10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
This begins Paul's concluding comments to the Ephesians. It also reaffirms that the contents of the epistle are indisputably written to saved people. Paul exhorts us to be strong, but not of ourselves (see II Corinthians 12: 9-l0). Rather, the strength we maintain is "in the Lord" and "the power of his might." See Philippians 4:13. In our flesh and its strength dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18) and it is inclined to sin (James 1:14-15). If we are to stand (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14) then it must be in Him; to attempt to stand in any other way is to guarantee failure.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Paul spends the remainder of the epistle, save the closing address, on the details of how we stand strong in the Lord. All that came before in the epistle reaches its conclusion here: being a soldier. We would do well to remember that a soldier is prepared for battle, but is not always at war. There are times of training, times of battle, and times of rest, each with its respective uniform, gear, and mindset. For example, a soldier has armor and weapons when facing an enemy, but a uniform when he is on friendly ground among his fellows. The details of the armor and weapons of the Christian soldier are given here in Ephesians, while in Colossians 3:12-14 we get a description of the Christian’s non-combat uniform – his “dress blues.” Some brethren wear nothing but combat gear in every scenario, while others attempt to go into battle wearing their dress blues! We must be mindful that we are dressed appropriately for every occasion.
We would also do well to remember that chastening is a regular part of a soldier’s life. Hebrews 12:5-13 plainly states that all of God’s children – His soldiers – can expect chastening, and we are cautioned not to become discouraged by it. Oftentimes, our chastening is well-deserved due to disobedience, however we must also remember that chastening is not always associated with disobedience. Any solider can tell you that sometimes you get whipped for no apparent reason, or for a reason that seems unworthy of the whipping, especially in times of training! However, if received right, the whipping keeps you humble, it makes you strong, and it pushes you do more than you thought you could. The same of true of our service to the Lord: consider all that Joseph endured at the hands of his brothers or David living under Saul’s murderous wrath. More to the point, consider Paul’s words in II Corinthians 12:7-10. Whether for disobedience or as a means of achieving the Lord’s purposes, chastening is not only to be expected, but welcomed in the life of a solider.
It is important to note that Paul specifically says “the whole armor of God.” Partial armor will do us little good against the wiles of the devil. "Wiles" is related to "beguile" (see Numbers 25:18), which is directly used to describe Satan's activity in Genesis 3 and of Israelites drawn away to follow after Baal throughout the Old Testament. Colossians 2:4 further elaborates that it is connected to enticing words, which fits the scenarios listed perfectly. That further opens this to man's wisdom (I Corinthians 2:4), as well as a host of other passages. So, in short, the armor of God protects us from the lies of Satan that appeal to our pride and "wisdom" (Proverbs 14:12). Satan's motus operandi is always to challenge and/or change the words of God, casting doubt on their meaning, their accuracy, and/or their authority. He even had the audacity to make such attempts with the Lord Himself in fourth chapters of Matthew and Luke!
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
This elaborates on the end of the previous verse. The armor is not physical because the foe is not physical. Notice too that each is plural, so these cannot be referring solely to Satan, though he is certainly over these beings as he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2: 2) and “the god of this world” (II Corinthians 4:4). "High places" are associated in Scripture with false religions and idol worship (for examples, see Leviticus 26:30, Numbers 22:41, II Kings 18:4). These things are our true enemies, not men. Men are those whom we are trying to win for Christ. See II Corinthians 10:3-5, II Timothy 2:1-4, and I Peter 5: 8- 9.
Comentarios