#watchingandwaitingforjesus: Race of faith

1. Put to Death What Is Earthly

“Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways. But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:5-8

Our desire to look to earthly things instead of heavenly things comes from two flaws in thinking. We either look to earthly things because we think they will serve us somehow—such as bring us comfort, identity, pleasure, etc.—or we look to earthly things because we forget who we serve. However, we are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10). The first step toward setting your mind on things above is to rid yourself of your old self and the sins and habits that accompanied it.

Sin impedes a growing relationship with God and keeps your eyes on lowly things. Believer, cast them off. We cannot be fully God’s and remain part of the system of sin we have been delivered from. Imagine trying to climb a ladder toward freedom with heavy weights upon your feet. You are dragged back down with every step you attempt to take. The ways of heaven and earth are opposed to each other. You cannot achieve a heavenly mindset while persisting in your earthly actions.

2. Put on the New Self

“Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” – Colossians 3:11

Casting off sin is not enough if you do it in your own strength. If we do it in our own power, we will surely fail. Instead, we are given the power to reject sin and temptation through the empowering of his Spirit and the transforming of our minds through his Word (2 Peter 1:3). You must put on the new self. We, as believers, are to exemplify Christ. The new self refers to the justified, transformed being that looks more like Jesus than our old selves in sin and shame. Yes, we are “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

3. Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Your Hearts

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15

When we focus on things of this world, our peace is stolen from us. We become wrapped up in the transient things and forget the eternal foundation and unshifting identity we have in Christ. The world may shift and quake beneath our feet, but Christ is our strong tower, our refuge, our peace (Psalm 91:2). Isaiah 26:3 states that the Lord will keep us in “perfect peace” when we focus our minds on him and trust in him. Don’t you desire this perfect peace in your hearts? Don’t you long to retire your worry and instead set your mind on Christ and on things above?

When it says we are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, it means that this peace should govern our minds. Turn your eyes from worthless things and instead rest your security, your peace, in the goodness and sovereignty of Christ. The more you look to Christ—the more you will become acquainted with our omnipotent, omnipresent God—the more you will trust his plan for your life. He is worthy of your trust, and he is more than able to keep you at peace as you seek him first.

4. Let the Word of Christ Richly Dwell

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:16

One of the best ways to set your mind on things above is to cherish God’s Word. We cannot expect to have peace, joy and a Christ-centered perspective if we only consume the material of this world. If someone you love sent you a letter, would you toss it on the shelf and fail to open it? Of course not! If we love Christ, we will dedicate ourselves to reading his words to us. The Bible is an essential part in spiritual growth and helps us to set our affections on things above.

While quiet study time is critical, we also need to share what we learn! We are designed to share the good news and discuss heavenly things with others. It only makes sense that reading and discussing Christ-centered things will shift our mind from the things of this world to his truth.

5. Give Thanks to God

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:17

Thankfulness may not come easily in all situations in life. Yet, the believer is keenly aware that every good thing comes from God. We are all deserving of his wrath for our rebellion against him, for violating his laws and departing from what is true and right. However, through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, he made salvation possible. Giving thanks is not only a natural expression of gratitude for Christ’s great grace to us, but it fuels us to do the work he has given us. It reminds us who we are and shifts our focus from our worries to God’s power to save and provide. So set your eyes, your heart, your mind, on things above and run the race he has set before you in victory.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.

JESUS SECURED OUR POWER AND AUTHORITY

Jesus succeeded in securing all power by going to the cross, dying a horrible death, suffering the penalty for sin, and defeating Satan in the pit of hell. He came to earth as a man for one reason: to re-capture the authority that Satan had stolen through Adam’s disobedience in the garden. Jesus was called the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). After securing that power and authority, He freely gave it over into the hands of those who would believe on Him–you and me.

It is not enough for us to simply accept Jesus’ work at Calvary. We are held responsible for much more. Jesus’ words in the 16th chapter of Mark were not intended for the early church alone. His words are just as vital and real today as when they were first spoken.

Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead. His words to them form the basic foundation for the work of the New Testament church. It was at that time that He delegated the authority to carry out that work. Beginning in verse 15, Jesus said:

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

#2 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Every born-again believer has the authority and responsibility to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this earth. If you can’t go, then you can send someone in your place.

And these signs shall follow them that believe….I want you to notice who is to do all these things: them that believe. The signs will follow the believers who act in faith and boldly speak in Jesus’ name. THEY shall cast out devils; THEY shall speak with new tongues; THEY shall lay hands on the sick, etc. The believer is the one with the power and authority to do these things.

Verse 20 says, They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. God will confirm His Word, but first it has to be put forth. That is where you and I come in. God does not preach; He has given us the authority to do the preaching. God will not lay hands on the sick. He will bring the healing, but you and I as believers must lay hands on the sick by faith, believing that God will perform His Word.

#3 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO STAND AGAINST SATAN

One of the most vital areas of the believer’s authority is his power to successfully stand against Satan. Ephesians 4:27 says, Neither give place to the devil. In the sixth chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul describes the armor that we as believers are to wear in combat against Satan. He explains each piece of that armor. It is the armor of God. But not once does he say that God will put the armor on you or that God will fight the devil for you. YOU is the understood subject of these verses. He says, “YOU be strong in the Lord. YOU put on the whole armor of God that YOU will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. YOU take the whole armor of God that YOU may be able to withstand in the evil day; and having done all, YOU stand.” God has given you the power and the authority to stand against Satan and his destructive works. He has provided the armor, but it is your responsibility as a believer to put on that armor and stand against the devil. James 4:7 says, YOU resist the devil, and he will flee from YOU. The armor and the weapons are at your disposal. God is there with you to back His Word; but all is worthless unless you take your position of authority and assume the responsibility to use what He has provided. You have the power and the authority to take the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit and run Satan out of your affairs. Don’t pray and ask God to fight Satan for you. You are the one in authority. Take your responsibility and speak directly to Satan yourself and stand your ground firmly. He will flee!

#4 – WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM IN HIGH AUTHORITY

In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul prayed a prayer for the body of believers in Ephesus. One part of that prayer was that they know the exceeding greatness of his power to those who believe (Eph. 1:19). That exceeding great power is the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies. Ephesians 1:21 tells us that Jesus is seated far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named.

The work God did in Jesus was supreme. He raised Jesus from the dead and set Him far above all other authority–not only in this world, but also in the heavenly world. Then verse 22 says that God has put ALL things under His feet and made Him head over the church which is His body. Where are the feet? They are in the body. As believers, we are part of His body and we are seated with Him in that highly exalted place of authority. Praise God! Look at Ephesians, chapter two:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…Even when we were dead in sins, (God) hath quickened us together with Christ…And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1,5,6).

We are seated together with Him. Where? Far above all principality and power and might and dominion. As a believer, you have accepted the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary. Therefore, you are a part of His body and are seated with Him in that heavenly place, equipped with the same power, the same authority that He has.

The great power that God worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead is the same creative power of God that worked in you to make you alive when you were dead in your trespasses and sins. The moment you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, that same power was exercised on your dead, unregenerate spirit, causing it to be reborn in the likeness of God Himself. Any man who is in Christ Jesus is a new creation: old things have passed away, all things are new, and all things are of God (2 Cor. 5:17).

“As believers, we are part of His body and we are seated with Him in that highly exalted place of authority.”

#5 – WE HAVE THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD TO EXERCISE OUR AUTHORITY

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awoke him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:35-40).

Jesus spoke the words, Let us pass over unto the other side, and there was enough power and authority in those words to accomplish the job. One thing I want you to notice is that Jesus did not take command of the ship to see that His words were carried out. He walked to the back of the boat and went to sleep. Jesus delegated the authority to His disciples and they accepted it. But when the storm came, they were filled with fear that the boat would sink. Jesus had to carry out the responsibility of authority that he had delegated to them by rebuking the wind and the sea.

“You have the power and the authority to take the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit and run Satan out of your affairs.”

I want you to see the parallel here. You are the captain of your ship. You have control over your own life–your spirit, your soul, and your body. Jesus has delegated power, or authority over Satan to you as a believer. You are to give him no place in your life. You are born of the Spirit of God. You are filled with the Spirit of God. You have been given the Word of God. Those three elements are enough for you to carry out your spiritual authority here in the earth. You don’t need any more power. You have all the power necessary. You simply have to exercise your authority. Jesus has already done everything necessary to secure the authority and power over sin, sickness, demons, and fear. You have to employ the faith action to receive that authority and join forces with Him in this earth. You are the one to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

#6 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO ACT AS NEW CREATIONS

Hebrews 2:14 says, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same. Jesus partook of flesh and blood, so that you could partake of spirit and life. For you to partake of that spirit and life, you must take the responsibility of standing in the place of authority as the new creation in Christ Jesus that you are. You are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23). It was the Word of Almighty God that was injected into your spirit man to bring about the new birth in your life. When the church was first beginning, Acts 12:24 described it as the Word growing and multiplying. The Word is in you, but you are the one who must be willing to allow it to work in you.

Ephesians 4:21-24 says, If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

You are the one in authority. It is your responsibility to put off the old man–the unregenerate man that you were before you accepted Jesus. The Holy Spirit does the actual work in you, but you must make the decision to allow Him to do it. God has never forced His will on any person. YOU put off the old man. YOU use the Word of God to renew your mind. YOU put on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness.

#7 – WE CAN MINISTER AND WALK FROM A POINT OF AUTHORITY

God’s power is in His Word. He is upholding all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). You need to learn to minister and walk from a point of authority. In His earthly ministry, Jesus said such things as “Be thou made whole.” “Take up your bed and walk.” Then to a lame man Peter said in Acts 3:6, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” He too ministered and spoke from a point of authority.

“He came to earth as a man for one reason: to re-capture the authority that Satan had stolen through Adam’s disobedience in the garden.”

It’s time for you as a believer to begin to act that way. You have obtained an inheritance, and in that inheritance you have been given all authority. The God of the universe lives inside you! He lives and walks in you. Become God-inside-minded and you will begin to walk in this point of authority.

Keep right on building yourself up in your inheritance. You live in a world that is full of evil influences. Satan wants to see to it that you forget the reality of being born again. He wants to see to it that you never realize your place of authority in Christ Jesus, because if you do, that power you walk in makes you absolutely dangerous to him. He has no defense against you when you walk in the power of God’s Word.

When you see in the Word that you are in Christ Jesus, that you are in Him, then confess it with all of your heart. Then you will be strong, standing in a point of authority and operating in your inheritance in Him. As you do this, the power of God will always be available to work in your behalf. Praise God!

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

The question is not if we have faith, every one has faith. The atheist has faith that his rational reasoning has removed the possibility of God. He has faith in his intellectual ability. Others have faith in their abilities, skills, connections, friends, family and themselves. Everyone has faith. The question is where is your faith anchored?

Sooner or later the storms of life will begin to blow and then the question becomes will the anchor of faith hold.

Peter gives us three reasons that it is important to anchor our faith in Christ.

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

How can that be? Well look where faith in Christ is kept, in Heaven. Jesus says that we are to put of treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy or the thief steal. My wife has bought me several garment bags for my suits. She puts cedar in them. She does this because she knows that the suits are the most valuable clothes I have, and that they are mostly wool. Moths could destroy the suits in a short time, but she tries to make them imperishable. Not too long ago I left one of my sweaters out of its bag. I did not think it would hurt to leave it out. I found it about four weeks ago with little holes all over it. The moths had destroyed it.

If our faith is set upon the things of this world, then our faith will perish. Countless kingdoms have come and fallen, economies have been built and destroyed, and nations have been established and vanished. All that is left of some of those kingdoms are the ruins you can see in a museum. Only the kingdom of God has remained constant in the past two thousand years. Our faith is to be set in heaven, and not on the things of this world. That is the only way that we know our faith is imperishable.

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

You have no doubt heard the phrase, absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is a statement which indicates our sinful nature. History is full of leaders who started off with the best intentions but pride, ego, or other flaws got in the way. If we place our faith in a leader, it is but a matter of time before the corruptible nature of the individual is revealed.

But Christ has no sin, and our faith is in the power of God. God has absolute power, but it is uncorrupted. There is no pride or ego in the power of Christ. In the scope of eternity, Jesus is the only person who has absolute power, but not only that, He is also the only person for whom absolute power has not corrupted, even a little bit. Our faith can only be incorruptible, when it is placed in Christ.

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

I know of lots of people who are fad people. They jump on the latest trend or idea, and about six months or a year down the road, they jump on something new. Do you need a great example? Pull out your years books. Look at the hair styles the clothes you wore, and the tone of the culture. How much have things changed in the last 20 or 30 years?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the faith we have now will see us through the Last Days

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

Our faith must be anchored in the timeless nature of Christ, but I can hear the question. How do you know that a faith in Christ will hold up during the storms of life? Why should I trust Christ? Because, this is no ordinary faith, it is a tested faith. Countless people have placed their faith in Christ and found the anchor holds. Peter survived some incredible storms of life, and he says here is what I found the faith of Christ to be when it is put to the test.

Peter found a tested faith is valuable, revealing, and centered on love.

A. It is valuable (1:7)

Peter here plays upon a great image, the goldsmith. A goldsmith would melt the metal down until it became a liquid. All the impurities would come to the surface and the goldsmith would scrape them off and allow the metal to cool. He would then come back and repeat the process over and over. His goal was pure gold. How did he know when he had pure gold? When no impurities came to the surface or when he could see his reflection in the melted gold.

Peter says that our faith is like gold, as it is tested, it will begin to bring the impurities to the surface. When the impurities are removed our faith becomes more valuable. (1:7) Gold is the standard by which we define value. We say things like, "worth it's weight in gold", "the golden boy", and "the golden age". Our jewelry is made of gold and we trade with it. In Peter's world and in ours, gold was considered one of the most valuable things a person could have.

While gold is valuable, it is secondary to our faith. Gold can perish, but our faith will endure. A faith in Jesus Christ will carry us through this life and even into the world to come. A faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of God's only Son is far more valuable than gold. Our faith is in something eternal, not in something that can be destroyed.

B. It is revealing (1:7)

The goldsmith knew that he has pure gold when he can see his reflection in the metal. Our faith should reflect Jesus and reveal Him to a world. As we grow in Christ, we learn more about Him and His love. It is only through a life given to Christ, will we begin to see Him as He really is.

When I got married, I had spent more than two years dating my wife. However, dating, is not being married. There is a deeper stage of learning about each other in marriage. We begin to see each other in a new light. As our faith grows, more about the deeper nature of Christ is revealed to us. The end result of a Christ centered faith is that our lives are shaped and molded by Him.

Our faith begins to reflect that deeper knowledge of Jesus, our lives will begin to change. When you and I live differently, because our faith is growing, those around us will see the difference. Quite literally, your life begins to reflect the image of Christ. Just as the goldsmith knew he had pure gold, when he looked into the metal and could see his reflection, Jesus desires His reflection in our lives. That can only happen in a refined faith that has been tested.

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

Peter talks about how we love Christ even though we have not seen Him. In Hebrews we have the definition of faith, "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). The essence of faith is that it does not require our sight or proof. But notice that faith is "reality". Just because something is not seen does not negate its existence. If it did all of us would be brainless, for I doubt that you have seen your own brain. But we know we have a brain. Peter says that real faith is loving a Christ, you have never seen, but still know exists.

III. True faith - 1:10-12

In our postmodern word, we often hear the statement that what works for you may not work for me. So Peter had a faith in Christ that was timeless. His faith was valuable, revealing, and full of love. But how does that mean, what worked for Peter will work for me? Almost as if Peter anticipated your question, he writes about the faith of others.

The prophets of the Old Testament found their faith in God to hold. (1:10) God spoke to the prophets and told them that the Messiah was coming. He gave them a hope that the One who could deliver them was on the way. The message of the prophets can be summarized as, "Hang on. God is working and the Messiah is coming. Get ready, your deliverer is coming." Doesn't that sound like a message for people at the end of their rope, for people who don't know where to turn? It is a message of hope and encouragement. It is a promise. How many people do you know that need to be encouraged not to give up. How many people in this room need to be told that there is help on it's way. May be you need to hear that God's promises are for you. That is the message of the Old Testament prophets.

Peter points out that the true faith is not only tied to the prophets, but also the fulfillment of those prophecies. There is a faith in the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. (1:11)

I have recently been taking some classes on preaching. A couple of weeks ago, in one of the lectures, a teacher said an astounding thing. He said that Christianity is the only religion which cannot reinvent itself. All other religions are based upon a philosophical basis. Other religions have been created out of a human mind. The teacher went on to state that if all religions were wiped from the face of the earth, someone could come along, have the same thoughts and ideas, and recreate any of the religions.

But not so with Christianity. Our faith is built upon the prophecies of the Old Testament, prophecies which said a Messiah is coming. Our faith is built upon Jesus. We believe that he is the Messiah, the embodiment of the Old Testament prophecies. We believe that He died on a cross for our sins and that he rose again. We believe that he is coming back.

If all of Christianity were to be destroyed, how could we recreate it in our minds? We could not. Our faith is not built upon philosophy, intellect, or creative speculations. Our faith is built upon the historical fact that Jesus, God's only Son, died on a Roman cross, in Jerusalem, on a hill called Golgatha, in 30 AD. Our faith cannot be recreated, but thank God it is a faith which has stood the test of time, proven itself faithful when tested, and is the only true faith which holds in the storms of life.

Peter then talks of how the faith of the Old Testament and the Gospels is for these present days. (1:12)

Peter literally says, "Angels desire to look into these things." Can you imagine what that must be like? Angels are leaning over the rim of heaven and looking down. They have seen what God did with the prophets. They have seen how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies with His birth, life, death and resurrection. The angels have seen Lucifer kicked out of heaven, the resurrection of Christ, the dead raised, the Red Sea parted, and demons exorcized. But what they desire to see, is what God is going to do now. The angels are watching you and me, and they want to see what the next chapter will be like. How will our faith and God's great actions meet? As Modecia said to Esther, who know but that you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this? Our time to live our faith is now.

Conclusion

All of us have faith, but will your anchor of faith hold in the storms of life? Is your anchor of faith a true anchor? Is your faith built upon the truth of scripture. Is your faith tested? Do you know how valuable, revealing and full of love, a faith in Christ is? Is your faith timeless, or will the newest fad or the latest philosophy cause you to tie to a new anchor? Only a faith in Christ is true, tested, and timeless.

It is not a question of if you have a faith. It is not a question of if the storms of life will come. It is the question, will your anchor of faith, hold through the storms? The time to anchor your hope and faith to Christ is now, before the storms show up. times.

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

Sooner or later the storms of life will begin to blow and then the question becomes will the anchor of faith hold.

Peter gives us three reasons that it is important to anchor our faith in Christ.

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the faith we have now will see us through the Last Days

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

Peter found a tested faith is valuable, revealing, and centered on love.

A. It is valuable (1:7)

B. It is revealing (1:7)

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

III. True faith - 1:10-12

Peter points out that the true faith is not only tied to the prophets, but also the fulfillment of those prophecies. There is a faith in the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. (1:11)

Peter then talks of how the faith of the Old Testament and the Gospels is for these present days. (1:12)

Conclusion

times.
I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5
The question is not if we have faith, every one has faith. The atheist has faith that his rational reasoning has removed the possibility of God. He has faith in his intellectual ability. Others have faith in their abilities, skills, connections, friends, family and themselves. Everyone has faith. The question is where is your faith anchored?
Sooner or later the storms of life will begin to blow and then the question becomes will the anchor of faith hold.
Peter gives us three reasons that it is important to anchor our faith in Christ.
A. Faith in Christ is imperishable
How can that be? Well look where faith in Christ is kept, in Heaven. Jesus says that we are to put of treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy or the thief steal. My wife has bought me several garment bags for my suits. She puts cedar in them. She does this because she knows that the suits are the most valuable clothes I have, and that they are mostly wool. Moths could destroy the suits in a short time, but she tries to make them imperishable. Not too long ago I left one of my sweaters out of its bag. I did not think it would hurt to leave it out. I found it about four weeks ago with little holes all over it. The moths had destroyed it.
If our faith is set upon the things of this world, then our faith will perish. Countless kingdoms have come and fallen, economies have been built and destroyed, and nations have been established and vanished. All that is left of some of those kingdoms are the ruins you can see in a museum. Only the kingdom of God has remained constant in the past two thousand years. Our faith is to be set in heaven, and not on the things of this world. That is the only way that we know our faith is imperishable.
B. Our faith will be uncorrupted
You have no doubt heard the phrase, absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is a statement which indicates our sinful nature. History is full of leaders who started off with the best intentions but pride, ego, or other flaws got in the way. If we place our faith in a leader, it is but a matter of time before the corruptible nature of the individual is revealed.
But Christ has no sin, and our faith is in the power of God. God has absolute power, but it is uncorrupted. There is no pride or ego in the power of Christ. In the scope of eternity, Jesus is the only person who has absolute power, but not only that, He is also the only person for whom absolute power has not corrupted, even a little bit. Our faith can only be incorruptible, when it is placed in Christ.
C. Our faith in Christ is unfading
I know of lots of people who are fad people. They jump on the latest trend or idea, and about six months or a year down the road, they jump on something new. Do you need a great example? Pull out your years books. Look at the hair styles the clothes you wore, and the tone of the culture. How much have things changed in the last 20 or 30 years?
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the faith we have now will see us through the Last Days
II. Tested faith - 1:6-8
Our faith must be anchored in the timeless nature of Christ, but I can hear the question. How do you know that a faith in Christ will hold up during the storms of life? Why should I trust Christ? Because, this is no ordinary faith, it is a tested faith. Countless people have placed their faith in Christ and found the anchor holds. Peter survived some incredible storms of life, and he says here is what I found the faith of Christ to be when it is put to the test.
Peter found a tested faith is valuable, revealing, and centered on love.
A. It is valuable (1:7)
Peter here plays upon a great image, the goldsmith. A goldsmith would melt the metal down until it became a liquid. All the impurities would come to the surface and the goldsmith would scrape them off and allow the metal to cool. He would then come back and repeat the process over and over. His goal was pure gold. How did he know when he had pure gold? When no impurities came to the surface or when he could see his reflection in the melted gold.
Peter says that our faith is like gold, as it is tested, it will begin to bring the impurities to the surface. When the impurities are removed our faith becomes more valuable. (1:7) Gold is the standard by which we define value. We say things like, "worth it's weight in gold", "the golden boy", and "the golden age". Our jewelry is made of gold and we trade with it. In Peter's world and in ours, gold was considered one of the most valuable things a person could have.
While gold is valuable, it is secondary to our faith. Gold can perish, but our faith will endure. A faith in Jesus Christ will carry us through this life and even into the world to come. A faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of God's only Son is far more valuable than gold. Our faith is in something eternal, not in something that can be destroyed.
B. It is revealing (1:7)
The goldsmith knew that he has pure gold when he can see his reflection in the metal. Our faith should reflect Jesus and reveal Him to a world. As we grow in Christ, we learn more about Him and His love. It is only through a life given to Christ, will we begin to see Him as He really is.
When I got married, I had spent more than two years dating my wife. However, dating, is not being married. There is a deeper stage of learning about each other in marriage. We begin to see each other in a new light. As our faith grows, more about the deeper nature of Christ is revealed to us. The end result of a Christ centered faith is that our lives are shaped and molded by Him.
Our faith begins to reflect that deeper knowledge of Jesus, our lives will begin to change. When you and I live differently, because our faith is growing, those around us will see the difference. Quite literally, your life begins to reflect the image of Christ. Just as the goldsmith knew he had pure gold, when he looked into the metal and could see his reflection, Jesus desires His reflection in our lives. That can only happen in a refined faith that has been tested.
C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)
Peter talks about how we love Christ even though we have not seen Him. In Hebrews we have the definition of faith, "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). The essence of faith is that it does not require our sight or proof. But notice that faith is "reality". Just because something is not seen does not negate its existence. If it did all of us would be brainless, for I doubt that you have seen your own brain. But we know we have a brain. Peter says that real faith is loving a Christ, you have never seen, but still know exists.
III. True faith - 1:10-12
In our postmodern word, we often hear the statement that what works for you may not work for me. So Peter had a faith in Christ that was timeless. His faith was valuable, revealing, and full of love. But how does that mean, what worked for Peter will work for me? Almost as if Peter anticipated your question, he writes about the faith of others.
The prophets of the Old Testament found their faith in God to hold. (1:10) God spoke to the prophets and told them that the Messiah was coming. He gave them a hope that the One who could deliver them was on the way. The message of the prophets can be summarized as, "Hang on. God is working and the Messiah is coming. Get ready, your deliverer is coming." Doesn't that sound like a message for people at the end of their rope, for people who don't know where to turn? It is a message of hope and encouragement. It is a promise. How many people do you know that need to be encouraged not to give up. How many people in this room need to be told that there is help on it's way. May be you need to hear that God's promises are for you. That is the message of the Old Testament prophets.
Peter points out that the true faith is not only tied to the prophets, but also the fulfillment of those prophecies. There is a faith in the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. (1:11)
I have recently been taking some classes on preaching. A couple of weeks ago, in one of the lectures, a teacher said an astounding thing. He said that Christianity is the only religion which cannot reinvent itself. All other religions are based upon a philosophical basis. Other religions have been created out of a human mind. The teacher went on to state that if all religions were wiped from the face of the earth, someone could come along, have the same thoughts and ideas, and recreate any of the religions.
But not so with Christianity. Our faith is built upon the prophecies of the Old Testament, prophecies which said a Messiah is coming. Our faith is built upon Jesus. We believe that he is the Messiah, the embodiment of the Old Testament prophecies. We believe that He died on a cross for our sins and that he rose again. We believe that he is coming back.
If all of Christianity were to be destroyed, how could we recreate it in our minds? We could not. Our faith is not built upon philosophy, intellect, or creative speculations. Our faith is built upon the historical fact that Jesus, God's only Son, died on a Roman cross, in Jerusalem, on a hill called Golgatha, in 30 AD. Our faith cannot be recreated, but thank God it is a faith which has stood the test of time, proven itself faithful when tested, and is the only true faith which holds in the storms of life.
Peter then talks of how the faith of the Old Testament and the Gospels is for these present days. (1:12)
Peter literally says, "Angels desire to look into these things." Can you imagine what that must be like? Angels are leaning over the rim of heaven and looking down. They have seen what God did with the prophets. They have seen how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies with His birth, life, death and resurrection. The angels have seen Lucifer kicked out of heaven, the resurrection of Christ, the dead raised, the Red Sea parted, and demons exorcized. But what they desire to see, is what God is going to do now. The angels are watching you and me, and they want to see what the next chapter will be like. How will our faith and God's great actions meet? As Modecia said to Esther, who know but that you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this? Our time to live our faith is now.
Conclusion
All of us have faith, but will your anchor of faith hold in the storms of life? Is your anchor of faith a true anchor? Is your faith built upon the truth of scripture. Is your faith tested? Do you know how valuable, revealing and full of love, a faith in Christ is? Is your faith timeless, or will the newest fad or the latest philosophy cause you to tie to a new anchor? Only a faith in Christ is true, tested, and timeless.
It is not a question of if you have a faith. It is not a question of if the storms of life will come. It is the question, will your anchor of faith, hold through the storms? The time to anchor your hope and faith to Christ is now, before the storms show up.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Truth: You are new in Christ, even today.
2. Colossians 3:9-11
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Truth: Your old, sinful nature is dead. You learn to grow in your new identity in Christ as you learn more about His character.
3. Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Truth: God calls us to let go of “former things,” so we can cling to our new identity in Christ.
4. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Truth: God continually makes us new. Every moment of every day brings a fresh beginning.
God is making all things new.
5. Genesis 1:31a
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Truth: In the beginning, God made all things and called them good.
6. Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Truth: Though we may face difficult times, God renews His grace in every situation we face.
7. Revelation 21:1-3
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Truth: God’s ultimate goal of renewal is to become perfectly united with His people, as things were in the Garden of Eden.
The truth is, you are new. These Bible verses about a new beginning reveal that every moment brings a fresh start. God has made and is making all things new–this includes you.

Ephesians 6:14-17 describes the 6 pieces of the armor of God. To put on the whole armor means to believe all that Jesus has done (Eph. 1-3) and to live it out in daily life (Eph. 4-5). It is living in the power of everything that God has done in every area of life even when there are challenges.
In other words, to understand the armor of God in Ephesians 6 correctly, you have to look at what Ephesians chapters 1-5 say. It has to be understood in its right context.
Putting on the whole armor of God is not mainly about a technique or paying attention to darkness and evil. It’s not about a secret prayer, a mystical spiritual experience, or visualization techniques.
To put on the full armor of God is to apply all of the Gospel to all of your life.
The whole armor is the expression of your full trust in God and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ. Your victory in spiritual warfare was secured at the cross of Christ and the blood that was shed there (Rev. 12:11).
A wrong understanding of the armor of God can lead to confusion about what the Chrisitan life is about. If taken out of the context of the Bible, it can become a distraction from the main and plain teachings of Jesus.
One of the greatest revivals in the history of the early church took place in Ephesus. The Gospel went to the entire region of Asia Minor in 2 years and unusual miracles took place to confirm the message of Jesus. It toppled the worship of a Roman goddess and many people burned their magic scrolls to follow Jesus instead.
All this took place because of the message of the Gospel that Paul lays out in Ephesians. The Gospel conquered the Roman Empire one heart, one home at a time. It transformed the culture of the region without direct political involvement, big budgets, or events. It was the raw power of the Gospel, including the right application of it through the armor of God.
In this article, let’s look at what putting on the full armor of God means in more detail so you can apply it correctly to your life. The full armor is meant to bring strength, stability and encouragement so you can receive all that God has for you.
Table of Contents
What Does It Mean to Put on the Whole Armor of God?
The 12 Spiritual Blessings in Eph. 1 That Are Related to the Armor in Eph. 6
Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God
Where in the Bible Does It Talk About the Armor of God?
What Are the 6 Pieces of the Armor of God?
What Is the Belt in the Armor of God?
What Does the Breastplate of Righteousness Mean?
What Does Feet Shod With the Gospel of Peace Mean?
What Does the Shield of Faith Mean?
What Is the Helmet of Salvation in the Bible?
What Is the Sword of the Spirit in the Armor of God?
What Does It Mean to Pray in the Spirit on All Occasions?
Stand Firm
Recommended Resources:
What Does It Mean to Put on the Whole Armor of God?
The whole armor of God is mentioned in chapter 6, the last chapter, of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
When you understand Ephesians 1-5, you can understand what Paul’s final point in Ephesians 6 means. Paul starts in chapter 6 with the word finally. Ephesians 6 is Paul’s last point in the letter. It builds on what he’s been talking about in the previous 5 chapters.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph. 6:10-11 (ESV – emphasis added)none
The first 3 chapters of Ephesians explain your position in Christ. It describes how you’ve been seated with Christ in heavenly places.
Ephesians 4 through 5 describe how you’re to walk, or live, as a follower of Jesus.
Ephesians 6 is the conclusion that describes how you’re to standeven in the face of opposition.
To put on the armor of God is to first understand all the spiritual blessings that God has already blessed you with (Eph. 1:3). The first chapter describes the way God has blessed you.
The 12 Spiritual Blessings in Eph. 1 That Are Related to the Armor in Eph. 6
In Christ, You Are…
Blessed with every spiritual blessing (v. 3)
Chosen to be holy and without blame (v. 4)
Predestined (v. 5)
Adopted as sons (v. 5)
Accepted in the Beloved (v. 6)
Redeemed through His blood, according to the riches of His grace (v. 7)
Forgiven of your sins (v. 7)
Given wisdom and understanding of His will (v. 8-9)
Given an inheritance (v. 11)
To bring praise and glory to God (v. 12)
Sealed with the Holy Spirit (v. 13)
Guaranteed of inheritance until your redemption is fulfilled (v. 14)
To put on the full armor is to understand every single blessing, not missing any piece. God has given you every blessing in the heavenly places and every blessing is necessary.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with everyspiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Eph. 1:3 (ESV – emphasis added)none
Every piece of the armor in Ephesians 6 serves a different purpose to protect you, so you need to put on the full armor of God.
In the same way, every blessings in Ephesians 1 addresses a different point of attack that you might experience, whether it’s an attack against your faith, a sin that makes you feel guilty, or feeling confused about what to do in your life. We’ll look at this in more detail below when we look at each piece of armor and what blessing in Ephesians 1 it corresponds to.
How to Put the Armor of God On? You put on the full armor of God by believing what God has done for you through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1-3) and by living out the elements of the armor in every area of your life (Eph. 4-5).
Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God
The reason for the whole armor of God is because you need it in order to withstand the spiritual pressures that you’re going to face.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Eph. 6:11 (ESV)none
The full armor of God is what protects you when you have doubts, fears, and guilt. The way you stand against the accusations of the Enemy is to believe what God’s Word says about you instead.
Spiritual warfare is the term that some people use to describe this spiritual battle that Eph. 6 talks about. The battle is real and can’t be ignored, but so are the armor and weapons that God has already give you so you can stand against anything that comes your way.
Effective spiritual warfare is God-centered, not Devil-centered.
Spiritual warfare in the Bible is focused on God and what Jesus has done for you.  Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament were not focused on the devil.
Ephesians 6 does not talk about engaging with spiritual forces in the heavenly realms directly. Are there spiritual forces in heavenly places? Absolutely. Eph. 6:12 even explains the spiritual hierarchy of the realm of darkness.
The spiritual realm is real, but the wayyou engage and respond to spiritual attack is by focusing on God and on what Jesus has done for you.
A wrong emphasis on spiritual warfare can lead to distraction, powerlessness, and confusion. If spiritual warfare is misunderstood, or focused on demons or trying to get other people to change, it’s possible to use spiritual warfare as an excuse and not deal with the real underlying issues.
For example, if there’s a problem in your relationship with someone, you might want to just pray and do “spiritual warfare” to make it better or to force the person to change. This is not what the Bible teaches.
If it’s a relational issue, you need to talk to the person in humility and with wisdom, not just pray and “do spiritual warfare.” In other words, you can’t do Ephesians 6 armor of God without doing Ephesians 5, living out the Christian life that Jesus has made available to you. This is how you engage in the spiritual warfare around you according to the Bible.
You’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing, you are a child of God, you’ve been forgiven of all your sins. Now, you can go and stand in the face of this relationship challenge no matter what the outcome will be and no matter how the other person responds.
God is a Deliverer and Jesus sets the captives free. God delivers you from the bondage of sin and the power of it over your life. Call out to Jesus to set you free and He will deliver you.
Many people pray something like “God take away my anger.” Then they feel bad that they got angry again in a few days. If it just stops at a prayer, then they’re not receiving fully all that Jesus has made available to them.
Jesus has so much more for you. He wants to restore you and transform you into His image.
Jesus died on the cross for the penalty of sin and the power of sin to control your life. The way you gain victory is by believing what He said and turning from your old ways. You put off the old, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new (Eph. 4).
Spiritual warfare is not asking God to take away your sin. Jesus did that on the cross. It’s applying the Word of God because of what Jesus has done. Receiving His power and standing in the face of struggle – confident in Christ and being transformed daily more into Christ’s image.
I wrote an article about the Biblical way how you can apply Ephesians 4-5 in your life and how to experience the new life that Jesus makes available to you. If it’s something you want to look into more I think it’ll be very helpful: How to Be a Better Person According to the Bible.
Spiritual warfare is not a secret method of prayer to change a person, a city a church or a nation. It’s the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the right response to it in repentance and faith that brings real transformation.
The power in spiritual warfare is the cross of Christ and the blood that was shed there. How you apply it to your daily life is what it means to put on the full armor of God.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Col. 2:13-15 (ESV – emphasis added)none
Where in the Bible Does It Talk About the Armor of God?
The Bible mentions the armor of God in several places.
Ephesians 6:10-18
1 Thes. 5:8
Romans 13:12
Isaiah 59:17
Ephesians 6 gives the most detailed explanation and mention of the whole armor of God in the Bible. It describes the 6 pieces of the armor that we’ll look at in more detail in the next section.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 also mentions 2 of the pieces of the armor: the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. Romans 13:12 says to put on the armor of light. In that passage, to put on the armor of light is to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14) and to live as He calls you to live.
What we can take away from this is that the importance of the armor of God is not so much in the analogy of the armor, but in what each part does. In other words, the main point is not that the breastplate is righteousness as in Ephesians or it’s faith and love in 1 Thessalonians. The point is that righteousness is important as well as faith and love.
The main point of the armor is not the analogy of the individual pieces but the reality and power of the spiritual weapons God has given you.
Isaiah 59:17 describes the Lord putting on 2 of the pieces of the armor we see in Eph. 6: Righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvationon His head.
He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
    and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.
Isa. 59:17 (ESV)none
So why is the armor of God called that in the Bible? It’s not just because it comes from God, but it is God’s. He gives you His armor to wear. It’s actually what He wears.
It’s not an armor that man can make up. It’s God’s armor. You’re not trying to resist temptation in your own strength or will-power. It’s all in God’s strength.
What Are the 6 Pieces of the Armor of God?
In Ephesians 6, the 6 pieces of the armor of God are:
Belt of truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes – readiness of the Gospel of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit
Some people say that there is a 7th piece, which is praying at all times in the Spirit. That is an important thing to do in order to stand against spiritual attack but it’s not connected to a piece of armor like the others are in Ephesians 6.
It’s more accurate to say that praying in the spirit is an activity that flows out of putting on the full armor of God. It’s not technically one of the pieces of the armor.
Now, let’s look at each piece of the armor of God in more detail.
What Is the Belt in the Armor of God?
The belt of truth is the first piece of the armor of God that’s mentioned in Ephesians 6.
Some Bible scholars explain that the belt keeps all the pieces of the armor together. Other say that the belt in the Roman armor provides support to the solider like a weight-lifter might wear a belt to reduce stress on his back.
The main point of the belt is not the part of the armor that it’s associated with. That’s the analogy. The point is that we need to live in truth.
To put on the belt of truth means to put your full trust in God’s truth and in what He says. It means that you value God’s truth more than the lies that the Accuser might whisper or shout in your ear. Will you believe what God says about you or will you believe the Devil, the deceiver?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Eph. 1:3 (ESV)none
You put on the belt of truth when you say: “I’m not trusting in the lies of the enemy. I believe all that the Bibles says about what Jesus did for me.” Eph. 1:3 says that God has given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. It says that you’ve been raised with Christ and seated with Him. It says that you’ve been chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Putting on the belt of truth means choosing to trust what God has done for you more than how you might feel at the moment.
Are you wondering if God still loves you? Instead of looking to yourself or listening to the lies of the Accuser, choose to look at the cross, where Jesus died for you. It’s where God’s love was fully displayed for you. It’s the constant, where Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6) died for you.
Are you feeling the weight of guilt and shame because you fell into the same sin again? Will you choose to believe that God accepts you and likes you because of what Jesus has already done for you? Will you trust in God’s love for you because Jesus has already paid the price of the penalty of your sin? Will you believe God’s truth?
If this is a battleground for you and you want to to be confident in God’s love, here’s an article you might be interested in: Does God Love Me – How You Can Know for Sure (link opens in a new window). In it, I explore 3 biblical ways that you can overcome doubt, shame, and guilt.
If you believe God’s truth, then you’ll be able to stand against the wiles of the enemy. It’ll be like a belt that supports you so that you can stand.
What Does the Breastplate of Righteousness Mean?
The breastplate of righteousness is what protects the core of your being from every spiritual attack. The breastplate covers what’s closest to your heart.
It affects whether you walk in confidence as someone who is sure that God loves them. It affects how you feel about yourself at the heart-level. Are you trying to earn God’s favor in your life?
You put on the breastplate of righteousness by trusting in what God has done for you in Jesus. Righteousness, the fact that you are good enough to be received by God, is a gift that’s given to you, not something that you could ever earn on your own.
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Rom. 5:17 (ESV – emphasis added)none
You put on the breastplate of righteousness when you can say: “I don’t have to trust my own goodness. I trust Jesus to be righteous for me.” God accepts you and enjoys you because of what Jesus did.
To put on the breastplate of righteousness means to belive what Ephesians 1:4-6 says about you. You have been chosen by God to be holy and without blame before Him in love, you’ve been predestined to be adopted by God, you are fully accepted by God through His Beloved, Jesus.
What Does Feet Shod With the Gospel of Peace Mean?
In Ephesians 6, the armor of God includes covers for the feet. A modern equivalent would be shoes or sandals.
It’s described as the preparation or readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace.  As part of the armor of God that helps you stand against any spiritual attack, it’s an important piece.
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect
1 Pet. 3:15 (ESV – emphasis added)none
This means that you can always be prepared to take the message of God’s peace to the people around you. God has gone to the utmost to reconcile us to Himself through Christ (2 Cor. 5:18). You are now His ambassador. You are the salt and light of the world.
The shoes are of peace because God’s peace is made available to people through what Jesus, the Prince of Peace did on the cross in dying for sin. The Gospel, or Good News, is that the sin that separated people from God has been paid for by Jesus. Through faith in Christ and receiving this gracious gift of God, there can be peace and reconciliation with God.
Why is this part of the armor of God? It’s there as an encouragement so that even when times get tough, you can always share the message of God’s love with people. Even through times of discouragement or even persecution, you can stand and do God’s will. You can tell people about the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel of Peace.
You put on the preparation or readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace when you say: “Lord, I’m ready to go whenever, wherever You call.”
What Does the Shield of Faith Mean?
The shield of faith is the part of the full armor of God (Eph. 6) that protects you from the flaming darts of the enemy.
Faith is an important part of your relationship with God. It’s impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6).
Faith is how you start in your walk with God, by believing in Jesus. Faith is also how you progress in spiritual growth. Faith is what will help you keep standing until the end, when you stand before Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
To take up the shield of faith means to put your personal trust in God in every circumstance.
It means putting your faith in God’s power, His will, and His desire to bring it about in the world and in your life.
You take up the shield of faith when you choose to trust in God more than anything else.
God alone is able to forgive you, save you, and finish the work that He began in you.
When the enemy attacks, it’ll be to try to shake your faith and trust in God. He will come to shake your trust in God’s Word, in His Love for You, and in His plans for your life. He comes to shake your confidence in God.
Your feelings and your mind can change but when you choose to take up the shield of faith, you grasp firmly to the unchanging God, Who is the source of all that is good (James 1:17).
What Is the Helmet of Salvation in the Bible?
The helmet of salvation is part of the spiritual armor (Eph. 6) that points to the truth that God is the One who saves and delivers.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 also describes this piece of the whole armor of God as the helmet of hope of salvation.
In Isaiah 59:17, the Lord puts on the helmet of salvation. This means that He is the one who saves and delivers. The world is in a state of brokenness. Darkness will continue to increase until Jesus returns. But, you can have a hope in God’s salvation that will help you stand through any trouble in this life.
This is the same helmet that you’re invited to put on. It’s God’s armor.
God is the One who brings salvation to the world. Jesus’ very name means “the Lord Saves.”
The helmet of salvation brings protection to your mind and brings hope no matter what happens in this life. The Good News of Jesus brings real hope. The Gospel is not only that Jesus died and was buried. He also rose again. And Jesus will return again at the end of this age to bring God’s Kingdom fully on the earth (Revelation 21-22).
Salvation is not only about going to heaven when you die. It’s about God making all things new when Jesus returns (Rev. 21:5).
You put on this helmet of salvation when you put your hope fully in God. Look to the One who started the work of redemption and will one day complete it.
What Is the Sword of the Spirit in the Armor of God?
Ephesians 6 concludes the list of spiritual armor with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 also describes the word of God as a two-edged sword.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)none
The word of God brings truth and freedom to the very core of your being. It’s a weapon that can be used to destroy the crafty works of darkness.
Jesus used the word as a sword three times in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus countered every temptation from the Devil with the Word. Jesus answered each temptation by saying: “It is written” and quoted from the Scriptures.
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matt. 4:4 (ESV)none
As you commit to read and obey God’s Word, you are using the sword of the Spirit. Let God bring freedom and deliverance to your mind and to the core of your being.
You use the sword of the Spirit by engaging with the Word of God and committing to follow all that Jesus commands.
What Does It Mean to Pray in the Spirit on All Occasions?
To pray in the Spirit on all occasions is to engage your heart with God at the deepest level of your heart.
It’s prayer from the depths of your spirit empowered by the Holy Spirit. It’s prayer that is ongoing, on all occasions. The Holy Spirit’s role is to take of the things that belong to Christ and make them known to you (John 16:14). So in order to put on the full armor of God, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential.
Praying in the Spirit is not mentioned as one of the 6 pieces of the full armor of God, but it flows out of putting on the armor of God. After you’ve put on the full armor of God, it naturally follows that you’ll be praying in the Spirit. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and pray in the Spirit.
It’s not prayer just on the surface, of simply asking God for stuff. Rather, praying in the Spirit is an ongoing communion with God. It’s a longing to know His heart and mind. This is Paul’s prayer in Eph. 1:17-23, that God would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that you might know Him more.
Some connect praying in the spirit with speaking or praying in tongues (1 Cor. 14:6, 14-15). Paul explains that praying in tongues is to pray with your spirit and brings benefit personally. Jude also explains that praying in the Holy Spirit is related to being built up in your faith.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20 (ESV)none
Stand Firm
What does stand firm mean in the Bible? Ephesians 6 gives the exhortation to “stand” 3 times, in verses 11, 13 and 14. To stand firmmeans to resist and overcome the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11).
You can stand firm because you’ve already been seated with Him (Eph. 1-2) and are walking according to His word (Eph. 4-6).
Putting on the whole armor of God is not asking God to make the battle stop. It’s standing in the victory of Jesus on the Cross and applying it to your daily life.
The Bible says that there will be tensions, tribulations, and even persecution in the days ahead before Jesus returns (Matt. 24:9-24). Keep standing firm by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus and His glorious leadership. He has overcome the world!
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (ESV)none
Recommended Resources:
Knowing God is one of the keys to experiencing His goodness, power, and wisdom. This book is a real gem that has helped many people press into the knowledge of God. It’s definitely a classic: The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life (link to Amazon – opens in a new window).
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
“The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of 10,000 temporal problems…”
(A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy)none
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Summary of Ephesians: Meaning, Outline & Application. In this article, I share my full studies in the book of Ephesians. The believers at Ephesus experienced one of the greatest revivals of that time. What did they believe and how did they live? Ephesians reveals how Paul unpacks the Gospel and how we can apply it to our daily lives.

Thy Kingdom Come – What It Means

What is it that keeps hindering you from living a life of obedience? Do you struggle with a particular sin, habit, attitude, or fear that keeps you from running your race of faith the way you ought? If so, you probably already know what it is, and I’d guess that you’ve already prayed, prayed, and prayed for victory in overcoming that problem because you really do want to please God.
Every now and then, we all tolerate things in our lives that make it difficult for us to please God. And when we know we’re not pleasing God, we typically aren’t happy with ourselves either. This is one reason that Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “…lay aside every weight….”
The words “lay aside” are taken from the Greek word apotithimi, a compound of the words apo and tithimi. As noted in the Sparkling Gem for January 6, the word apo means away and the word tithimi means to place or to lay something down. When these two words are compounded together, it gives a picture of someone who is laying something down while at the same time he is pushing it far awayfrom himself. It means to lay something down and to push it far away and beyond reach. Thus, this word implies a deliberate decision to make a permanent change of attitude and behavior.
*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]
Removing wrong attitudes and actions from our lives will not occur accidentally. We must decide to change — to remove, to lay aside, and to put away attitudes and actions that don’t please God and adversely affect our walk of faith.
Hebrews 12:1 refers to these incorrect attitudes and actions as “weights.” The word “weight” is from the Greek word ogkos — a word that describes a burden or something so heavy and cumbersome that it impedes a runner from running his race as he should.
This word was particularly used in the athletic world to signify the actions of an athlete who would deliberately strip himself of excess weight before participating in a competition. This stripping process included the loss of excess flesh through dieting and exercise. Then on the day of the actual competition, he stripped off nearly all his clothes so no extra weight would slow him down. He had his eye on the prize, so he was determined to strip off all “weight” that might potentially keep him from being the best athlete he could be.
This sends a strong message to us! If we want to please God, satisfy ourselves, and do something significant with our lives, we have to choose to remove anything from our lives that would hinder those objectives.
The athlete of the ancient world didn’t become “unweighted” by accident. He dropped all excess weight on purpose. He dieted; he exercised; and he shed every other unnecessary weight he could find to shed. This stripping process demanded his attention, his decision, and his devotion. It wasn’t going to happen by accident, so he had to initiate the process of removal.
What if those athletes had tried to run their race with loads of extra weight? They certainly wouldn’t have been able to run very far! This is exactly what sinful habits and attitudes do to your walk with the Lord. If you don’t removethem, they will eventually weigh you down and knock you out of your race of faith!
The Holy Spirit is urging you and me to take a good look at our lives and then remove everything that weighs us down and keeps us from a life of obedience. We must be honest with ourselves and with God.
Do you have a habit or a wrong attitude that binds you? Are you plagued by a fear that weighs you down and keeps you from fulfilling your potential in Christ? Make a rock-solid, quality decision today to grab hold of those unnecessary burdens and remove, lay aside, and permanently put them away from your life.
Once you make that decision, you’ll find yourself running your race of faith with much more ease as you press on to victory!
My Prayer for Today
Lord, I know that You’re on my side and that You want to help me. So today I’m asking You to help me lay aside the attitudes, negative thought patterns, and bad habits that keep pulling me back down into miserable defeat. I’m exhausted from trying to live for You while dragging along these old weights behind me at the same time. I need to drop them and leave them behind! So today I am asking You to help me make the big break. Help me make this the day I permanently drop all the unnecessary weights that hinder me and walk away from them forever!
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
My Confession for Today
I confess that I live a life of obedience! Sin, bad habits, negative attitudes, and fear have no influence in my life. Because I am free of these things, I am able to run my race of faith without any hindrances caused by my own actions. Because I want to please God, I do not tolerate things in my life that make it difficult for me to walk by faith or to please God. Absolutely nothing is more important to me than knowing God’s will and doing it in a way that brings pleasure to the Lord!

call for unity among God’s people.

1. (1) The foundation for all exhortation.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

a. Therefore: Paul spent three chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God did for us, freely by His grace. Now he brings a call to live rightly, but only after explaining what God did for us.

b. Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called: When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude.

i. Understanding who we areis the foundation of this worthy walk. “Luther counsels men to answer all temptations of Satan with this only, Christianus sum, I am a Christian.” (Trapp)

ii. The idea is clear. We don’t walk worthy so that God will love us, but because He does love us. It is motivated out of gratitude, not out of a desire to earn merit.

iii. “Every believer is God’s first-born; and so higher than the kings of the earth, Psalm 89:27. He must therefore carry himself accordingly, and not stain his high blood.” (Trapp)

2. (2-3) The character of a worthy walk.

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

a. With all lowliness and gentleness: A worthy walk before God will be marked by lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda.

i. Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many it still does; but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Philippians 2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way.

b. Longsuffering, bearing with one another: We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God’s family will not work against God’s purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus – illustrated through His current work in the church.

i. Chrysostom defined longsuffering as the spirit that has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is characteristic of a forgiving, generous heart.

c. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: This humble, forgiving attitude towards each other naturally fulfills this gift of the unity of the Spirit.

i. We must endeavor to keepthis unity – we do not create it. God never commands us to create unity among believers. He has created it by His Spirit; our duty is to recognize it and keep it.

ii. This is a spiritual unity, not necessarily a structural or denominational unity. It is evident in the quick fellowship possible among Christians of different races, nationalities, languages, and economic classes.

iii. We can understand this unity of the Spirit by understanding what it is not. In a sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon pointed out some of the things that the text does not say.

· It does not say, “To endeavor to maintain the unity of evil, the unity of superstition, or the unity of spiritual tyranny.”

· It does not say, “Endeavoring to keep up your ecclesiastical arrangements for centralization.”

· It does not say, “Endeavoring to keep the uniformity of the Spirit.”

iv. Structural unity can even work against true unity of the Spirit. We can perhaps see a purpose God has in preventing a structural unity of the church right now, to keep misdirected efforts of the church (such as ambitions for political power) from fulfillment. “It is not a desirable thing that all Churches should melt into one another and become one; for the complete fusion of all Churches into one ecclesiastical corporation would inevitably produce another form of Popery, since history teaches us that large ecclesiastical bodies grow more or less corrupt as a matter of course. Huge spiritual corporations are, as a whole, the strongholds of tyranny and the refuges of abuse; and it is only a matter of time when they shall break to pieces.” (Spurgeon)

v. “For the church fellowship in which the Gentile and Jewish believers were united was no mere enrollment on a register of membership; it involved their union with Christ by faith and therefore their union with each other as fellow-members of his body.” (Bruce)

vi. We are confident that this unity is found in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God. “We want unity in the truth of God through the Spirit of God. This let us seek after; let us live near to Christ, for this is the best way of promoting unity. Divisions in Churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior.” (Spurgeon)

3. (4-6) The description of the unity of the Church.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

a. There is one body and one Spirit: We have unity because of what we share in common. In Jesus we share one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. Each of these common areas is greater than any potential difference.

b. One baptism: Some think that because Paul says there is one baptism that the idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent experience is invalid. But Paul only spoke here of the baptism by water which is the visible token of God’s common work in every believer, and thus a basis of unity. There aren’t separate baptisms for Jew and Gentile.

i. The concept of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is spoken of clearly in Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5 and 11:16. This may be considered an initial (and sometimes dramatic) experience one has with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, a filling God wants to continue through a person’s Christian life.

B. The way God works unity: through spiritual gifts of leadership in the church.

1. (7-10) The giving of spiritual gifts to the church.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

(Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

a. Grace was given: We all have grace given to us according to the measure of Jesus’ gift. This is basis for God’s distribution of spiritual gifts through His church: grace, the free, unmerited giving of God. No one deserves or has earned spiritual gifts.

b. When He ascended on high: This giving happened (as described prophetically in Psalm 68:18) when Jesus ascended to heaven. This was evidence of His triumph over every foe (the leading of captivity captive).

i. Bruce on the picture from Psalm 68: “One may picture a military leader returning to Jerusalem at the head of his followers, after routing an enemy army and taking many prisoners.”

ii. As Jesus said, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you(John 16:7).

c. When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men: Paul did not quote the passage exactly as it appears in Psalm 68. Either he altered it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or under similar inspiration he quoted from an ancient translation (called a Targum) that quotes the Psalm in this manner.

i. Psalm 68:18 reads: You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men. There is certainly enough room in the language of the original Hebrew to allow Paul’s reading, even though it is unusual.

ii. “It is enough for me that the apostle, under the inspiration of God, applied the verse in this way; and whatever David might intend, and of whatever event he might have written, we see plainly that the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense of the Spirit of God.” (Clarke)

d. Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean: In this, Paul demonstrated how the words He ascended in Psalm 68:18 had reference to the resurrection of Jesus, speaking first of His rising from the lower parts of the earth, and secondly of His ascension far above all the heavens.

i. Some think that the phrase lower parts of the earthrefers to Jesus’ preaching to the spirits in prison described in 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. While this aspect of Jesus’ ministry in Hades following His work on the cross is true (and prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2and Luke 4:18), Paul did not necessarily refer to it here.

2. (11-12) The offices of spiritual leadership in the church and their purpose.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

a. He Himself: This means that Jesus established these offices. They are the work and appointment of Jesus, not men. Though pretenders may lay claim to them, the offices themselves are a Divine institution and not a human invention.

b. Gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers: Paul described four offices (not five, as in the commonly yet erroneously termed “five-fold ministry”).

i. Apostles, who are special ambassadors of God’s work, though not in the same authoritative sense of the first century apostles. Those first century apostles were used to provide a foundation (preserved as the New Testament) as described in Ephesians 2:20.

ii. Prophets, who speak forth words from God in complete consistency with the foundation of the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes they speak in a predictive sense, but not necessarily so, and they are always subject to the discernment and judgment of the church leadership (1 Corinthians 14:29). As with the apostles, modern prophets do not speak in the same authority as the first century prophets brought God’s foundational word spoke (Ephesians 2:20).

iii. Evangelists, who are specifically gifted to preach the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

iv. Pastors and teachers (or, pastor-teachers; the ancient Greek clearly describes one office with two descriptive titles), who shepherds the flock of God primarily (though not exclusively) through teaching the Word of God. “Teaching is an essential part of the pastoral ministry; it is appropriate, therefore, that the two terms, pastors and teachers, should be joined together to denote one order of ministry.” (Bruce)

v. These gifts are given at the discretion of Jesus, working through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11). The importance of having “all four in operation” in any church body is up to Jesus who appoints the offices. The job of responsible church leadership is to not hinder or prevent such ministry, but never to “promote it into existence.”

c. For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry: The purpose of these gifts of leadership is also clear. It is that saints (God’s people) might be equipped for the work of ministry (service), so that the body of Christ would be built up (expanded and strengthened).

i. Equipping also has the idea of “to put right.” This ancient Greek word was used to describe setting broken bones or mending nets. These ministries work together to produce strong, mended, fit Christians.

ii. God’s people do the real work of ministry. Leaders in the church have the first responsibility to equip people to serve and to direct their service as God leads.

iii. “The primary purpose of the Church isn’t to convert sinners to Christianity, but to perfect (complete and mature) the saints for the ministry and edification of the Body.” (Smith)

3. (13-16) The desired goal of God’s work through church leadership and equipped saints.

Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

a. Till we all come to the unity of the faith: This is the first goal of God’s work through the gifted offices and equipped saints. This is consistent with both the ultimate purpose of God (Ephesians 1:10) and the mystery of God revealed through Paul (Ephesians 3:6).

i. Again, by clearly stating that this is a unity of the faith, Paul did not command a structural or organizational unity, but a spiritual unity around a common faith.

b. And of the knowledge of the Son of God: When the gifted offices work right and the saints are properly equipped, Christian maturity increases and there is greater intimacy in the experience of God.

c. To a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: The gifted offices and equipped saints bring the saints to maturity, according to the measure of Jesus Himself. As years pass by, we should not only grow old in Jesus, but more mature in Him as well, as both individuals and as a corporate body.

d. We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine: The gifted offices and equipped saints result in stability, being firmly planted on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20).

i. Those who do not mature in this way are targets of deceivers, who are effective precisely because they operate with trickery and cunning craftiness – and they lie in wait to deceive. They are out there like land minds that the mature can avoid.

ii. The ancient Greek word for tossed to and fro is from the same words used to describe the stormy Sea of Galilee in Luke 8:24 (raging of the water). We can wrongly value movement over growth; mere movement is being tossed to and fro, but God wants us to grow up in all things.

iii. By the trickery of men: “The words… refer to the arts used by gamesters, who employ false dice that will always throw up one kind of number, which is that by which those who play with them cannot win.” (Clarke) Running after spiritual fads always leaves one a loser.

e. Speaking the truth in love: This speaks to not only how we are to relate to one another in God’s family, but also to how leaders and saints are to deal with deceivers. We should deal with them in love, but never budging from the truth.

f. May grow up in all things into Him who is the head: Another way maturity is described is as the growing up into Jesus, who is the head. Again, this defines the direction of maturity. We never grow “independent” of Jesus, we grow up into Him.

i. “A church that is only united in itself, but not united to Christ, is no living church at all. You may attain to the unity of the frost-bound earth in which men and women are frozen together with the cold proprieties of aristocracy, but it is not the unity of life.” (Spurgeon)

ii. Adam Clarke on grow up… into Him: “This is a continuance of a metaphor taken from the members of a human body receiving nourishment equally and growing up, each in its due proportion to other parts, and to the body in general.”

g. According to the effective working by which every part does its share: The evidence of maturity – that the leaders and the saints are all doing their job – is this effective working. This means every part and joint provides what it can supply in a coordinated effort. When this happens, it naturally causes the growth of the body (both in size and strength), but especially growth for building itself up in love.

i. Some people think of the church as a pyramid, with the pastor at the top. Others think of the church as a bus driven by the pastor, who takes his passive passengers where they should go. God wants us to see the church as a body, where every part does its share.

C. Putting off the old man, putting on the new man.

1. (17-19) The character of the old man.

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

a. Therefore: This makes the connection, not only with the glorious spiritual privileges laid out in Ephesians 1 through 3, but also with the high call of a unified, mature body as described in Ephesians 4:1-6. Because of this high calling, we should walk (live) in a different way than the world around us does.

i. There is a constant tendency for Christians to display to the world that we really aren’t so different after all. This is usually a misguided effort to gain the world’s “respect” or approval. This must be resisted at all costs, because the goal in itself is both undesirable and unachievable.

ii. This principle of compromise can be illustrated by the exchange between a liberal scholar theologian and a Christian professor. The liberal agreed, “I’ll call you a scholar if you’ll call me a Christian.” The trade isn’t worth it.

b. No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk: The Gentile walk is characterized by the futility of their mind. In the end, their thinking is futile because their understanding is darkened– because they are alienated from the life of God.

i. This is not to say that man, in his rebellion against God, is not capable of mighty intellectual achievements. Instead it is to say that all such achievements fall short of true wisdom, because the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom(Proverbs 9:10).

ii. Futility: “The thought is not that unregenerate minds are empty. It is that they are filled with things that lead to nothing.” (Vaughan)

iii. As Christians, we have a proper way and place to walk. It is as if Jesus turned us around and put us in the right direction, and now we have to walk and progress in that direction.

c. Because of the blindness of their heart: Fundamentally, the ignorance and lack of understanding of man is a heartproblem. It is shown not only in a foolish denial of God, but also in his moral failures (licentiousness, uncleanness, greediness).

i. The Gentiles Paul speaks of were either atheists or they believed in gods who were themselves immoral. Therefore in their denial of the true God, they denied any standard of morality that they must answer to.

ii. Past feeling has the idea of one’s skin becoming callous and no longer sensitive to pain. It is the logical result of the blindness of their heart. Blindness can also be understood here as hardening, and this ancient Greek word “is used medically to denote the callus formed when a bone has been fractured and reset. Such a callus is even harder than the bone itself.” (Wood)

iii. Licentiousness is sin that flaunts itself, throwing off all restraint and having no sense of shame or fear; uncleanness is a broad word, mostly with reference to sexual impropriety.

iv. Barclay elaborates on the Greek word aselgeia, translated licentiousness: “The great characteristic of aselgeia is this – the bad man usually tries to hide his sin; but the man who has aselgeia in his soul does not care how much he shocks public opinion so long as he can gratify his desires.” (Barclay)

2. (20-24) Putting on the new man.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

a. Put off… the old man… put on the new man: This has the same idea of putting off or putting on a set of clothes. The idea is to “change into” a different kind of conduct.

i. Think of a prisoner who is released from prison, but still wears his prison clothes and acts like a prisoner and not as a free man. The first thing to tell that person is that they should put on some new clothes.

ii. Even as putting on different clothes will change the way you think about yourself and see yourself, even so putting on a different conduct will start to change your attitudes. This means that we shouldn’t wait to feel like the new man before we put on the new man.

iii. Fundamentally, Paul says that for the Christian, there must be a break with the past. Jesus isn’t merely added to our old life; the old life dies and He becomes our new life.

b. You have not so learned Christ: The repetition of this idea shows that putting on the new man has a strong aspect of learning and education to it. You have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus… and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

i. Our Christian life must go beyond head knowledge, but it must absolutely include head knowledge and influence our whole manner of thinking. This is not just in the sense of knowing facts, but the ability to set our minds on the right things. This is so fundamental to the Christian life that Christian growth can even be described as the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

ii. The Ephesians learned Christ, not only learning about Jesus, but also learning Him. This means a living, abiding knowledge of Jesus will keep us from the kind of sinful conduct Paul speaks of. Just knowing about Jesus isn’t enough to keep us pure.

iii. “So, if you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ, you must live with him. First he must himself speak to you, and afterwards you must abide in him. He must be the choice Companion of your morning hours, he must be with you throughout the day, and with him you must also close the night; and as often as you may wake during the night, you must say, ‘When I awake, I am still with thee.’ ” (Spurgeon)

c. Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness: The new man is the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) created in us at conversion. It is the person created according to the image of Jesus Christ and instinctively righteous and holy. It is in contrast to the old man, who is the person inherited from Adam and who instinctively rebels against God.

3. (25-32) The conduct of the new man.

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

a. Therefore, putting away lying: The new man tells the truth. The motive for doing this is because we are members of one another, therefore there is no place for lying.

i. A body can only function properly if it tells itself the truth. If your hand touches something hot but your hand tells your brain that the thing is cool, your hand will be severely burned. That’s why telling the truth is so important, because we are members of one another.

b. Be angry, and do not sin: The new man may get angry, but he does not sin. The new man knows how to let go of his wrath, thus giving no opportunity to the devil.

i. “Here it is suggested that anger can be prevented from degenerating into sin if a strict time limit is placed on it: do not let the sun set on your anger.” (Bruce)

ii. The devil’s work is to accuse and divide the family of God, and to sow discord among them. When we harbor anger in our heart, we do the devil’s work for him.

c. Let him who stole steal no longer: The new man does not steal, but he works with his hands. He does this not only to provide for his own needs, but also to have something to give him who has need.

i. Let him labor: Labor is literally “to exert himself to the point of exhaustion.” This is the kind of working heart God commands those who used to steal to have. Paul’s idea is that we should work so that we can give. The purpose for getting becomes giving.

d. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth: The new man knows how to watch his tongue, speaking only what is good for necessary edification, desiring to impart grace to all who hear him.

i. Corrupt communication: “Not only obscene vulgarity but slanderous and contemptuous talk.” (Bruce)

e. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God: The new man will not grieve the Holy Spirit, knowing that He is our seal both in the sense of identification and protection.

i. There are many ways to grieve the Holy Spirit. We can neglect holiness and grieve the Holy Spirit. We can think in purely materialistic terms and grieve the Holy Spirit. The Spirit exalts Jesus (John 15:26); when we fail to do the same, we grieve the Spirit.

ii. “I think I now see the Spirit of God grieving, when you are sitting down to read a novel and there is your Bible unread… You have no time for prayer, but the Spirit sees you very active about worldly things, and having many hours to spare for relaxation and amusement. And then he is grieved because he sees that you love worldly things better than you love him.” (Spurgeon)

iii. The Holy Spirit’s grief is not of a petty, oversensitive nature. “He is grieved with us mainly for our own sakes, for he knows what misery sin will cost us; he reads our sorrows in our sins… He grieves over us because he sees how much chastisement we incur, and how much communion we lose.” (Spurgeon)

f. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you: The new man has control of his emotions (bitterness, wrath, anger and so forth). When such things do emerge, he is able to deal with them in a manner glorifying to God.

i. Aristotle defined bitternessas “the resentful spirit that refuses reconciliation.”

ii. Wrath speaks of an outburst of the moment; anger speaks of a settled disposition. Both must be put away.

g. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another: The new man seeks to show the same kindness, tender heartedness and forgiveness to others that God shows him. If we treat others as God treats us, we fulfill every thing Paul told us to do in this chapter.

h. Just as God in Christ forgave you: Our forgiveness to others is patterned after the forgiveness of Jesus towards us. When we think of the amazing way God forgives us, it is shameful for us to withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us.

· God holds back His anger a long time until He forgives. He bears with us for a long time though we sorely provoke Him.

· God reaches out to bad people to woo them to Himself, and attempts reconciliation with bad people.

· God always makes the first move in forgiveness, trying to reconcile even though the guilty party is uninterested in forgiveness.

· God forgives our sin knowing that we will sin again, often in exactly the same way.

· God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders.

· God, in His forgiveness, bore all of the penalty for the wrong we did against Him. He was innocent yet He bore the guilt.

· God keeps reaching out to man for reconciliation even when man rejects Him again and again.

· God requires no probationary period to receive His forgiveness.

· God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor. He loves, adopts, honors, and associates with those who once wronged Him.

· God puts His trust in us and invites us to work with Him as co-laborers when He forgives us.

i. The older King James Version puts it like this: even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. This gives us an assurance of forgiveness – that it is for Christ’s sake. “God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven thee. Get hold of that grand truth, and hold it, though all the devils in hell roar at thee. Grasp it as with a hand of steel; grip it as for life: ‘God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven me,’ – may each one of us be able to say that. We shall not feel the divine sweetness and force of the text unless we can make a personal matter of it by the Holy Ghost.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “If anyone here who is a Christian finds a difficulty in forgiveness, I am going to give him three words which will help him wonderfully. I would put them into the good man’s mouth. I gave them to you just now, and prayed you to get the sweetness of them; here they are again! ‘For Christ’s sake.’ Cannot you forgive an offender on that ground?” (Spurgeon)

iii. It isn’t that we must forgive because Jesus will forgive us. We forgive because He hasforgiven us. “It is the historical fact of Christ once for all putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, which is alluded to.” (Moule)

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Race of faith

1. Put to Death What Is Earthly

2. Put on the New Self

3. Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Your Hearts

4. Let the Word of Christ Richly Dwell

5. Give Thanks to God

JESUS SECURED OUR POWER AND AUTHORITY

#2 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

#3 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO STAND AGAINST SATAN

#4 – WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM IN HIGH AUTHORITY

#5 – WE HAVE THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD TO EXERCISE OUR AUTHORITY

#6 – WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO ACT AS NEW CREATIONS

#7 – WE CAN MINISTER AND WALK FROM A POINT OF AUTHORITY

Related Articles:

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

A. It is valuable (1:7)

B. It is revealing (1:7)

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

III. True faith - 1:10-12

Conclusion

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

A. It is valuable (1:7)

B. It is revealing (1:7)

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

III. True faith - 1:10-12

Conclusion

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

A. It is valuable (1:7)

B. It is revealing (1:7)

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

III. True faith - 1:10-12

Conclusion

I. Timeless faith - 1:4-5

A. Faith in Christ is imperishable

B. Our faith will be uncorrupted

C. Our faith in Christ is unfading

II. Tested faith - 1:6-8

A. It is valuable (1:7)

B. It is revealing (1:7)

C. It is is centered on our love for Christ (1:8)

III. True faith - 1:10-12

Conclusion

2 Corinthians 5:17

2. Colossians 3:9-11

3. Isaiah 43:18-19

4. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

God is making all things new.

5. Genesis 1:31a

6. Lamentations 3:22-24

7. Revelation 21:1-3

Table of Contents

What Does It Mean to Put on the Whole Armor of God?

The 12 Spiritual Blessings in Eph. 1 That Are Related to the Armor in Eph. 6

Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God

Where in the Bible Does It Talk About the Armor of God?

What Are the 6 Pieces of the Armor of God?

What Is the Belt in the Armor of God?

What Does the Breastplate of Righteousness Mean?

What Does Feet Shod With the Gospel of Peace Mean?

What Does the Shield of Faith Mean?

What Is the Helmet of Salvation in the Bible?

What Is the Sword of the Spirit in the Armor of God?

What Does It Mean to Pray in the Spirit on All Occasions?

Stand Firm

Recommended Resources:

My Prayer for Today

My Confession for Today