection may and will fail, legitimate spiritual articles of protection will never fail.

The helmet protects the head.  The head houses the brain and thus the soul of the individual.  The spiritual helmet can never fail nor be defeated nor removed from the soldier.  Thus the helmet represents salvation what no matter what happens in life, no matter what assaults are hurled at you, your salvation can never be lost or destroyed.

The sword of the Spirit is defined as the word of God.  The sword, is a short double edged weapon that was used very effectively by the Roman army, and is used here to demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of doctrine, when applied in the hand of the trained soldier.

Now note one thing here.

Nowhere is there mentioned human reason.  Nowhere is there mentioned human opinion.  Nowhere is there mentioned human sincerity.  Nowhere is there mentioned human philosophy.

So, if you think that you can meet the problems and challenges of life, even the temptations and enticements of life, with human intellect or reason, then you are sadly mistaken.

Unbelievers lack any and all spiritual resources and therefore can rely only on their human reason. They all fail.

Believers who reject or otherwise ignore doctrine, are no better off than unbelievers as far as their resistance to the temptations of the world goes.  Likewise they fail.  And this includes a lot of people who think they can reason their way through life from the source of their own beliefs and opinions and works.  They cannot.

Bible doctrine is truth.  Everything else is not.

If something is not truth then it is a lie.

The only way that you can know truth and discern between the truth and the lie, is by learning truth and understanding truth and applying truth in your life. And the only way to learn is through a daily study. 

The daily aspect simply means that since you live from moment to moment in this world during your entire life, and since this is the devils world, then your risk from evil is constant. 

Therefore your protection likewise must be constant. 

Thus the daily study.  Thus the daily or several times throughout the day, self-review of your life so you can confess and maintain your residence in fellowship.

Thus with residence in fellowship, then your spiritual life function and your spiritual array of protection is active and likewise functional, and strengthening more and more, every moment that you are living within the boundaries of your spiritual life.  That is your entire array of spiritual armor.

It is doctrine that protects you, not your personal reason.  It is doctrine which enters into your soul by means of the Holy Spirit, that edifies, not your academic intellect.

It is your depth of knowledge and understanding of doctrinal principles that construct and strengthen faith, not popular social norms and standards.

There is but one way to develop your spiritual life in all of its aspects, and that is by means of a consistent and legitimate daily study of Bible doctrine, by means of instruction, while in fellowship.

And that is Gods primary will for you and your life.

If you are not following that pattern of life, then you are not, repeat, not complying with Gods will.

Ephesians 6:16

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:16

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16 Above [epi] all, [pas] taking [analambano] the shield [thureos] of faith, [pistis] wherewith [en] [hos] ye shall be able [dunamai] to quench [sbennumi] all [pas] the fiery [puroo] darts [belos] of the wicked. [poneros] KJV-Interlinear

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

The shield is a reference to the use or application of faith.

Faith is used to extinguish evil as a candle is extinguished when it is blown out.

Flaming missiles, apply to all assaults that are intended to destroy or kill, as it were.  Flaming missiles are all evil attacks, all non-spiritual opinions, all attempts to apply philosophy to life, to all temptations brought on by this unfair world, by poor health, by lack of money, by over talent, and so forth and so forth.

The shield is huge when it comes to battle and the actual fight.  The shield is not used when there is no fight. It is used and is only useful when the fight is in force and active.  And evil is always active.

The shield is carried by the arm with a hand hold.  The shield can be maneuvered all around, covering and protecting all parts of the entire body, depending on from when and where the attack is coming.

Therefore, the shield is the functional application of that which it covers, namely doctrine which has already been studied in the belt, the breastplate and the footwear.

The shield applies all of these and in so doing protects all of these.  Doctrine develops faith and faith protects doctrine.  They are synergistically related, each building on the other, each producing far more exponentially when combined.

Faith is nothing without doctrine.  Doctrine is nothing without faith.  Both work hand in hand to produce and protect the total warrior.

Faith bears out the whole character of the Christian.  Faith, correct faith, is not a wish, not a hope, but the application of substantive thought.  It is wielded by the arm of activity and therefore is an application of the mind that directs the arm.  That mind contains doctrine.

A shield is used effectively and well, after much practice and training, which is of course your daily study over the course of time.

Ephesians 6:15

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:15

http://www.dailybiblestudy.org

15 And [kai] your feet [pous] shod [hupodeo] with [en] the preparation [hetoimasia] of the gospel [euaggelion] of peace; [eirene] KJV-Interlinear

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

Shod, ‘hupodeo,’ means to bind on, to put on.  The feet are often used in the scriptures to symbolize the persons walk or journey through life, or ones day to day functions in ones coming and going activities.

And what are you to bind onto your feet, or better stated, what are you to bind to your daily activities, or again, what are you to bind to your journey through life?

You are to bind preparation to your life.  Preparation, ‘hetoimasia,’ means to make ready, to prepare, to make plans, to train, to practice.

Therefore you are to bind readiness, to your daily activities for which you are to utilize throughout your entire life.

And what exactly is readiness?

The gospel of peace.

And is this a reference to the gospel of Christ or of the gospel of salvation?  No.

Since you have presumably already believed in Christ and are therefore already saved, then you are not placing onto your feet or activity of life, the gospel of salvation. Salvation is a one-time faith expression by which you were saved when you believed in Christ.

And once saved, you no longer are concerned with the principle of salvation for yourself, your focus now is spiritual growth for spiritual maturity.  And you learn and use doctrine in order to grow up in your spiritual life.

Therefore, gospel, ‘euggelion,’ which means a good message, a declaration, to declare.

And peace, ‘eirene,’ means to join, to prosper, to quiet, to rest, to set at one again.

The combination of the gospel which is the good news of the entire content of the Bible and the result of its being learned and spiritual growth resulting from that learning, results in an inner peace of spiritual maturity, which is the goal of growing up in the spiritual life.

Therefore, and thus far in this passage, you have the belt of truth or the content of the scriptures, bound tightly to you, in righteousness or in fellowship which is the place where you are to live your life, and then having bound that doctrine in fellowship to your daily walk or activities, you then possess an inner peace or a relaxed mental attitude.

This gives you poise and a calmness with which to face the various and many assaults from evil and the world, from which these battle dress articles provide you protection.

These clothing articles are worn on the outer pars of the body as far as the soldier is concerned, but the soldier of Christ, wears them within the soul. They are the inner fortress that protects against the outer worldly cosmos which hammers away day and night, in its attempt to derail your spiritual life and progress.

Ephesians 6:14

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:14

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14 Stand [histemi] therefore, [oun] having [perizonnumi] your [humon] loins [osphus] girt about [perizonnumi] with [en] truth, [aletheia] and [kai] having on [enduo] the breastplate [thorax] of righteousness; [dikaiosune] KJV-Interlinear

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

Stand, means to hold your position, do not retreat, do not run away, but hold the line, stay where you are regardless of the onslaught of attacks against you in whatever manner.  But stay the course in your spiritual life.  Just make sure that your course is the correct and a legitimate course, as God has designed and not what you have made convenient for yourself.

Girted, is a belted description of taking up loose clothing and binding it all together so that you can move freely and quickly and not be hampered by that loose clothing. It is gathered up tight or belted in tight giving you maximum freedom of movement without interference.

With truth, which is doctrine. You are to tie doctrine all round you, tight, wrapping yourself up snuggly and completely with the principles, mandates, precepts, instruction, and content of the scriptures.

And how do you do this?  You study daily.  Your life is a daily activity.  Your life in this world runs from day to day, moment to moment for your entire life, so too, you are to take truth and place yourself inside of its hold and bindings which does to restrict you, but in reality gives you much more freedom of action and movement in life.

Having the breastplate or coat of mail worn across the front and back of the individual from the neck down to the thighs. Most vital organs are in that region of the body and this symbol of protection on the front, sides, and back gives broad defensive protection for the body, which is used to function in life.

All assaults against the body are defended and deflected by that breastplate armor.  The breastplate is an integral mesh of armor woven together, strong yet flexible, tying all doctrines that have been learned and now applied in one cohesive component of your life, deflecting and defending you from all attacks of evil on your daily life.

Protecting the neck, arms, and upper legs, the heart and stomach and so forth, all tying together to represent your daily living activity.  The arms for work, the legs for movement, the heart for the content of your active thoughts within your soul and so forth.  The rest of your vital organs for the filtering of truth, for the metabolism of truth, for the many functions of the spiritual life.

Of righteousness, which is the spiritual life lived while in fellowship.

Confession accomplishes fellowship.  Fellowship is the unseen sphere or environment in which you are to live your life.  Once saved, you still commit sins, but in order to maintain an active relationship with God, you must confess your sins to God the Father, ‘Father I did this or that.’ And it is just that simple.

Confession is your recognition of your flaws and your acceptance of Gods mandate to confess to Him, and to no one else.  Confession is strictly between you and God the Father and no one else.

With confession, you are placed immediately in fellowship, 1 Jn. 1:9, and as such, your life is in effect in residence in Gods righteousness, not mans righteousness, and that all lies behind that coat of armor consisting of doctrine, thus protecting your life, your daily life from evil.

Residence in fellowship allows you to freely function in life inside of the environment in which your spiritual life flourishes.  Your spiritual life functions only when you are in fellowship.  When you commit a sin and have not confessed it, then your spiritual life is shut down, and you are in effect without the protection of Gods righteousness.

Ephesians 6:13

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 6:13

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13 Wherefore [dia] [touto] take unto you [analambano] the whole armour [panoplia] of God, [theos] that [hina] ye may be able [dunamai] to withstand [anthistemi] in [en] the evil [poneros] day, [hemera] and [kai] having done [katergazomai] all, [hapas] to stand. [histemi] KJV-Interlinear

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. NASB

Whole or complete armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.

In these verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.

Belt of truth;

Breastplate of righteousness;

Footwear of peace;

Shield of faith;

Helmet of salvation;

Sword of the Spirit.

This verse continues using the language of military activity and readiness.

Whole armor is a reference to the complete, without exception, coverage of protection for both offensive and defensive actions with regard to an enemy that is there for one purpose only, which is to destroy you.

The world is without remorse or empathy for you or your life.  You as a believer is Christ, or even you as a mere human being, are a worthless component in this world.

Satan is the ruler of this world and Satan is in a battle for his own right to free himself from the Lake of Fire to which he has already been sentenced.  Therefore, in order for Satan to win his freedom, then you and all people must lose all of our freedoms.

Are you willing to trade yours and everyones eternal life away, so that Satan and his demon angels can have their freedom to continue destroying forever?

Most would say no to that question.

In that day, is a reference to the day of the attacks with which you will be assaulted.  And since this is the devils world, you are constantly being bombarded with the assaults of evil, day in and day out, throughout your entire life.

Therefore you must be armed and readied for battle in order to avoid being defeated or destroyed by any of those assaults.

So that you will withstand, ‘anthistemi,’ which means that you must defeat each and every assault, each and every enemy attack, each and every enemy, in order to preserve your own life.

No one has prefect freedom until the entirety of the enemy force, has been defeated and destroyed.  This means that when one-hundred percent of the enemy force is dead, then you are truly free and declared the winner.  When no enemy can ever rise up again, then the war, not just the battle, is finally and completely over.

And of course this final outcome will not occur until the final event of the Millennium.

So until then, we all have a battle before us.  We have several daily battles from our own mental attitudes, from people, from bureaucracies, from the environment and so forth.

And we have only one battle dress with which to protect ourselves.  And that battle gear begins with doctrine.

You must learn it and be interested in it, before you will learn it.  You must pay attention in order to learn.  You must stick with a daily study in order to assimilate the knowledge in your soul.  You must use it in order to construct your battle defenses within your soul, and finally you must advance to spiritual maturity in order to have this complete outfit for maximum protection and blessing.

You cannot dress yourself.  You cannot partially dress yourself and be successful.  Any compromise or laziness in preparation makes room for defeat.

Therefore having done all, means just that.  All, means a complete commitment to God, to Gods plan, to your daily study, and to all of this in accordance with Gods plan, not yours.