FINALLY, BE STRONG IN THE LORD: Tou loipou endunamousthe (2PPPM) en kurio kai en to kratei tes ischuos autou: (2Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 3:1; 4:8; 1 Peter 3:8) (Ep 1:19; 3:16; Deuteronomy 20:3,4; 31:23; Joshua 1:6,7,9; 1Samuel 23:16; 1Chronicles 28:10,20; 2Chronicles 15:7; Psalms 138:3; Isaiah 35:3,4; 40:28,31; Haggai 2:4; Zechariah 8:9,13; 1Corinthians 16:13; 2Corinthians 12:9,10; Philippians 4:13; Colossians 1:11; 2Timothy 2:1; 4:17; 1Peter 5:10)

Note: Hold mouse pointer over underlined links for pop up of Scripture (which stays open and can be copied).

Ephesians 6:10
Ephesians 6:11
Ephesians 6:12
Ephesians 6:13
Ephesians 6:14
Ephesians 6:15
Ephesians 6:16
Ephesians 6:17
Ephesians 6:18

James 1:13
James 1:14
James 1:15

Exposition of 1Peter 5:8
Exposition of 1Peter 5:9

Cyberhymnal Hymns on Topic of Spiritual Warfare (scroll down)

2 Chronicles 20:1-25 Ambushing Satan with Song - John Piper

THE METAPHOR OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

Soldier Illustrations

Exposition of 2 Timothy 2:3-4
Three Kinds of Soldiers - Ten Principles of Warfare
Roman Soldier by Edward Gibbon (Decline & Fall of Roman Empire)
The Roman Soldier - Description from Jewish Historian Josephus
A Few Soldier Stories and Sermons

THE AMALEKITES: A PICTURE OF PERSISTENT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
 

Jehovah Nissi: Exposition of Exodus 17:8-16

Finally (3062) (loipoy from leipo = to leave, to forsake, to lack, to fall short, to be wanting or be deficient) is an adjective that describes that which is remaining - the remnant, the residue, the rest. The specific phrase Paul uses here "to loipon" is used in classical Greek to mean "as for the rest" and with the temporal sense "henceforth". In the present context the idea is as far as the rest is concerned, beyond that, in addition. This teaching is vital to know and to obey that the believer might prevail in every encounter with the devil and his minions.

David Guzik (Ephesians 6) writes that...

William Gurnall, a pastor, published his book The Christian in Complete Armour, an exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20. He subtitled the work

The saint’s war against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness, and chief design he hath against the saints; a magazine opened, form whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon; together with the happy issue of the whole war.

In his dedication, he describes his book as a “mite” and a “little present” but it comprises three volumes, 261 chapters, and 1,472 pages - all on these eleven verses!

Finally: This comes at the end of the letter - a letter that Paul has carefully established our place in Jesus, and then the basics of the Christian walk. This is his last section dealing with that walk.

· In light of all that God has done for you.
· In light of the glorious standing you have as a child of God.
· In light of His great plan of the ages that God has made you part of.
· In light of the plan for Christian maturity and growth He gives to you.
· In light of the conduct God calls every believer to live.
· In light of the filling of the Spirit and our walk in the Spirit.
· In light of all this, there is a battle to fight in the Christian life. 

The KJV has "my brethren", but this phrase is not found in the more modern Greek texts that most scholars consider to be as more reliable. Nevertheless, the point is a good one -- Paul is not just calling on the pastors or elders of the church to be strong for the battle but for every believer. Spiritual warfare is the inevitable consequence of a life lived in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and walking as a stranger and alien in a world is under the domination of the one whose very name is Evil. John explains that...

We know that we are of God, and the whole (complete in extent) world lies in the power of the evil one. (1John 5:19)

In this section Paul sets forth his analysis of life, especially as it relates to the Christian life. And in Paul's analysis, life is struggle, life is conflict, life is warfare. And so Paul blows the trumpet sounding a clarion call to arms to every Christian who whether they realize it or not has been called into "active duty" and is to respond courageously and armed with the truth. Remember the victory has already been won at Calvary. Our goal is to learn to live, walk and war in the light of that certain truth.

Ruth Paxson writes that...

God has no place for a spiritual pacifist. Every Christian is conscripted for both defensive and aggressive warfare. He calls every saint to arms. "Not into a religious playground or sports field, but into grim, terrible, bloody conflict are we called." (The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of the Christian).

John MacArthur reminds us that...

The idea of the Christian’s practice can be illustrated by a car. The first three chapters of Ephesians describe the car: its engine and its capabilities. The second three chapters are the road map the car is to follow. The first three chapters define believers as high-powered individuals; the second three chapters show them where to go with their power. The ignition switch is represented by the strengthening of the Spirit in the inner man. As the Spirit fills and controls the believer, the power plant is turned on. He then can begin to move out in obedience to follow the road map that God has given. (MacArthur, J.. The Believer's Armor. Chicago: Moody Press 1986)

Spurgeon comments on "finally"...

as if this were a matter of the highest importance, to be considered first and last. — ”Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” You know how strong Paul himself was; he was a veritable giant for Christ, and he here calls upon his brethren to be as he was, he did not want to be brother to dwarfs, so he appealed to his brethren to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ray Stedman introduces this section writing...

God has issued to each of us a bugle call to intelligent combat. It is a call to us to be men and women of God, to fight the good fight, to stand fast in the faith, to be strong in the Lord in the midst of the battle, in the midst of this dark and evil world.

Those who ignore this call and the battle that rages around them are doomed to be casualties. We cannot remain neutral. We must choose sides. We must align ourselves with the forces of God, the forces of good. We must answer the bugle call, we must put on our armor and stand our ground or the battle will roll over us and in our defenseless, bewildered state, the forces of evil will trample us into the dust of the battlefield.

So we must learn to recognize how the dark systems of the devil work. But more than that, we must learn the processes of overcoming the systems of the devil not by flesh and blood, not by joining committees, not by political action, not by taking up clubs or assault weapons and attacking a human enemy. No, Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not flesh and blood weapons, not physical weapons, not political weapons. Rather, our weapons are mighty, through God, unto the pulling down of strongholds and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). That is the path to victory!

Gracious Father, thank You for a truth that startles me, prods me, and disturbs me. Thank You, Lord, for Your word of reality that speaks to me in the midst of my complacency and illusion. How easily I would drift on in futile ignorance, never raising a finger against the deterioration of life and the destruction of body and soul, were it not for this word of challenge that calls me back and makes me see life as it really is. Lord, teach me to bow in humility before Your Word and to say to the Holy Spirit, "O great Teacher of God, open these Scriptures and make them real to me today." In Christ's name. Amen. (Stedman, Ray. Spiritual Warfare - entire book online -- highly recommended. Here is a quote from a review by Cyril Barber who writes that Stedman's work represents "A clear, definitive exposition of Ephesians 6:10–20, laying out precisely and accurately the resources God in Christ has made available to His own. These studies are free of all sectarianism (such as books on holiness frequently exhibit), and readers may safely and confidently rely on this pastor/author’s wise exposition. A must for every earnest Christian.")

Wayne Barber explains that...

The word "Finally" means that he is drawing everything to a close. In other words, everything that has been said he is now summing up as he closes the book of Ephesians...

Look back with me 3:16. There is no way to go to Ephesians 6:10 without first of all finding the context and the flow of everything that has been said. That word "Finally" is wrapping it all up. What is the "all" that we are talking about. What has been said in Ephesians? Well, his prayer in 3:16 tells us everything:

"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man."

The word "power"  (dunamis) (note) means ability, ability to do what you could not do before Jesus came into your life.

The Holy Spirit now is in our lives. He lives in the inner man in order to strengthen us, to cause us to be able to do what we could not do without Him. The degree of the strengthening, he says, is

"according to the riches of His glory".

Ephesians 1, 2 and 3 sum that up.

"every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"

"were dead in your trespasses and sins".

In Ephesians 3 there is the REVELATION of our salvation (click for messages). Now according to all that we have in Jesus Christ, He has made us saints; He has chosen us; He has sealed us. All the things that He has done, according to all of that, we are to be strengthened in the inner man with power by the Spirit of God.

The greatest weapon we have in the spiritual war that we are cast into the moment we are saved is not what we say to the devil. It is how we live the Christ-life before him. My obedience, my surrender, my submission is my greatest weapon in defeating the one who is the prince of darkness that lives around me.

We have seen this strengthening in the inner man, this brand new garment, all of this. Now Paul says:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might"

We live in a world that is hostile. I do not need to worry about what I have to say to the devil. But when I bow and I say "yes" to Jesus and commit to doing what His Word has to say, at that very moment, I become a fortress against him. That is my weapon in the warfare I am forced into when I become a Christian. My weapon is my submission to the Lord Jesus Christ...

We must daily understand the flow of Ephesians: Be filled with the Spirit, be strengthened in the inner man by the Spirit of God. That is our classic weapon against the evil one.

John Eadie writes that finally has the sense of...

“henceforward.”...It is as if he said, What remains for me to tell you but this?...The apostle now represents the church as engaged in an active warfare with the powers and principles of evil. Olshausen suggests that his residence in the Praetorian at Rome, where the equipment and discipline of soldiers were a daily spectacle, may have originated the allegory. Similar allusions are found in Is 11:5, 59:17; Ps 18,144; 2Cor. 10:4; 1Thess. 5:8. The primary charge to the spiritual militia is (be strong)  (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

Wiersbe writes...

It comes as a shock to the new believer that the Christian life is a battleground and not a playground. In my pastoral ministry, I could always tell when a new Christian was starting to mature, because he found himself fighting battles. This was a good sign because, as Spurgeon used to say, “Satan never kicks a dead horse!” (Wiersbe, W. W. The Strategy of Satan : How to Detect and Defeat Him)

In the Lord - In the sphere of the Lord is strength and in union with Him. It speaks of the active efficacy of the might that is inherent in Christ. It is the same as abiding in the Vine, as being filled with His Spirit, as living in the reality of Christ Who is our life. Believers can only walk as more than conquerors and can only fight as victorious ones in the glorious truths in Ephesians describing every spiritual blessing by doing so supernaturally, continually abiding, continually being strengthened by the Spirit with God's surpassing resurrection power. This emphasizes the importance of studying, preaching and teaching on Ephesians 6:10-18 in the context of who the believer is in Christ, truths that are revealed in the first 3 chapters. To study Ephesians 6:10-18 in the absence of the truths in the preceding chapters is apt to leave the student frustrated and even somewhat confused, for Paul is giving a number of warfare commands but they are based upon the foundation he has established in the preceding passages. Remember that the "practical section" begins with a call to walk worthy, to walk in love, to walk in the light, to walk in the Spirit, all intimately connected with our waging of spiritual warfare.

Self-sufficiency
in spiritual struggles
is spiritual suicide

MacDonald has a good word for all believers writing that...

Every true child of God soon learns that the Christian life is a warfare. The hosts of Satan are committed to hinder and obstruct the work of Christ and to knock the individual soldier out of combat. The more effective a believer is for the Lord, the more he will experience the savage attacks of the enemy: the devil does not waste his ammunition on nominal Christians. In our own strength we are no match for the devil. So the first preparatory command is that we should be continually strengthened in the Lord and in the boundless resources of His might. God’s best soldiers are those who are conscious of their own weakness and ineffectiveness, and who rely solely on Him. “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1Cor. 1:27b). Our weakness commends itself to the power of His might. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

C H Spurgeon has some interesting words regarding the reality and necessity of spiritual warfare writing that...

There are no fair-weather soldiers in God’s army. All must endure difficulty. Our courage must be tried and proven. God’s ships never go to sea without being tested, and only when their seaworthiness is proven do they go on longer voyages. Unless you have been through a great trial, you cannot help those who are in great difficulty.

If we were placed in a glass case, we would not grow. If we were never injured, there would be no forgiving grace. Without suffering, we would not have patience. We grow in grace only when the stormy winds of trials blow. It is through harsh experiences that believers grow “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph 6:10). Christian, when Satan tests and tries you, hold the world loose but firmly grip the invisible things of God.

It is possible that God might use you to scatter His seed with a hand that was never wounded, but He will not use you to minister to the brokenhearted until trials have made you tender and sensitive. Your present, painful experience is a necessary preparation for something that will give you tenfold joy. If we are not tested, we cannot be victorious. The rule of the kingdom is: no battle, no crowns; no conflict, no conquest. (from Spurgeon, C., & Clarke, R. H. Beside Still Waters. Thomas Nelson Publishers)

There's victory for you over sin and its shame:
Look only to Jesus, there's power in His name.
The devil can't harm you nor cause you to sin;
By trusting the Savior the victory you'll win. --Anon.

Satan's ploys are no match for the Savior's power.

Ray Stedman has an interesting analogy that applies to believers who are ignorant or apathetic regarding their sure warfare and God's sufficient provisions...

I once heard of a mental hospital that had devised an unusual test to determine when patients were ready to go back into the world. They brought candidates for release into a room where a tap was turned on, sending water pouring out over the floor. Next they handed the patient a mop and told him to mop up the water. If the patient had a firm enough grasp of reality to turn off the tap before mopping up the water, he was ready to go out into society. But if he started mopping up the water without turning off the tap, they knew that more treatment was needed.

While you and I would never miss such an obvious step as shutting off the tap before mopping the floor, the fact is that many Christians live their lives in a way that is from a spiritual point of view equally absurd. Each of us as Christians have been given the mop of God's truth and we have been told to use it to help mop up the evil in the world around us. But we can only be useful in mopping up the evil around us if we first have enough sense to shut off the flow of evil that pours into our own hearts from the world rulers of this present darkness...

It is a battle in which we are all engaged every moment of our lives because "the world," the outer arena of battle, is always around us while "the flesh," the inner arena of battle, is always within us. We cannot escape "the world," nor can we run away from "the flesh." We must always begin our battle right at the point where we are.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was a commissioned naval officer during World War II. In August 1943, the patrol torpedo boat he commanded, PT 109, was rammed and sunk by an enemy destroyer near the Japanese-held Solomon Islands. Kennedy and a fellow officer swam from one enemy-occupied island to the next until they found some friendly islanders who helped them get a message to U.S. forces. Years later, Kennedy was regarded as a war hero. His response: "It was involuntary. They sank my boat."

So it is with us. We don't have to volunteer to find ourselves in the middle of a war. It's involuntary. The war has already come to us. It is raging all around us, through the channel of "the world." And it is raging within us, through the channel of "the flesh."

You might be thinking, "That doesn't seem right at all! I thought that when you became a Christian, Jesus would set you free from the kingdom of Satan so that the devil could no longer touch you! I thought that conversion would take you out of the battle, not thrust you deeper into the conflict!" If that is your concept of the Christian life, you couldn't be more wrong! When you become a Christian, that's when the battle really begins! (Ray Stedman. Spiritual Warfare - Available online and highly recommended!)

Be strong (1743)(endunamoo from en = in + dunamóo  = strengthen in turn from dunamis = to be able or to have power -- click study of dunamis) is best explained if one first understands the root word dunamis which refers to inherent strength residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. The best spiritual example this inherent power is the "gospel" ("the gospel...is the power [dunamis] of God for salvation to everyone who believes" Ro 1:16) which has the inherent, omnipotent power of God that brings about the salvation of a lost sinner who receives this truth. Dunamis therefore describes power that overcomes resistance or effects a change. Dunamis is used in the NT to speak of miracles or supernatural acts which have in them the inherent power of God or in which one sees His supernatural power exerted in their performance.

Paul like a commanding general who is overseeing his troops in the heat of battle, issues his first command to be strong, a present imperative which is to be carried out by the Christian soldier continually. To disobey a general's command in a crucial battle can be disastrous, and it is no less serious in the believer's continual warfare against his or her unseen foe.

Although clearly believers are to be continually strong, there is some difference of opinion as to how this occurs and this distinction hinges on how one interprets the voice of the verb, either passive or middle. In a sense it is not that significant which voice one favors, because all would agree that the source of the strength is the same, the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thomas Constable emphasizes this point writing that...

“Be strong” is a passive or middle imperative in the Greek text. It probably meant both “allow the Lord to strengthen you” (passive) and “strengthen yourself in the Lord” (middle)  (Ephesians Expository Notes) (Bolding and italics added)

John MacArthur writes about the decisive choice...

The Christian life is a question of availability and appropriation. Know three things: First, it’s a war; second, the power to win is available; and third, you have to appropriate that power. You can choose to be impotent and fruitless, even though residing in you is the power to do beyond what you can even ask or think (Eph. 3:20). You could be lethargic, indifferent, and cold, drifting in and out of church, and still be in heaven for all eternity by the immeasurable grace of God. But if you choose to live that way, you will forfeit the blessing God has for you in this life. And you will fail to glorify God to the extent that you should. You can turn your back on all the available power, blunt the energy of the Spirit of God, and say no to the incomprehensible work that God wants to do through you if you so choose. (MacArthur, J.. The Believer's Armor. Chicago: Moody Press 1986)

On the occasion of the Amalekites raiding and burning Ziklag and taking the woman captive we read an OT parallel of being strong in the Lord in order to fight the good fight...

Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened [aorist passive in the LXX] himself in the LORD his God. (1Samuel 30:6) (Comment: The verb for strengthened in 1Samuel 30:6 is krataioo - to become strong, but the principle is the same as the NT believer's need to be continually strong to fend off the "Amalekites" that seek to raid the camp of our heart and mind and soul and spirit! Related resource on fighting the Amalekites - Jehovah Nissi The LORD Our Banner and  Jehovah Nissi: Exposition of Exodus 17:8-16)

The idea of the passive voice brings to mind the picture of believers who as vessels (of honor - 2 Ti 2:21) make themselves available to and are strengthened by this outside force. In Ephesians we have learned that this Source is the Holy Spirit Who strengthens us in our inner man as we learn to yield our will to His, and allow Him to strengthen us. Are you resisting or hindering the Spirit (e.g., not necessarily overt willful sin which clearly "hinder" His working in unclean vessels but even in subtle ways like self-confidence, self-assurance, etc, all of which are simply manifestations of pride - to which God is opposed and which cuts off the flow of grace! - see 1 Peter 5:5)? You cannot empower yourself for this spiritual struggle. You must be willing to surrender to the Spirit and allow yourself to be strengthened. Be continuously empowered in union with the Spirit of Christ. He is the source of spiritual power. Spiritual battles are not natural and require supernatural spiritual strength. This dynamic process is synonymous with being continually filled with or controlled by the Spirit (note Eph 5:18) and continually walking in the Spirit (note Gal 5:16ff) so that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. The result is supernatural strength for a supernatural life. As Paul testified in Galatians

"is no longer I who live, but (Who) Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (see note Galatians 2:20)

As someone has said, you plus God equals a majority. No giant can withstand you when you are led and empowered by God’s Spirit.

The fact that we cast everything upon God does not give the soldier the right to sit back and to do nothing. Cromwell’s advice to his troops was...

“Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.”

In Philippians Paul explained how he had come to learn about his source of strength explaining...

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.13 I can do all things through Him Who (continually = present tense) strengthens (endunamoo) me. (See notes Philippians 4:11; 4:12; 4:13)

David Guzik emphasizes that...

The detailed teaching of spiritual warfare in this passage presents two essential components. First, you must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Then, you must put on the whole armor of God. The two are essential, and much teaching on Christian combat neglects the first. If you take a weak man who can barely stand, and put the best armor on him he will still be an ineffective soldier. He will be easily beaten. So equipping for Christian combat must begin with be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Before a soldier is given a gun or shown how to fire a missile, he goes through basic training. One great purpose for basic training is the build up the recruit’s physical strength. It is as if the army says, “Soldier, we are going to give you the best weapons and armor possible. But first we have to make sure that you are strong, and that you can use what we give you.” (Ephesians 6) (Comment: And what is "Basic Training" in Christianity? Is it not making disciples, equipping them and growing them up in Christ likeness - see notes Ephesians 4:11; 4:12; 4:13; 4:14; 4:15)

You therefore, my son, be strong (present imperative) in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (See note 2 Timothy 2:1)

Luke uses endunamoo in describing Paul's conversion writing that

"the Lord stood with me (fulfilling His promise never to “leave or forsake” His children) and strengthened (endunamoo) me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth." (see note 2 Timothy 4:17)

John Eadie adds that...

the strength of the charge is—Do not enter into battle with such adversaries naked and defenceless, but take to you armour. Do not cover one portion and leave another exposed; do not assume the cuirass and neglect the helmet; but put on “the whole armour.” Do not resort to any arsenal of your own, for its armour is weak and useless; but put on the whole armour of God. “And furthermore, we must neuer leaue these armours as long as we be in thys worlde, for we shall alwayis haue batayle.” Taverner's Postils, p. 495; ed. Oxford, 1841. The genitive, Theou', is that of origination: God provides the armour...Each of its pieces—its girdle, breastplate, boots, shield, helmet, and sword—is furnished by Him. It is armour forged on no earthly anvil, and tempered by no human skill. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

AND IN THE STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT: kai en to kratei tes ischuos autou:

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. (play)