and God’s faculties within them and they do not understand the battle. Others wobble shakily here and there standing cowardly in the battle; sometimes they stand and then they buckle again. And that is why it is necessary to stand perfectly in this battle so that we do not heap up strength against us for the enemy through cowardly standing. In this battle our cowardice, laziness, neglect, and foolishness are his strength against us. When we abandon ourselves to the pleasure of something, or weaken in and fear something, we give ourselves up to the enemy’s swords in that thing. Our security, pleasures, repose, and affections are the enemy’s shield against us. Our ignorance in this battle is his hope in our death. That is why God commands us to stand perfectly in all diligence, labors, integrity of heart, actions, and long-suffering, because longsuffering has a perfect work and the greatest blamelessness is necessary. It comes to people in affliction and their insufficiency, because long-suffering beyond our corrupt strength comes about in us by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit Himself. Nothing is perfect in us according to flesh and blood but according to faith and spiritual power, because that has the power to uphold the truth in violence.
But the apostle insists that we stand perfectly in everything because we immediately begin to lose the battle in whatever we ease up in and do not stand perfectly in. Or, we are already overcome in the battle when we forsake something we should be doing because we do that which is forbidden, or we do those things slothfully, insincerely, impatiently, or unfaithfully. We have either already lost the battle there or are close to losing it. That is why the apostle commands us to stand perfectly in everything, knowing the ways of this battle, because we assure ourselves a little bit, slacken off a little through insincerity, ease off a little through idleness, pile up a little through immodesty, and think things through very little. We glance behind us or to the side very little until the enemy comes near, opposes us from a distance, and harms us. It is not possible to make things right again for a long time because his power is in us. He clothes himself in us and goes up against us. And when he stands up against us just a little bit he takes many in.
And the apostle further says:
“Stand firm then, tucking up your loins in truth, and clothe yourself in the breastplate of righteousness, shoeing your feet in the readiness of the gospel of peace.” The apostle already clearly names that armor which is fitting for this battle in this discourse and teaches people how they should clothe themselves in it. He commands us first of all to stand and to tuck up our loins because a person cannot lie down or sit in battle, except someone on a horse. Instead, we should walk here. That is why he commands us to stand on the feet of good desires and on an unflinching heart for God. We also ought to stand on the true foundation, Christ, so that we do not get weary in battle or forget what leads us in such a demanding battle. We ought to stand on the firm foundation of Christ, knowing that He is a Savior and eternal life to us after the completion of this battle. We ought to stand on such a firm foundation, not becoming weary in battle like those who sorrow, not anticipating the promises of the future life!
The apostle encourages us to stand, tucking up our loins, but because that is an unfamiliar physical thing, I will describe the act. When there is mud where people run or fight, they tuck up long clothing so that they are more agile. But the apostle is speaking about spiritual things here, and we can say something similar about spiritual tucking up. When he says here, “Tuck up your loins in truth,” the Savior says with different words, “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.” (Luke 12: 35) They can both be taken in the same sense–“to tuck up” and “to be buckled up”–because no one can be tucked up except that his clothing must first be buckled up and rolled up by hand. And, while rolling it up, that
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