Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 6 · Verse and explication 11
Vers. 11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
THe Apostle will have them to be strong and fortifie themselves, next, by acquiring and making use of spirituall strength inherent in themselves, while he enjoyneth them to put on the whole armour of God, that is, the whole furniture and matter of Christian vertues, and all the means which God hath appointed for guarding the soul against Satans temptations, as he cleareth afterwards in the particular pieces of this armour. Now, those graces of Gods Spirit, are called armour, because they defend the soul from, and strike out against, Satan and sinfull lusts, as the armour of souldiers in wars do defend the body and hurt the enemy; and the armour of God, both to shew it must be spirituall and not carnall, 2 Cor. 10. 5. as being fitted for the heart, soul and conscience, and not the bodily members; and that God is the author, maker and inventer of this armour, and accordingly doth bestow it, Iam. 1. 17. In the latter part of the verse, he sheweth the end why they should be strong in the Lord, and put on this armour, even that they might be able to stand, that is, to hold on their Christian course (as a souldier standing orderly and keeping his ground) not running forth beyond the bounds of their calling to cast themselves upon tentations and hazards, nor basely fleeing from or ceding to them when God calleth for valiant resistance: which duty of standing, is illustrated from the party whom they were to encounter and to fight against, even Satan, whose subtile wiles and stratagems, whereby he laboureth to intrap souls, cannot be otherwayes resisted but by putting on of this spirituall armour. Hence Learn, 1. Christians are so to rely upon and make use of the covenanted power and strength of Christ, as not to ly-by lazie and idle themselves: They must also have, and accordingly make use of strength inherent in them, and bestowed on them by their Lord and General Jesus Christ. Confidence in Christ, and the conscientious use of all those helps and means appointed by Him, cannot be separated: for, the Apostle, having commanded them (vers. 10.) to place their confidence in the power of Christ, will have them here to acquire and make use of spirituall strength inherent in themselves, while he saith, Put on the whole armour of God. 2. It is only the armour of God, the graces of His Spirit, and such other means as are appointed by Him, which Christians are to make use of in this spirituall conflict: whatever armour we use besides, (whether will-worship invented by our selves, Col. 2. 18. or carnall motives, to oppose the power of sin, or poor subterfuges to cover the guilt of it, Jer. 2. 22.) will hurt, but cannot help in the day of battel: for, he biddeth them put on the armour of God, that is, the graces of the Spirit of God, and all such means as are appointed by Him. 3. That a Christian may be truely valiant and come off with honour and safety in this spirituall conflict, he must be wholly armed, and no power of the soul or sense of the body left naked without a guard. And in order to this, that not any saving grace be wanting, 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7. or the use of any mean appointed by God, neglected, Mark 9. 29. there being work for all, and use of all at one time or other, under one case or other, in relation to one tentation or other: for, he biddeth put on the whole armour of God, and that not any one piece thereof be wanting, or any part of the man be left naked. 4. It is not enough to have the root and habits of saving grace in the heart: but we must also exercise these graces, and be alwayes acting some one or other of them, 1 Cor. 15. 58. and all of them as occasion offereth, and as suitable objects are presented by God, Gal. 6. 10. otherwise we are not in a fitting posture for this spiritual combate. When grace is idle, sin and Satan are most diligent: for, when he biddeth them put on this armour, he meaneth not only a putting on by acquiring the seeds and habits of saving graces at conversion; (for, some of them were already converted) but also a putting on by using and exercising the grace which some of them at least already had: Put on the whole armour of God. 5. The great adversary of the Saints, is the devil, who feighteth against them most by lies and calumnies, speaking evil of God and His wayes to them, Gen. 3. 5. misrepresenting their own state to themselves, Isa. 49. 14. and calumniating one of them to another: for, the devil is here spoken of as their chief adversary, and the name here given unto him, doth in the Original signifie a calumniator and slanderer; That ye may stand against the wiles of the devil. 6. As Satan is most witty and subtile; so he imployeth all his skill and subtilty for carrying on this battell against the Saints, while he most cunningly contriveth, and with no lesse subtilty conveyeth such ensnaring tentations as he knoweth, all things being considered, will be most taking with the person tempted: for, here he speaketh of Satans wiles, the word signifieth methodick witty stratagems. 7. However Satan doth sometimes transform himself into an angel of light, 2 Cor. 11. 14. and covereth his foul designs with most plausible pretences to zeal for God, Luke 9. 54, 55. to pity and natural affection, Mat. 16. 22. or generally to something which is in it self commendable; yet, his great design in all his tentations, even when he speaketh fairest, is to drive the party tempted from his station, either by making him turn the back as a coward, Neh. 6. 10, 11. or driving him beyond the bounds of his calling, Matth. 26. 51. or presently to render up his arms and become captive to some one prevalent lust or other, Gen. 39. 12. for, while he saith, that ye may able to stand against his wiles, he implyeth, that Satans aim is to drive us from our station: 8. The great work of a Christian, in relation to those wiles of Satan, is not to imitate him, by bending our wits to ensnare others to a sinfull course as he doth, Matth. 16. 22, 23. nor yet so much to know his wiles, to lay open the subtilty and deceit that is in them for the use of others, Matth. 7. 22. as to guard against them, and to keep our station notwithstanding of them, even when we are assaulted by them: for, saith Paul, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 9. It is by the alone vertue of this armour of God, that is, the saving graces of God's Spirit, and the carefull exercise of those graces, that Christians are enabled to stand out against Satans wit and wiles. A piece of natural courage and fixt resolutions, together with the deep engagement of credit and interest, may do much to make a man stand out against his avowed force and violence put forth by cruell persecuters; but there is no sence in flesh and bloud against his wiles: for, he biddeth put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.