Christians have a spiritual warfare on earth (2 Timothy 4:7). They have to fight for God (1 Samuel 25:28), for truth (Jude 1:3), and for themselves (Revelation 3:11).

I. THE DIVINE ARMOR. It is so called because God provides each individual part of it. It is amour for offence as well as defense - "forged on no earthly anvil and tempered by no human skill." The amour of Rome - celibacy, poverty, obedience, asceticism - is for flight, not for conflict. This Divine armor we are not required to provide, but merely to put on, and its efficacy depends entirely upon the power of him who made it.

II. ITS PURPOSE. "That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The grand enemy of the Church is the devil, a superhuman tempter older than man. This language implies

(1) the personal existence of Satan;

(2) his possession of immense resources of cunning and craft;

(3) his power to inject evil into the minds of the saints;

(4) his great end to destroy the souls of men and the whole moral order of the world;

(5) the possibility of resisting his wiles in the strength of the Divine armor,

III. ITS NECESSITY. This Divine equipment is indispensable in view of the serried ranks of evil which are leagued against us under the leadership of Satan. Our conflict is not with feeble man. It is with fallen spirits. The language of the apostle implies

(1) that these spirits have a hierarchy of their own of different orders;

(2) that their malignant activity is exercised in the world of men under a reign of darkness;

(3) that their moral character is wickedness;

(4) and that, as Satan is the prince of the power of the air, they seem to have their abode or the scene of their activity in the atmosphere that surrounds our earth. We need, therefore, to be strong and valiant in this warfare,

(1) because we are fighting for our life;

(2) because, though our enemies be strong, our Captain is stronger still;

(3) because nothing but cowardice can lose the victory (James 4:7);

(4) because, if we conquer, we shall ride triumphantly into heaven (2 Timothy 4:7, 8). - T.C.

(H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, M. A.)

I. EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN ARMOUR.

1. It is armour for every part, except the back, which is provided with no defence, to show that the Christian is never to quit the field, but to face his enemies.

2. The armour is of every sort, offensive and defensive, both to protect the Christian, and to annoy his enemies.

3. It is armour that has been proved.

4. This armour is spiritual, and is intended only for spiritual purposes. It is called "the armour of light," in allusion perhaps to the bright and glittering army of the Romans, and to show that it is for ornament as well as for defence. It is also "armour of righteousness," designed only for righteous persons and righteous purposes; it cannot therefore be rendered subservient to acts of violence and oppression. It is provided by a righteous God, and His righteous word is the rule for using it (Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7).

5. It is called "the armour of God," to denote its transcendent excellency and usefulness, and that it is provided by His special grace.

II. CONSIDER THE NECESSITY OF PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.

1. We are in a state of warfare, exposed to innumerable enemies: and if not called to fight, we should not need to be armed.

2. We are naturally unprepared for this contest, having no means of defence, and therefore need to put on the armour of God. We must be equipped from God's armoury, for no weapon of our own will be able to defend us.

3. Putting on this armour implies that we see our need of it, and that we use it for the purposes intended. Though we are not saved for our endeavours, yet neither can we be saved without them. We cannot exert ourselves too much in this warfare, nor depend upon our exertions too little.

4. The spiritual armour is not designed for show, like weapons that are hung up in some houses, but for use, and therefore it must be put on.

5. We must be careful to take to ourselves the "whole" armour of God, for a part of it will not avail. Such is the variety of Satan's temptations and the world's allurements that the whole of it is but sufficient for our defence; and should any part be left unguarded, a mortal wound might be inflicted. He is also mightier than we are, and we are no match for him, unless we put on the whole armour of God, and place our trust in His holy name.

(B. Beddome, M. A.)

I. THE DANGER TO WHICH WE ARE EXPOSED. As in other cases, so in this: our greatest danger lies in not feeling our danger, and so not being prepared to meet it.

1. View the enemy we have to contend with. He bears an inveterate hatred against us, and seeks nothing less than our destruction and eternal overthrow.

2. He is mightier than we are; and, unless we have help from above, we are no match for him.

3. An artful enemy.

4. Invisible.

5. Near us.

6. What is worse, he has a strong party within us.

7. On the issue of this warfare depend all our hopes.

II. THE ARMOUR PROVIDED FOR US.

1. In general, this armour is the grace of the gospel.

2. A whole or perfect armour, sufficient to defend us in every part.

3. The use to be made of it is that we may be able to withstand and face the enemy.

III. THE NECESSITY OF PUTTING ON THIS ARMOUR, OR TAKING IT TO OURSELVES. Armour is of no avail, unless it be used.

IV. THE INDUCEMENT TO DO THIS. That we may "withstand in the evil day," etc.

(Theological Sketchbook.)

1. Christians are soldiers. Our life is a warfare. The Church here is militant. God has thus disposed our state on earth for weighty reasons.

(1)The more to manifest His pity, power, providence, and truth in keeping promise. The straits whereunto in this world we are brought, the promises which God has made to deliver us, and the many deliverances which we have, show that God pities us in our distresses, that He is provident and careful for our good, and wise in disposing evil to good; that He is able to deliver us, and faithful in doing it.

(2)To make proof of the gifts He bestows on His children. A soldier's valour is not known but in war.

(3)To wean them the better from this world.

2. The graces of God's Spirit are for safeguard and defence.

(1)Those who want them must seek them.

(2)Those who have them must use them.

3. The Christian's armour is the armour of God.

(1)It is made of God, even in heaven.

(2)It is prescribed of God, even in His Word.

(3)It is given of God, even by His Spirit.

(4)It is agreeable to God, even to His will.

4. It is spiritual armour; therefore suitable for defence against spiritual foes.

5. It is a complete armour, every way sufficient.

(1)Sufficient to defend us in every part.

(2)Sufficient to keep off and thrust back every assault and every dart of our spiritual enemies.

6. Christians ought to be well furnished always, and well prepared with the graces of God's Spirit. They must ever have them in readiness at hand to use them, and make proof of them. As armour rusting by the wall side, as fire smothered with ashes, as money cankering in chests, so are the graces of God's Spirit if they be not employed. Though in themselves they be never so excellent, yet to us and others they are fruitless and unprofitable, without a right use of them.

7. The power of every sanctifying grace must be manifest in the life of a Christian.

8. God's assistance and man's endeavour are joined together. Without God's mighty power man can do nothing; unless man put on the whole armour of God, God will do nothing.

(William Gouge.)

1. There is no hope, no possibility of remaining safe, without spiritual armour.

2. They who put on the armour of God, and use it as they ought, are safe and sure, and so may be secure.

3. Those who are without armour can have no hope to stand.(1) Without this armour we are naked, and lie open to every dart and shot of our spiritual enemies; and are no more able to free ourselves from the power of the devil than a poor silly lamb or kid from a roaring lion or ravenous bear.(2) By neglecting to use this armour provided of God, we provoke God to east us into the power of our enemies, and to give them power over us.

4. Those who use their armour are sure to stand.

(William Gouge.)

I. OF THE OCCASION OF THE WAR. This was partly the success of Satan upon our first parents; and partly God's jealousy for His honour, and His pity for fallen man.

II. THE DESIGNS OF THE ONE AND THE OTHER. Satan has lost nothing of the pride, rage, and malice of an apostate spirit, therefore he cannot cease sinning. His revenge and rebellion against God are implacable; however much he trembles before the Son of God, yet he will not submit to Him; his proud malice is nothing abated; he roars against the government of God, seeking whom he may devour. Ceaselessly he labours to defeat the kingdom of the Redeemer, and to set up his own against it.

III. WHERE IS THE SEAT OF ACTION? In our hearts. There the devil has a natural right, and thence Christ would dispossess him. Satan, by the Fall, both ruined the original purity of man's nature, and also introduced a sad defilement into both the parts of us, soul and body; rendering the one proud, and the other carnal. To destroy this work of the devil, restoring to us the image of God, taking away our pride, and spiritualizing our affections, is Christ's business.

IV. Let us consider THE MANNER OF THE FIGHT. The weapons of Satan are carnal; those of Christ, spiritual. Those of Satan are worldly things, whereby he endeavours to gratify pride, or to nurse indulgence. Jesus, on the other hand, comes with the word of truth, and the power of the Spirit.

V. THE ISSUE OF THIS WAR, on the one part and the other. This will be the triumph of the Redeemer, and the confusion of the adversary.

(S. Walker, B. A.)

I. We are to consider THE METHOD OF CHRIST'S ASSAULT UPON THE KINGDOM: OF SATAN IN THE HEART OF A SINNER, in order to gain him out of the enemy's hand; and also the wiles which the devil uses to disappoint the Redeemer's attempt and to keep the sinner in his service. While I am opening this point, it will be evidently seen how the devil wars at all disadvantage; that he must set up falsehood against truth, and temporal against eternal motives; that he cannot foretell the issue of one step he takes, while all his steps are plainly seen and foreseen, in all their consequences, by the Redeemer; that while Satan hath not the least power or strength to oppose one motion of His, He can easily turn all the counsels of Satan back upon himself; in a word, that in respect of Jesus, Satan is a poor, blind, weak, insignificant enemy. What, then, gives him so much success? It is neither his power, vigilance, nor cunning; what are these in respect of the might care, and wisdom of the Redeemer? No, sinners, it is your wilfulness; it is this alone gives him advantage. Now, that I may plainly set before you the method of Christ's attack upon Satan in the heart of a sinner, and Satan's devices to disappoint the success of it, you must be shown the state wherein Christ finds the sinner; His methods with him; and Satan's counterplot to defeat them.

1. The state wherein Christ finds the sinner. In sin - committing sin, an enemy to God, godliness, and godly men.

2. The methods Christ uses with the heart of the sinner, in order to dispossess Satan of his dominion over it. The Spirit working by the Word, and impressing the various motives which the Word contains effectually upon the heart.

3. Satan's wiles to disappoint the convictions which the Redeemer, by the Word and Spirit, has made upon the heart of a sinner.(1) He may try to catch away the word of conviction by exciting presumption. If the constitution be warm, and a man is naturally bold and hardy (not as many others are, apt to fear in any great undertaking), when the Spirit hath begun to awaken the soul, by the terrors of the Lord, to a strong desire of fleeing from the wrath to come, the work of religion will, of course, seem not so difficult a thing as it is spoken of. Satan, then, will correspond with these views. The sinner shall seem to himself as if he had already overcome.(2) Another sort of awakened sinners may be as continually fearful, as these we have been speaking of are bold and hardy. When such are awakened, the enemy, most likely, will be working with them to make them discouraged, and to harass them with fears, till they yield. With these he magnifies everything, and swells up mole hills to mountains in their apprehension.(3) If the enemy cannot prevail by means of presumption or fear, he will endeavour, by the pleasures or cares of the world, to catch away the impression which Christ has made upon the sinner's heart by the Word and Spirit. These are his subtle devices against the soul of a sinner. When there are some stirrings of infelt concern about the judgment and wrath to come, the devil knows how to make advantage of worldly pleasure and care, upon those whom he hath held in subjection by the love of the one or the other. He can plead that pleasure is harmless, and care is needful, till, by the entertainment of the one, and solicitude of the other, the gracious conviction is done away.(4) The last wile of the devil to keep the awakened sinner for his service, is an attempt to detain him from the throne of grace.

II. I am now, in the second place, more directly with the design of the text, TO DESCRIBE TO YOU THE WILES OF THE DEVIL AGAINST CHRIST IN THE PERSONS OF BELIEVERS, WHEREBY HE ENDEAVOURS TO SHAKE THEIR CONSTANCY, and to render them disserviceable to the cause wherein they are engaged; and likewise the armour Christ hath prepared for their defence, as well as for making them fit to serve successfully under Him against the kingdom of darkness. Satan hath many wiles for those who believe, and are gone over to Jesus; if He cannot draw them back he will harass them, lay bars in their way, try to render them less fruitful, and less serviceable to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In order to resist them we must put on -

1. Truth, or sincerity.

2. Righteousness; that is, the practice of all holiness.

3. The preparation of the gospel, or firmness, readiness, and constancy in all cases.

4. Faith, namely, in the promises of God in Christ. This must be put on above, or over all, because faith preserves all other graces.

5. The hope of salvation.

6. The Word of God.

7. Prayer.

8. Watchfulness.

9. Supplication for all saints.Then the Christian is prepared for all the wiles of the devil. All these he must put on, not one excepted, because one and another of these things can only preserve us from this and that wile wherewith the devil will beset us.

(S. Walker, B. A.)

1. A call to arms. Religious life is sometimes called "peace in believing." But let us not forget that there is nowhere in this world any peace which has not been wrought out in stubborn conflict, which is not now the achievement of valiant service for the truth. The soldiers of the cross do not enlist to go at once into the hospital, or sit around the door of a sutler's tent. It is to be feared that too much stress is laid upon the emotional and experimental part of piety in this easy day of ours. Too many young princes go off into dangerous Zulu-land for curious inquiry or mere love of adventure. There was (so we are told) once an English poet, who took position in a lofty tower that he might see a real battle. He seems to have had great prosperity, for the world has not yet done praising his versified description of the rushing onset, the tumult, and the carnage, "by Iser rolling rapidly." Now, nobody need hope to become acquainted with the solemn realities of life by merely gazing out upon it from a protected belfry, as Campbell did on Hohenlinden field. We cannot make a poem out of it. There are awful certainties of exposure, and necessities of attack, which disdain figures and rhythms of mere music. And, moreover, we are combatants, not spectators; we are in the onset, and the shock is at hand. "There is no discharge in that war."

2. It is best to avoid all confusion at once, and ascertain who are our adversaries; specially, who leads on the host. Here the apostle speaks clearly, if only people would listen: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." "Two kingdoms," said Ignatius Loyola, "divide the world; the kingdom of Emmanuel, and the kingdom of Satan." This the whole Bible admits; but nowhere can there be found even so much as one text which intimates that Christ and the devil are on equal terms. Satan is a created being; he had a maker, and he now has a ruler. He wages at present only a permitted warfare for a limited season. His onsets are well called "wiles," for he shuns open fields, and deals best in ambuscades and secret plots. There is awful force in the expression, "the devil and his angels"; for it shows us Satan is not alone in his work. He is the prince fiend of a fiendish clan. I have somewhere seen a picture on which was represented a human soul in its hour of conflict. It was as if the invisible world had for a moment been made visible by the rare skill of the artist. There, around the tried and anxious man, these emissaries of Satan were gathered. Dim, ethereal forms luridly shone out on every side. One might see the tempting offer of a crown over his head; but he would have to examine, quite closely before he could discover how each braided bar of gold in the diadem was twined in so as to conceal a lurking fiend in the folds. Then there was just visible a serpent with demoniac eyes coiled in the bottom of the goblet from which he was invited to drink. Foul whispers were plying either ear. There were baleful fires of lust in the glances of those who sought his companionship. A beautiful angel drew nigh; but a skeleton of death could be traced beneath the white robes he had stolen. I cannot say it was a welcome picture; but certainly there was a lesson in it. Among the noisy critics who gaily pronounced on its characteristics, I noticed there was one thoughtful man who turned aside and wept. Perhaps he knew what it meant.

3. Is there no defence against all this? Surely, every Christian remembers the armour which Paul catalogues in detail: "Wherefore, take unto you," etc.

(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

I. THE ARGUMENT - "That ye may," etc. In handling the argument we will consider - The devil is one who strikes through another by slander, or false accusation. Concerning this being, observe -

1. He is very miserable.

2. He was once happy.

3. Sin has made him miserable.

4. He is very powerful, malicious, and vigilant.

5. In his person and agency, generally, invisible.

6. He has many associates.Wiles - the arts used by a commander to take advantage of his enemy. These consist -

1. In assuming false characters.

2. In suiting himself to the age, temper, connections, and circumstances of the tempted.

3. In choosing the proper instruments to effect his purposes.

4. In giving false names to good and evil. Zeal to persecution.

5. In causing divisions in the Church.

6. In hiding that from us what only can do us good. Ability to stand against them.This implies -

1. Knowledge of them (2 Corinthians 2:11).

2. Power to oppose them.

II. THE EXHORTATION - "Put on," etc.Reflections:

I. A Christian soldier is a wonderful object. In relation to his enemies - and his defence.

II. How pleasing is our prevailing infidelity to Satan.

III. The experience of believers proves the truth of the text.

(H. J. Foster.)

(C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.)

1. Men are called by religion to a personal reformation, and then to the reformation of the whole world in which they live. You are to carry Christ's spirit into every relation of life, and to become a witness, and a martyr, if need be, in it. A little child, beginning to love Christ, and desiring to witness for Christ, comes home to its unconverted parents, and to brothers and sisters that are wilful and wayward, and seeks there to carry out the law of love. Its temper, quite infirm, is often lost. Alas, that of all the things that we lose, nothing is found so certainly again as our temper! The little child comes home, and its temper is often disturbed, often stirred up; and still, it means to be a witness for Christ. And it says in its little heart, "I do love Christ; and I mean that everything I do shall please Him." It has read, "In honour preferring one another"; and it attempts, in the household, to prefer the happiness of its brothers and sisters. It refuses to join in the little deceits that belong to them. It refuses to conceal, when questioned, their little peculations. It comes to spiteful grief in consequence. And the little child is not old enough to know anything about the great laws of society and the great laws of nature. Just converted, it is undertaking to live so that the best part of itself shall govern itself; and then it is undertaking so that, in its little companionships, the best part of it shall all the time rule in its conduct. Now, no child can undertake that without having the epitome of the experience of every Christian in the whole world.

2. Religion must not be selfish - not even if it be the selfishness of the highest quality. We have no right to be Christians simply on the ground that we shall save our souls. We shall save our souls; but to come into religion as a mere soul insurance is selfishness. We have no right to go into religion merely because we should thus gain joy. The man that enters into religion must follow God. And what thought He, when He took the crown, every beam of which was brighter than the shining of a thousand suns, and laid it by? What thought He when, disrobing Himself of power, taste, and faculty, He bowed His head, and, trailing through the sky, became a man, and as a man humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross? The most odious and reputation-blasting death that man's ingenuity had developed - all this had combined at the centre point of the cross, as the sign and symbol of degradation; and that was the death that He chose, that He might identify Himself with men, and not be ashamed to call them brethren. "I am going to follow the meek and lowly Jesus by cutting my acquaintance with the vulgar cares of the dirty world. I am going to be a select Christian, and seclude myself from these things." Can you, and be a follower of Christ? Religion means work. Religion means work in a dirty world. Religion means peril - blows given, but blows taken as well. Religion means transformation. The world is to be cleaned by somebody; and you are not called of God if you are ashamed to scour and scrub. I believe that the day is yet to come when all the machineries of society will be controlled by truth, by purity, by sublime duty. I call you to be soldiers in that great warfare that is to bring to pass this victory.

(H. W. Beecher.)

I. THE CHARACTER OF THE GREAT ADVERSARY. St. Paul here calls him the devil. He is also spoken of in other parts of the Bible as Abaddon, Beelzebub, Belial, the Dragon, the Evil One, the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, the Prince of this World, the Prince of the Power of the Air, Satan, Apollyon, and the God of this World. Although fallen beings, they, like the Angels of Light, "still excel in strength" (Psalm 103:20), and are far "greater in power and might" (2 Peter 2:11) than any of the sons of men.

II. THE NATURE OF HIS DEVICES. Having once been pure and holy, the lost Archangel realizes the greatness of his fall; and grief, anger, and revenge, all combine to render him the bitter enemy of everything good. Hence, all his arts are directed to one end, viz., to draw us away from God, and to accomplish our ruin. And very wonderful and successful is the mode of his warfare. Acting upon the rule of expediency, he never begins his assaults by a direct contradiction of the truth, but by a qualified admission of its claims, he seems to agree with his victim, while he is only making ready to come down upon him in an unguarded quarter. It might reasonably be supposed that one who ventured to make war in heaven is a skilful and experienced leader, whose craft and boldness would render him a dangerous enemy upon earth. "The wiles of the Devil" are marked by all those characteristics which prove him to be a most treacherous and deadly foe. His forces are scattered over the world, busy in executing his commands, and all our weaknesses are spied out, and the corresponding enticements presented. Naturalists report that when the chameleon stretches itself on the grass to catch flies and grasshoppers, it assumes a green colour to prevent detection; and that the polypus changes himself into the sombre hue of the rock, under which he lurks, that the fish may come within his reach without suspicion of danger. And thus the devil, in spreading his net for unwary Christians, turns himself into the shape which they least suspect, and allures them with temptations most agreeable to their natures.

III. THE MEANS BY WHICH HIS DANGEROUS WILES MAY BE WITHSTOOD. Our strength is perfect weakness; but the good and gracious Lord is ready to "open His armoury" (Jeremiah 1.25) and equip those who acknowledge their helplessness and seek for His sustaining grace. This armour is given for use, and if we expect any benefit from it we must not delay to "put it on."

(J. N. Norton, D. D.)

(J. Leyburn, D. D.)

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

(T. Guthrie, D. D.)

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

Ephesians, Paul, TychicusEphesusAble, Armor, Armour, Artifices, Complete, Deceits, Devil, Devil's, Evil, Firm, Full, God's, Instruments, Panoply, Position, Schemes, Stand, Stratagems, War, Wiles1. The duty of children toward their parents;
5. of servants toward their masters.
10. Our life is a warfare, not only against flesh and blood, but also spiritual enemies.
13. The complete armor of a Christian;
18. and how it ought to be used.
21. Tychicus is commended.

Ephesians 6:11

     4123   Satan, deceiver
     5209   armour
     5589   trap
     6241   seduction
     8244   ethics, and grace
     8737   evil, responses to

Ephesians 6:10-11

     8215   confidence, results

Ephesians 6:10-12

     8401   challenges

Ephesians 6:10-13

     4116   angels, opposed to God
     6253   temptation, avoiding causing

Ephesians 6:10-17

     1613   Scripture, purpose

Ephesians 6:10-18

     5290   defeat
     5944   self-defence
     6030   sin, avoidance
     8485   spiritual warfare, conflict

Ephesians 6:10-20

     8797   persecution, attitudes

Ephesians 6:11-12

     4195   spirits
     5480   protection
     8735   evil, origins of

Ephesians 6:11-13

     4121   Satan, enemy of God
     4126   Satan, resistance to
     8349   spiritual growth, means of

Ephesians 6:11-14

     5184   standing

Ephesians 6:11-17

     5612   weapons

Ephesians 6:11-18

     8329   readiness
     8422   equipping, spiritual

February 6. "Praying Always for all Saints" (Eph. vi. 18).
"Praying always for all saints" (Eph. vi. 18). One good counsel will suffice just now. Stop praying so much for yourself; begin to ask unselfish things, and see if God won't give you faith. See how much easier it will be to believe for another than for your own petty self. Try the effect of praying for the world, for definite things, for difficult things, for glorious things, for things that will honor Christ and save mankind, and after you have received a few wonderful answers to prayer in this …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Armour of God
(Preached before the Prince of Wales, at Sandringham, January 20th, 1867.) EPHESIANS vi. 11. Put on the whole armour of God. St. Paul again and again compares himself and the Christians to whom he writes to soldiers, and their lives to warfare. And it was natural that he should do so. Everywhere he went, in those days, he would find Roman soldiers, ruling over men of different races from themselves, and ruling them, on the whole, well. Greeks, Syrians, Jews, Egyptians,--all alike in his days obeyed …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

Twenty First Sunday after Trinity the Christian Armor and Weapons.
Text: Ephesians 6, 10-17. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the worldrulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Panoply of God
'Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.'--Eph. vi. 13. The military metaphor of which this verse is the beginning was obviously deeply imprinted on Paul's mind. It is found in a comparatively incomplete form in his earliest epistle, the first to the Thessalonians, in which the children of the day are exhorted to put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. It reappears, in a slightly …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

'The Girdle of Truth'
'Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth.'--Eph. vi. 14 (R.V.). The general exhortation here points to the habitual attitude of the Christian soldier. However many conflicts he may have waged, he is still to be ever ready for fresh assaults, for in regard to them he may be quite sure that to-morrow will bring its own share of them, and that the evil day is never left behind so long as days still last. That general exhortation is followed by clauses which are sometimes said to be cotemporaneous …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

'The Breastplate of Righteousness'
'Having put on the breastplate of righteousness.'--Eph. vi. 14. There can be no doubt that in this whole context the Apostle has in mind the great passage in Isaiah lix. where the prophet, in a figure of extreme boldness, describes the Lord as arming Himself to deliver the oppressed faithful, and coming as a Redeemer to Zion. In that passage the Lord puts on righteousness as a breastplate--that is to say, God, in His manifestation of Himself for the deliverance of His people, comes forth as if arrayed …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

A Soldier's Shoes
'Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.'--Eph. vi. 15. Paul drew the first draft of this picture of the Christian armour in his first letter. It is a finished picture here. One can fancy that the Roman soldier to whom he was chained in his captivity, whilst this letter was being written, unconsciously sat for his likeness, and that each piece of his accoutrements was seized in succession by the Apostle's imagination and turned to a Christian use. It is worth noticing that there …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Shield of Faith
'Above all, taking the shield of faith, whereby ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.'--Eph. vi. 16. There were two kinds of shields in use in ancient warfare--one smaller, carried upon the arm, and which could be used, by a movement of the arm, for the defence of threatened parts of the body in detail; the other large, planted in front of the soldier, fixed in the ground, and all but covering his whole person. It is the latter which is referred to in the text, as the word …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

'The Helmet of Salvation'
'Take the helmet of salvation.'--Eph. vi. 17. We may, perhaps, trace a certain progress in the enumeration of the various pieces of the Christian armour in this context. Roughly speaking, they are in three divisions. There are first our graces of truth, righteousness, preparedness, which, though they are all conceived as given by God, are yet the exercises of our own powers. There is next, standing alone, as befits its all-comprehensive character, faith which is able to ward against and overcome …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

'The Sword of the Spirit'
'The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.'--Eph. vi. 17. We reach here the last and only offensive weapon in the panoply. The 'of' here does not indicate apposition, as in the 'shield of faith,' or 'the helmet of salvation,' nor is it the 'of' of possession, so that the meaning is to be taken as being the sword which the Spirit wields, but it is the 'of' expressing origin, as in the 'armour of God'; it is the sword which the Spirit supplies. The progress noted in the last sermon from subjective …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Peace, Love, and Faith
'Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith.'--Eph. vi. 23. The numerous personal greetings usually found at the close of Paul's letters are entirely absent from this Epistle. All which we have in their place is this entirely general good wish, and the still more general and wider one in the subsequent verse. There is but one other of the Apostle's letters similarly devoid of personal messages, viz. the Epistle to the Galatians, and their absence there is sufficiently accounted for by the severe …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Wide Range of God's Grace
'Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.'--Eph. vi. 24. In turning to the great words which I have read as a text, I ask you to mark their width and their simplicity. They are wide; they follow a very comprehensive benediction, with which, so to speak, they are concentric. But they sweep a wider circle. The former verse says, 'Peace be to the brethren.' But beyond the brethren in these Asiatic churches (as a kind of circular letter to whom this epistle was probably sent) …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Sword of the Spirit
Difficulties meet us even in standing our ground; for the apostle, two or three times, bids us--"Stand." In the rush of the fight, men are apt to be carried off their legs. If they can keep their footing, they will be victorious; but if they are borne down by the rush of their adversaries, everything is lost. You are to put on the heavenly armor in order that you may stand; and you will need it to maintain the position in which your Captain has placed you. If even to stand requires all this care, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Strong Christians.
(Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity.) EPHESIANS vi. 10. "My brethren, be strong in the Lord," A weak and cowardly soldier is a pitiful object, but a weak-kneed, cowardly Christian is still more so. S. Paul told the Ephesian Christians to be strong in the Lord, and in these days especially we need strong Christians, strong Churchmen. I do not mean that we want men to presume on their strength, to repeat the sin of the Pharisee of old, and talk of their righteousness, or condemn their neighbours. …
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

Third Day for all Saints
WHAT TO PRAY.--For all Saints "With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all saints."--EPH. vi. 18. Every member of a body is interested in the welfare of the whole, and exists to help and complete the others. Believers are one body, and ought to pray, not so much for the welfare of their own church or society, but, first of all, for all saints. This large, unselfish love is the proof that Christ's Spirit and Love is …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

"But if Ye have Bitter Envying," &C.
James iii. 14.--"But if ye have bitter envying," &c. The cunning of Satan, and the deceitfulness of our own hearts, are such that when a grosser temptation will not prevail with conscience in some measure enlightened, then they transform themselves into angels of light, and deal more subtilely with us. And there is no greater subtilty of Satan, nor no stronger self deceit, than this, to palliate and cover vices with the shadow of virtue, and to present corruptions under the similitude of graces. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Christian Home
Scripture references: Ephesians 6:1-9; 5:25-33; Colossians 3:17-25; 1 Corinthians 7:12-17; Mark 10:2-12; 7:9-13; 5:19; 1 Timothy 5:4; Luke 15:6; Titus 2:1-15; Exodus 20:12,17; Deuteronomy 6:1-9. THE HOME What is a Home?--It has been answered that, "It is the unit of society." It has also been pointed out that this unit must be kept clean, pure and right, in all its relations, or society and the state will suffer grave consequences. Certainly, in the past, the institutions of society and state have …
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

Praying, Returning Thanks, Worshipping in the Holy Spirit.
Two of the most deeply significant passages in the Bible on the subject of the Holy Spirit and on the subject of prayer are found in Jude 20 and Eph. vi. 18. In Jude 20 we read, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost," and in Eph. vi. 18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." These passages teach us distinctly that the Holy Spirit guides …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

The Essence of Prayer.
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."--Ephes. vi. 18. In the last place we consider the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer. It appears from Scripture, more than has been emphasized, that in the holy act of prayer there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit working both in us and with us. And yet this appears clearly from the apostolic word: "Likewise the Spirit helpeth also our infirmities: for …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Best Inheritance in Canaan
THE BEST INHERITANCE IN CANAAN I am troubled about my sanctification. My conversion was so bright and there was such a change that I never could doubt it. But when I was sanctified, there was not so great a change. And it was not so great as that of some I have heard testify. Neither do I feel as bold as some I have heard speak, neither did I taste such a death as others have testified too. In fact, when I compare my sanctification with what others say theirs is, mine suffers in the comparison. I …
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

Ascetic.
(i) Of the works comprised under this head, the first are the three compositions entitled Tractatus Prævii. The first, Prævia Institutio ascetica ('Asketike prodiatuposis ), is an exhortation to enlistment in the sacred warfare; the second, on renunciation of the world and spiritual perfection, is the Sermo asceticus (logos asketikos). The third, Sermo de ascetica disciplina (logos peri askeseos, pos dei kosmheisthai ton monachon), treats of the virtues to be exhibited in the life …
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

Concerning Maximus the Cynic and the Disorder which Has Happened in Constantinople on his Account...
Concerning Maximus the Cynic and the disorder which has happened in Constantinople on his account, it is decreed that Maximus never was and is not now a Bishop; that those who have been ordained by him are in no order whatever of the clergy; since all which has been done concerning him or by him, is declared to be invalid. Notes. Ancient Epitome of Canon IV. Let Maximus the Cynic be cast out from among the bishops, and anyone who was inscribed by him on the clergy list shall be held as profane. Edmund …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Correspondences
"It is very pleasant when you are in England, and you see souls being saved, and you see the conviction of sin, and you see the power of the Gospel to bring new life and new joy and purity to hearts. But it is still more glorious amongst the heathen to see the same things, to see the Lord there working His own work of salvation, and to see the souls convicted and the hearts broken, and to see there the new life and the new joy coming out in the faces of those who have found the Lord Jesus." Rev. …
Amy Wilson-Carmichael—Things as They Are

The Christian Training of Children.
(Second Sermon.) TEXT: EPH. vi. 4. IN making special mention of our children in our prayers, as we have done to-day, what we have chiefly in our thoughts is not merely to commend their earthly life and welfare, with all that affects it, to God's gracious care; we are much more concerned to obtain a blessing on the unfolding of their spiritual faculties, that it may be carried on in a right way, well-pleasing to God. This prayer is prompted in the first place by the humble conviction that if our manifold …
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

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