2009-06-07 - The Shield, Cont'd.

The Spiritual Warfare Series, Part 10

Ephesians 6:17: Here I want to go back to Hodge for a moment:

“That which adorns and protects the Christian, which enables him to hold up his head with confidence and joy, is the fact that he is saved. He is one of the redeemed, translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. If still under condemnation, if still estranged from God, a foreigner and alien, without God and without Christ, he could have no courage to enter into this conflict. It is because he is a fellow citizen of the saints, a child of God, a partaker of the salvation of the Gospel, that he can face even the most potent enemies with confidence, knowing that he shall be brought off more than conqueror through him that loved him …” ₁₀

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

We live in a world that is not only confused in its emotions, but also in its mind. As we are secure in our salvation, then we can stand firmly, with clarity in our minds. God gives us wisdom through His Spirit. And just as we are protected in our emotions, we are also protected in our minds. Now, all of what we have seen are defensive items. All are intended to help us stand firmly against the enemy. As you can see, the focus of the battle is not primarily one of attack, and certainly not going up against Satan, battling him offensively - but instead, being prepared to withstand his attack. But there is one offensive item in the whole armor of God … and it is the Sword of Truth, to be studied in the next installment.

10. Hodge, Charles, An Exposition of Ephesians, The Master Christian Library, AGES Software, Albany, OR, Version 8.0 © 2000 p. 260.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org

Additional studies by Geoff
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