Tag: devil

Ephesians 6:11 – Protective Armor

Posted on by Will

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the methods of the devil.

Truth to Learn

We Christians need protective armor for our spiritual battles.

 

Behind the Words

“Put on” is translated from the verb enduō, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and the verb duo, meaning “to sink.” Thus we see that enduō, literally means “to sink in;” that is “to get into” or “to put on” a garment or an outfit. It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating something that we are to do to ourselves (not done to us by someone else).

“Whole armor” is from the Greek word panoplia. This word is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and hoplon, meaning “an implement, a tool, or a weapon.” We see that panoplia literally means “every tool” or “all the weapons.”

The words “be able” are from the Greek word dunamai, meaning “to have the ability or the authority to do something.”

“Methods” is from methodeia which, as you can see, is the source of our English word “method.” Methodeia refers to “following an orderly procedure or process.” It is expressed here in the plural indicating that Satan has more than one method.

The word “devil” is translated from the Greek word diabolos, which is from the verb diaballō, meaning “to falsely accuse.” Thus, diabolos is “a false accuser.”

 

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be strengthened in God and in the power of His strength. He told us to do this because, whether we like it or not, we are at war. In today’s verse, he tells us who we are at war with and what we are to do about it. We are at war with the false accuser, Satan.

Because we are God’s soldiers and we are at war, Paul tells us that we need to be prepared for battle. In order to be prepared, we need to have all the weapons available to us and we need to use them in the appropriate way. As we said in Behind the Words, the word panoplia refers to all the “weapons,” and yet the translators translated it as “the whole armor.” The reason for this is that all but one of the weapons described are defensive weapons; that is, protective armor.

We need this armor in order to be able to take a stand against Satan and his minions. We need to do battle against all of his methods. So, the obvious question is, “What are the methods that Satan uses?” Nowhere in Scripture are we ever given a specific list, but here are some of them: he opposes God’s workers (Zechariah 3:1), he perverts God’s word (Matthew 4:6), he hinders God’s servants (1Thessalonians 2:18), he blinds people’s minds from knowing the truth (2Corinthians 4:4), he snares the righteous (1Timothy 3:7), he deceives us (Genesis 3:1), and he tempts us to do evil (1 Corinthians 7:5).

Yesterday we used a sports analogy talking about the final pep talk a coach gives his team just before the big game. However, no self-respecting coach would give such a pep-talk and then send his team out on the field without the proper protective gear. Without the protective “armor,” a football player or a soldier would be slaughtered, no matter how skilled and prepared they might be. We are no different in this battle.

 

Application

Fighting spiritual warfare without the proper protective equipment is a sure-fire recipe for defeat. We need to be prepared and protected before we go into battle. Pay attention as Paul describes our armor in the next few verses.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:27 – Accusation and Defense

Posted on by Will

nor give place to the devil.

Truth to Learn

Satan accuses us of wrongdoing. Don’t give him more to say.

 

Behind the Words

The word “nor” is from mēde, which is made up of mē (implying qualitative negation) and de, meaning “but” or “and.” There is another Greek word translated “and.” It is kai, which connects two things, whereas de adds on, or annexes, one idea to another. Thus, the word mēde carries the idea of “and also don’t …”

“Give place” is translated from two separate words. The first is didōmi, meaning “to give.” The other is topos, which refers to “a place” or “a spot,” that is, a location occupied by a person or thing. Therefore, we see that “give place” means “to provide a location” or “to provide room for.” The form of didōmi (give) is present, active, imperative. So, Paul is saying “stop giving place” or “don’t be in the habit of giving place.”

“Devil” is from the noun diabolos. This word is based on the verb diaballō, which is made up of dia, meaning “through, with the idea of separation” and ballo, meaning “to throw.” Thus, the verb diaballō literally means “to throw through causing separation,” that is, “to say things which cause division.” It is most commonly used to express the idea of “slander” or “a false accusation.” The noun diabolos, which we have in today’s verse, refers to someone who makes false accusations about others. We have it here with the definite article (the), so it refers to the one specific and notorious false accuser, the Devil, who is also called Satan (adversary) throughout the Bible.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just instructed us not to sin when we get angry. Anger is not sinful in itself. It depends on who we are angry with, the reason for our anger, and how we express our anger. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said this about anger:

Anyone can become angry, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — this is not easy.

Although Aristotle was not a believer in Jehovah, he nonetheless captured the essence of the difficulty of being angry without sinning. Since we have a sin nature, we have a tendency to be selfish and sinful when we get angry.

Paul then teaches us two things to keep in mind when we do get angry. First, we are to let go of our anger quickly. In yesterday’s verse we were told “do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” In other words, by the end of the day we should have let go of it. The other thing Paul teaches us when we do get angry is, “don’t give Satan an opportunity for an accusation.” From chapter one of the book of Job, we learn that Satan has access to God’s presence and he accuses God’s children. In Job’s case, there was no validity in Satan’s accusations. But, keep in mind that even when we do cross the line and let our sin nature get the best of us, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.” (I John 2:1)

 

Application

There are times when we have every reason to get angry and to do so without sinning. However, when we experience sinful anger, we need to confess it and let go of it quickly. Satan has enough to say about us as it is. And remember that our defense attorney is perfect, He died to pay for our sins, and our sins have been thrown away as far as the East is from the West.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 6:11 – Protective Armor

Posted on by Will

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Truth to Learn

We Christians need protective armor for our spiritual battles.

Behind the Words

“Put on” is translated from the verb enduō, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and the verb duo, meaning “to sink.” Thus we see that enduō, literally means “to sink in;” that is “to get into” or “to put on” a garment or an outfit. It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating something that we are to do to ourselves (not done to us by someone else).

“Whole armor” is from the Greek word panoplia. This word is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and hoplon, meaning “an implement, a tool, or a weapon.” We see that panoplia literally means “every tool” or “all the weapons.”

The words “be able” are from the Greek word dunamai, meaning “to have the ability or the authority to do something.”

“Wiles” is from methodeia which, as you can see, is the source of our English word “method.” Methodeia refers to “following an orderly procedure or process.” It is expressed here in the plural indicating that Satan has more than one method.

The word “devil” is translated from the Greek word diabolos, which is from the verb diaballō, meaning “to falsely accuse.” Thus, diabolos is “a false accuser.”

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be strengthened in God and in the power of His strength. He told us to do this because, whether we like it or not, we are at war. In today’s verse, he tells us who we are at war with and what we are to do about it. We are at war with the false accuser, Satan.

Because we are God’s soldiers and we are at war, Paul tells us that we need to be prepared for battle. In order to be prepared, we need to have all the weapons available to us and we need to use them in the appropriate way. As we said in Behind the Words, the word panoplia refers to all the “weapons,” and yet the translators translated it as “the whole armor.” The reason for this is that all but one of the weapons described are defensive weapons; that is, protective armor.

We need this armor in order to be able to take a stand against Satan and his minions. We need to do battle against all of his methods. So, the obvious question is, “What are the methods that Satan uses?” Nowhere in Scripture are we ever given a specific list, but here are some of them: he opposes God’s workers (Zechariah 3:1), he perverts God’s word (Matthew 4:6), he hinders God’s servants (1Thessalonians 2:18), he blinds people’s minds from knowing the truth (2Corinthians 4:4), and he snares the righteous (1Timothy 3:7).

Yesterday we used a sports analogy talking about the final pep-talk a coach gives his team just before the big game. However, no self-respecting coach would give such a pep-talk and then send his team out on the field without the proper protective gear. Without the protective “armor,” a football player or a soldier would be slaughtered, no matter how skilled and prepared they might be. We are no different in this battle.

Application

Fighting spiritual warfare without the proper protective equipment is a sure-fire recipe for defeat. We need to be prepared and protected before we go into battle. Pay attention as Paul describes our armor in the next few verses.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Ephesians 4:27 – Accusation and Defense

Posted on by Will

nor give place to the devil.

Truth to Learn

Satan accuses us of wrongdoing. Don’t give him more to say.

Behind the Words

The word “nor” is from mēte, which is made up of mē (implying qualitative negation) and te, meaning “and.” There is another Greek word translated “and.” It is kai, which connects two things, whereas te adds on, or annexes, one idea to another. Thus, the word mēte carries the idea of “and also …”

“Give place” is translated from two separate words. The first is didōmi, meaning “to give.” The other is topos, which refers to “a place” or “a spot,” that is, a location occupied by a person or thing. Therefore, we see that “give place” means “to provide a location” or “to provide room for.” The form of didōmi (give) is present, active, imperative. So, Paul is saying “stop giving place” or “don’t be in the habit of giving place.”

“Devil” is from the noun diabolos. This word is based on the verb diaballō, which is made up of dia, meaning “through, with the idea of separation” and ballo, meaning “to throw.” Thus, the verb diaballō literally means “to throw through causing separation,” that is, “to say things which cause division.” It is most commonly used to express the idea of “slander” or “a false accusation.” The noun diabolos, which we have in today’s verse, refers to someone who makes false accusations about others. We have it here with the definite article (the), so it refers to the one specific and notorious false accuser, the Devil, who is also called Satan (adversary) throughout the Bible.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just instructed us not to sin when we get angry. Anger is not sinful in itself. It depends on who we are angry with, the reason for our anger, and how we express our anger. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said this about anger:

Anyone can become angry, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — this is not easy.

Although Aristotle was not a believer in Jehovah, he nonetheless captured the essence of the difficulty of being angry without sinning. Since we have a sin nature, we have a tendency to be selfish and sinful when we get angry.

Paul then teaches us two things to keep in mind when we do get angry. First, we are to let go of our anger quickly. In yesterday’s verse we were told “do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” In other words, by the end of the day we should have let go of it. The other thing Paul teaches us when we do get angry is, “don’t give Satan an opportunity for an accusation.” From chapter one of the book of Job, we learn that Satan has access to God’s presence and he accuses God’s children. In Job’s case, there was no validity in Satan’s accusations. But, keep in mind that even when we do cross the line and let our sin nature get the best of us, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.” (I John 2:1)

Application

There are times when we have every reason to get angry and to do so without sinning. However, when we experience sinful anger, we need to confess it and let go of it quickly. Satan has enough to say about us as it is. And remember that our defense attorney is perfect and He died to pay for our sins.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

1 Peter 5:8 – Stay Alert!

Posted on by admin

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Truth to Learn

Stay on the alert and don’t be intimidated by our accuser.

Behind the Words

“Sober” is translated from the Greek word nēphō, which means “to abstain from wine” or “to be sober.” Metaphorically it means “sober minded.” In other words, thinking clearly and not allowing your mind to be clouded by any distractions. It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

The word “vigilant” is translated from, grēgoreuō, which means “to keep awake” or “to be watchful.” This word is also expressed in the imperative mood, indicating that it is not merely a suggestion, but a command.

Meaning Explained

Peter has told us how to behave when we are suffering under affliction which has been brought on by the providence of God. We are to allow ourselves to be humbled and we are to toss all of our worrying onto Him. Lest we think that enduring suffering is a passive event, however, Peter now tells us what action we are to be taking. We are to be sober minded and vigilant even while we are being humbled.

That is, we are to keep our minds clear from distractions; we are to remain sharply focused on God and to be ever watchful. The implication is that we are to be constantly on the alert for some impending danger. Why? Because “our adversary, the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The word translated adversary means “opponent,” particularly an opponent in a legal battle. The word “devil” is the Greek word diabolos, which literally means “accuser.” But why did Peter use legal jargon referring to Satan? Because we are in a legal battle with him! He is constantly accusing us of being unrighteous.

for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10b)

And our accuser is walking about like a roaring lion. This verse does not say that the devil is a roaring lion; it says he is like a roaring lion. Have you ever watched a courtroom scene where the prosecuting attorney is roaring at the defendant trying his (or her) best to intimidate the defendant? This is precisely what Satan is doing in front of the great Judge of all creation right now. Fortunately for us, we have the best defense attorney in all of creation. In 1 John 2:1 it says:

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

So, as we are humbled by God and we toss our cares upon Him, we need to be alert and watchful. We are to keep ourselves from succumbing to temptation because there is one who is watching for us to stumble so that he can accuse us before the Father. But, when that does happen, our advocate presents His own blood as evidence of our righteousness.

Application

Do you feel like you are under attack or that there is an adversary making threatening noises against you and what you believe? If so, be humbled, quit worrying, think clearly, and be ever watchful, resting in the arms of our loving Savior.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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