Ephesians 6:11

“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”

“Put on”: “You must wear” (Knox). “Some seem to think that God's strength somehow mysteriously envelopes the believer; that all we need to do is sit back and depend on the Lord to deliver us from Satan without any struggle on our part at all” (Caldwell p. 306). The phrase "put on" demands our active participation in this struggle against evil (Romans 13:12). “The whole armor”: Full armor. “The emphasis here is upon the necessary completeness of his equipment. It is not only the armor, but ‘the whole armor' that must be taken. That is to say, victory depends upon the faithfulness of the Christian in accepting every instrument and implement which God offers to aid in this mortal combat” (Erdman p. 135). In other words, none of the armor described is "optional" equipment. Boles observes, “It must be remembered that the verses which follow depict the Christian not as. gladiator, but as. soldier in an army. The Christian is not intended to defeat the enemy single-handedly, but as. part of. united, marching army. This army is the church” (p. 333). “The imagery is that of. Roman heavy-armed legionary, not the light-armed fighter of the auxiliary contingent. This is. picture of. soldier of the line” (Lenski p. 657). “It is important to observe that God does not force his armor on his soldiers. In fact, he does not even put it on them. Rather, ‘we' are to ‘put on'. The Lord does not draft or conscript anyone into his service. All who enter do so by voluntary enlistment” (Spiritual Sword Lectureship pp. 232-233).

“That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”: “Against the strategies of the adversary” (Rhm). “The schemes of the devil” (NASV). “So that you can successfully resist all the devil's methods” (Phi). “Able to stand”: Please note that God wants us saved (2 Peter 3:9). God takes no pleasure in the moral failure of anyone (Ezekiel 2:23). God has given the Christian everything they need to succeed against the devil (2 Peter 1:3). Yes, God is indeed on our side (Romans 8:31). Hence, to end up lost, the Christian must ignore, forsake, or turn their back on what God has graciously provided. “This means to stand firm, not surrendering or giving ground to the enemy” (Boles p. 334). “Wiles”: Trickery, to lie in wait. “The armor is. defense against strategy as well as assault” (Vincent p. 406). “Which brings out the fundamental idea of method or plan in the deceit” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 382). “Referring to ‘a deliberate planning or system'. The ‘wiles of the devil' therefore refers to his crafty, subtle, deliberate strategy in seeking out our most vulnerable point” (Spiritual Sword Lectureship p. 231). The devil is real. “Unlike many religionists today, Paul thought of the Devil as. personal being. So did the Lord (Matthew 4:1; John 8:44)” (Caldwell p. 307). The Devil is intelligent. There is. "method to his madness". He knows exactly what people like to hear (2 Timothy 4:3; Genesis 3:4). He knows what type of temptations the human race is more likely to embrace (1 John 2:15). The Devil stands ready to exploit any opportunity that our selfishness and stubbornness may give him. “One of the devil's wiles has already been mentioned in this letter: it is his readiness to exploit strained relations and angry feelings (Ephesians 4:27). To be forewarned about the nature of his wiles is to be forearmed against them” (Bruce p. 404).

The Devil is also prepared to exploit any "problems" between husbands and wives (1 Corinthians 7:5). In addition, he has. "lie" for virtually every conceivable situation (John 8:44). If one does not have. love for the truth, then the Devil stands ready to give one something that "sounds good", justifies some sin and yet still allows one to feel good about oneself (2 Corinthians 11:113-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:10). The Devil is pictured as "restless" and "relentless". He never gives up (1 Peter 5:8). “It is because the devil seldom attacks openly. preferring darkness to light we are caught unsuspecting. He is. dangerous wolf. We must not imagine, therefore, that open persecution and open temptation to sin are his only or even his commonest weapons; he prefers to seduce us into compromise and deceive us into error” (Stott p. 265). Consider the following passages (Luke 8:14; Galatians 3:1; Galatians 1:6; Colossians 2:8; Revelation 2:14; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 15:1; Revelation 16:1).

“Devil”: False accuser, slanderer. Being successful against temptation demands that one "accept" certain fundamental truths. The Devil hates us. We are his sworn enemy. He has absolutely nothing good to say about us. Whatever "flattery" he gives is completely insincere. He will never give one credit for anything (Job 2:1; Job 2:1) He cannot be appeased and he will never accept. truce. He is bent on our eternal destruction.