Problems are for Solving

Series Index

So we’re at war. And we’re to fight the war in the power of Christ’s might.

This begs the question: with whom are we at war? Whom are we fighting? Who’s the enemy?

The next verses in Ephesians 6:

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Ephesians 6:11-12)

Going first to verse 12: “for we wrestle not . . .” That “not” is important. This is not a flesh and blood war. This is a war against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

[I'm not going to cover all of these in one post—my goal is to give a thorough treatment to this passage in chunks that are under 700 words, preferably shorter. This accomplishes two things. First, it helps my half dozen readers to read without being overwhelmed and second it helps me to learn to be more terse in my writing. This post will be the longest of this section]

The devil. We are to stand and fight against the “wiles of the devil.” The ESV translates this word, “schemes.” The Greek word here is the one from which our English word “methods” is derived. We are to stand against the methods of the devil.

It’s only recently that I’ve realized a tendency I’ve had in the past to minimize the reality of the forces of evil. And many of us err in our assessment of Satan. Some make more of him than is true, almost making him into a co-god who rules apart from God’s sovereign providence, and others (and I have fallen into this camp more often) practically trivialize the efforts of the eventually losing side of darkness. This war is real, and Satan is a real, active, strong enemy.

In that great hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Martin Luther writes,

For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Luther refers to Satan as our ancient foe. He goes back a long way—further than we know for sure. And his methods, his schemes, are to work for our woe. He wants us to be sad and disorganized and filled with hopelessness. Satan is no lightweight either. Luther correctly describes him as great in craft and power. Remember that craft, when this hymn was originally translated, didn’t refer to knitting and scrapbooking, but to the vocations of craftsmanship like blacksmithing. Certainly many of our modern “crafts” were once crafts in the traditional sense (pottery comes to mind), but in the hymn Luther is referring to Satan’s craftsmanship. Satan has no equal on earth. Luther continues:

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,

We don’t stand a chance against this guy. Our ancient foe has no equal. If we take confidence in our own strength.

were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

Jesus is on our side, so we need not fear. Satan is a real enemy, but his doom is sure. And so we must stand, by faith in Christ, against of the methods of the devil—by putting on the whole armor of God, about which more later.