NOTES for Eph 6:16

¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The words of the apostle about the faith that allows "to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked", seem at first sight, too optimistic. In fact, there are few believers, to whom to quench these very fiery darts does not succeed too much, in spite of their faith! But maybe we do not understand adequately the words of the apostle? What does he want to say, by speaking about faith? For us today, faith is above all connected to the known convictions, the main part of which consists of the fact that God exists and can intervene in our life, if we ask Him for that. Besides, as Christians, we can also believe in other things, but which in our personal consciousness are above all connected with our views and convictions. And however in the biblical language, faith means above all faithfulness, and not conviction. Faithfulness to God, faithfulness to Christ, faithfulness to the Kingdom. That’s when everything falls in place. Of course, convictions and views in themselves can also exercise an influence on the life of man, if of course man is coherent in his convictions.

But not the same, as faithfulness to a concrete person or to God; if of course God is a reality for man, and not a theological abstraction. And it is not surprising: because views and convictions are rather often connected to the intellectual activity of man, who, before coming to a particular conviction, thinks about many and weighs, coming to the corresponding conclusions. And the intellect, in spite of all its importance, does not define in itself the spiritual life of man.

It is defined by will, intention, decisions taken by man and the choice made by him in a concrete situation. The will is not based on the intellect, although sometimes it may seem to us that way. It uses the intellect only for its purposes. And the will is based only on the relation, on the relation with another person or with God. That is why faith, as faithfulness, is surer than faith as conviction. Such a faith can really be a reliable protection against temptations, what we can’t say about the faith based solely on conviction in the correctness of certain views.

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For Eph 6:10-24

¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹²For 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.

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

¹⁹And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

²¹But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

²²Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

²³Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

From the theme of social relations Paul moves to the theme of Christian ministry and its place in society. He immediately... Read more

From the theme of social relations Paul moves to the theme of Christian ministry and its place in society. He immediately proclaims that Christians do not struggle against people, even if those people are in power. Following Jewish usage, he calls people "flesh and blood." The aim of their struggle is the spiritual forces that determine the condition of the fallen world, which he calls "rulers," "authorities," and "controllers of this present darkness" ("world rulers of the darkness of this age"), connecting with them "the breath of evil that is under heaven" ("spiritual hosts of wickedness under heaven," v. 12). The goal of Christians, as we can see, is not the seizure of power or social change as such, but the lessening of the influence of those forces of evil which, while acting mainly through people, are not themselves human, using the human person only as an instrument. Of course, a person can become such an instrument only by giving consent to it.

In saying this, the apostle was probably warning those who were carried away by ideas of religious-political messianism, which were widespread in those days in synagogue and near-synagogue circles. And any struggle for power in general, if it becomes an end in itself, by no means lessens the measure of evil in the world; it gives the spirits of darkness the broadest scope for their activity. Only the Kingdom entering the world can lessen that measure, and therefore the Christian's main task is witness to the Kingdom and to salvation, as well as to the One who brought it into the world. But for this witness to be adequate, the witness needs faithfulness ("truth") and righteousness, without which one cannot share in the Kingdom (vv. 14-15). And the main weapons of the witness in resisting the evil in which the world lies are trust in God ("faith"), righteousness, which is the best witness to the Kingdom, and the Torah, the word of God, which makes it possible to distinguish good from evil and to make the right choice in the difficult situations in which the witness sooner or later will find himself (vv. 14-17). On that choice, in the end, will depend not only the fate of those to whom he bears witness, but also his own salvation.

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