On The Spiritual Battle
“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand firm then, buckling your loins in truth, and clothe yourself in the breastplate of righteousness, shoeing your feet in the readiness of the gospel of peace;[1] above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6: 10–20)
Christ’s faithful ambassador and lover of human souls, Saint Paul, showed God’s people about the spiritual battle into which they were called in this discourse of faithful and direct instruction, and foretold that they would overcome in it and receive the crown of eternal life. According to scripture, they are called and bound to the battle. So it is written, “The life of a person on the earth is a battle.” Again, another scripture spurs all the sons of God on to it, saying, “My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation.” (Sirach 2: 1) And the reward of God’s promises is, as Saint James says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.” (James 1: 12)
The apostle spurs them on to such battle. And first of all, he admonishes them to strengthen themselves in God and in the power of His might, because a person is feeble, weak, and foolish in the truth according to God’s will in this kind of battle and in the incessant, violent, and unrecognized hatred that the devil has against him. Man’s power within himself to observe God’s will is insufficient for the kind of violent injustice that closes in on him everywhere. For that reason, he cannot overcome it by himself if he will not have God’s empowering from above. That is why Christ’s apostle urges Christians who are called into such a hard battle to strengthen themselves in God and in the power of His might, because His power and His strength are above all power and strength that are in heaven as well as on earth, and no power can stand up against His power. The grace that He has for man is unfathomable above all His works; it takes pity on a person so subjugated and fraught with such injustice. Therefore, the apostle commands such people to strengthen themselves in Him, to trust in Him, and to place all hope in His grace and unconquered strength. In so doing, each person, seeing his powerlessness and the violence of difficult temptations, does not hesitate to fight against them, but places his or her strength in Him, trusting His mercy. He does not forsake the person in adversity who trusts in Him, hopes in His strength, and calls to the One who wants to and can bring about good. Such a person should strengthen himself in God that much more, looking to the first saints who were in difficult temptations from the
- ↑ World English Bible: Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace.
1
