Ephesians 6:13

“Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand”

“Wherefore”: “Because Paul's readers must fight. foe that is scheming, inhuman, powerful, and evil, they need to be armed and protected with the equipment God supplies. They do not need to invent or manufacture their armaments; they just need to ‘put on' the resources God has already made available” (Boles p. 336). “Take up”: Or put on (Ephesians 6:11). “Is the accepted term for taking up arms” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 384) Again,. must stress that the Devil "will" take up the battle against us (2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2; James 1:12). Being born into this world automatically places one in the midst of this spiritual battle for the souls of men, that is reality. “The whole armor of God”: The second time this is emphasized (Ephesians 6:11). This seems to suggest that God's people have the problem of only wanting to take up. few pieces of this armor, but not the whole. “Paul's repetition of the ‘full armor' of God is. reminder that we need the whole package; every piece is necessary” (Boles p. 336). “Yet many--if not most--of our failures and defeats are due to our foolish self-confidence when we either disbelieve or forget how formidable our spiritual enemies are. Some Christians are so self-confident that they think they can manage by themselves without the Lord's strength and armor. Others are so self-distrustful that they imagine they have nothing to contribute to their victory in spiritual warfare. Both are mistaken. Paul expresses the proper combination” (Stott p. 266).

“That”: The purpose why such armor is to be put on. “Ye”: Every Christian can succeed. Such armor is available for every child of God. Thus Christians who fall away, who fail to grow, or who are perpetually weak, can only blame themselves for such failures. God gives every Christian an equal chance to succeed (1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 2:11). “May be able to withstand”: Overcoming is. real possibility. God is not demanding the impossible of His people (1 John 5:3; Revelation 21:7). “Withstand”: Stand against, oppose, resist (James 4:7). “In the evil day”: “The day of violent temptation and assault” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 385). “In the hour of temptation, in the moment of moral peril” (Erdman p. 136). “The time of temptation or peril. It is the time of assault. He may come at any moment. He may come, retreat, and come again. Satan left Christ but only ‘for. season'. Then he returned (Luke 4:13)” (Caldwell p. 311) The armor that God has given, is not designed to make our lives miserable, rather, true happiness will be found by the Christian who takes up the armor that God has forged. After all, how does. person feel when they have not resisted temptation?

“And having done all”: Does this sound like God accepts "bare minimum service"? “Having accomplished all that your duty requires” (Bruce p. 407). “Having fought to the end” (TCNT). “By using it to the full” (Lenski p. 663). “To finish the job” (Boles p. 337). “To stand”: When the dust has settled, only one army can be left standing in any battle. God expects Christians to be victorious over evil, and God has confidence in us, if we have confidence in Him (2 Timothy 2:11).