Ephesians 6:17-20 Advanced Biblical Interpretation BIA3215DE Dr. Ardel Caneday May 10, 2012 Carol A. Kinney
Ephesians 6:17-20 Thesis Statement: Divine intervention through the Holy Spirit’s commanding presence which is made evident through the word of God and praying “in the Spirit” and he uses wartime imagery to give a sense of urgency to drive home his point. I. Introduction II. Body A. Historical Content 1. Military Imagery 2. Paul’s situation 3. Occasion of Ephesians 4. Unity of the Body of Christ 5. Unifying factor is the Holy Spirit’s role B. Helmet of Salvation (v. 17a) 1. Salvation is more than forgiveness of sins a. Salvation is Divine intervention b. Salvation is power to conquer future sins, gives confidence c. Salvation is directly linked to the Sword of the Spirit; both relate to the Spirit of God. C. Sword of the Spirit (v. 17b) 1. Sword of the Spirit equals word of God. a. The word of God is the speaking of the Holy Spirit in addition to the Bible. b. The word of God as defined by the original Greek gives evidence that it is more than Scripture 2. Sword of the Spirit is how God communicates with us. a. Conversely, we speak to God through prayer. D. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication (v. 18a) 1. Praying in the Spirit differs from “regular” prayer a. Definition in the original Greek defines this, as well as examining Gospels. b. Holy Spirit’s role in this form of prayer is essential. E. Keeping alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints (v. 18b) 1. Prayer mentioned in this verse is speaking of prayer that is directly related to spiritual warfare. F. Pray for Paul, that he may proclaim with boldness the mystery of the Gospel (vs. 19, 20) 1. Paul was in prison himself when he wrote this epistle. 2. Reverse order of Paul’s message shows connection between his situation, what Christians face and the Armor of God. G. Application for modern day Christians 1. We still face spiritual warfare 2. Praying for all the saints, everywhere III. Conclusion
If the common phrase “war is hell (Sherman)” is true, then it is so much more so for spiritual warfare, for while physical war on earth afflicts temporary physical suffering it is a battle that which can be seen, unlike spiritual warfare which can afflict eternal suffering and whose battlefields often go undetected to the physical eye. Additionally, unlike physical war where generals and commanders require the lower ranks to place their lives on the line before the higher ranking officers, God places His Spirit at the battlefront to protect His people. In Ephesians 6:10-16, Paul illustrates the battle armory that Christians should don in order to withstand the battles, but in verses seventeen through twenty he emphasizes the armament that is necessary to win the war. In those four short verses, Paul’s focus is not on human efforts in spiritual warfare, but rather Divine intervention through the Holy Spirit’s commanding presence which is made evident through the word of God and praying “in the Spirit (v. 18 NRSV)” and he uses wartime imagery to give a sense of urgency to drive home his point. The helmet, sword and even prayer are all connected to each other by one common denominator-the Holy Spirit; who is the source from which Christians are to activate the entire Armor of God. The fact that Paul uses military language to speak to his original audience, the church at Ephesus, is by no mistake. Ephesians is regarded as one of Paul’s prison letters 1 and that the language that he chose reflects his position. Maxie Dunnam says this of Paul’s perception: “If Paul wrote this epistle from prison, as well he may have, the spectacle of Roman soldiers marching or standing guard was always before him (237).” Perhaps this is why the typical Sunday school lesson on the Armor of God will often depict the image of a Roman 1 Some contend that Paul is not author of Ephesians due to the differing writing style and words used do not reflect the date or Paul’s usual writing style (New Oxford Bible Study Notes 320-321 NT). However, for the purpose of this paper, I will contend as Maxie Dunnam does that these elements should not hinder us from taking the traditional view of Paul’s authorship (137-138) and name Paul as author of Ephesians.
soldier (Appendix A). Daniel Wallace contends that the occasion for the writing of Ephesians is not to address a specific issue within the church, but since the date of the letter places it close to the end of Paul’s life, Paul is merely using the epistle “as a contemplative piece” to urge unity within the Body of Christ and to warn them of enemies of their faith so that they would know how to stand strong and to whom to look for strength and guidance. In doing so, Paul used imagery that was familiar to him, as well as his biblical audience. Regarding another matter of interpretation, Ralph Martin says that this final chapter in Ephesians may seem out of place from the remainder of the epistle in thematic material, but he assures that it is indeed connected with the first five chapters (74-75). These preceding chapters deal with of the importance of unity within the church, as all relationships affect the life of the church, and that that unity is found in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The connection is that chapter six speaks of the forces which seek to destroy that unity. Since the unity of the Church is dependent upon the Holy Spirit, then it is the Holy Spirit that will in turn equip the “saints (Eph. 6:18b NRSV)” to do battle with these forces by donning the Armor of God which is traditionally found at Ephesians 6:10-18 (Appendix A). However, for Paul the lesson does not end at verse eighteen, but continues to verse twenty. Admittedly, at first glance, the grouping of Ephesians 6:17 with 6:18-20 seems disjointed, especially since most English translations pair verse seventeen with verses ten through sixteen and by placing a paragraph break between verses seventeen and eighteen. In fact, most Sunday School lessons that teach Christian children about the Armor of God verses in Ephesians leave off the lesson at verse seventeen (Appendix A), which shows that most do not connect verses eighteen through twenty with the preceding verses. However, closer examination of
verse seventeen through twenty shows that the unifying factor in these verses is the Holy Spirit’s role as the frontrunner in the fight “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (NIV, Eph. 6:12b).” While the complete armor is necessary to fight these battles, Paul connects the “helmet of salvation and the word of God as the “sword (Good News NT TEV. Eph. 6:17)” with the phrase “praying in the Spirit” for a reason. Dunham says that the “helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17b)” is symbolic of far more than the forgiveness of sins as a simple definition of the word (240). He asserts that the context in which Paul is writing is crucial to the interpretation of the word “salvation” in this verse. Indeed, Strong’s Concordance also makes note that the word “salvation” in this particular verse is different from all other New Testament verses in which the word appears. Instead of the Greek sŏtēria (Strong 4991), as it appears elsewhere, Paul uses sŏtēriŏn (Strong 4992). By using this form of the word, Paul is indicating that “salvation” is derived from a noun, as opposed to a verb. This is similar to the Greek noun sōtēr, which is reserved as a word that is reserved for only one, Jesus Christ (Strong 4990), as Deliverer, however since sōtēr is not used, sŏtēriŏn does not refer to Christ as the Deliverer, the one who saves and gives salvation in this context, but rather the Holy Spirit as “Defender (Strong 4992).” In his commentary on Ephesians, Martin sees a connection between Paul’s use of term “helmet of salvation” and who is wearing it through Paul’s allusion to Isaiah 59: 17 (76). In the Isaiah verse, it is not the Israelites who wear the “helmet” but rather God. This assumption agrees with Paul’s usage of the word “salvation” as reference to God, or the Holy Spirit, as the
one who initiates the action. John Calvin says that Paul used the helmet to illustrate salvation because a helmet is worn upon the head, and one must look up to see it (340). In other words, salvation does not come from anything that we can do, but rather we must “look up towards heaven to that salvation which is promised.” Dunnam agrees, saying that when we don the “helmet of salvation” we are more than forgiven of past sins, we are assured of salvation of future sins, for we are protected by none other than God’s Holy Spirit, thus giving us confidence that “we are safe—not only in the sense of being delivered from conflict and suffering . . . but safe from the destructive powers of evil forces. . . for if God be for us, it does not matter who is against us (c.f. Rom 8: 31-39).” The second half of Ephesians 6:17 describes “sword of the Spirit (NRSV)” as the “word of God.” Martin says that Paul grouped the helmet and sword together to “balance” the armament; where the helmet indicates “God’s mission to vindicate his people and to promote his cause in the Earth” the sword is the method that this mission is empowered. Dunnam says that this is certainly true, but we should never assume that the word of God is restricted to reference to The Bible only (240-241). Dunnam does not negate the importance of Scripture, just that the word of God, as Paul intended it in this passage, means more than using a physical Bible in spiritual warfare. The word “word” that Paul uses is rhēma (Strong 4487), meaning an individual, collection or specific “utterance” which coincides with Dunnam’s thought that Paul means more than scripture, “the word of the Bible made alive by the Spirit for our edification and for witness, admonition, and exhortation with others . . . the inbreaking of God by His Spirit (241)” speaking
to us and through us to others. There is at least one other time in The Bible that agrees with Dunnam’s view. When Jesus was speaking to His disciples regarding persecution, He told them that they will be brought before the rulers of the earth to defend their faith in Him and when this happens, they were not to “worry about how to” accomplish this, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say (Luke 12: 11, 12).” Jesus was not telling His disciples that they would take their words from The Bible when facing persecution, but rather the Holy Spirit would be the provider of the words necessary to defend their faith. So while the typical Sunday School lesson may teach that the sword of the Spirit is The Bible, as the word of God, Paul is not using it in this context. He is asserting that the “word of God” is the Holy Spirit’s utterance to us and through us. In order to wield this sword, we must be open to receiving it through the Holy Spirit at all times (Dunnam). The sword of the Spirit is how God communicates his word to us, whether in print or in “utterance.” Conversely, we communicate with God through prayer. “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints (Eph. 6:18 NRSV).” In this verse, Paul uses the literary device of repetition to make his point. By repeating the words pray, prayer and supplication, Paul is driving home the importance of prayer for Christians. Paul uses two words to drive home his point and connect prayer with the other armory. John Piper says that this connection is more than just a continuation of the armory theme for he says that in his studies of Ephesians he has found that “true to the original Greek, verse 18 does not begin a new sentence (Let the Nations 48).”
Since the original Greek does not indicate a paragraph break or even a sentence break, that Paul makes the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and prayer one continuous thought, this is more than enough evidence that the prayer that Paul speaks of in verse eighteen part of the Armor of God. Other proof that prayer is to be utilized as a weapon is the continuous war imagery that Paul uses. By qualifying prayer with the admonition to be alert and persevere, Paul is alluding to Jesus’ warning in the Gospels to remain alert at all times and is using the wartime language to drive home his urgency for the admonition. The final qualifier to this prayer is “praying in the Spirit” which indicates special designation beyond normal conversation with God. Once again Strong’s Concordance concurs with this assertion. The word designated for “prayer” and “pray” in Ephesians 6:18 is different than some other places in the New Testament, yet the same as some others. The Greek word that Paul uses is prŏsӗuche (Strong 4335) meaning an earnest prayer with a worshipful mindset. In order to determine the meaning of this kind of prayer, it is essential to look at other places in the Bible where prŏsӗuche is used. In Mark 9:29, Jesus indicates that the disciples could not exercise a particular demon because it was a “kind that can come out only through prŏsӗuche.” Mark also uses prŏsӗuche at Mark 11:17, indicating that the Temple is to be a house of prayer, or worship, for all nations. Each of these examples prŏsӗuche indicates that while Paul is commanding Christians to pray, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that is the force of the weapon, and not the human act. Since Paul did not use the Greek dӗēsis, meaning a petition or request (Strong 1162), shows that he intended this prayer to mean more than a human conversation with God.
The fact that Paul chose to specify this worshipful kind of prayer in Ephesians 6:18, indicates a special purpose for the prayer that he is advising. Piper says that we cannot wield the sword of the word of God without the power of the prŏsӗuche that Paul speaks of in this verse (64). Additionally Martin asserts that while there is no part of the armor designated for this prayer, Paul “evidently intended [prayer] to be included in the category (76)” of the armory, making this prayer an essential component of spiritual warfare. “When Paul tells us to pray . . . he is picturing it as a strategic appeal to headquarters to ask that the enemy not be allowed to draw any firepower away to decoy conflicts of flesh and blood (Piper 50).” The only one who is capable of carrying out such a fantastic feat is God. Since Paul is clear that the Holy Spirit is the power of this prayer, the Holy Spirit is the protector whom is unleashed through prŏsӗuche. Thus far in Ephesians 6:17-20, a pattern by which verse seventeen is connected to the other verses is easily seen. The connection is the Holy Spirit’s power to equip the saints for battle against unseen evil forces. By looking upward at the helmet of salvation, we acknowledge that it is only through Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are offered the protection of salvation. Next, we have access to the most powerful weapon in which to battle evil forces-the word of God, whether it be written or “uttered” through the workings of the Holy Spirit. Finally the power to use that sword comes from the special prŏsӗuche, worshipful prayer that is designed to be used in times of war, not times of peace. However, it is harder to see how praying for all the saints and praying specifically for Paul is connected to the Holy Spirit.
Dunnam contends that the connection is not as difficult as we would imagine. He says that the overall theme of Ephesians 6:18-20 is “to be watchful in the Spirit (241)” and that alertness fosters remembrance and in return that remembrance causes us to pray (243). This cyclical pattern also takes into the overall purpose for the letter of Ephesians, to promote unity within the Church, for saying prayers for others requires that we remember them. Referring back to the original intended meaning for the word prayer in these verses, Paul is counseling Christians to pray in a special manner for others. This is not the “please help Carol finish her last paper so she can graduate” kind of prayer. The prayer that Paul is requesting for all Christians and for himself refers to spiritual warfare. John Piper has this to say about the power of prayer in spiritual warfare: “Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of wartime mission. It is as though the field commander (Jesus) called in the troops, gave them a crucial mission, handed each of them a personal transmitter coded to the frequency of the General’s headquarters, and said, ‘Comrades, the General has a mission for you. He aims to see it accomplished. And to that end he has authorized me to give each of you personal access to him through these transmitters. If you stay true to his mission and seek His victory first, he will always be as close as your transmitter, to give tactical advice and to send air cover [the Holy Spirit] when you need it (49).’”
Paul saw the persecution that he faced, that other Christians faced and are facing, just as Jesus did; persecution is the tool by which the evil spirits use to cause disunity within the Body of Christ and by which they seek to destroy the Church and Christ’s mission (c.f. Matt. 5:11, 44, 45; Luke 21:7-36; Mark 13:1-27). When we remember to “pray in the Spirit” on behalf of others, we are calling upon the Holy Spirit to thwart any evil spirits on their behalf, and in turn the Holy Spirit strengthens them to do battle, which activates their use of the armor of God. In
verses nineteen and twenty, Paul comes full circle in this passage by stating verses seventeen and eighteen in reverse. Circular structure in literary terms is the same as they are in simple math: if A plus B equals C, then B plus A also equals C. Paul drives home his points to his audience by saying that if verse seventeen plus verse eighteen equals the Holy Spirit’s power and protection, then the reverse is also true. He urges all Christians to not only don the armory, but to remember to use the full armory, including prayer, on behalf of others so that they may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit at all times. First he writes that the helmet of salvation is donned, which gives us confidence to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and through us, both of which are activated through worshipful prayer to God through the Holy Spirit, which in turn helps us to remember others in prayer. In verses nineteen and twenty, Paul says that prŏsӗuche is the means that will cause him to be empowered to speak the word of God, which has landed him in prison, by which he is an “ambassador in chains (Eph. 6:20).” Paul uses this play on words to further emphasize the wartime attitude in his audience. Additionally, Paul was an “ambassador” for the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit while in physical prison, yet he was also a “slave” to the gospel through Christ (c.f. Rom. 1:1). The words to which Paul spoke of in Ephesians 6:17-20 are as poignant to the modern day Christian as it was to his biblical audience. Since the gospel writers recorded Jesus’ words regarding the events of the end of times as occurring until “the Son of Man” returns “with great power and glory (Mark 13: 26),” it is reality that spiritual warfare and persecution will remain until that day. It is just as important for modern day Christians to stay alert and prepare for the
battle by utilizing the armory that God has provided through the Holy Spirit. The reassurance of salvation will continue to give Christians confidence to rely upon the sword of the word of God in dealing with forces of evil. This is not to say that the word of God is to be used as a weapon against people who disagree with us, for that was not Paul’s intent. Paul’s intent was solely in a spiritual warfare context; the word of God is His communication to us to strengthen us to withstand the battle. In response, we worshipfully pray in the Spirit to activate Him to fight the war for us. While we are urged to don the Armor of God, it is not by our efforts that the battle is fought or the war is won, for it is only through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that this is accomplished. Finally, just as Paul was imprisoned for the sake of the gospel, there are thousands who are persecuted and imprisoned in this day and age (Open Doors USA), which should cause us to remember them in this prŏsӗuche in order to come full circle just as Paul did in these verses. Yet it is not by our efforts in which prayers strengthen those who are battling spiritual forces, but rather the power of the Holy Spirit. This can best be described by Piper’s assertion that “when the mission of the church moves forward by prayer, the supremacy of God is manifest and the needs of the Christian troops are met (Piper 58).” In everyday of our lives, there are forces at work that seek to destroy the unity of the Body of Christ in order to do harm to the Deliverer, Jesus Christ. However, as Ephesians 6:17-20 shows us, we need not be alarmed or scared of these battles, for when the helmet of salvation is donned, the sword of the Spirit is wielded, and praying in the Spirit is practiced on behalf of all Christians throughout the entire world, nothing can stand the power of the Divine’s intervention on our behalf. As Paul used wartime imagery in these verses, we need to be
reminded of the sense of urgency of this matter, that while we may feel like we are at peace in God’s care, there are battles being fought continuously in the spirit realm that can impact the Church. We need to be on alert at all times and ready to allow the Holy Spirit to fight these battles for us, for it is only through His power that the war is won.
Appendix A
Illustration from Renaissance Vicariate.
Cited Sources
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Wallace, D. B. “Ephesians: Introduction, Argument and Outline.� Retrieved 30 Apr. 2012 from bible.org/seriespage/Ephesians-introduction-argument-and-outline