In the modern materialistic Western world,
it’s easy to ignore the spiritual realities of life. There are just so many
things to get on with and worry about: relationships, health, family, work, leisure,
career, reputation, and so on. With all these concerns, it’s hard to find the time,
let alone the motivation, to consider spiritual things. Of course, this isn’t
true for everyone in the world. There are many who live their lives conscious
of the spiritual realm—but not always in a beneficial way. In fact, there is a
lot of fear and anxiety associated with spiritual practices, as people seek to
access special transcendent powers or to ward off demonic influences to try to
achieve control and peace in their earthly lives. And so, whether we ignore spiritual
realities or are deeply conscious of them, anxiety and fear for the future is
an ever-present threat.

In the final part of his letter to the
Ephesians, the apostle Paul turns to talk directly about spiritual realities. If
you’ve been reading Ephesians up to this point, this topic might feel like an
awkward gear shift. Just before this point, Paul has been talking about very
practical realities of living the Christian life on the ground: how to live as wives, husbands,
children,
fathers, slaves, and
masters. It
might seem odd, then, that Paul suddenly turns to talk about battling spiritual
powers. But when we look more closely at what Paul says here, especially in
light of what he’s been saying in the rest of his letter, we can see that it
makes perfect sense. Paul isn’t saying we should ignore the concerns of
everyday life, nor is he suddenly trying to make us curious about special angelic
powers or fearful of demons. Rather, Paul is talking here about living our
common, ordinary, everyday lives in light of the spiritual reality that is
behind it all—the spiritual reality he has already been talking about earlier
in his letter. Rather than producing fear and anxiety, what Paul says here gives
us a great reason for confidence and joy as we seek to stand in God’s grace:

Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in his mighty strength. Put on the full armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the devil’s schemes: because our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armour of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground in the evil day, and having accomplished everything, to stand.Ephesians 6:10–13

Do you notice the word “finally”? This spiritual call to arms here is not some new topic. Rather, Paul is here concluding his letter, summing up what he’s said so far, and showing its spiritual significance. He’s reminding his readers of the cosmic dimension of God’s multidimensional wisdom (see Ephesians 3:10). And he’s motivating and inspiring us to live our lives confidently and boldly, knowing our struggles matter to God.

Alexander Mosaic, House of the Faun, Pompeii

God’s power

Living as a Christian can be very hard.