Know the Enemy (Ephesians 6:10-13)

In this final section of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks about spiritual warfare and the armour that has been provided for all of God’s people to wear and use when they experience spiritual attack. This kind of attack is not usually from other humans, but from the devil and his agents. Of course, they can use humans as their instruments, such as whenever persecution occurs.

Obviously, Paul was guided secretly by the Holy Spirit regarding how to compose this letter. Yet he would have thought about its construction and order and what he should say and how he should say it. In his letters, he usually deals with doctrinal matters first and then focuses on practical issues. It is not too much to suggest that this topic is dealt with last because it can affect both doctrine and practice. The devil wants us to make mistakes in both these areas.

Earlier in this letter, Paul had urged his readers to ‘give no opportunity to the devil’ (Eph. 4:6). Paul also knew what it was like to be hindered by the devil when he and his friends tried to help the Thessalonian believers (1 Thess. 2:18). He reminded the Corinthians that he was aware of the devil’s designs and intrigues (2 Cor. 2:11). Paul also stated that the devil can appear as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and Peter affirmed that the devil ‘prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’ (1 Pet. 5:8).

As we look at what Paul says in verses 10-13, we can see that all Christians have the same resources, have the same enemy and have the same purpose. The resources are God’s strength, the enemy is the kingdom of darkness, and the purpose is to withstand the onslaughts of the enemy. When we have thought briefly about them, I will mention some encouragements for those fighting in this battle.

The power

In verse 10, Paul says that we should ‘be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might’. Obviously, he is stressing that the Lord possesses power by the way that he refers to it three times in one sentence. How strong is the Lord? The answer is that he possesses divine strength and it cannot be measured. Moreover, that strength can be our strength.

As we think about the Lord’s strength, we can see that it is effective, enough and endless. When we say that it is effective, we mean that there is no other power of any kind that is stronger than the Lord. Even if every other power were to unite together against the Lord, that united expression of power would be ineffective against him. It would not overcome the power of God or weaken him in any way. In fact, it is impossible to know how powerful the Lord is.

When we say that the power is enough, we mean that all of it is available for each of God’s people. Even if every Christian in the world is under spiritual attack simultaneously, each of them has access immediately to the power of the Lord and therefore they need nothing else to overcome the devil and his agents.

And when we say that the power is endless, we mean that it is constantly available for believers to use. Jesus mentioned this in the Great Commission when he said to his disciples that (1) all power was given to him in heaven and on earth and (2) he would be with them always, on each of the days until his second coming. While we may not know what ruse is being planned against us, we do know already that we have the spiritual resources to deal with it.

How they can be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might? Is it merely a matter of praying for it? Do we have to do anything in order to have it? Paul provides the answer when he tells his readers to put on the whole armour of God. The details connected to the armour tell us how the Lord’s power will be experienced by believers in their spiritual conflicts.

We should observe that Paul does not say ‘strengthened by the Lord’ but ‘strengthened in the Lord’. Our strength is connected to our union with Christ. This living union is one that we seldom thing about. Briefly, we can say that when the enemy picks on a weak Christian trusting in the Lord he finds himself fighting the Lord.

The enemy

Paul mentions several details about the spiritual enemy that believers face. They are organised, they are powerful, and they are evil. In charge of them is the devil, but since he is not omnipotent and omnipresent, he has others who help to do his will. Of course, all of them together are not omnipotent or omnipresent. They are limited in their abilities to attack the people of God, but still they can do a lot of damage if believers are not wearing the divinely-given spiritual armour.

Paul mentions four levels of demonic agents. Since he is taking about an army, perhaps he is likening the first three levels to officers in an army and likens the last level to ordinary soldiers. One book that deals with this kind of activity is The Holy War by John Bunyan.

They exercise their power and Paul indicates that they do so in two places. The first location can be seen in what Paul calls ‘this present darkness’, which is a way of describing the world in which we live, the world that is opposed to God in a wide range of ways. We can trace most of the opposition to God in this area of life back to the devil. The apostle John reminds us that the whole world lies in the wicked one. Peter says that the devil goes around devouring people. Earlier in this letter, Paul had mentioned that Christians before they were converted were under the influence of the devil. Satan does this to people by blinding them to the existence of God, to benefits of the gospel, and to the reality of future judgment for sinners. He even blinds them to his own existence. 

The other location where the enemy powers are at work is one that may surprise us. Paul says that they are active in the heavenly places. The heavenly places is not a physical location such as a country or a city. Instead, it is the location of good spiritual experiences. Paul uses this phrase several times in this letter. In Ephesians 1:3, he mentions it is the location where God has blessed his people with every spiritual blessing (some of them are in the past, others are in the present, and others are in the future). Then in 1:20, Paul says that it is the place over which God and Jesus rule, and that this rule is far above all creaturely power, including demonic authorities. In 3:10, he points out that the authorities in this location learn about God’s wisdom through what he does in the church. And here in 6:12, he says that those hostile powers have access to the heavenly places, the location where we enjoy the blessings of God. We should not be surprised at this because part of the reward bestowed on the ascended Christ was for him to rule in the midst of his enemies.

The apostle highlights that the devil is crafty and close by. There is only one way to deal with his craftiness and that is to put on the whole armour of God. Paul implies that the devil’s schemes is to look for areas in our lives which are not protected by the armour and defeat us in those areas. In addition, he points out that the conflict is fought at close quarters. We wrestle against the devil and his helpers. In a wrestling match, there is only one winner. The devil’s aim is to stop us standing. It would have been common for soldiers at that time to wrestle with their enemies, trying to throw them to the ground where they could easily be killed.

How does the devil attack us? Briefly, he does so by temptation, accusation and distortion of the Bible, whether its commands or promises. We are familiar with his temptations, and there are numerous ones available for him to use. He does not tempt every Christian with the same temptation, but he does know the ones that we are liable to heed. His accusations can be based on our failures, our sins, and our motives. He can twist what we said or did, and he can scare us by bringing thoughts into our minds. He can twist the words of the Bible, and we know that he tried this method when tempting the Saviour in the desert.

Our purpose

The purpose that the Lord has for us is that we remain immoveable. This purpose is corporate, constant and clear. It is not sufficient to stand as individuals – we are not on solo missions in this war. There is a sense in which all are affected if one soldier falls. It is not just in my interests that I don’t fall, it is in the interest of the congregation. When Satan tempts me, I should think of others as well as myself.

How long do I have to keep this up? As long as the enemy is active in his areas of activity. We see what he is doing in society and we see what he is doing in the spiritual area, the heavenlies. Therefore, we are to be on guard, alert, perceptive. We are soldiers until the war is over and can never become careless when we win a battle.

The purpose is also clear. Paul here does not suggest that God’s people are to advance (he is not speaking about church growth or evangelism or witness, but facing the hostile onslaughts of the devil); rather they are to be immoveable. This implies that they have reached the highest place that they can have in this life. After all, they are members in the family of God. He has forgiven them and given to them assurances of glory. The devil knows that if he can weaken their commitment he can bring about situations where they lose the sense of loyalty they should have to their Lord. Sadly, he has done that on numerous occasions, but we also know that Jesus is able to restore his fallen soldiers.

Confidence

It would be possible for us to feel overwhelmed by the power of the army that is ranged against us. There are Bible verses that we should bear in mind when we feel that way, and here are two by the Apostle John. He reminded his readers that they ‘are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). And he also pointed out that victory over the devil is attainable for Christians: ‘I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one’ (1 John 2:14).

I would also mention a verse from James, the brother of Jesus: ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (Jam. 4:7). But we need the spiritual armour to do so. Peter also encourages his readers to resist the devil, and to remind themselves that every Christian undergoes them. All over the world today, believers are resisting the devil, some in very difficult and prolonged situations.

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;

Each victory will help you some other to win;

Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;

Look ever to Jesus, he will carry you through.