Title: Now at War!/Ephesians 6:10-20
It is said that there has been no war in the history of mankind for less than 30 years, as wars have not ceased in the world we live in. However, the 'spiritual warfare' that takes place in the invisible world has become more serious and has not stopped since its inception. And this war involves all of us. Every Christian, whether they like it or not, becomes a Christian and participates in this war. But how can you win if you are in the middle of a battlefield and don't even know if you have to fight?
1. Strong in the Lord...
Paul says that we must first be strengthened in the Lord with the power of that mighty power. A person who is not strong has no choice but to lose the war, so the military does a lot of training to strengthen the basic physical strength. If we are to win the war against Satan, we must first be strong. The reason we especially need to be strong in the Lord and by His power is that we cannot win the battle with Satan in our own strength. Now let's look at some of what Paul has to say about this war.
① We are fighting a battle for our lives. The term 'ssireum' in the main text refers to wrestling in ancient Greece, not a wrestling tournament, and this wrestling was a brutal fight until the opponent died, unlike today's wrestling. We are now fighting a battle for our lives with Satan.
② The object of our fight is not flesh and blood. It doesn't matter how strong and strong we are physically, because we are fighting a spiritual battle, not a physical one. Spiritual warfare must be fought with spiritual weapons.
③ Our adversary is very strong and organized. Satan's kingdom has a very efficient organization. The principalities, authorities, world rulers, and evil spirits in this text all refer to the ranks of the kingdom of Satan. Not only are they so organized, they are very strong. Man cannot win the battle against Satan. Satan has more powers than humans. Therefore, it is impossible to win this war with fist-fighting.
2. Put on full armor
Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God in order to be able to stand against these devil's tricks (wiles) because we cannot overcome Satan with human strength. You must clearly understand how helpless a human being who is not put on the full armor of God can be in the face of the power of Satan (see movies like The Exorcist and Omen). Paul explains why we must put on the full armor of armor, ① to be able to stand up against the evil day, and ② to stand up after we have done all these things. We need these in order to fight against Satan, and to survive safely after our victory. Then, let's see what kinds of things are in the full armor of God that we should put on.
① Belt of Truth: At that time, soldiers wore clothes similar to skirts, so if they did not fasten their belts well, it would be inconvenient to fight in battle, as well as losing their lives. So the belt was the most basic. From a spiritual point of view, the 'truth' acts as a belt. The truth should be at the center of us, and if anything other than the truth (the world's teachings, our own thoughts) is at the center, they can even put our lives at risk. Therefore, we should strive to stand on the truth, taking the Word of God as our foundation.
② Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate is a piece of armor that covers the chest and back, and is a piece of equipment that protects against attacks from opponents. The spiritual breastplate is 'righteousness', which is not 'our righteousness' but 'Christ's righteousness', and the 'righteousness' that Christ has accomplished for us protects us. In the early days of Luther's Reformation, the devil appeared and listed his list of sins and said, 'How are you doing the Reformation?', Luther said, 'I am such a sinner. But Christ has justified me by dying for my sins.” Thus, the righteousness of Christ serves to protect us from the attacks of Satan.
③ Gospel shoes: Shoes are also very important in war. This is because, if the shoes are uncomfortable or weak when marching on unpaved roads and long distances, the physical strength is significantly weakened. It is the 'preparation of the gospel of peace' that makes us move actively. The gospel makes us at peace (our feet are at ease), and what the gospel offers and prepared for us (the kingdom of heaven, etc.) helps us to overcome the present difficulties with hope. Let's become people who are faithful to the Gospel!
④ Shield of Faith: A shield is a weapon that blocks attacks from distant enemies, such as arrows, spears, and swords from nearby enemies. In the case of a nearby enemy, it is necessary to attack as well as defend, so it can be said that the main purpose of the shield is to block arrows. The reason we need a spiritual shield is because Satan shoots 'fire arrows' at us. The only way to stop the fiery arrows that Satan shoots like we are all going to burn is to have a strong faith in God. Although the fiery arrows fired by Satan may adjust our outward circumstances, they do not matter if our faith is strong. Taking Job as an example, if all the tribulations he suffered were like fiery arrows, then his faith in God prevented the fiery arrows.
⑤ Helmet of Salvation: A helmet is a piece of equipment that protects the head of the person fighting. Each part of the body is important, but the head is the important part that judges and controls everything. Therefore, the protection of the head is very important. The spiritual helmet that protects the head of the saints is salvation. Salvation is the number one reason a Christian must live and fight as a Christian. What does a person who is not even sure of their own salvation do so hard to lead a life of faith and fight against Satan? Therefore, it is very important in the Christian battle to confirm and be sure of one's own salvation.
⑥ Sword of the Spirit: The sword is the most important and useful weapon that can defend and attack. Spiritually, it refers to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God together. We must remember that when Jesus was attacked by Satan, he overcame it with the Word. Also, in our case, we can overcome Satan by using the Word of God correctly, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You can block Satan's attacks and strike back with the Word. Therefore, we must know the Word well and know how to use it properly. Otherwise, you may injure yourself. Most of the Christian heretics have hurt themselves because they misunderstood the Holy Spirit or did not know how to use the Word correctly. Therefore, it is very important to study hard, but to learn properly and properly.
3. Through prayer and the Holy Spirit...
Even if we are well acquainted with this full armor and have it all, there are two more things to be aware of.
① The first thing is prayer. We need to have a close relationship with God through prayer (communication with God) and supplication (seeking what we need) and receive our needs. You can't win a war just because you fight well (Rambo only exists in movies!). Communication and supplies with the rear greatly influence the victory of war. Therefore, we must always be awake and pray for ourselves in the war and for our leaders who go out to fight.
② To pray like this, you need the help of the Holy Spirit. So Paul tells us to pray continually (always) but in the Spirit. We seem to be overly ignoring the Holy Spirit (Pentecostal churches are the opposite), but if we want to live like Christians today, we shouldn't ignore the Holy Spirit. It is because it is possible to win the war only with the filling and help of the Holy Spirit.
We are at war now. From a spiritual point of view, this is not a time of peace, but a time of war. Therefore, in order to win this battle that takes place every day, let's live a victorious life with the help of the Holy Spirit with the weapons God gives us!