Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Ephesians 6:11

"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." — Ephesians 6:11 (ASV)

The call to “put on” (GK 1907) God’s armor recalls a similar appeal in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. This accoutrement is provided by God and modeled on what he wears himself (Isaiah 11:5; Isaiah 59:17). It is a complete outfit (“full armor,” also v.13). The soldier must be protected from head to foot, and his armor is made up of all the various pieces, both defensive and offensive. “Stand” is a key word in this passage (cf. vv.13–14). It is a military term for holding on to one’s position. The equipment enables the soldier to ward off the attacks of the enemy and to make a stand against him. Before any offensive can be launched, one must first of all maintain his own ground. The fourfold use of “against” stresses the determined hostility confronting the Christian soldier. The commander-in-chief of the opposing forces is the devil himself, the sworn enemy of the church. He is a master of ingenious stratagems and his tactics must not be allowed to catch us unawares. These stratagems probably reflect his deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ’s body (3:14–22; 4:1–16, 21) through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (4:2, 21, 31–32; 5:6).