Tag: diabolos

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

1 Thessalonians 2:18 – Opposition to Ministries

Posted on by Will

Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

Truth to Learn

Christians’ plans may be hindered by God – or by Satan.

Behind the Words

“We wanted” is translated from a form of the verb thelō, meaning “to wish” or “to will.” However, this word implies more than just a desire. It implies purpose and determination. Therefore, we could translate this as “we determined.”

The words “time and again” are from the phrase kai hapax kai dis, which literally means “both once and twice.” This is an idiomatic phrase meaning “several times.”

“Satan” is transliterated from the word satanas, which is originally of Chaldean origin, appearing in the Old Testament as sawtawn. The word literally means “accuser” or “adversary.” In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) it is often translated as diabolos (devil) and these two words are often used interchangeably.

Engkoptō is the verb translated “hindered.” It is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and koptō, meaning “to strike” or “to cut.” This word was used to describe the cutting of a trench in a road as a hindrance to the progress of an advancing army.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul expressed his eagerness to return to Thessalonica to be with the people there whom he considered to be his spiritual children. He now tells them that he and his co-workers were determined to return there. He makes a point here that it was not just his companions who wanted to return, but that he specifically wanted to see them in person.

We also see here that it was not just a one-time plan to return, but something they determined to do over and over again. We see from 1 Thessalonians 3:1, 2 that he had already sent Timothy back there, and probably Silvanus as well, with the purpose of encouraging and strengthening them.

Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,  (1 Thessalonians 3:1, 2)

The reason that Paul gives for his not having personally returned to Thessalonica is hindrance from Satan. We know from the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit had prevented him from carrying out some of his plans previously (see Acts 16:6, 7). This time, however, he perceives that it was the direct opposition of our adversary which thwarted his plans. We are not told how Paul knew that it was Satan rather than the Holy Spirit, but he seems certain as to the source of the opposition.

In some Christian circles it is common to blame Satan for any and all opposition to Christian ministry. Keep in mind, however, that Satan is not omnipresent like God. He can’t be in more than one place at a time. More often than not, satanic attack comes from one of his hoards rather than Satan himself.

Application

When we face opposition in our ministries, we need to prayerfully consider whether it is the Spirit of God or our enemy who is standing in our way. If it is God, we need to make other plans. If it is our enemy, however, we need to prayerfully decide whether or not we need to stand and fight.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 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.