Why We Say Faith is a Fight (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Introduction: The Language of Battle
Have you ever noticed how often we use the word “fight” in everyday conversation?
We say things like:
· Fight the good fight – often used to encourage someone to persevere in a noble cause.
· Fight fire with fire – responding to an attack with similar tactics.
· Fight for your rights – standing up for what you believe is yours.
· Fight tooth and nail – battling fiercely and with determination.
We use the word “fight” even when we don’t mean a physical altercation. We say things like, “I fought them in court,” or “I’m fighting off a cold.” We understand that fighting isn’t always about fists and weapons; sometimes it’s about determination, endurance, readiness, and standing your ground.
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul uses this type of language to describe the Christian life, speaking of the armor of God and our struggle against spiritual forces. This pugilistic imagery might make us uncomfortable, especially at a time when some groups twist such imagery to justify forceful or even violent actions in the name of faith. However, Paul’s message is not one of physical warfare but of spiritual vigilance that involves the many aspects of the gospel combined with the practice of prayer. The gospel we “battle” with is, after all, a gospel of peace, which Paul points out in our text.
1. The Context: Meeting the Ephesians
Paul wrote this letter to the Christian community in Ephesus—a city where, just ten years before, there were no Christians at all. Ephesus was this amazing city, bustling, and diverse with a mix of Jewish believers and Gentiles who had converted from their Roman pagan religions – including sorcery and types of witchcraft. Paul’s ministry in Ephesus changed their lives and it changed their city.
He started teaching in the synagogue because he was a rabbi who happened to follow the teachings of Jesus. He would read the text and essentially explain, “This is where I see this text and Jesus meeting.” They were enthralled by his testimony and touched by his teaching. After three months, opposition arose, and when it did, he simply moved to a public lecture hall and continued to tell the story of Jesus, which meant that a broader audience heard his message. Over time, his message captivated many more, leading to a vibrant and diverse church. They loved Paul and he loved them.
These baby Christians had to learn how to live out their new faith in a challenging environment. They were seeing firsthand what Paul was facing in his quest for faithfulness, so the idea of spiritual fighting would have resonated with them as they too faced opposition, from their community or from others who just didn’t understand why they gave so much attention and honor to Jesus.
2. Paul’s Imprisonment: The Reality of the Fight
When Paul wrote this letter, he was not in a comfortable office behind a desk just a few steps off a neogothic sanctuary—he was in prison, awaiting a fate that would eventually lead to his martyrdom and sainthood.
After he started following the teachings of Jesus, his life had been a series of struggles and hardships. He had been falsely accused, beaten, and imprisoned multiple times. Yet, despite this, Paul did not see his fight as being against people --flesh and blood-- but against spiritual forces of evil. Those forces want to discourage and dissuade him and fill him with doubt so he becomes smaller.
Paul’s perspective is powerful and might humble us. He could have easily been consumed by anger or a desire for vengeance.
For instance, he left Ephesus after 2 years. Shortly thereafter he traveled to Jerusalems to deliver a large offering to the Christians in Jerusalem to alleviate the suffering they were experiencing in a famine, and while he was there he was slandered and falsely accused. As a lynch mob was sicced on him, the Roman military police arrested him, the victim! He was there on a humanitarian effort to feed people. That was the last moment he would ever be a free man! For the next 11-13 years he would be in the custody of the cruel and sometimes inept Roman government.
Yet, instead of telling the Ephesians to burn it all down and to seek retribution, he says, “Pray for me that when I have to give my testimony in court, I will always tell the truth, even if it means more time in prison. May Jesus Christ be praised.”
Instead of vengeance and physical fighting, Paul calls for strength in the Lord and urges the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God—not to fight against people, but against the forces that oppose God’s work in this world.
3. The Spiritual Battle: More than Flesh and Blood
Paul’s imagery triggers our imagination. He insists our battle is not against flesh and blood—it’s not against people, but against spiritual forces of evil that are anti-God and anti-good. This is a battle that requires spiritual armor.
Early church theologians like Augustine and Origen saw these spiritual forces as demonic entities influencing human affairs. More recent theologians often interpret them as the power of sin and evil within human nature. Regardless of how one might interpret that particular idea, Paul’s message is clear: if you are going to be someone who wants to positively live your faith and extend grace and expand good in the world; if you want to become better today than you were yesterday, then you are going to need to stand firm in faith and need God’s strength and protection. And you are definitely going to need the power of prayer.
Prayer doesn’t make things easy; it makes things possible.
4. The Armor of God: Spiritual Tools for a Spiritual Battle
That is why Paul says we need to stand firm.
Now, I must gripe for just a second.
Paul wrote this in Greek and the Greek verb is in the passive tense and it matters in this case. Americans don’t like the passive tense in writing. It sounds weak, but in this passage, it is theologically sound.
A spiritual force must be met with a stronger spiritual force and God must provide that. A negative force must be met, countered, and overcome by a stronger, positive force. God gives us that. Therefore, “be made strong in the Lord.” Not, make yourself strong in the Lord.
How are we made strong in the Lord?
God gives us this armor. We put on the armor of God, which is essential for standing firm. Now, I imagine that this was a teaching tool Paul used in his catechism classes when he was with them in Ephesus for 2 years. Roman soldiers were stationed in every city. Why not use their uniform as a teaching topic?
· The belt of truth – in a world of misinformation and deception, truth holds everything together. Just as a soldier’s belt secures his armor, truth is foundational for the Christian life. We are not in a post-truth world, there are only anti-truth people who are being swayed by powerful, negative, anti-good forces.
I grew up hearing my pastor explain that the way the tellers at the local bank caught counterfeit money was not daily handling counterfeit money. Instead, they handled real, genuine twenty- and one-hundred-dollar bills, sometimes by the thousands a day. When a counterfeit bill came into their possession they instinctively and reflexively knew it was fake because they had been exposed to the real deal so often.
Christians are to be exposed to the truth on Sundays and expose themselves to the truth of the gospel during the week, so that when we see something that is hurtful, harmful, anti-good, anti-God, and that tears down the image of God that is in someone else, we say, “Wait, this isn’t truth. This is a counterfeit that offers no real value. It is a trick.”
There is no such thing as a post-truth world. Everything relies on the truth.
· The breastplate of righteousness – This is not about self-righteousness, but about living in alignment with God’s standards. It’s about integrity that can deflect accusations. It cares and knows about right and wrong.
· The Gospel of Peace as Shoes – we should be ready to spread peace and not conflict; the gospel should lead us to reconciliation and love and not division and discord. The shoes remind us “as we go” through life we are people of peace who bring divisions together.
· The Shield of Faith – Roman shields were covered in leather and soaked in water before battle to extinguish flaming arrows. Our faith protects us from the attacks of doubt and fear.
· The Helmet of Salvation – Keeping our minds focused on the Way of Jesus, on the Sermon on the Mount, being mindful that our salvation is not in our performance but on what Jesus Christ has done for us. Most of our battle is in our minds. It is a battle for ideas, for truth, for virtue.
· The Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God is our only offensive weapon. Remember Jesus in the wilderness. Satan tempted him and Jesus deflected those temptations with Scripture, with the Word of God he had memorized.
Once again, all of these items are defensive except the sword, but the example of Jesus is that it is self-defense. And, the gospel we advance is a gospel of peace.
We do not war with people but against forces that are anti-good and anti-God.
5. The Power of Prayer: The Force Behind the Fight
It’s one thing to suit up and to have on the armor, but that’s not enough. We need prayer. Notice, that prayer is not a weapon. Prayer is the force, the energy that empowers us to stand firm. Without prayer, the armor is empty and just a metaphor. With prayer, the armor becomes a reality.
There is no limit to when we should pray, where we should pray, or how we should pray. “With all kinds of prayers,” we are to advocate for God’s will in our lives and on this planet. Jesus did not limit WHO we pray for, because he said we are to pray for our enemies!
The armor and prayer do not make things easy. They make things possible.
Church, are you taking this aspect of your spiritual life seriously enough?
You may have noticed a type of resistance in your life. It’s there, pushing against you, trying to prevent you from becoming more Christlike and committed. It’s there. (Steven Pressfield, The Daily Pressfield).
There is something that seeks to undermine our faith and our witness. There is always resistance that is as strong as the movement we desire to make forward.
That is why the work of justice is so difficult and long.
As much as you want to move forward, it tries to push you back to keep you where you are.
Conclusion:
A few weeks ago a friend and former co-worker posted a health update on their social. While on vacation and in his hotel room, he had a heart attack. He wrote, “I was dead before I hit the ground.” Luckily his wife was there and called 911 which walked her through CPR. The paramedics arrived and he was stabilized and is recovering.
His summary statement hit me. “I’m here because God is not done with me yet.” You are here because God has good things left to do through you. Don’t leave it to chance or your own effort. Step forward in faith and prayer and trust that what God has equipped you with is enough for your calling.
