Wearing God || Ephesians 6:10-11 || Manna for the Mind #33

Welcome to Day 33 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us. 

Ephesians 6:10-11

10          A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11          Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

If you are interested in learning about the armor of God Paul is referring to here, check out my series, “Underneath the Armor.” This armor is something that protects us from the evils of this world. The armor provides us strength in the Lord and power that only comes from him.

Strong is the Greek noun kratos (krat’-os), which means strength and might. It’s used to describe dominion, power, or a mighty deed. Rule over the devil’s strategies through the strength found in the Lord. Let’s talk about how to do this through what Paul says in Romans 13:12-14.

Romans 13:12-14

12          The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

13          Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.

14          Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

“Night” refers to the current time of evil. “Day” refers to the time when Christ will return. Some people are thrown off that Paul lists quarreling and jealousy with drunkenness. Like Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, Paul considers attitudes as necessary as actions. Our attitudes are as important as our actions. What we think is reflected in what we say and what we do. The truth leaks out through those vessels regardless of whether we meant it to or not. When Christ returns, he wants to find his people clean inside and out. Jesus wants his people to live a pure life based on his teachings and their responses of love to God and others. One way we can do that is by clothing ourselves with the presence of Jesus.

How do we “clothe” ourselves “with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ?” We identify with Christ by being baptized. This shows our solidarity with other Christians and our affirmation of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We become born again through the act of baptism, and the new life that we have sets us up for success in an eternal manner. We exemplify the qualities Jesus showed. In a sense, we’re role-playing what Jesus would do in our situations. Loving as Jesus loves isn’t just a command. Jesus shows us the exact manner of how to react in different life circumstances. All we need to do is avoid situations that allow gratifying sinful desires. That would make us poor examples of our commitment to live like Jesus.

We all will struggle with sin. Christians will struggle with sin. We will be tempted to sin. Christians need to be the example of how to respond to sin. When Christians sin, we need to repent, ask for forgiveness, and learn different ways to overcome the sin in the future so we will not wrestle with the temptation. When Christians sin and live into that sin, we are not showing the proper example of how to live as Jesus lives. Jesus never sinned, and if we’re reflecting a sinner’s lifestyle, we are not showing the true nature of Jesus and, therefore, being a bad example of Christians to our community. Cover yourself with the word of God. Put on the armor of God. Let us be strong in who God created us to be.

Father God, we thank you for the armor you provide to us to fight the battles of evil that the world throws us. The armor you have for us is perfect. We know the world is crazy, but you are calm. We know that the world is evil, but you are good. Help us share your goodness and peace with the world around us. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.