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To Know Him and His Glory
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Certificate of New Testament Studies Three, Course 2
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The Letter to the Ephesians
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The Letter to the Ephesians
* Bible verses used throughout this lesson are from some or all of the below
translations. Where we referred to a particular verse from a certain translation, or
directly quoted it, we have used abbreviations to show what translation was used. We
also used two other Bible aids throughout the course, and they are also below.
Specific sources are listed after each lesson.
21KJV
21st Century King James Version Scripture
quotations taken from the 21st Century King James Version®, copyright © 1994.
Used by permission of Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.
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(www.americanbible.org).
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Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used
by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
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Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003,
2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.
KJV
King James Version (also known as ‘The Authorized Version’)
1611. Public Domain.
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The Letter to the Ephesians
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PHIL
New Testament in Modern English. (PHIL)
J.B. Phillips. Touchstone (January 1, 1996)
AMP
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Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
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MSG
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Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001,
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The New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
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Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
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The Letter to the Ephesians
STRONGS
Strong’s Analytical Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong. Nashville, TN
The Narrative Bible in Chronological Order. Narrated by: F. LaGard Smith. Harvest
House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402. Copyright © 1984
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Certificate of New Testament Studies Three, Course 2
The Letter to the Ephesians
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Letter to the Ephesians The letter to the Ephesians is one of the letters known as the Prison Letters
(Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians). It was probably written around the
same time as Colossians and Philemon, sometime between 60 and 63 AD. They were
all written by Paul when he was under house arrest in Rome. Paul had a close
relationship with the believers in the Ephesian church. He had spent a lot of time with
them. He first went to Ephesus at the end of his second missionary journey (Acts
18:18-21) and preached in the synagogue there for a short while. When he left
Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila (who had previously helped him in the Corinth church)
stayed behind and were instrumental in building up the church in Ephesus. Later, he
returned there at the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 19-20.) Paul spent
approximately three years with the brethren in Ephesus.
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city located in present day southwest Turkey. The city
flourished under the control of the Roman Empire. It was a large city. During the time
of Paul, its population was likely between 200,000 and 250,000. Ephesus was a major
international commercial center that sat at the crossroads of several trade routes that
extended in all directions north, south, east and west. It was also a religious center of
the region, especially noted for the Temple of Diana (a Roman goddess, also known
as “Artemis” to the Greeks.) The temple held approximately 24,500 people and was
known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The false idol worship of Diana was big business. Making silver shrines, trinkets and
statues brought in a lot of money for a lot of different tradesmen. But when the
Gospel took root in Ephesus, it cut into their business and a riot took place (Acts
19:20-41). The greedy tradesmen brought accusations against Paul and his
companions. They wanted to defeat this Christian movement in order to resume their
profitable business ventures.
The temple of Diana was damaged or destroyed in 268 AD by the Goths. The Goths
were a tribal people from the north who migrated south, organized and became very
powerful. We do not know if the temple was ever rebuilt. The town of Ephesus was
partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. Its harbor slowly filled in with silt
from the Cayster River and the city was no longer important as a commercial center.
Today the ruins of Ephesus are a favorite tourist site.
Some question whether or not this letter was written to the Ephesians, even though
the first verse says “to the saints who are at Ephesus”. Some of the early Greek
manuscripts leave out the words about Ephesus. The letter doesn’t have the usual
terms of endearment and it doesn’t address church issues. However, it is also possible
that it may have been written to the Ephesians but was written in such a general way
that all churches could be encouraged by it. It is likely Paul intended this letter to be
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The Letter to the Ephesians
circulated among the churches in Asia Minor. This is further supported by the fact
that in Colossians 4:16, Paul requested that the letter to the Colossians be read along
with the letter from Laodicea. It was not uncommon for Paul’s letters to be circulated
among the churches in the area. This would have been a great letter to share in those
churches. Paul wrote this letter to make Christians more aware of who they are in
Christ and the great riches they have in Him. It is a message that is important down
through the ages. It is as good for us today as it was for the early church.
Lesson 1: Introduction – Questions
1. What happened when the Gospel took root in Ephesus?
2. This would have been a great letter to share in those churches. Paul wrote this letter to make
Christians more aware of who they are in
and the
they have in Him.
Sources:
__________
Goths.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths
The New Open Bible Study Edition of the New American Standard Bible
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN Copyright © 1990. All rights reserved.
Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts
Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville, TN. Copyright © 1996
The Narrative Bible in Chronological Order. Narrated by: F. LaGard Smith. Harvest House
Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402. Copyright © 1984
Artemis.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis
Ephesus.
http://www.abrock.com/Greece-Turkey/ephesus.html
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Ephesus Location: Where is Ephesus?
© 2004-2014 Ephesus Ancient City. Selcuk Izmir Turkey. All rights reserved. Terms &
Conditions
http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/ephesus_location.htm
Ephesus.
Holman Bible Dictionary
Mitchell G. Reddish. Butler, Trent C. Editor. Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T1888
St. Paul's Ephesus: Texts and Archaeology
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor. Liturgical Press, 2008
http://books.google.com/books?id=4FwV5fu8D_UC&pg=PA131&dq=ephesus+population&hl=
en&sa=X&ei=7vghU7zYE2A2QWl5YGwBQ&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ephesus%20population&f=false
The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius
Paul Trebilco Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007
http://books.google.com/books?id=BayYc9ufvJYC&pg=PA17&dq=ephesus+population&hl=en
&sa=X&ei=7vghU7zYE2A2QWl5YGwBQ&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ephesus%20population&f=false
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1 – Made Full And Complete By Christ
It is important that you read Ephesians 1 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and reading it is
the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and not the actual
Living Word of God.
A. The Plan
If we honestly look at our lives and what God has done in and for us, we have many,
many reasons to bless God and be thankful. It is pretty easy to name off a list of
physical blessings that God has blessed us with, like life, or a home, or a spouse, or
children, etc. But God’s Word says in Eph. 1:3 that because of Christ Jesus, He has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. What does that mean?
What is “every spiritual blessing”?
There are many spiritual blessings for believers because we share in the righteousness
of Christ and His salvation and are partakers of His Holy Spirit. Here are some of
them:
 We stand in God’s grace (Rom. 5:2)
 We have been chosen by Him (John 15:16-19, 1 Pet. 1:2)
 We are adopted into His family (Rom. 8:14-17, Gal. 4:5)
 We have been made right with God because we share in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:9, 19; 1 Cor. 1:30)
 We’ve been given the gift of faith (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 12:3)
 The love of God has been placed inside of us (Rom. 5:5, 1 John 4:19)
 We’ve been given everything we need for life and Godliness (1 Pet. 1:3)
 We’ve been given authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19,
Rom. 8:38-39)
They are all different aspects of The Plan God had before time began.
Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us
as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Eph. 1:4, MSG
Before God separated the seas from the land…before He made the earth…before He
called light out of the darkness…He had a plan—The Plan.
The Plan focused on us.
Before anything was, He knew us, He loved us, and He chose us to be in Christ. He
saw us as part of His family. We were the focus of His love. He desired to have a
relationship with us—an unbroken companionship with us was His heart’s great
desire. Everything He has done (and is still doing) has been to work towards that
goal.
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Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in
Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set
apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.
Eph. 1:4, AMP
He picked us out and made us adopted sons and daughters. He did not do this
begrudgingly, or because He had to. God’s Word says in Eph. 1:5 that He did this
because of His kind intention (AMP)—it gave Him great pleasure (NLT) to do this.
He purposed to do this because it pleased Him.
He had this purpose even BEFORE He created man. In fact, God’s WHOLE purpose
of creation was to be able to share His love. He wanted to have a family, made in His
own likeness, so He could have a matchless, unbroken companionship with them.
So He created man in His own image. But man sinned, broke that relationship with
God, and the wages of sin was death.
However, even when sin came into the picture, it did not deter God from His Plan.
God is always in charge, and He always knows exactly what is going to happen and
what He is going to do. God knew we would sin and suffer the consequences. He
knew we would need a Savior and The Plan covered it all.
The Plan was for the sinless Son of God to be the Savior who would shed His blood
and die on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He would rescue those who
deserved to die. He made a way for those who were sentenced to an eternity of
separation from God. His blood—His own life—would be the price of redemption for
all those who would accept His offer of freedom. And whoever will believe, will not
perish. Instead, they will have everlasting life; their sins forgiven, their slates wiped
clean, their relationship with God made brand new (Eph.1:7).
This is a case of great mercy, love and abounding grace being lavished on us. Poured
out, pressed down and running over. It is a grace so full that we are immersed in
Christ, hid in Him. He has made us accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6, 8). Now, the
Lord is expecting and looking to be gracious to us (Is 30:18); His great longing is to
fill us with Himself.
It is through the Son, at the cost of his own blood, that we are redeemed, freely
forgiven through that full and generous grace which has overflowed into our lives
and opened our eyes to the truth. (Eph. 1:7-8, Phillips)
There’s no mystery anymore to what God has done (Eph 1:9). His plan is not a secret.
He has revealed it to His people. The plan of salvation is clear: God reconciled us to
Himself through Christ Jesus. But there is more to His master plan that we cannot see
clearly and fully at this time. It is like looking through a glass that is foggy, because
we cannot yet see the completion of His master plan: the salvation and restoration of
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all created things. This is the totality of The Plan, that at the right time everything is
brought together under the authority of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:10, NLT)—everything
summed up and unified in Christ (NAS, AMP)—where every knee bows and every
tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Because of His grace, we as believers are a part of these things. This is our
inheritance from our Heavenly Father, kept for us in Heaven and undefiled (1 Pet.
1:4):
And here is the staggering thing—that in all which will one day belong to him we
have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the one who
achieves his purposes by his sovereign will), so that we, as the first to put our
confidence in Christ, may bring praise to his glory! Eph. 1:11-13 Phillips
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for…he had his eye
on us, had designs on us for glorious living… signed, sealed, and delivered by the
Holy Spirit… the first installment on what’s coming. Eph. 1:11-14, MSG
The Holy Spirit is indication that we are God’s people, and He IS THAT first
installment of our inheritance.
The Holy Spirit is the pledge from God that there is more to come (v14, NAS, AMP).
The Holy Spirit is the proof that we are bought and paid for by the precious blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ (v14, NLT).
It’s like being adopted, given our new last name and given all the rights that go with
it. The Holy Spirit is evidence of God’s clear intention: fully redeeming and buying
back His own possession—His people.
Lesson 2A: The Plan – Questions
1. Write down eight spiritual blessings in heavenly realms, listed in the lesson.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
2. Man is the
of God’s love.
3. God’s great desire was to have an
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4. As believers, God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. (True or
False - Underline one)
5. God’s purpose in creation was to be able to share His
.
6. Man’s sin ruined God’s plan therefore God had to resort to Plan B (True or False Underline one).
7. God has always planned to reconcile us to Himself through
.
8. The totality of God’s plan is: (underline the wrong one)
A. to bring everything under the authority of Christ
B. every knee will bow to Christ
C. every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
D. to finally defeat satan
E. everything will be summed up and unified in Christ
9. What are three things that connect the Holy Spirit to our inheritance?
that we are God’s people
A.
B.
that there is more to come
C.
that we are bought and paid for with the blood of Christ
B. Paul’s Prayer
The Ephesian church had heard the Gospel of Jesus. They knew the Plan—they knew
they were chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
And they believed it! The Holy Spirit had used Paul to birth this church. Seeing and
hearing of their faith and their love for each other (v15) caused never-ceasing prayers
of thanksgiving to rise up in Paul’s heart and he constantly prayed for the brethren in
the Ephesian church.
What Paul prayed in v17-20 is a good model for us to use today when we are praying
for ourselves and for others. Let’s look at what he prayed:
1. asked God to give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation into Who God is (v17) Paul knew that knowing God is much more than knowing mere facts about Him. It is
knowing Him personally, and only the Holy Spirit can do that for us. The Holy Spirit
is the Source and Conduit of a deep and intimate knowledge of God (v17, NLT,
AMP). Jesus said the Holy Spirit teaches us and guides us into the truth (John 14:26,
16:13). He does this through God’s Word. He leads us through valleys and mountains
and uses events in our life to instruct us. And the Holy Spirit is that still-small voice
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behind us that says, “This is the way—walk in it” (Is. 30:20-21). Through walking
with Him personally, He reveals God’s Character and we come to know Him.
2. asked God that the eyes of their heart would be enlightened to know… (v18-19) Paul wanted their minds to comprehend something here. He wanted them to see and
understand three things:
1. the hope of His calling – what was He calling? It goes back to God’s
Master plan. Remember that?—His plan for us to become part of His
family? He is calling out to us to be a part of something bigger than
ourselves. Surely you have felt Him calling out to you and telling you
there is more to this life than the mere existence of everyday living,
that your life is worth much more than that. It was worth so much to
Him that He was willing to pour out His life unto death just to bring
you into His Kingdom. We were made for a relationship with the King
of Kings. And THAT gives us a LOT of hope. We could spend a
lifetime just learning to know that hope of His calling.
2. how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones)
(AMP) – Many people say Paul is praying for people to know the
richness of the saints’ inheritance (that inheritance that we spoke about
previously.) Certainly we need to know the valuable riches that we
have in Christ. That absolutely is a big part of the hope of His calling.
But there is another side to this coin that needs to be discussed. Does
God have an inheritance?
To answer that, well, you have to ask, “What was God’s motivation
for His plan?” Why did God create man? Was it not to have a people, a
family, which He could have a relationship with? Yes. That is why
Jesus came, according to Hebrews 12:3 (AMP):
He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him,
endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now
seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
So what was that joy set before Him? What was the prize He was
after? Was the Creator of the Universe trying to win a plastic trophy or
something? No…
WE WERE THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM. WE ARE HIS PRIZE.
He looked beyond the cross and saw all those who would believe in
His sacrifice and be set free from the power of sin and death, and He
called them His own.
His treasured possession. His set-apart ones. His inheritance:
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For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob (Israel) is the lot of His
inheritance. Deut. 32:9-13
WE ARE HIS INHERITANCE!
So what are the riches of His inheritance? How rich is He, if we are
His inheritance? If we look at ourselves with earthly eyes, our first
thought just might be, “Boy, He didn’t get a very good deal! We are
nothing but trouble with a capital ‘T’!” But if we look with spiritual
eyes, we will see something entirely different.
The key to understanding the riches of His inheritance is found a few
paragraphs above in the word, “Joy”: For the joy set before Him…
We bring Him joy and delight. We are the apple of His eye (Zechariah
2:8). He rejoices over us:
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee
with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
and His delight is in us:
It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it
any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called, “My delight is
in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And
to Him your land will be married. Isaiah 62:4 NAS
So, what are the riches of His inheritance in the saints? The riches are
the joy, the pure delight He gets in the relationship with His people.
Nothing is more important to God than that.
3. The third thing Paul prayed is that we would know God’s
immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power
towards us who believe—How great is God’s power? Is it limited to
time or space? No. It is limitless. God’s power is all-encompassing—
and there is nothing that does not come under His power. His power
created the universe out of nothing, flinging the stars and planets into
space. His power is creative and explosive like dynamite. It is beyond
anything our minds can comprehend. The power of a million suns
flicker dimly next to the blazing power of God. Even death crumples
beneath the feet of God’s life-giving power. The Power of Life
crushed the power of death when God raised Jesus from the dead.
THAT is the same resurrection power available today to us who
believe.
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In fact, everything that God is, is available to us as God’s children.
God is for us and not against us. He wants to share all that He is with
us—and He will do that for all those who are humble-minded enough
to receive it. God is not going to share His power with someone who is
going to take credit for it—you have to know where that power comes
from and not take glory upon yourself.
…so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp
the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers, oh,
the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him—endless
energy, boundless strength! Eph. 1:19, MSG
Lesson 2B: Paul’s Prayer – Questions
1. What are the two things Paul prayed that are a good model for us to pray?
A.
B.
2. What are the three things that Paul prayed the Ephesians’ hearts would be
enlightened to know?
A.
B.
C.
3. Your life is worth more than just an everyday existence. (True or False - Underline
one)
4. You were made for a relationship with the
of
.
5. What are the two sides of His glorious inheritance in the saints?
A. the valuable
B. the
that we have in
that God gets from the relationship with
.
6. The Power of
crushed the power of
when God
raised Jesus from the dead. THAT is the same resurrection power
today to
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who believe.
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The Letter to the Ephesians
C. Paul Declares Christ’ Power And Authority
All this power was brought about and made available to believers when God the
Father raised Christ from the dead, seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly
places (v20) and gave Him ALL power and authority—both now and for the ages to
come (v21). All things are now under His feet. He is the supreme Head over the
Church (v22).
All this energy issues from Christ:… on a throne… running the universe,
everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from His
rule…forever… has the final word on everything… At the center of all this, Christ
rules the church…the church not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral
to the church… The church is Christ’s body, in which He speaks and acts, by
which He fills everything with His presence. v20-23 MSG
So if God is all-powerful and in charge, and God is love, then why is the world in
such a mess? Why don’t we see all things under His feet?
The truth is that if God weren’t all-powerful and if God is not love, then we would
not even be ABLE to see that the world is such a mess. God is the One that gave us
the Law and the Way and the Truth and the Life. If He had not given us this out of
love, we wouldn’t even see the evil in the world—we would just be a part of the big
mess. We wouldn’t have a standard for what good really is. We would think the big
mess of evil is normal—that is just the way life is supposed to be.
But there is a reason the world is in a big mess. The situation looks like this:





Because God gave us a free will, and
because God is love, and
because love does not demand its own way, and
because mankind chooses to sin, therefore
we still see sin raising up its ugly face in our everyday lives.
The result? Sin brings forth horrible death.
The day is coming when Christ will return and put an end to all this sin and death.
But for now, even though God is on the throne and all things are under His feet, we
do not see a perfect world.
Nevertheless, God is still working out all things for good for those that love Him and
are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). He is still taking things meant for
evil and turning them for good (Gen. 50:19-21).
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Lesson 2C: Paul Declares Christ’ Power And Authority – Questions
1. Who is the supreme Head over all things in the universe?
2. The world is in a big mess because:
 God gave us a

God is

Love does not

Mankind chooses to

The result is that
its
brings forth
.
3. God is not working out all things for good for those that love Him and are called
according to His purpose. He is not taking things meant for evil and turning them for
good. (True or False - Underline one)
D. Christ Works Through His Body
He is still in charge and He is using the Church to bring all things under His feet.
He’s given us as believers all authority to “trample upon serpents and scorpions, and
physical and mental strength and ability over ALL the power that the enemy
possesses; and nothing shall in any way harm” us. (Luke 10:19, AMP)
The things of this world are not ruling the world and what is happening in it. The
truth is, Christ is—He’s been given authority over it all. He is in the center of
everything… On the throne... In charge… Jesus is in charge of the Church, and He
speaks through the Church and rules through the Church. The presence of the Church
is salt and light in the world today.
Many people believe the Church is, and has been, irrelevant in the world. But that is
not true.
Who has raised up hospitals? The Church.
Who spearheaded freedom for slaves? The Church.
Who responds to tragedy and disaster? Thousands of believers in churches around the
world.
Who feeds the hungry? A salvation army of believers called the Church.
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Who started orphanages and care for the mentally ill? The Quakers, Catholics, and
other churches.
Who discovered and populated the New World (America)? Despite what you may
have heard in school, God’s Word guided early explorers such as Columbus, and
gave them conviction to push onward. Religious freedom was the driving force that
sent men and women to make their home in the New World.
Christians all over the world have done these things and more simply because God’s
Word said things like The Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would like them
to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
(Matt. 7:12, NLT)
They did it simply because God’s love was poured out in their hearts, and therefore,
they can love.
Because the Lord has chosen to dwell among His people and make them His Body,
and fill them with His fullness (Eph 1:23), the church can speak and act for Him.
Many may claim to speak for God, but if their words are truly coming from God,
what they say will always line up with His Word. Keep in mind that this is God’s plan
to speak through His people—but we are imperfect individuals who fall far short of
the Glory of God and we only know and see in part. Individually we are not Christ.
However, He IS making His plan work out through us—just like He made His plans
for the Messiah come forth through Israel. He is using us—plain jars of clay! The
Divine is working through mere humans. He leads us. He guides us. He speaks to us
through His Word. He hears us and answers our prayers. And THAT makes what we
see happening in the world not nearly so frightening. It gives us more faith to believe
that God will take the evil we see and turn it to good, because He is a good God.
He is moving His plan forward in each of our lives, using His Word and His people—
His church—to accomplish His purposes. That is really the central and most
important thing that is happening in our lives. Everything else is peripheral. God is
permeating all the events and details and relationships of our lives, and working
through them all. He has His hand in everything. He is there, calling out to us, and
taking the things that are bad and turning them to good.
God is doing this with each one of us in our lives. We each gain a portion of Christ in
our walk with Him…each of us one piece of the Divine Puzzle. Can you see this?
One member of the Body has learned great wisdom at God’s hand. Another person in
the Body has suffered through harsh tribulation but found incredible peace in Christ.
One member has experienced Jesus, birthing kindness and gentleness in their lives.
One brother in Christ received immense mercy from God and it made him a humble
soul. A sister in Christ was freed from bitterness and resentment and she became a joy
for people to be around. As members of His Kingdom, we love each other. We lay
down our lives for each other. We form relationships that will last throughout
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eternity. Put us all together and we are a real Power House. His house…His
Body…that’s where God, who fills the whole universe, fully dwells (Eph. 1:23,
Phillips). Together we are the fullness of Christ.
Lesson 2D: Christ Works Through His Body – Questions
1. Christ is using the
to bring all things under His feet.
2. The presence of the church is
and
in the world today.
3. The Lord has chosen to dwell among
His Body, and fill them with His
and make them
.
4. Underline the one below that is NOT a piece of the “Divine Puzzle”:
A. One member of the Body learned great wisdom at God’s hand.
B. Another person in the Body suffered through harsh tribulation but found
incredible peace in Christ.
C. A red Cadillac convertible with genuine leather seats.
D. One member experienced Jesus, birthing kindness and gentleness in their
lives.
E. One brother in Christ received immense mercy from God and it made him a
humble soul.
F. A sister in Christ was freed from bitterness and resentment and she became a
joy for people to be around.
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Lesson 3: Ephesians 2 – God’s Plan: His Goals, His Work
It is important that you read Ephesians 2 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and reading it is
the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and not the actual
Living Word of God.
Life BC
The fullness of Christ stands in stark contrast to our lives BC—before Christ. Our BC
days were dark. We lived in habitual sin like everyone else (Eph. 2:2, AMP). We did
“what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat” (Eph.
2:3, MSG). On the surface, that doesn’t sound too bad. What’s wrong with pursuing
our own needs and desires? What’s the problem with being independent and doing
our own thing? Maybe a better question is, “Where is God in our lives when we are
living an independent life and doing our own thing? Is doing what we feel like doing
a part of the fullness of Christ? Are we even trying to get on the same page as the
fullness of Christ?” We all pursue things in our lives just in the course of daily living.
That is normal. But when we do it to the exclusion of others and make self our idol, it
becomes a false god. The trouble is that living our own selfish lives is really not
obeying God. Why not?
God is love and He has commanded us to love one another, and love does not demand
its own way. God’s Word says this about love:
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16 (NAS)
So love is laying down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ. What does
God’s Word say about those who don’t love, who don’t lay down their lives for the
brethren?
Here we have a clear indication as to who are the children of God and who are the
children of the devil. The man who does not lead a good life is no son of God, nor is
the man who fails to love his brother. (1 John 3:10, Phillips)
Clearly, not loving is not obeying God. Back in our BC days, before Christ was in our
lives, we didn’t have the ability to really love because we didn’t know what love
really was, what it really looked like. Sure, we may have understood and experienced
passionate physical love or an affectionate love marked with tenderness, like that
between friends or family. But we didn’t know God’s kind of selfless love. We didn’t
know how to really love—how could we know it? God’s Word says “We love,
because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God is love and we weren’t even on
speaking terms with Him.
We will never know the fullness of Christ without walking in love. Not loving is
“obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the
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spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Eph. 2:2 NLT). That’s
the place we all lived BC. And living in that place of rebellion, we were subject to
God’s anger (Eph. 2:3, NLT). Truthfully, we should have died. The ultimate wages of
sin is death (Rom. 6:23). God could have rightfully wiped us out.
We always want what we think we deserve, but in this case, we are blessed, because
we didn't get what we deserved.
But God…
Why didn’t God give us what we rightfully earned and deserved? Well, you have to
understand the ‘but’ in Eph. 2:4. What followed after the ‘but’ changed things so we
wouldn’t die in our sin:
But God being rich in mercy …
God is so merciful and loves us so much that He unleashed The Plan—His great plan
of salvation that He had since before the beginning of time. And so, even though we
were dead in sin and under the sentence of death, He saved us by grace (Eph. 2:5).
Grace reached out and pulled us out of darkness into the grace-place. It was a Divine
Rescue that lifted us up right out of the old life, and seated us with Christ in Heavenly
places (Eph. 2:6, Phillips). Grace gave us joint seating (AMP) with Him in the
Heavenlies!
Heavenly Realm
What is the Heavenly realm?
The Heavenly realm includes many things. If you have done some of our other Bible
studies, or done the previous lesson in this study, you will recognize some of these
that are a part of the Heavenlies. The Heavenly sphere is a place:










where Heaven is
where the throne of God is, the secret place of the Most High
where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us
where our life is hid in Christ in God
where we can come boldly before the throne of grace to receive mercy
where all authority proceeds from
where blessings are birthed
where our inheritance is kept secure, and undefiled
where the fullness of Christ’s love is a reality
full of the treasures of wisdom into the ways and purposes of God. (Col. 2:3).
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

where we are given right-standing with God. In Christ we share in His
righteousness and are made right with God (Rom. 8:10, NLT). We are hid in
His righteousness and because of that we are in right-standing relationship
with the Father.
where the shadow of the Almighty—a “power no foe can withstand” (Ps.
91:1, 2 AMP)—is our Refuge and the Fortress we can lean and rely on
anytime
These are all spiritual blessings that proceed from Heaven, and it is in Heaven that
God gave us joint seating with Christ. It was His good pleasure to give us that
privilege of sitting in this place with Jesus. It is the only TRULY secure place we will
ever dwell. It is secure, because it does not depend on us. It is secure because of what
Christ has done, and because He keeps it secure.
Joint-seating with Christ is like having a permanent seat in the Oval Office in the
White House, beside the President, with the authority to speak in his name—only a
million times better, because this is the Eternal President and because of grace we not
only have His ear, but we are part of the Family.
It is like sitting on the throne of the King, with the King, who shares His Kingly
authority with us. But even more than that, we have this intimate connection with
Him that binds us together in warm fellowship. Therefore, we even have a seat at His
table. There we can share intimate conversation with Him, and cherish the joy of His
presence.
Because we are seated jointly with Christ and share in His authority, all spiritual
blessings of Heaven are available to us. But this joint-seating is not just for down the
road when we die or when Jesus comes back. We don’t have to just barely get along
and hold out until we get to Heaven. This joint-seating is a reality, available now here
on this earth. We may not see it with our eyes or feel it in our souls but it’s still a
reality in the spiritual realm and can be brought down to this earth by faith. God told
us about all these blessings in the Heavenly realms in His Word, therefore we can
expect them to be true. We can believe and trust God to bring them about in our lives,
even though we can’t see them. Jesus even talked about this, and us, when He said
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be
one…You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).
The blessings of Heaven—this joint-seating in Christ—are a part of the glory and
love God gave us.
This is all part of God’s plan of salvation where He makes man whole, body, soul and
spirit.
But Why?
Why was this all part of God’s Great Plan?
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It was so He could show for all time the tremendous generosity of the grace and
kindness He has expressed towards us in Christ Jesus. It was nothing you could or
did achieve—it was God’s gift to you. No one can pride himself upon earning the love
of God. The fact is that what we are we owe to the hand of God upon us. (Eph. 2:7-9,
Phillips)
Because we can’t take credit for this, God can point to us in all future ages as
examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in
all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7, NLT)
It is important to understand that God didn’t do this because He needed praise and
glory. God doesn’t need some sort of divine trophy case to show off to some of the
angels.
So why did He do this?
He did it for us. He lavished grace on us because it was in OUR best interests. If we
could do everything ourselves, and by our own works, even save ourselves, then we
would be our own god. We wouldn’t know that we needed a Savior. But the truth is
we can’t do it ourselves. We don’t have the power, the wisdom or the goodness. We
need help. We need a Savior. By not accepting that fact, we are cutting ourselves off
from the very help we need. We live in the pride of life and separate ourselves from
the King of Kings and the best relationship we could ever know. We block the grace
and blessings God has for us. But His Word says that He gives more and more grace
to all those who are humble-minded enough to receive it (James 4:6, AMP).
And it is by grace that you are saved (Eph. 2:8). Nothing else will make us right with
God. Remember grace is God’s favor, His mercy, His help in time of need, and His
power of His Holy Spirit that we don’t deserve. Grace sets us right with our Heavenly
Father and puts us in a place where we can have a close relationship with Him. There
is nothing we can do to get it. We can’t earn it. We can only accept it.
We can only do that through faith and even the faith is a gift from God. God’s Word
says that He has set eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11) and there is a part of us—a Godshaped hole—that has been created to believe. It is a “divinely implanted sense of a
purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can
satisfy” (Ecc. 3:11, AMP). He has placed in every man the ability to believe, and that
is what we call faith.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done… Eph. 2:9, NLT
Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do
it. Eph. 2:8, MSG
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The salvation that God’s Word is talking about here in v8 is not just the initial
salvation of being born again. The word “saved” comes from a Greek word, “sozo”,
meaning “to save, deliver or protect: - heal, preserve, make whole” (Strong’s). Yes, it
means salvation from hell. Yes, it means salvation from our sins. But it also refers to
an ongoing, progressive salvation which delivers us from our sins and weaknesses of
both soul and body. That salvation transforms us into His image and makes us more
Christ-like. In many local churches, that daily transforming salvation is called
“sanctification.” Regardless what it is called, all salvation is a gift that is based in the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
His Handiwork
All these things are part of The Plan God made. Salvation is all God. He did the work.
That makes us HIS workmanship (Eph. 2:10, NAS).
We are His handiwork (AMP).
Why did He create this Masterpiece (NLT)?
God has created us to have a relationship with Him, and to walk with Him in the good
works that He has prepared for us to do (v10). It’s what God desired when He created
Adam and Eve. Before they sinned, they walked with God in the garden and did all
the work God put in their hands to do. They did everything with God together in
perfect fellowship. This is a great picture of how God wants our relationship with
Him to be. He has a plan for each of our lives (Jer. 28:11). He has prepared it all
beforehand so we could walk with Him in it. He has given us everything we need for
life and Godliness. He has placed within us the abilities and gifts to do His will and
that makes for a good life (Eph. 2:10, AMP) When we follow His plan we find peace,
fulfillment and joy. It is a great pleasure to walk and talk with God in our daily lives.
We don’t want to ever take this for granted. Remember there was a time when we too
had no hope and were separate from God's promise (Eph. 2:12). It is only because of
Christ's blood we are now at peace with God (v13). What He did on the cross tore
down and ripped apart every wall between us and God (v14).
That wall—the Law—made us think that we could make ourselves right with God if
we just did everything right. He abolished that kind of thinking which made up a big
part of the old covenant, and brought in a new covenant, a new contract that would
include all who would lean on, rely in and trust the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to
cleanse them from all sin. His blood made all of humanity who are in Christ, one
(v15, AMP). The door is now open wide for all who will believe.
Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what
Christ has done for us. (Eph. 2:18, NLT)
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Now all those who are in Christ are a part of the family and household of God. No
one has to be an outsider anymore. God is building something, and He is using ALL
the pieces. He is constructing a House for Himself, a Temple of God. It is the Church,
the Body of Christ (Eph. 2:19). If you are in Christ, God has a place made just for
you in His Church.
The foundation of this structure is the apostles (those sent as spiritual builders of the
Church) and the Old Testament prophets (Eph. 2:20). The Church’s cornerstone is
Jesus Christ. He is the center of everything and holds everything together. As He fits
each of us together as living stones, the structure continues to grow into a holy
Temple in the Lord. This happens when we make a decision to love each other, walk
with each other, and when we offend each other, to forgive each other. The members
of the Body of Christ become welded together harmoniously in fellowship with one
another, into a sanctuary dedicated to the presence of the Lord (Eph. 2:21, AMP).
This refuge is the dwelling place where God has chosen to make His Home. Sound
incredible? That God would make His Home—place His fullness—in such an
imperfect people as us? We, who fall way short of this? But God speaks of things that
aren’t, as though they were (Rom. 4:17), and one day this is who we will be. As for
now we are a work in progress.
We see it taking shape day after day… Eph. 2:22, MSG
Lesson 3: Ephesians 2 – God’s Plan: His Goals, His Work – Questions
1. We will never know the
walking in
of Christ without
.
2. God did not give us what we rightfully earned and deserved because He is so rich
in
and
.
3. The
of God gave us joint seating with Christ in the Heavenlies!
4. Underline the one that is NOT a part of the Heavenly sphere:
A. where Heaven is
B. where the throne of God is, the secret place of the Most High
C. where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us
D. where our life is hid in Christ in God
E. where the saints have wings and sit around on clouds playing harps all day
F. where all authority proceeds from
G. where the fullness of Christ’s love is a reality
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5. God has given us joint seating with Christ in the Heavens. (True or False Underline one)
6. Sitting with Christ in Heavenly Places means we have an
connection with Him that binds us together in warm
.
7. Because we are seated jointly with Christ and share in His authority, all spiritual
blessings of Heaven are available to us. (True or False - Underline one)
8. You cannot earn God's love. It is His gift to you. (True or False - Underline one)
9. When we live in the
of
ourselves off from the very help we need. We
God has for us.
, we are cutting
the grace and blessings
10. There is a part of us—a God-shaped hole—that has been created to believe. (True
or False - Underline one)
11. If you are in
in His
, God has a
made just for you
.
12. Is it possible that God has chosen us and other believers to be the dwelling place
where He chose to make His home? (yes/no Underline one)
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Lesson 4: Ephesians 3 –
Game Changed, Treasures Revealed, and Love Made Real
It is important that you read Ephesians 3 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and reading it is
the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and not the actual
Living Word of God.
The Secret Game-Changer
There is a mystery to The Plan of God that He kept secret for thousands of years
(Eph. 3:9). The secret surprised many, but was good news to billions. No one saw it
coming, not even the enemy—if he had, he wouldn’t have killed the Son of God (1
Cor. 2:7-9). The Plan was so well-laid out that the Lord even told Satan what He was
going to do and he STILL didn’t get it (Gen. 3:14-15). Peter was the first one of the
apostles to get a glimpse into The Plan. Other prophets and apostles also later came to
understand the revelation (Eph. 3:5). In Paul’s case, he himself said God didn’t
choose him to reveal the secret because of any natural ability (Eph. 3:7-8). He only
saw the fullness of The Plan because God took him into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:16) and personally picked him to reveal this secret (Eph. 3:3).
We’ve talked about The Plan earlier in this course. But what was so secret about it?
It was that every Gentile who would believe in the death and resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ would be included in The Plan of salvation:
And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share
equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and
both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. (Eph. 3:6,
NLT)
The wall of separation demolished…those far off brought near…outsiders brought
into the household of God…
No longer strangers to the covenants and promises of God.
A certain brother in Christ put it like this: It’s like we are all on a playground about to
play a game and people are picking teams. There are always people who are not ever
picked or are always picked last—the ones no one wants on their team—the rejects.
But it just so happens that God is the Captain and says to those forgotten outcasts, “I
want you on My team!” and picks them. That is what God did with the Gentiles. That
is what God did with us.
And that is a game-changer!
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The Incredible Treasure Angels Would Love To Have
Now, because of The Plan, endless, unfathomable treasures in Christ are available to
us (Eph. 3:8, NLT, NAS).
What are those treasures in Christ?
It’s the spiritual blessings talked about in Ephesians 1. It’s the heavenly places in
Ephesians 2 that we discussed in the last lesson. It is His fullness. It is part of
everything Christ is. It is part of God’s plan from the beginning, to conform us to His
image, make us like Christ…to bring us back to what Adam had originally: the purity,
innocence and intimacy of matchless, unbroken companionship with his Heavenly
Father…the joy of walking and talking with his Father.
This fellowship…this walk with the Father…has always been the purpose of God’s
plan (Eph. 3:10-12). This is what God’s goal has been since before time began: to
bring everything together in Christ. His purpose has always been centered in Christ,
so that everything would come through Him, so that:
- Christ would be the center of the Church
- we as the Church would have boldness and confident access to God through
faith in Christ
- the Church would be the ones who would make known this plan to the world,
and to the angelic rulers and authorities in heavenly spheres
Who are the angelic rulers, principalities and powers in heavenly places (v10)?
Some think Paul means good angels. Some think he means bad angels (demons).
Others think he is referring both to good and bad angels (Clark; Jamieson
commentaries). One thing we know for sure from Scripture is that angels would love
to see, understand and be part of salvation (1 Pet. 1:12). When members of God’s
House walk with Him in His purposes, a testimony of His goodness arises from their
lives into the Heavenlies. The angels—the principalities and powers—can see that
God has given man authority upon this earth and He has made His home with His
man. They can see an incredible two-way intimate love relationship between God and
His man that they can never have.
Because of this incredible greatness of The Plan—His Plan—we are
 being built together in Christ (Eph. 2:22; 3:14, AMP),
 given bold and confident access to God (Eph. 3:12),
 joined together with Him as fellow partakers of the promise in Christ (Eph.
3:6), therefore…
…Paul says he bows his knee in prayer for the Ephesians. Paul was confident that
God heard his cries and answered his prayers. So, he prayed something that was of
utmost importance for the Ephesians.
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Prayer For Revelation And Filling
It also is a good prayer for us to pray for ourselves and others. Here are the highlights
of what Paul prayed (Eph. 3:16-19, from AMP):
1. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and
reinforced with mighty power in your innermost being and personality by the
Holy Spirit indwelling you (v16)
2. May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, and make His
permanent home in your hearts in an ever-increasing degree so that you
become more Christ-like in your daily walk! (v17)
3. May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love (v17)
4. May you have the power to apprehend, grasp and experience—with all God’s
people—what is the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love
(v18)
5. May you really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves
the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience
(v19);
6. May you be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God and have
the richest measure of the divine Presence, becoming flooded and filled to
overflowing with God Himself! (v19)
God’s Love Made Real
Every point in this prayer is related to each other. They are each individual things that
God does in us, but all of them are a strengthening of God’s presence in our lives.
We can’t do that ourselves; we need His help. It is wise to pray that God would step
in and reinforce us with Himself and make us able to walk in love everyday and also
stand in the day of trouble (Eph. 3:16). He does this in us by energizing and creating
in us the power and desire, both to will and to work for His good pleasure
(Philippians 2:12-14, AMP). “He does it not by pushing us around but by working
within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us” (Eph. 3:20, MSG).
We need Him to make His home in our hearts. As believers, He already lives in our
hearts. But as we give Him control of our lives, He starts repairing the damaged parts
of our lives and remodeling us into the image of Christ. We can pray that we would
know that Christ lives inside us and be actually convinced that He’s always with us,
that we are never alone (Eph. 3:19).
Becoming convinced that He is living in us comes as we taste and see that the Lord is
good, and we experience how much He loves us. It is a good thing to pray for
ourselves or someone else, that God would root us and ground us in His love (Eph.
3:17), that He would make His love real to us, that He would show us what love
really is (Eph. 3:18).
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Apprehending just how much God loves us will take more than eternity. God’s Word
says His love reaches to the Heavens (Ps. 36:5)—that is a longgggggg way. His Word
says His love has scattered our sins as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12)—
and we know the two never meet. Knowing the full extent of the love of Christ—the
breadth, length, height and depth—goes way beyond reading a book about Him or
taking a class or filling our heads with facts about God. It is a relationship with Him
that we have to experience for ourselves (Eph. 3:18-19).
He reveals to us the reality of His love through His Word. A good example of how He
does this is 1 Corinthians 13 where He tells us step by step what true, Godly love
looks like: things like patience, kindness, bearing all things, hoping all things,
believing all things, and hardly even noticing when others wrong us. He helps us to
understand these qualities that make up love, through people in the Body of Christ
laying down their lives for others.
Praying to be filled with God’s love is actually praying to be filled with God and all
that He is (Eph. 3:19). God dwelling in our hearts by the Holy Spirit makes us able to
walk in love because, since God is love and He is in us, that means the ability to love
is in us. That is what enables us to lay down our lives for each other, which again
reveals His love to others.
When each of us individually as members of God’s House are flooded with the love
of God and His presence, it changes our lives dramatically. It conforms us into His
image and we can walk in the fullness of the plan that He has for our lives. We are
like a match being lit in the darkness. But when each of us as a church are flooded
with His love and we walk together in the fullness of His plan, we become a great
light that shatters the darkness.
We become that city set on a hill, a great testimony of Who God is. Together, we are
vivid evidence that God is alive and is more than able to do what He says He will do.
We can’t even imagine in our wildest dreams how able He is. He does things far
beyond what we could ever even think about, and He does it by the power of the Holy
Spirit working in us. Because HIS Spirit is working in us, that means He “is able to
do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond
our highest prayers, hopes, or dreams (Eph. 3:20, AMP).” That is just ONE reason
why all honor, glory, and praise is due to His name (Eph. 3:21).
Below is this prayer that Paul prayed. We have put it on a separate page for you so you can print it
off and post it in your house, or on your fridge, or in your car, or by your bathroom mirror, etc. Put
it in a place where you will see it often so you can pray and ask God for this revelation and fullness
of His love for yourself and others.
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





May He grant you out of the rich
treasury of His glory to be
strengthened and reinforced with
mighty power in your innermost
being and personality by the Holy
Spirit indwelling you
May Christ through your faith
actually dwell, settle down, and
make His permanent home in your
hearts in an ever-increasing degree
so that you become more Christlike in your daily walk!
May you be rooted deep in love and
founded securely on love
May you have the power to
apprehend, grasp and experience—
with all God’s people—what is the
breadth and length and height and
depth of God’s love
May you really come to know
practically, through experience for
yourselves the love of Christ,
which far surpasses mere
knowledge without experience;
May you be filled through all your
being unto all the fullness of God
and have the richest measure of
the divine Presence, becoming
flooded and filled to overflowing
with God Himself!
Ephesians 3:16-19
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Lesson 4: Ephesians 3 –Game Changed, Treasures Revealed, and Love Made Real
– Questions
1. What was so secret about The Plan that nobody saw?
2. We as the Church have boldness and confident access to
in
through
.
3. Angels would love to see, understand and be part of salvation. (True or False Underline one)
4. Below are six things that we can pray according to Eph. 3:16-19. Underline the one
that IS NOT one of those six things:
A. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and
reinforced with mighty power in your innermost being and personality by the Holy
Spirit indwelling you.
B. May God give you everything you think you need, and not make you wait to
receive it, and be able to grasp and comprehend its usefulness for His Kingdom
C. May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, and make His
permanent home in your hearts in an ever-increasing degree so that you become more
Christ-like in your daily walk!
D. May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love.
E. May you have the power to apprehend, grasp and experience—with all God’s
people—what is the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love.
F. May you really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves the
love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience.
G. May you be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God and have the
richest measure of the divine Presence, becoming flooded and filled to overflowing
with God Himself!
5. How does God make us stand in the day of trouble?
6. The more we give God
starts
of our lives, the more He
the damaged parts of our souls.
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7. It is a good thing to pray for ourselves or someone else, that God
would
us and
us in His love.
8. What makes us able to walk in love?
9. God is able to do superabundantly beyond anything we have ever dreamed or
hoped for. (True or False - Underline one)
10. God works through His people by the power of the
.
____________________
Bibliography:
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb//ephesians/3.htm )
Commentary on the Bible
Adam Clarke [1831].
Text Courtesy of Internet Sacred Texts Archive.
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/ephesians/3.htm
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Lesson 5: Ephesians 4 – Walking With God
It is important that you read Ephesians 4 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and reading it is
the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and not the actual
Living Word of God.
Walk Like You Know Him
Therefore...
…since it takes revelation knowledge even to begin to understand the breadth, the
depth, the height, and the length of Christ’s love
…since that powerful love is so strong towards us
…since He is able to do far beyond anything we can ever hope for...
…we have absolutely no excuse NOT to live the way He wants us to, and that way is
to walk in His love. Can you hear the Spirit of Christ begging you to walk like the
person God has called you to be (Eph. 4:1)? To walk like you belong to Him? It is
His heart’s desire that we do exactly that, and walk in:
 Humility
 Gentleness
 Patience
 Forbearance
That’s what love is—humble, gentle, patient, “bearing with one another and making
allowances because you love one another” (Eph. 4:2, AMP).
This kind of love works towards keeping unity and peace by the Spirit. We have to be
diligent to love and diligent to preserve the unity. We have to work at relationships in
love to get on the same page. In fact, our goal should be to get on the same paragraph
and same sentence even. This is why God’s Word says, “Make it your aim to be at
one in the Spirit, and you will inevitably be at peace with one another” (Eph. 4:3,
PHIL).
If we are not walking in humility, gentleness, patience and forbearance and are
instead walking in contention all the time and generally being a “fight-cat” and a
troublemaker, then one thing is for sure, we won’t know peace.
It’s like being a part of a church. Two people are planning a meal. One or both are
stubborn and difficult to get along with. Contention arises and they start arguing over
what color the napkins need to be. THAT’S the place where you have to make
allowances for each other and be humble enough to realize that in the grand scheme
of things, napkins Just. Aren’t. That. Important. THAT’S the place to “walk worthy of
His calling” (Eph. 4:1). THAT’S the place to not demand your own way. THAT’S
the place to love.
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Why Should We Walk This Way?
The better question is: why shouldn’t we walk this way? After all…
- we all belong to the same Body of Christ
- we worship Jesus Christ
- we all have one Father over us
- there's only one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, living in us, and,
- it's the same God who has given grace through Christ to all of us (Eph. 4:4-7)
- the same grace that was enough to save you, also is enough to save anybody else
Anndddddd………..
God’s throne is surrounded by and filled with grace. We can access that grace
anytime. There’s mercy there:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)
That amazing, immense, vast pool of grace is where we firmly and safely stand. It’s
the grace-place where we live. It is the place of the glory of God. (Rom. 5:2, AMP)
Grace flows from His throne like waterfalls from a great lake. That gift of grace
gushes out to all of us in different ways, given out of God's great mercy, and it takes
shape in us in many different forms (Eph. 4:7, AMP, MSG, PHIL). The Scripture
explains the pouring out of Christ’s gift of grace to men like this:
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts
for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them
If you read Eph. 4:8, that verse above (actually from Psalms 68:18) sounds familiar.
Paul is quoting from what King David prophesied several hundred years prior to
Paul’s time. The Spirit of God showed this to David several hundred years before He
showed Paul how it applied to Jesus!
Been To Hell And Back?
Paul told us in Eph. 4:8-9, that Jesus:
 Descended into the lower parts of the earth (v9)
 Ascended on high (v8)
 Led captivity captive (v8)
 Gave gifts to men (v8)
So what does it mean that Jesus descended into the “lower parts of the earth”?
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This is another one of those questions that has been debated among Biblical scholars
for years. Some say that “lower parts” simply is a reference to His burial in the tomb.
This very well could be true, but there is no way of proving it because there is no
place in Scripture that tells us exactly what Paul did or did not mean by “lower parts
of the earth.” But God’s Word does tell us other things that shed more light on the
subject:







Jesus said that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the
fish, so will the Son of Man be in the “heart of the earth” three days (Matt.
12:40)
Before Jesus died and rose again, there was a place of torment called “hades”
and a place of comfort called “Abraham’s bosom”, or Paradise (Luke 16:1931)
Jesus told the thief that was on the cross next to Him, "Truly I say to you,
today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
Jesus preached the Gospel to the “spirits in prison”—the captives (1 Peter
3:18-20)
Jesus’ soul “was not left” in hades—the place of the dead, “the state of
departed souls” (AMP) (Acts 2:31)
Jesus led captives up to Heaven with Him when He rose again and ascended
on high (Eph. 4:8-10).
That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow “in heaven and on earth and
under the earth” (Phil. 2:10)
Because of these Scriptures, this is what we believe:




Jesus told the thief on the cross that today he would be with Him in Paradise.
So where was Paradise? Well, on the third day after Jesus talked to the thief,
He rose from the dead and told Mary He had not yet gone to His Father who is
in Heaven (John 20:17). So apparently, since Jesus was in Paradise but not in
Heaven, then Paradise and Heaven were not the same thing.
Because of what Jesus told the thief, we know Jesus was in Paradise before
He rose from the dead. Therefore, Paradise must be the same place as “the
heart of the earth,” “the lower parts of the earth,” “hades” (the place of the
dead), “Abraham’s Bosom,” and “under the earth” (see above Scriptures)
We know there was a place below Abraham’s Bosom, because Jesus said the
rich man looked up in torment and saw Lazarus being comforted. The Bible
also calls this “hades,” therefore Abraham’s Bosom had to be an upper part of
hades that was separated by a great “chasm” from the torment of “anguish in
the flame” (Luke 16:24, AMP).
The saints of old could not enter Heaven until they were redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb, therefore having their sins forgiven. They looked forward
to the promised Messiah and a “better place, a Heavenly homeland (NLT)”
(Heb. 11:10, 13-16). They gained approval by their faith in the promises of
God (Heb. 11:2). Therefore, like Lazarus, they were carried to Abraham’s
Bosom.
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

This is who Jesus preached to. They were “spirits in prison” because they
could not yet go up into Heaven. Jesus had to take them out and lead them
there, when He rose from the dead. Jesus was the only One who could do this
because He was the sinless Son of God and death could not hold Him. He was
the only One who could give them eternal life, and those who believed could
follow Him out—a “crowd of captives” (Eph. 4:8, NLT) and go into Heaven.
It’s like The Rescuer went into the prison, busted open the gates of Hell that
could not stand up against Him (Matt. 16:17-19) and proclaimed to all the
prisoners that they were free because of His sacrifice. He rounded up all those
who believed and marched them out of that eternal jail, right up to the very
gates of Heaven. There, The Rescuer proclaimed Who He really is: The King
of Glory. He shouted ‘Fling wide, you Heavenly gates!’—and brought His
people into His Home (Psalm 24:3-10), “that the whole universe from lowest
to highest might know His presence” (Eph. 4:10, PHIL).
This fits in with why Jesus came: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And
freedom to prisoners;” (Isaiah 61:1, NAS; Luke 4:16-19)
Gifts: Flowing From God’s Grace
This is when the age of grace began. This was when the Lord God might dwell among
them (Ps. 68:18). This was when man could be born again (John 3:5-8). This was
when the Holy Spirit could now live inside man. This was when He gave gifts to men
(Eph. 4:8).
Included in His gifts were the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 (and other
places in God’s Word). But in this instance, Paul is going on to talk about very
specific gifts God gave us for the maturing of the Body of Christ: five ministries that
are specifically geared to help the church grow up and be more Christ-like (Eph.
11:12-14). These five-fold ministries are special God-ordained offices, and God has
given certain people the anointing to function in these offices. They are not selfdeclared ministers who run around like loose cannons in the local church (without
any authority). Instead they are recognized by the local church when they are
ordained by the laying on of hands (Acts 13:1-3). Their office is given to them by a
divine decision of God for a particular purpose: as a gift to mature the Body of Christ.
These five ministries in our local churches are gifts from our Father to us.
These gifts are (Eph. 4:11):
 Apostles - one who is sent, who goes in and builds up churches, sets order and
builds framework into the local church
 Prophets - one who speaks forth the heart of God, describing God’s heart
towards something, or towards something that may be coming
 Evangelists - bringing forth the good news in such a way that people come to
Christ. Billy Graham is a great present-day example.
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

Pastors - shepherds who care for their flock, watching over the members of
their church and caring for them
Teachers - someone who not only instructs but also has a clarity to see things
in God’s Word and a special ability to make It clear to others as well
The Outworking Of These Gifts
So how do these gifts function, and what does it mean to us? As believers, every
single one of us needs help from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes He speaks to us through
His Word and sometimes we just know that God is helping us. But many times, He
has already built wisdom and knowledge and understanding into others, especially
those in these five ministries.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit in the daily trials of their life, they have become
storehouses of God’s grace for us—treasures given to us by God—and we can go to
them for help in our time of need. God has helped them, they found themselves
standing in His grace, and now they are dispensers of God’s help to others. We can
partake of that treasure house of help by humbly going to them, asking for help and
believing that God will meet us, and that His gift will flow through them.
This is particularly true of the pastor and the teacher (though God meets us through
the other ministries as well). But it is very important to remember that like us, the
people in these five ministries are sinners saved by grace. We can’t put them on a
pedestal and think they never make a mistake. They are human. What they say has to
line up with God's Word.
We also don’t want to leave the impression that these ministers have fully matured
and are perfect. They have one gift but they still need the other gifts themselves. The
teacher needs the pastor. The pastor needs the apostle. The apostle needs the
evangelist, who needs the prophet, who needs the teacher. They—and we—all need
each other. Their ministries are what equip us and give us the tools we need for the
work of service (Eph. 4:12). We'll need to be built up like this until Christ returns.
That’s when we will see Him as He is and mature, “measuring up to the full and
complete standard of Christ” (Eph. 4:13, PHIL). This is called being like Him, in full
measure, in the fullness of Christ. This is walking with God. This is REAL maturity.
Real Maturity
God did not create us to remain little children (Eph. 4:14, PHIL). They think only of
themselves and get angry when they don’t get their own way. They will believe just
about anything they see on TV or that anyone tells them. They are trusting, and that
can be a good thing. But it can also make them “easy marks for imposters” (MSG) or
“every changing wind” (AMP) of shady and corrupt viewpoints. They live in
imaginary worlds of fantasy. That’s how little children act. But good parents want
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their children to continue in a trusting relationship with them, and to grow up into
mature men and women. In the same way, it’s what God wants for us. He wants us to
walk with Him as His child, but also grow up into maturity, knowing what is true.
We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every chance wind of
teaching and the jockeying of men who are expert in the craft presentation of lies. But
we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into
Christ, the head. (Eph. 4:14-15, PHIL)
It is who we are meant to be: Godly sons and daughters who know their Father is the
Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), children who recognize an imposter when
they see the wrong way, the twisted-truth and the lie.
But how do you know your Father? How do you tell what is true?
If you have done any of our courses, you know the answer is by knowing the Word of
God. God is the Word (John 1:1), and God is Truth (John 14:6), so when you learn
what He says and hide His Word in your heart, His Word comes alive in you. That
Word is a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12) that enables you to discern Godly truth, so
you won't be led into error. Then our lives will lovingly “express truth in all things,
speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly” (Eph. 4:15, AMP). This life reflects Jesus
Christ, the Head of the Church.
It’s because of Him that each of us stands in God’s grace and is able to walk in love
and exercise faith in what God can do in and through us. As each of us use what God
has given us and we quit thinking that anything is too small and unimportant, the
whole body starts fitting together perfectly as the individual parts grow (Eph. 4:16,
NLT). As each part does its own special work, working properly, it helps the other
parts grow (NLT, AMP). It is this intertwining of our lives, walking in love with each
other, which forms and builds up the true, mature Body of Christ.
Dead Man Walking
But for all this to work, to be mature and walk in love in the Body, we have to stop
walking in empty-headed and profitless nonsense (Eph. 4:17). It darkens our
understanding and we find ourselves on the outside looking in as others walk in love
and enjoy the fellowship of the Body (Eph. 4:18). So… we have to stop walking in
our old BC way of life, that way we walked before Christ. We have to get rid of the
old dead man.
The Romans in the time of Paul had a practice of chaining a dead man to a hardened
criminal such as a murderer. They would then give the criminal a measure of freedom
to walk around, but he had to carry that dead man around with him. It was an ugly,
hideous torture…just think about what the criminal would have to deal with…the
extra added weight…the rotting flesh…the smell…the infectious disease that it would
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cause. The old man—that body of death (Rom. 7:24)—surely would have completely
isolated the criminal from everyone else. Any decision that criminal made, from
simply moving about to how he lived the rest of his life, would have been dictated by
that dead man. That criminal’s life (or what was left of it) was futile.
We don’t want our lives to be dictated by the old man, that dead way of life we lived
before Christ rescued us. That is how unbelievers walk. Paul describes some of those
ways in Eph. 4:17-19 when he talks about living in the futility of their mind, being
darkened in their own understanding, excluded from the life of God because of
ignorance and hardness of heart, etc.
What does “futility of their mind” mean? God’s Word says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In
all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be
wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to
your body and refreshment to your bones. (Prov. 3:5-8, NAS)
But when you live according to that old man—a dead man strapped to your back—
well, you ARE leaning on your own understanding. Everything has to make sense
according to your way of thinking. If you can’t understand it, then it must not be right
or else it’s not worth thinking about. Everything has to be practical. However, this
does not mean that you never consider what is practical. The problem develops when
everything has to fit into your way of life. It’s like a science…everything has to fit
into the rules…the rules that your own understanding has made up. It’s MY timing,
MY emotions, MY desires, and what is important to ME.
The trouble is everything is centered on ME and MINE. But this is all futile—
profitless, and in vain. It is chasing shadows, and wasting our lives on unimportant
things. The truth is this: it is really focusing our lives on things that are not of God.
Basically you are trusting yourself, not God. God’s Word calls this idolatry.
Letting that dead man (that old way of life) rule us, darkens our understanding. It
shades how we see life. It is like wearing sunglasses in a dark room. Nothing is ever
completely clear because God is a God of wisdom and love, and in that old way of
life, true Godly wisdom and love are missing. That is because it does not bring God
into the equation. God is left out of the decision-making process. It is living your life
as though God didn't exist, because you are ignorant of Him. It is actually being a
God unto yourself, and that will make your heart hard and calloused. When your heart
is in this hard place and that old dead man is doing the talking, it is not a far walk
from giving yourself over to sensuality, having no sense of shame, and eagerly
practicing every kind of impurity and greediness (Eph. 4:19, AMP, NLT).
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The Old Vs. The New
Here is what the old man and the new self looks like. Each of them is about
relationship with others in our lives, including in our work, our homes and in the
body of Christ (Eph. 4:25-32):
The Old Man
Tells lies
The New Man
Tells his neighbor the
truth (Eph. 4:25,
NLT)
We can’t live our lives separate and disconnected from everyone else
because we are connected and intimately related to others in Christ
(v25, PHIL)
Gets angry and stays
angry
Gets angry but
doesn’t let the sun go
down on his anger
(Eph. 4:26)
If you stay angry, bitterness rises up in your heart and that gives the
devil an opportunity to wreak havoc in your life (Eph. 4:27, NAS)
Steals
Steals no longer and
works for a living
(Eph. 4:28)
That way we have something to share with others (v28 )
uses foul and abusive
uses words that build
language and words
up and encourage
that hurt others,
(Eph. 4:29)
including
unwholesome and
worthless talk
The old man doesn’t care what he says, but the new man
understands that words can hurt and selects his words so that they
are a blessing to those who hear it (v29)
Bitterness, wrath,
anger and quarrelling,
brawling contention,
slander, spite and ill
will (Eph. 4:31, NAS,
AMP)
Being kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving
each other, just as
God in Christ also has
forgiven you (Eph.
4:32, NAS)
Put off the destructive, negative actions and put on love
Don’t Grieve The Holy Spirit
These qualities of the old man amplify what grieves God’s Holy Spirit. What they all
boil down to is an honest and truthful relationship with others and with Jesus Christ.
If you have an honest, truthful relationship with God, then that will filter down into
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your relationship with the Body of Christ. Then that filters down into relationships
with those in the world around you.
This is walking in love.
When we are not walking in love we are not walking in true faith, because faith
always expresses itself through love (Gal. 5:6, NLT).
When we are not walking in faith, we are walking in sin because anything that is not
of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
All this grieves the Holy Spirit, because it hinders us from having that close
companionship with Him that He so desires.
It might be news to many people that God has feelings. But it is absolutely
true…God’s Word tells us that He rejoices over us with shouts of joy (Zephaniah
3:17) and that we CAN grieve Him (Eph. 4:30). Think about it—we get distressed
and grieved and sad and we are created in the image of God—so why wouldn’t He be
able to be grieved too? It’s describing the heart of the Father, waiting for His runaway
child to come home.
Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in
you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such
a gift for granted. Eph. 4:30, MSG
It’s time to put off that old man and let the New Man do the dictating (Eph. 4:20-24).
The first place to start is to humble yourself and realize you need God’s help. Let the
reality that you can’t change yourself sink into your mind. Then you can start relying
on the reality that you need the Spirit of God, who dwells inside you, to do the work
in you and give you the power and desire to be willing to do things God’s way (Phil.
2:13, AMP). Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes (Eph. 4:23, NLT).
Lesson 5: Ephesians 4 – Walking With God – Questions
1. If you walk like you belong to Him, you will walk
in
,
,
and
.
2. We may be able to draw near with confidence before God’s throne but there is no
way we can receive mercy and little chance we will find grace to help us. (True or
False - Underline one)
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3. Grace flows from God’s throne like waterfalls from a great lake. (True or False Underline one)
4. What are the five-fold ministry gifts?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
5. Using the chart below, write the letter of the office, in front of the corresponding
ministry description. The first one is done for you.
Office
A. Apostles
B. Prophets -
C. Evangelists -
D. Pastors -
E. Teachers -
6. God wants us to
maturity.
Ministry Description
bringing forth the
good news in such a way that
people come to Christ. Billy
Graham is a great presentday example.
shepherds who care
for their flock, watching over
the members of their church
and caring for them
A. one who is sent,
who goes in and builds up
churches, sets order and
builds framework into the
local church
someone who not
only instructs but also has a
clarity to see things in God’s
Word and a special ability to
make It clear to others as
well
one who speaks
forth the heart of God,
describing God’s heart
towards something, or
towards something that may
be coming
with Him and
into
7. The intertwining of our lives, walking in love with each other, forms and builds up
the true, mature Body of Christ. (True or False - Underline one)
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8. When everything in your life is centered on you and yours, you are basically
trusting yourself, not God. (True or False - Underline one)
9. Write down five qualities of the old man.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
10. Write down five qualities of the new man.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
11. In Zephaniah and Ephesians, we find two reasons why we know that God has
feelings. What are those two reasons?
A.
B.
_______________________________
Bibliography
Romans 7:21-25 Commentary.
Hurt, Bruce. PreceptAustin.Org. http://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_721-25.htm
Romans 7:21-25 Commentary.
Information concerning dead men and murderers in Roman times.
Spurgeon C.H., as quoted by Hurt, Bruce. PreceptAustin.Org.
http://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_721-25.htm
The New Manners And Customs Of The Bible.
Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Bridge-Logos Publishers. Alachua, FL
____________________
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Lesson 6: Ephesians 5 & 6:1-9 – Walking Like A Child of God
It is important that you read Ephesians 5 & 6:1-9 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and
reading it is the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and
not the actual Living Word of God.
Walk In The Footsteps of Jesus
No, we don’t mean go to Israel and walk where He physically walked. What we DO
mean is to walk in His steps, the way He walks with us in love. It means to be
imitators of Him, be ambassadors of Him and radiate His love (Eph. 5:1-2).
How do we walk in love? By “esteeming and delighting in one another” (v2, AMP),
putting other people ahead of ourselves and laying down our life for others. But what
does that look like in everyday life? Consider the way an elderly friend put it:
So I’m sitting comfortably in my chair eating breakfast, watching the news. I have
lots of time before I have to be somewhere. It’s cold and rainy outside, but I’m warm,
happy and comfortable sitting here in my chair. The phone rings and it’s my friend
calling. He needs my help. What do I say to him? If I get up, I know I will immediately
have to deal with my aches and pains. Then I will have to rush, which will cause me
more anxiety and more aches and pains. On top of that, I might not make my
appointment. It will really inconvenience me and require a small sacrifice on my part.
To tell you the truth, I would really like to stay where I am at. I have a decision to
make: Am I going to walk in love today, or am I going to please myself? If I am going
to walk in love, I don’t have the option of giving my flesh a vote in the matter...I will
have to put aside what I want to do and help my friend. So I love. I help my friend,
and take him to the doctor and buy him lunch. Turns out he has to be admitted to the
hospital. I stay with him until he is settled. My whole day’s plans are uprooted. But
my friend is taken care of.
You see, walking in love is more than just a good deed. It is walking with them until
there is no more need, like the Good Samaritan did in the story that Jesus told (Luke
10:29-35). He took care of the injured man until all his needs were met. It is
following through and going the extra mile like Jesus said (Matt. 5:40-42). It is
investing in other people's lives and considering them more highly than yourself
(Phil. 2:3).
When we walk in love (as above), just as Christ laid His life down for us, we become
a sweet fragrance to God (Eph. 5:2). Our walk with Him in love is a sweet aroma
pleasing to God, an obedience that is a joy to Him in every way.
So What Stinks?
What ISN’T a joy to God? What is NOT a sweet aroma to Him?
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We know God’s Word says the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). We know God
wants no one to perish because He loves us (2 Pet. 3:9). Therefore the stench of death
that sin causes is an offensive odor to God much like the offensive stench from a dead
body is to us.
Sin stinks. It ruins our lives and the lives of our loved ones. And it cripples the body
of Christ. It is why Paul in the last chapter (Eph. 4) reminded the Ephesians what their
walk was like before they knew Christ, and what things they now need to avoid. In
this chapter, he is warning them (and us) of sins that should never, never be engaged
in, or even be named or hinted at among those in God’s House (Eph. 5:3-5).





immorality or any impurity
greed
filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting,
covetousness
idolatry
None of these are things are a part of the Kingdom of God. They are not a part of His
House. They do not build up others. They destroy relationships with those very
precious ones Jesus died for.
None of these are fitting for a child of God. But sexual sin is particularly heinous and
more grievous because of the utter destruction it wreaks upon someone’s soul. It is
why God’s Word says:
Avoid sexual looseness like the plague! Every other sin that a man commits is done
outside his own body, but this is an offence against his own body. Have you forgotten
that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, and that you are not
the owner of your own body? You have been bought, and at what a price! 1 Cor.
6:18-20 PHIL
Make no mistake, all these things above are a part of the “activities of darkness”
(Eph. 5:11, PHIL). Those who make excuses for these activities are participating in
activities of darkness. God’s Word even says, “Don’t be fooled” (Eph. 5:6, NLT) by
it—there is no excuse for walking in these sins. This is the way children of darkness
(unbelievers) live, habitually practicing these sins, and defending their way of life.
They are the sons of the rebellion and disobedience (v6, AMP).
But if you are reading this, and you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for your
salvation, you are no longer part of the children of darkness. You have been
transferred from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s MARVELOUS
Light (Col. 1:13). You are standing in God’s grace. Even if you have dipped your toe
back into darkness and “blown” such a hole in that covering grace that you are
experiencing loss and reaping what you sowed (Gal. 6:7), God’s grace will keep you.
His bountiful grace is more than enough…where sin abounds, grace much more
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abounds (Rom. 5:20). God’s unmerited favor has surpassed sin—grace increased
more and superabounded (Rom. 5:20, AMP).
Light-Walkers
So now you are a child of light, and as a child of light, you should walk as such; stop
living as you did before, participating in acts of darkness. Instead, walk in the light
(Eph. 5:8) as He Himself is in the Light, have fellowship with one another. The blood
of Jesus His Son will cleanse you from all sin (1 John 1:7).
What IS walking in the light? When we walk in the light, we are walking with Christ.
That means we are leaning and relying upon Him and are being obedient to the voice
of the Holy Spirit. That kind of walk with Him produces the fruit of the Spirit in our
lives (Gal. 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. When we are producing these fruits in our lives, we are
also producing the fruit of the Light, and that fruit is full of all goodness and
righteousness and truth (Eph. 5:9). So when we are practicing these things in our
lives, we are walking in the light.
Don’t make these things a checklist and a law and try to grade how acceptable to
Christ you are. These ARE standards of maturity in Christ that we should all desire in
our lives. But no one is perfect in doing all these things. We are all in the process of
being conformed into the image of Christ. It simply comes down to this: Lightwalkers are motivated to try to learn and do what is pleasing to the Lord, what honors
Him, what He desires—thereby letting their lives be constant proofs of what is
acceptable to Him (Eph. 5:10, AMP).
Therefore, here’s what happens: the lives of light-walkers stand out like a sore thumb
in sharp contrast to those who practice deeds of darkness—the “night-walkers”.
Walking in the light everyday among those that live in darkness is like a brilliant
torch shining in the night. That torch’s flame lights up what shameful things are being
practiced in darkness. It shows how dark the darkness really is and how empty, dreary
and futile those things are (Eph. 5:11-12 AMP, PHIL). That kind of life reproves,
exposes and admonishes unbelievers simply because of the stark contrast between
light and darkness.
We don’t have to go up to strangers and tell them how bad and wicked they are.
Many times they are convicted just when we do not participate in their sin. But there
are also times God gives us people to warn about the consequences of their actions.
The bottom line is not to judge and condemn them.
Jesus said don’t try to remove a speck out of someone’s eye when there is a log in
your own eye (Matt. 7:3-5). That log-removal starts with His people. When we come
to Christ, and as we grow and mature in Him, the light of Christ shines in our own life
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and reveals what is hidden in darkness (Eph. 5:13). Christ’s light shines in several
ways, through His Holy Spirit, through His Word and through His people.
When Christ shines into our life, and we accept Him and begin to wake up (Eph.
5:14), two things happen: 1) He shines His light in us on the dark places in our lives;
and 2) He shines His light through us to others and makes us become a light, a city on
a hill that cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14). We may or may not even know He’s doing
it, because the light we are shining is not our light. It is Christ—the Light of the
World—shining through us (John 8:12).
The fact that Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, is shining through us, the fact that
the Living God is dwelling in us, is a huge honor and an awesome responsibility we
carry. We have to be careful how we walk: as wise men or unwise men.
Wisdom-Walkers
are hungry for God’s
Word
Know from His Word
how God wants them to
live, and live that way
(Eph. 5:17)
Make the best use of their
time, despite all the
difficulties (Eph. 5:16,
PHIL). They persevere
through trouble and stay
committed
Live life with a due sense
of responsibility. They
know the meaning and
purpose of life (Eph. 5:15,
PHIL)
Are filled and stimulated
with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18,
AMP)
Unwise-Walkers
feed on trash (Prov. 15:14):
- anxieties of the world;
- distractions of the age;
- the pleasure, delight, false
glamour and deceitfulness of
riches;
- the craving and passionate
desire for other things that
creep in and choke and
suffocate the Word (Matt.4:19)
Aren’t interested in God’s Word
and don’t care how God wants
them to live
Waste their time on frivolous,
trivial and meaningless pursuits.
Or they give up meaningful
things at the drop of a hat. If the
going gets rough, they don’t
stay committed to the job
Live life carelessly and
unthinkingly, not willing to
take responsibility for their
own actions (Eph. 5:17,
MSG)
Are filled and stimulated
with wine and other things
To be a wisdom-walker, we must know what being filled with the Spirit is all about.
But first, it helps to know what it isn’t. It is not a list of behaviors we do or don’t do
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all day everyday. It is not walking around 24/7 all aglow and only talking about
religious things. It is a relationship with our Father, an attitude and a lifestyle that
comes from knowing that God is in control—so therefore we always have hope and a
thankful heart. This is an attitude of gratitude where we constantly see God’s hand in
our life no matter what is going on around us…it causes us to frequently thank Him
and others (Eph. 5:20). It is essential to Godly living to maintain this attitude in our
life.
We don’t go around always thinking that the worst is going to happen. This is only
going to cause trouble in our lives. Proverbs 15:15 (AMP) says, “All the days of the
desponding and afflicted are made evil by anxious thoughts and forebodings, but he
who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances.” The Message
Bible puts the same verse more simply: “A miserable heart means a miserable life; a
cheerful heart fills the day with song.”
That is an easy way to walk in wisdom: to fill our day with songs to the Lord (Eph.
5:19). While we are driving to work, or washing dishes or mowing or changing dirty
diapers, a great way to focus our hearts on the Lord is to sing to Him. Another way to
walk in wisdom and be filled with the Spirit is to hide God’s Word in our hearts. That
helps us to think and say things that are in accordance with His Word. He will keep us
in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).
Love-Walkers
Walking with Christ means walking in love in our daily lives, and walking in love
means considering others. That is everyday, day in and day out, being subject to one
another and submitting ourselves to each other “out of reverence for Christ” (Eph.
5:21). What does that mean? It means having the attitude that Jesus had:
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one
another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own
personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:3-5, NAS)
This is the way in which we should live out our entire lives with all our relationships
we have, considering others in everything we do and in every decision we make.
It’s the attitude of Christ—walking in love—that has to permeate our lives, even
down to those we work with. This includes whether we are management, we are the
boss, or we are labor. In Ephesians 6:5-9, Paul refers to this when he talks about the
slave/master relationship. Remember that in Paul’s day, the nature of the slave/master
relationship was not always harsh brutality. Sometimes even doctors, lawyers, clerks
and other professionals were slaves. Many times slaves were treated as “indentured
servants” who were working off a debt of some kind, or were even considered a part
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of the family. So there was room for slaves and masters to walk in an attitude of love
in their working relationship, as we saw previously in the book of Philemon.
Today, we can reflect the attitude of Christ in our workplace. It is a whole mind-set
about doing the work given to us to do in our jobs, whether we are labor or
management or business owner or clerk or doctor or lawyer or teacher. It’s doing the
work AND doing it in a manner that makes for good relationships in the workplace. It
is thinking about others, considering them more highly than ourselves, and honoring
our bosses or our employees. It isn’t doing things just so we look good or look busy,
or so we can get something out of it (Eph. 6:6). It is doing our jobs whole-heartedly,
as if we were doing it for the Lord Himself—because we really are (Eph. 6:6-7)! We
may feel like slaves to our jobs, but the truth is, according to Eph. 6:6, we are slaves
to Christ.
It is one thing to submit to others and to walk in love towards those you work with,
but it is a whole different ballgame when it comes to living a life of love at home.
That can definitely be more challenging. Those are the family members that we see
everyday and have to deal with all the time in the nitty-gritty parts of life. You know
those parts: …You are up all night with a sick child…There are more bills than there
is money to pay for them…You are at the end of your day and at the end of your
patience—and at the end of your energy!...Someone you immensely love and care for
REALLY annoys you… It is where love gets down in the trenches, and relationships
have to be worked at.
In Ephesians 5:22-6:3, Paul gave us some general guidelines to the roles of husbands,
wives and children, that will help accomplish this kind of love within the family.
Wives must learn to adapt and submit to their husbands as if they were submitting to
the Lord (v22, PHIL). This “adapt and submit” thing sounds like an alien language in
this modern day and age. But truthfully, this is how God created women to be, and
how they will be the happiest.
God created man first, to be the one who would take care of creation—including the
woman who was given to him as a helpmate. Man was to step up and care for her.
They were not made to be alone. They each had a part to play and each part was as
important as the other part. (You can read about all this in Genesis 2:15-22.)
If husbands would rise up and do their part, and be what God’s Word says in Eph.
5:25-33 (see below), then their wives would have no problem submitting…in fact, it
would be a pleasure for them. It would take a big load off of their shoulders that God
never meant to be there.
So what does God’s Word mean by “Wives, submit to your husbands”? It means:
 Trust him
 Respect him
 Want to please your husband
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





Want to spend time with your husband
Build up, encourage and give him confidence to move mountains and never
belittle him
Be interested in what he is saying and add to the conversation
Be willing to be his sidekick and work alongside him
Follow his lead / go in the same direction he is going / get on the same page as
him
When it comes down to push and shove, he has the final word
All of the above are only possible when wives accept this fact:
God has made the husband the head of the wife and the family—just as Christ is head
of the church (Eph. 5:23).
However, it DOES get easier for wives to accept that, when husbands do as Ephesians
says they should, as we will see further on.
To be clear, though, God’s Word here in Ephesians doesn’t mean wives have to:
 Be a floor mat to every little whim or ungodly decision
 Do every single word their husband says, without ever asking any questions or
giving any input
 Endure being emotionally or physically beat up or abused
 Go along with ungodly decisions that are clearly opposed to God’s Word
 Act like their husband is the king and supreme ruler of their universe, and they
are but a mere lowly servant
Of course, the wife’s part is obviously much easier when everything flows according
to God’s desires and the husband fulfills HIS part in the relationship.
What is the husband’s part in his relationship with his wife (Eph. 5:25-33)?
 Love her like Jesus loved the church
 Give yourself up for her like He did
 Help her to mature in Christ
 Stand up and lead, be a Godly man
 Move mountains for her and make things happen
 Love her like you love your own body
 Cherish her. Don’t dictate or be domineering—and never belittle her
 Be one with her-try to get both of you together on the same page—the one
that Christ is on
 Treat her same way as Christ does
 Be concerned about the things that concern her
 Be interested in the little things that are important to her—it may not be
important to you, but because it is important to her and she is important to
you—you make it important to you.
 Be sensitive to her emotional needs
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
Bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and don’t
provoke your children to anger.
The key here is that the husband is to treat his wife the way Christ treats the church.
That is a heavy heavy heavy HEAVY responsibility, to love her the way Jesus loves
us. That means it must be an unconditional love. A husband’s relationship with his
wife—and walking in love with her—should be a picture of Christ’s relationship with
the church.
Then, wives will become willing to honor the husband’s headship, and do those
things listed farther up above.
Paul’s final instruction from Ephesians for the family is in reference to children. God
makes it clear that children are to obey their parents (Eph. 6:1-3). Children are not
miniature adults. They do not know right from wrong. They have to learn to walk in
love. Children are self-centered. They HAVE to be taught to walk in love and think of
others. You never have to teach a child to be selfish, but you always have to teach
them the right way to go. Parents have to train them in Godly ways of thinking and
doing. Teaching them to love, honor and obey their parents is foundational to living
long on the earth (Eph. 6:2-3, Ex. 20:12, Deut. 5:16). It will literally preserve their
lives.
It all adds up to the fact that love-walking in obedience to the Scriptures is the avenue
that leads to a strong home full of life and running over with love, peace and joy.
Lesson 6: Ephesians 5 & 6:1-9 – Walking Like A Child of God – Questions
1. When we walk in love, just as Christ laid His life down for us, we become a sweet
fragrance to God. (True or False - Underline one)
2. What are five sins that should never be engaged in among those in God’s House?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
3. Why is sexual sin particularly heinous and grievous to God?
4. What are the nine fruits of the Spirit that are produced in our lives when we walk in
the Light?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
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5. If you aren’t walking in the nine fruits of the Spirit, you are not a child of God.
(True or False - Underline one)
6. Place the Way of Walking under the correct Walker (Wisdom or Unwise). The first
two are already done for you.
Ways of
WisdomUnwiseWalking
Walkers
Walkers
 are hungry for God’s
 are hungry for
 feed on trash;
Word;
God’s Word;
 feed on trash;
 Live life carelessly;
 Aren’t interested in
God’s Word;
 Are filled and
stimulated with wine
and other things;
 Live life with a due
sense of
responsibility;
 Know from His Word
how God wants them
to live;
 Waste their time on
meaningless pursuits;
 Are filled and
stimulated with the
Spirit;
 Make the best use of
their time;
7. It is not really essential to have an attitude of gratitude where we constantly see
God’s hand in our life no matter what is going on around us. (True or False Underline one)
8. How can we honor Christ in our workplace?
9. What is the role of the husband?
10. What is the role of the wife?
11. What is the role of a child?
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Lesson 7: Ephesians 6:10-24 – The Full Armor of God
It is important that you read Ephesians 6:10-24 before you read the rest of this lesson. It is God’s Word and
reading it is the first step to hiding it in your heart. Just reading the lesson will only give you an overview and
not the actual Living Word of God.
7A: Stand And Fight Like A Warrior
In Ephesians, Paul talked over and over about walking: walk in good works, walk
worthy, walk in love, don’t walk the way we did before Christ, walk as children of
light, watch how you walk. Now, in summing up what he has been saying, and to
encourage the readers of his letter, and to leave them with a vivid mental image, he
tells them it is time to be strong, stand firm and put on the full armor of God.
We are not lone-rangers trying to do good, live by some moral code and do it all
alone. We are an army where each of us has a personal intimate relationship with the
King. As a result, each of us, though weak in ourselves, get our strength from God. It
is He that strengthens us and makes us fit for battle. Even more than that, we are
standing in HIS strength, HE gives us His power and fights in our stead. Our strength
to be effective all comes from HIM. The ability to stand firm and resist the enemy is
effective because it is delegated authority that comes from God Himself. He is the
One that has strengthened us. He is the One who has told us to “be strong in the
power of His might.” He is the One that our enemy flees from, and He is the One
that gave us armor and weapons to stand firm (Eph. 6:10-11).
Being strong in the Lord is knowing who you are in Christ, standing in it and not
being moved from that. It is knowing you can come to your Father for help anytime,
that He is concerned about the things that concern you. It is being secure in Him,
knowing that He loves you and He will never leave you or forsake you. You are never
in this alone. He may not like the things you do, but He loves you and that never
changes. When you know these things, you know Him, and that makes you strong.
So who is our enemy that we are standing strong against? Is it our neighbor that really
annoys us by starting his loud motorcycle at 3AM? Is it that politician we disagree
with? Maybe it’s that driver in the car that cut us off, or the disagreeable boss that is
always harassing us?
No.
We are fighting a spiritual warfare and the enemy of our souls is satan and all of his
wicked cohorts in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Our Father—our KING—has given us
His armor to use, a spiritual armor to resist the underhanded, sneaky schemes of the
devil (Eph. 6:13). Don’t ever think he plays fair. He is a liar, and the king of all liars.
It will take the FULL armor of God to stand firm in the day when the evil one comes
upon you with his lies.
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Why did Paul say “take up the full armor of God”? That doesn’t really say much to us
today. But back in his time, that image communicated strength. Roman soldiers were
everywhere in plain view—they occupied a large part of Europe, North Africa and the
Middle East. It was a good mental picture for him to draw. By associating the parts of
a soldier’s armor with the spiritual equipment God gave us, it made it easier for
believers to comprehend and recall. And, it was language that had been used in
Scripture for over a thousand years to depict God’s ways.
What are the pieces of the armor of God that Paul writes about? They are (Eph. 6:1417):
 Belt of truth to gird our loins with
 Breastplate of righteousness
 Shoes of the Gospel of peace
 Shield of faith
 Helmet of salvation
 Sword of the Spirit
Some Bible teachers think that Paul intended prayer to be part of the full armor of
God, because in Eph. 6:18, he said, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in
the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for
all the saints…” Paul may or may not have intended that, but for our purposes, we
won’t include it in our study of the full armor of God.
Lesson 7A: Stand And Fight Like A Warrior – Questions
1. The ability to stand firm and resist the enemy is effective because
it is
that comes from God.
2. List all six pieces of spiritual armor:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
7B: The Belt of Truth
“…having girded your loins with truth…” - Eph. 6:14
Historical Background: The long tunics worn in the Eastern world for centuries didn’t
work so well when it came to battle. It was like trying to run or fight in a long dress.
A common practice was to “gird up” the tunic into a belt, creating kind of a baggypants effect that made it easier to move. Men did this when they were working or
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wanted to move fast. Roman soldiers wore a leather belt with strips of leather hanging
down in front, thus giving their loins a little added protection. This belt also secured
the breastplate and held the scabbard (the sheath for holding the sword).
Spiritual Meaning: Here are some things God’s Word says that will help us
understand the belt of truth that girds our loins:
 Jesus is God (John 10:30)
 Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-2, 14)
 Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
 God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17)
Because of these Scriptures we can conclude the following:
 Jesus, God the Father and the Word are all one
 Whatever God says is True
 Jesus is Truth
 God’s Word is Truth
 Truth is Jesus and God’s Word
Therefore, truth is based in a relationship with Jesus and God’s Word. Girding our
loins with truth is wrapping our souls—the most intimate part of who we are—in
God’s Word and tightening up that relationship with Jesus. When we do this, we
know the Truth, we are set free (John 8:32), and we have everything necessary for life
and godliness, because we know Him (2 Peter 1:3). And, this is what God really
desires:
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me
know wisdom (Ps. 51:6)
Practical Application: Standing firm and tightening the belt of truth is drawing close
to God and His Word; if we do this, He will draw close to us. It is making God’s truth
near and dear to us. Here is how to do this:
1) Know the importance of God’s Word. If the importance of God’s Word is not
real to you, then pray and ask God to reveal it to you. Here are some steps God’s
Word tells you to take that will help you to know His Word and understand Its value
(Prov. 2:1-5, AMP):
My son, if you will receive My words and
treasure up My commandments within you
Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom
Concentrate on understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it];
Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
If you seek Wisdom as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for
hidden treasures,
Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the
knowledge of [our omniscient] God.
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Notice:
A. Receive His Word and what He has to say
B. Treasure His commandments
C. Make your ear attentive to His Word
D. Focus on His Word
E. Put everything you have into learning His Word
F. Cry out to Him for insight
G. Seek the Wisdom of God’s Word like you were looking for silver and gold
THEN you will know His Word and you will know God.
2) Get with people who know His Word. They will help you to understand It. The
fruit of their lives will prove that they indeed do know His Word. Take your ear to
where you are going to hear His Word. Go to Bible studies where God’s Word is
being taught.
3) Read the Word yourself. Ask God to make It real to you. Write down Scriptures
that God makes alive to you. Put them on note cards or post-it notes; carry them
around with you or stick them on your car’s dashboard or bathroom mirror, and most
of all, read them and memorize them. Get the Word in your heart and immerse
yourself in It. God’s Word says set your mind on things above (Col. 3:3) and this is a
good way to do it.
Then when the enemy comes in like a flood, you can raise a standard of God’s Word
against him and stand firm. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and he uses lies to
attack us. If you don’t know what the truth is, you don’t know when satan is feeding
you a lie, because what he says will seem to make sense to you. But if you know
God’s Word, you will know the truth and it will be in your heart and you will
learn not to believe his lies. This process is renewing your mind with God’s Word.
Another side of the belt of truth is living truthful lives ourselves. We have to hide His
word in our hearts and let It shine in our hearts on all the dark places, and quit trying
to hide things from ourselves and others. If we are going to be truthful, genuine and
sincere before God and others, we can’t be sneaky and live a life of falsehood and
lies—that DEFINITELY gives place to the enemy.
The belt of truth is essential to standing firm against the enemy, because it holds the
other pieces of God’s armor all in place—much like the Roman soldier’s belt did. If
you went to battle in his day without your belt that meant you: a.) went without your
sword—because you had no place to hang it; b.) your tunic was still hanging low
around your legs and you couldn’t move very easily—it would be like fighting in a
dress; and c.) your breastplate would not be secure, could swing around and expose
your vital organs.
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Lesson 7B: The Belt of Truth – Questions
1. Girding our loins with truth is: (Underline the two correct answers)
A. Wrapping our souls—the most intimate part of who we are—in God’s Word
B. Always being truthful and never lying
C. Tightening up that relationship with Jesus
D. Wearing pants that have the word “Truth” stitched on them
2. Write down seven steps God’s Word tells you to take that will help you to know
His Word and understand Its value.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
3. What is renewing your mind with God’s Word?
7C: The Breastplate of Righteousness
“…having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” - Eph. 6:14
Historical Background: Roman soldiers were at great risk of being hit by arrows or
pierced by a sword. The breastplate covered both front and back and was specifically
made to keep that sword or arrow from delivering deadly damage to the soldier’s vital
organs. Ancient writers say it was called a “heart-guard.” Though the breastplates
were sometimes made of leather or bronze, the most vivid breastplate armor was
made of brass. In the bright sunshine, a Roman soldier’s shiny breastplate would be
stunning, glittering like a miniature sun.
Spiritual Meaning: The breastplate was not a natural part of the Roman soldier’s
body. It was something that was given to him and that he had to put on. We as
believers have a breastplate of righteousness given to us by God. Like the Roman
soldier’s breastplate that covered his front and back, our breastplate of righteousness
has two sides.
One side of our righteousness is the right-ness with God bought by the sacrificial
death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself, and we share in that righteousness through the Holy Spirit
dwelling in us. It never changes and it never varies. It is put to our account by God
and we never lose it. Sin cannot destroy it. We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it, and
it is a gift. His righteousness is the central, most vital part, the very heart of our
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salvation. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is the lifeblood of our spiritual
well-being and is what keeps us safe.
We need that righteousness! The Word says man’s heart is wicked above all things
(Jer. 17:9). Our heart—the mind, will and emotions—don’t naturally lean towards the
Lord. Instead we are self-centered by nature. The best that we can produce is like a
filthy rag compared to God and His glorious standard of right-ness (Is. 64:6). But the
breastplate of righteousness Christ gave us is covering our wickedness…and that
breastplate covers our heart. And so, when God sees us, He sees Jesus, who IS our
breastplate of righteousness. THAT is where we stand—not in our own heart, but in
Christ, our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30):
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will
remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Eze. 36:26)
This side of the breastplate of righteousness is something God gave us to wear; it is
something we are clothed in (Is. 61:10). The other side of the breastplate of
righteousness is actually walking in those clothes of righteousness out in real life and
becoming conformed to the image of Christ.
Practical Application: This other side of righteousness is where we apply it in our
lives. It is where we learn to walk in God’s right-ness and it becomes part of who we
are. This imparted righteousness is the active part of salvation. Ephesians 4:24 and
Colossians 3:10 call it putting on the new self. Galatians 3:27 refers to it as clothing
ourselves with Christ.
There is a name for what this looks like in our lives, and it is called the “fruit of the
Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). Those fruits of practicing and exercising righteousness are love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
When we walk in these things, the enemy has no basis to bring a charge against us.
We slam the door on the enemy and don’t make room for him to come in and attack
us. We become so busy doing the do’s, we don’t have time to do the don’ts! This is in
contrast to giving ground to the enemy by not walking in righteousness and instead
living in hate, fear and bitterness, despair, unrest, impatience, meanness, ruthlessness,
badness, unfaithfulness, roughness, and self-indulgence.
When we put on the breastplate of righteousness by trusting in His right-ness and
walking in it, we are watching out for temptation. The Scripture says to watch out for
satan, your great enemy, because he “prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion,
looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks” and trust the Lord
(1 Pet. 5:19).
Wearing the breastplate of righteousness as we walk through our daily life is really
learning to “work out our own salvation” with “self-distrust” and “shrinking from
whatever would discredit the name of Christ.” It is remembering that we cannot do
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this in our own strength. After all, God is the One who is energizing us and creating
in us the power and the desire to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13, AMP).
Lesson 7C: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Questions
1. The breastplate of righteousness that Christ gives us is
covering our
.
2. Because of the breastplate of righteousness, when God sees us,
He sees
3.
.
IS our breastplate of righteousness.
4. We put on the breastplate of righteousness by trusting in Jesus’ right-ness and then
walking in His right-ness. (True or False / Underline one)
7D: Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
“…having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” - Eph. 6:15
Historical Background: It is a little hard for most of us to imagine walking around on
unpaved, irregular terrain all the time. Yet, in Paul’s day, though there were some
stone-lined streets, most walking took place on rough, uneven ground. As much as
shoes are important to us today, they were incredibly more important in the ancient
world. A soldier who became barefoot because of his shoes breaking would, in effect,
be neutralized as a warrior against the enemy. His feet would get cut. Infection would
set in. He would not be able to march long distances and would certainly have trouble
running. So, a barefoot soldier was essentially a liability to his army.
But a well-equipped, well-shoed soldier was a huge asset. Therefore Roman (and also
Greek) armies developed the practice of putting nails on the bottom of the soldiers’
shoes (Josephus)—similar to cleats on today’s football player’s shoes. If the soldiers
were marching to war, they wore a heavier, sturdier shoe (sometimes made of metal)
with nails on the soles. If they were fighting hand-to-hand combat, soldiers wore a
lighter sole, still embedded with nails. This enabled the soldier to stand firm against
his enemy, and yet also move easily and quickly cover slippery, rugged ground.
Armies equipped in this way often surprised their enemy. These kinds of shoes gave
the soldiers maneuverability and speed so that they arrived sooner than expected and
caught their enemy off-guard, and unprepared for battle.
Spiritual Meaning: Before we can put on shoes—shod our feet—with the preparation
of the Gospel of peace, we have to understand what “preparation of the Gospel of
peace” means. Basically it means God knew, and made a way.
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It all goes back to The Beginning. God knew we would sin and break our relationship
with Him. So, even before the foundation of the world, God planned and made a way
for us to have peace with Him. He designed The Plan to heal that rift between Him
and His beloved man. Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be slain for the forgiveness of
our sins. He Himself would be the bridge over sin that would give us peace with God
and bring peace to our hearts. That is God’s preparation of the Gospel of Peace.
We have a great hope in that preparation of the Gospel of Peace that God made. This
Plan for Peace has been His purpose from the beginning. His purposes do not change
and He wasn’t lying (Heb. 6:18) when He said “Therefore, since we have been made
right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ
our Lord has done for us” (Rom. 5:1, NLT). He Himself said in Heb. 13:5 (AMP):
I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will]
not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you]
down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
He gave His Word and the very dependability of God Himself and what He did is at
stake here. Our salvation is based in Christ and what He has done. It is not something
that we can work for and earn or lose. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He never varies. He has power no foe can withstand (Ps. 91:1, AMP). And THAT is
what gives us peace: knowing that our relationship with Him is based in the security
and faithfulness of God Himself.
When we have hope in God’s preparation of the Gospel of Peace, we have true peace
and it is unbreakable, knowing that we are safe and secure in God’s hands: “[Now]
we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it
cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and
enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil” (Heb. 6:19, AMP).
The fact that God has power no foe can withstand is what lets us apply this spiritual
meaning of the preparation of the Gospel of peace to our lives. Like the nails in
Roman soldiers’ shoes, this truth gives us a foothold in the rough terrain of our lives.
It is not our power or our might that enables us to walk in peace. We walk in peace
because God put us in the perfect position to do so. He Himself made peace with us
on His terms.
Practical Application: These shoes were made for walking. But walking daily in that
peace that God purchased for us is a whole other matter. It’s the peace that passes all
understanding and it guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus right in the middle
of terrible turmoil and torrential tribulation. It’s a peace that we can’t explain because
we have every reason to be upset and troubled by the situation we are facing. It is the
peace we have to be prepared to walk in by the power of the Holy Spirit if we are
going to be ambassadors of Christ. That is, after all, why we are “shodding” our feet
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with the preparation of the Gospel of peace: to fulfill our mission in life, the Great
Commission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. - Matthew
28:19-20 (NAS)
So how do we walk daily in the Gospel of peace?
One of the first foundational steps to take is to consider how Jesus walked. Even in
the face of great opposition, He was still walking in peace. When He was being
interrogated and whipped, He could have called down legions of angels to protect
Him, but He walked in peace. And nailed to that bloody, cruel cross, He STILL didn’t
lash out in anger, but instead said, “Father, forgive them.” The peace of God still
ruled in His heart.
How could He do that in the face of insults, torture and death? Some would say,
“Well, He was God,” and that’s true—Jesus IS fully God, BUT He is also fully man.
As fully man He still bore the heaviness of the suffering and pain, and depended on
His relationship with God. But He knew His Father, and He knew His commission in
life. He knew His Father was faithful, and He knew what His marching orders were.
We too have marching orders, but in order to carry them out, we need help. And Jesus
has given us just the help we need. The Word says He is our peace (Eph. 2:14). He IS
peace and that is how He walked. Peace actually walked among us! And now that the
Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, Peace STILL walks among us. Consider what Jesus
said: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is
a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT)
Here, in the verse before v27, is HOW He did it:
But the Comforter
(Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby),
the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send
in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf],
He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall
(will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
[Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and
do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled]
(John 14:26-28, AMP)
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Now, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to take the next step, and walk
daily in these things:
o Pursue the things which make for peace and build each other up
(Romans 14:19)
o As much as it depends on us, live peaceably with all men—especially
with our brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 12:18)
o Let the peace of God rule in our heart—let the soul harmony which
comes from Christ rule—act as umpire—continually in our hearts,
deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in our minds.
(Colossians 3:15, AMP, NAS)
o As members of one body we are called to live in peace, and be
thankful. (Colossians 3:15, NLT)
Have you ever tried to walk in peace but still be anxious about things in life? It
doesn’t work—peace and anxiety are two polar opposites! But there is a way to not
be anxious, and therefore walk in peace. Philippians 4:4-7 (NAS, AMP, NLT) tells us
how:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!—just singing and
rejoicing in Him will go a long way towards reducing anxiety in your life

Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your
considerateness, your forbearing spirit). Be considerate of the feelings of
others and consider the fact that except for the grace of God, “there goes I.”
Forgive quickly and never let bitterness build up in your heart. When people
see you are like this, it will dramatically slash the amount of friction and stress
in your life

Instead of worrying about everything, pray about everything. Tell God what
you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ
Jesus
If we have our feet protected—shod—by the shoes of the Gospel of peace and learn
to walk in that peace, we won’t always be in a state of upheaval, always tripping up,
falling and being immobilized. And even when we ARE in a state of upheaval and it
is affecting our emotions, the Gospel of peace can quiet our souls. We can walk in
peace knowing that God is on the throne and is working all things to the good. We
will not give place to the enemy. Wearing these good shoes of the Gospel of Peace
makes us able to stand firm, and fight—stand our ground against satan, the roaring
“lion” looking for someone to devour. Our minds will be steadied throughout the day
by the good news that "if God be for us, who can be against us?"
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In today’s crazy, frantic world, walking in peace will make us stick out like a glowing
lighthouse in a dark, fierce storm. “The ‘peace’ within forms a beautiful contrast to
the raging of the outward conflict” (Robert Jamieson). Walking in peace makes us
like salt.
It’s why we are here, according to the Word. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth:
Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the
God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Matthew 5:12-14, MSG
It makes us have beautiful feet:
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things! Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7
Walking in peace brings beautiful refreshing to others who don’t have peace, literally
making us ambassadors of Christ. As the peace of God rules in our own lives, we
become prepared to share His peace with others. “And He gave us this wonderful
message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal
through us” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20, NLT).
Lesson 7D: Shoes of the Gospel of Peace– Questions
1. God’s preparation of the Gospel of Peace was Jesus becoming the bridge over sin
that would give us
to our
and bring peace
.
2. This is what gives us peace: (Underline the right answer)
A. Having lots of money in the bank
B. Having a good job
C. knowing that our relationship with God is based in the security and faithfulness of
God Himself.
D. Owning a beautiful home
E. Having the Jolly Green Giant at your beck and call
3. What truth enables us to apply the spiritual meaning of the preparation of the
Gospel of peace to our lives?
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4. We can only walk in the shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace by the
power of the
.
5. If we are going to walk in the peace that God has for us, we have to stop allowing
ourselves to be
to be
and
and
and
and not permit ourselves
and
. (check out John 14:26-28, AMP, above
in the text)
6. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to walk daily in peace by pursuing the
things which make for
and building each
up.
7. It is impossible to walk in peace and at the same time let bitterness build up in your
heart. True or False (underline one)
7E: Shield of Faith
“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the
devil.” - Eph. 6:16, NLT
Historical Background: Roman soldiers used a large shield to protect themselves
from archers’ arrows. The shields, often identical in size and shape, fit together over
the heads of the soldiers. So when enemy archers shot volleys of arrows from
fortresses or ridges, the Romans clustered together with their shields, forming
something like a giant turtle shell. The arrows clanged harmlessly off the shields,
which were made of metal or sometimes leather. The leather shields were often
soaked in water so that the enemy’s flaming arrows also were rendered useless.
Shields could also be an offensive weapon. A metal bulge in the middle of the shield
could be a part of a “one-two punch”: the bulge smashed and dazed the enemy, then
the sword landed the fatal blow. A smaller shield, called a “buckler” was also often a
part of hand-to-hand combat. Soldiers carried bucklers on their arms to shield
themselves from the enemy’s punches and sword jabs.
Spiritual Meaning: The shield of faith is not a set of religious beliefs that we live by.
It is not a system of do’s or don’ts that we measure ourselves and others with. It is not
a label that we wear or a magical, lucky charm that enables us to win the lottery and
walk in front of busses. The shield of faith is not based in self and what self can do.
The shield of faith is based in a compelling belief and trust, a confident reliance in the
trustworthiness and reliability of God. It is faith in His faithfulness. It is siding with
God, and believing that He will use His power, His wisdom, and His goodness to
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keep us stable and fixed when the enemy comes in like an angry horde. It is the belief
that God will personally come, pick you up and make you stronger than ever (1 Pet.
5:10, LB). It is knowing that you have a relationship with the King of Kings, the
Creator of the Universe, The Great I AM, The Ever-Present, The All-Powerful, AllKnowing, All-Wise God—and He is your Father and you are His child!
Simply believing that God is for us and not against us—that He is faithful—becomes
a shield to us that we can put our faith in.
Faith is the assurance and full confidence of things hoped for (the Biblical meaning of
the word “hope” is expectation). It is being certain of things we cannot see (Heb.
11:1, NAS, PHIL). Faith perceives as real fact what is not revealed to the five senses
(Heb. 11:1, AMP).
But God IS revealed in His Word. It is in the pages of the Bible that we encounter
Who He is and how He thinks. As we read His Word we get to know Him, because
His Holy Spirit (our Teacher) makes this come alive to us. Reading His Word gives
us something in which to base our faith. We can take hope from His Word and can
expect that what God says in His Word is Truth. When we read about His love for us,
we know that He will not, He will NOT, HE WILL NOT in any way forsake us—that
nothing can separate us from the love of God.
A Love that we cannot be separated from, a Love that never forsakes us…sounds like
a good place to rest…an oasis from the fiery attacks of the enemy’s brutal cohorts.
We can rest in the Lord’s love for us. It is a shield for all who will believe. It is a
secret place we can always run to, and:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and
fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I
will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean
and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! For [then] He will deliver you from
the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. [Then] He will cover
you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His
truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler (Psalm 91:1-4, AMP).
Did you see that last sentence? Even way back in the Old Testament, they knew that
His faithfulness is a shield! Because of His faithfulness, we don’t have to be afraid of
the devil’s evil plots and can stand against them (Ps. 91:5, AMP).
It is similar to the way a Roman soldier had to have trust in his shield. He relied upon
it as a defense to protect him from arrows, swords and spears. His shield stood in the
way between him and death. But he had to believe in it enough to lift it up and
actually use it, before it was any good for him. His shield certainly wasn’t made to
cower behind and hide himself from the reality of what was out there. Instead, it was
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designed to be used offensively to face the angry hordes, advance against the enemy,
and gain ground.
Our shield of faith is designed the same way. Our enemy comes to steal, kill and
destroy (John 10:10)—he wants to make us feel powerless and hopeless. But the truth
is, God is greater than reality, and He stands between us and any fiery darts or
anything else the enemy throws at us. In fact, He overcame the world (John 16:33)
and He has given us power to OVERCOME the enemy:
Jesus said, “It is true that I have given you the power to tread on snakes and
scorpions and to overcome all the enemy’s power—there is nothing at all
that can do you any harm.” Luke 10:18-20 PHIL
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that
has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4 NAS
Practical Application: How do we lift up and hold up the shield of faith? The
simplest explanation is that when we trust in His faithfulness to quench the fiery darts
of trouble and temptation, we are lifting up the shield of faith.
Faith is taking God at His word without having seen the visible evidence (Heb. 11:1).
It is standing and believing that God will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn
it to good (Gen. 50:20), regardless of what we see. Wielding the shield of faith
involves holding fast to the Word of the Lord and watching the Lord defend and fight
for us.
But how do we do that in our everyday life?
“Only by looking away from self to the Triune God, placing one’s
trust in Him for life, death and eternity and relying on His Word of
revelation and promise is it possible to repeal this shower of
flaming arrows” shot at us by the devil
(William Hendriksen, p278).
We have to stop looking at something and start looking at Someone: The Living God.
What we see around us with our earthly eyes overwhelms us. It captivates our
thinking. To take up the shield of faith, we have to be aware of what we are thinking.
We have to quit focusing on the outward appearance of things. We’ve got to stop our
minds from dwelling and meditating on sinful and lustful things, and we absolutely
must put an end to constantly worrying about the things of this earth.
The enemy uses these things to pull the Word of God out of our hearts. They are
things that choke off life and harden our hearts into stone. If we give our attention to
them, they will make the Word of God fruitless in our lives. But we can be aware of
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how the enemy uses these tools, these fiery darts, so we can stop him from building
up strongholds in our lives.
Here are some of satan’s most effective tools (Mark 4:14-20, AMP):
 Using trouble or persecution to get us to become displeased or disturbed
about something. Then the more we think about it, the more easily offended
we are by it. Then, as we become more offended, we get indignant and
finally wind up being resentful, just before we become bitter. That is about
the time we really stumble and fall (Mark 4:17, AMP).
 Getting us to focus on the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions
of the age
 Tempting us to make pleasures and delights be the motivating factors of our
life
 Fooling us with false glamour
 Lying to us about the deceitfulness of riches,
 Enticing us to be dissatisfied and passionately desire things we don’t have
He will use these things to tempt us to give in to our lusts and sin, but we don’t have
to give in. Martin Luther put it like this, “You cannot prevent the birds from flying
over your head, but you may readily prevent them from making their nests in your
hair.”
It is easy to think on these temptations and make decisions accordingly. This is the
devil’s scheme and plan he has used since the Garden of Eden. Putting our eyes on
these things and falling prey to this kind of thinking is actually opening the door to
Satan and saying “Here, come in and mess up my life—I give you permission!” It is
just like putting a giant “Kick me” sign on our back! Our lives will begin to be
changed for the better when we really believe that satan uses our thinking to attack
and defeat us.
It works something like this: the enemy puts an idea into our head—those “birds of
the air” are always flying over our head and are really quite persuasive! These things
are really the fiery darts of trouble, temptation and accusation, and are the voice of
the enemy. These fiery darts—lies—hit us in our soul: our mind and our emotions.
We believe them and start dwelling on them. Soon they lead to more trouble or more
temptation.
Telling the difference between the voice of God, our own voice, and the enemy is a
life-long learning process.
But becoming aware of what we are thinking, and taking our eyes off ourselves and
the world around us is the beginning of that process. It is only the first step in taking
up the shield of faith.
The next step is setting our minds on things above. That means God and His Word.
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That means fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
That means seeing things through the eyes of faith, always keeping in mind who God
is. He never changes, not even in the midst of tribulation. In fact, He uses tribulation
to produce good in our life when we stop looking at things we see and look at the
things that we can’t see:
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a
glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the
troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For
the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last
forever. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT
So lifting up the shield of faith is setting our eyes on things that are eternal.
A practical way of setting our eyes on things that are eternal is to get the Word in us.
Putting on that belt of truth (see above) will hide His Word in our heart. That will
give us a basis for faith to come into our lives, because faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17, KJV). And if faith cometh, it also “goeth”
by NOT hearing the Word—and we know the result of having the Word pulled out of
our hearts (see the enemy’s tools, above.)
It is up to us to use the shield of faith to watch and guard our hearts from that
happening.
We can apply faith to His Word when we believe, trust in and rely upon:









His power, His wisdom, and His goodness, instead of worrying about what
could be and grumbling and complaining about what is
God’s sovereign rule and the fact that He is on His throne
God’s provision for all our needs
His faithfulness to meet us in the day of trouble
God’s ability to answer prayer and comfort us in every circumstance and give
us hope in every “hopeless” situation
The fact that God knows everything and cares about the things that concern us
God’s protection that guards our going out and coming in
God’s desire to give us wisdom and lead us in the right path
God’s faithful even when we are not faithful
The point here is that there are things in the spiritual realm that we cannot see. But
God is still working on our behalf. “Don’t be afraid!...For there are more on our
side…” than the eye can see (2 Kings 6:17).
Taking up the shield of faith is a choice that involves action. True faith, hope and love
work together as a team. We receive hope from God’s Word and we choose to believe
in these things unseen. Then we act upon them by loving and living according to
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God’s Word. Love becomes a channel for our faith (Gal. 5:6, AMP); if we aren’t
walking in love, we aren’t walking in faith—and without faith we can’t please God:
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
(Heb. 11:6)
Lesson 7E: Shield of Faith – Questions
1. The shield of faith is based in a compelling belief and trust, a confident reliance in
the trustworthiness and reliability of God. It is faith in His faithfulness. (True or False
/ underline one)
2. Simply believing that God is
us and not
us—that He is
—becomes a shield to us that we can put our faith in.
3. Because God’s faithfulness is a shield to us, we don’t have to be
4. Our enemy comes to
,
wants to make us feel
.
—he
and
and
.
5. This is the victory that overcomes the world: our
.
6. We lift up the shield of faith when we trust in God’s
the fiery darts of trouble and temptation.
to quench
7. What must we absolutely put an end to if we are going to lift up the shield of
faith?
8. Name three of satan’s most effective tools:
A.
B.
C.
9. Telling the difference between the voice of God, our own voice, and the enemy is a
life-long
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10. Becoming aware of what we are thinking, and taking our eyes off ourselves and
the world around us is the beginning of that process. It is only the first step in taking
up the shield of faith. What is the next step?
11. Our text tells us several things that we can trust in and rely upon, in order to apply
faith to His Word. Pick out two of them that you can use in your own life and write
them below.
A.
B.
12.
is a channel for our faith.
7F: Helmet of Salvation
“And take the helmet of salvation…” - Eph. 6:17, NAS
Historical Background: The Roman Empire lasted several centuries, and so, the
armor used by soldiers changed as the years passed. As a result the hand-made
helmets used by Roman soldiers differed depending on circumstances. Some were
made of heavy leather that was coated with metal plates and had sections that covered
the soldier’s cheeks and neck. Other helmets were made of bronze or another metal
and were heated then loosely molded to the soldier’s face. Helmets often had plumes,
or crests that were on top of them, and often signified rank or what legion they were a
part of. However these crests were usually reserved for formal affairs or parades
rather than being used in battle. Regardless of the style of helmet, this protective head
covering had to provide an impenetrable layer of shielding between the enemy’s
sword and the Roman soldier’s head, face and neck. This distinctive appearance made
it obvious to those living in that day that these were Roman soldiers and were not to
be messed with.
Spiritual Meaning: As believers, we too have a protective covering that provides an
impenetrable layer of shielding between our spiritual enemy (satan) and us, and it is
called the helmet of salvation. Jesus Christ died for our sins. His death was MORE
than enough to pay for our sins. He rose from the dead and that resurrection was
proof He has power over death. Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost
(completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God
through Him (Heb. 7:25 AMP).
God IS THE God of deliverances and salvation! (Ps. 68:2 AMP).
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Because of Who He is and What He did, all those who believe and are called by His
name have security and assurance in Christ’s salvation. What He did on the cross
secured our salvation and it became our safety-net and stronghold that won’t slip or
break down. His finished work on the cross became a Done-Deal, sealed with the
blood of God and all the authority that represented, never to be changed again. We
can be assured of that—and we have His Word on it:
It was not with goats’ or calves’ blood but with His own blood that He entered once
and for all into the holy of holies, having won for us men eternal reconciliation with
God…No, the fact is that now, at this point in time, the end of the present age, He has
appeared once and for all to abolish sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as
surely as it is appointed for all men to die and after that pass to their judgment, so it
is certain that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many and after that, to those
who look for Him, He will appear a second time, not this time to deal with sin, but to
bring them to full salvation.(Heb. 9:12-14, 9:27-28, PHIL)
Taking this helmet of full salvation can be looked at in three ways:
1) We are saved
2) We are being saved and
3) We shall be saved.
We are saved when we trust in and adhere to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and
rely upon Him to save us from Hell. He immediately pulls us out of the kingdom of
darkness and places us into His Kingdom of Light and Love. We have been freed
from the law of sin and death. The power of sin has been broken…we no longer
HAVE to sin. We are rescued from the penalty of sin, eternal death and hell’s fire,
and we receive eternal life. God’s Holy Spirit is deposited within us, and new life—
HIS life—is created in us. We are new creations, created in Jesus Christ. This is
called being “born again”, into a new love-relationship with our Heavenly Father. We
are now part of HIS family. This is justification, initial salvation, the first step in a
brand new life, that never needs repeated again. We are secure in our Father’s hands.
We are being saved everyday, from sin’s destructive effects in our life. God’s goal for
our life is for us to become more Christ-like. We are on a life-long journey of being
transformed into the image of Christ. Our mind is being renewed. He does this by the
power of the Holy Spirit He has placed within us. This is called sanctification, God
turning the clay pots of our lives into something holy for Him.
We shall be saved on that final day. When Christ appears, we will be made like Him,
for we will see Him as He really is. We will be changed in an instant—a twinkling of
a moment—when the last trumpet sounds. This perishable nature of ours, these mortal
bodies, will be wrapped in immortality. Those who are born again, that God has
justified, He will also glorify (1 John 3:2, NLT; 1 Cor. 15:51-53, PHIL; Rom. 8:30,
NAS). This is called glorification, the righteous made perfect.
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All three of these together—we are saved, are being saved and shall be saved—are
the full salvation that only the power of God can bring forth. He saves us from
beginning to end. All we do is cooperate, and we don’t always do that very well—we
bang our head all the time. It’s a good thing we have God’s salvation-helmet to
protect us from fatal blows. He keeps us safe.
Our only hope is in this great salvation of the Lord. We take assurance from the fact
that God is able to complete the good work which He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6). The
hope that we get from His promise of certain salvation, is the real power behind the
tough durability of the unbreakable helmet the Father has given His kids. We have
been born again to a living hope… to obtain an inheritance… reserved in heaven for
us…for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:3–5). This
salvation-helmet is the certainty of Heaven, eternal life with our Father, and this is the
anchor of our soul (Heb. 6:19). If we forget we are wearing that helmet and lose hope
in the future promise of salvation—if our future is in question—then how can we
have security in the here and now? But, the quality of this hope of salvation, our
spiritual helmet (1 Thess. 5:8), makes us fully confident and assured that what we are
going through in this life won’t last forever. Our present fight with the enemy of our
souls is only temporary, and we have already read the end of the book—WE WIN!!!
Practical Application: The helmet of salvation is offered to us at the moment we are
being born again. Like a Roman soldier accepting the offer of a helmet from an
officer, we say “Yes” to it and take the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17) being offered
to us. We say “Yes” to God, He saves us and puts that helmet on our head. It is
permanently attached. It cannot be removed. Even when we think it is NOT there, it
IS there, because salvation belongs to the Lord. But while we do not lose our
salvation, we CAN temporarily lose our HOPE of salvation.
If we don’t have the hope of God rescuing us, if we think we will be left to our own
devices now or in the future, then we are wide-open to the lies of the enemy. This
really is an attack on our hope in God. These lies directly assault our security and
assurance we have in Christ. To be clear, they are nothing more than lies about God.
Satan has been doing this since the beginning of time. He said to Eve, “Can it really
be that God has said…” (Gen. 3:1). He’ll say anything to get us to question God’s
Word, any lie to make us think God is something He is not. Satan wants us to think
God is not merciful, not faithful to His promises, not loving, not good and that His
sacrifice on the cross was not enough to save us to the uttermost.
His lies are a sword with two edges that clangs against our helmet of salvation. One
edge drives us to question and doubt Who God says He is. The other edge tries to cut
us by goading us to give up hope and become discouraged. Satan will say anything to
rain on our parade and fill us with misgivings and unbelief.
To get us to give up hope, satan will try to remind us of everything we’ve done
wrong. He will do his best to make sure we remember everything we have ever failed
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at. He will try to make certain we never forget all the troubles we have—and he loves
to help us worry about them.
To get us to doubt God, he will attempt to persuade us that the Lord’s intentions are
not good. Satan will try to shake our belief that our Father really loves us.
We may find ourselves telling ourselves things like:
 Things are never going to change
 I’m always going to have to live this way
 There is no way out of this
 God has put me on the shelf
 God saved me, but now I am sinning the same sin over and over, so He’s
turned His back on me
 I’ve done it now! God is mad at me—He’s had it with me!
 God is punishing me
 God doesn’t love me
 If God really loved me He would…
 If God really loved me He would NOT let…
 God loves me, but He wants me to suffer to learn something…
These are all lies from the PIT of HELL.
But the REAL Truth is that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His redeeming
blood is the basis for our salvation. Don’t be deceived by the lies. Stand firm against
them. Hold onto the Truth. Humble yourself before God and submit to Him. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). That means knowing: we are not our
own—we are bought with a price. We are on His team and we are on HIS mission. It
is HIS authority we are using. Our salvation does not depend on us. We are secure in
Him because of what HE did. The Lord is our keeper. He guards our goings out and
comings in from this day and forevermore.
And THAT is our helmet of salvation.
Lesson 7F: Helmet of Salvation – Questions
1. Because of Who Jesus is and What He did, all those who believe and are called by
His name have
and
in His salvation.
2. What are the three ways the FULL salvation can be looked at?
A.
B.
C.
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3. What is the real power behind the tough durability of the unbreakable helmet of
salvation the Father has given His kids? (underline the correct answer below)
A. The fact that we do everything right and don’t sin a lot.
B. The fact that we had sense enough to accept Christ as our Savior.
C. The hope that we get from His promise of certain salvation.
4. We are wide-open to the lies of the enemy when we don’t have the
God
of
us, if we think we will be left to our own
now or in the future.
5. Name three lies out of the pit of hell from the list above, which you have had to
deal with:
A.
B.
C.
7G: Sword of the Spirit
“And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” - Eph. 6:17, NAS
Historical Background: Of all the pieces of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians, the
Roman soldier’s sword is the one that is clearly defensive AND offensive. While the
shield could be used offensively as a blocking and ramming weapon, it did not yield
deadly blows. It only stunned so that the sword could come into play and deliver
certain harm or even death. The sword could also be used to block the enemy’s
thrusts and slashes. And the sword could reflect its owner’s position or rank. Its hilt
(handle) was sometimes carved ornately, particularly if it belonged to an officer or
someone with governmental authority.
There were basically three types of swords used by the Romans: the 1) rhomphaia, 2)
spatha and 3) gladius. The rhomphaia was a large, double-edged steel or iron sword
and had a long wooden handle. It was about 6 to 8 feet long and was made to be
swung in a wide arc, inflicting serious injuries and making enemies lose their head—
literally. It is probably the kind of sword used by Goliath and later used by David to
cut off Goliath’s head. The sword was heavy enough that a soldier needed two hands
to swing it effectively. However, because it did require two hands, a single soldier
couldn’t use it and also hold a shield, meaning he was exposed to the enemy. It is
possible that a two-man team lobbed it in big circles, spiraling their way bloodily
through armies.
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The spatha was a smaller sword than the rhomphaia but still its length was between
30-39 inches. It was straight with a long, double-edged blade and a short, sharp point.
Roman cavalry and infantry both used it to slash and cut the enemy. But its length
became a drawback when a soldier was in hand-to-hand battle in a tight space on a
crowded battlefield—there wasn’t room to swing and slash with a long sword. Close
combat required the third kind of sword, the gladius.
Smaller still than the spatha, but bigger than a dagger, the gladius had a short steel
blade between 19 and 24 inches long. The gladius was designed for stabbing and
puncturing and was the primary Roman sword used in battle through the mid-first
century AD. Its design was what made it so deadly. Soldiers would thrust the Vshaped point at a horizontal angle so that the sharp double-edges sliced between the
ribs of an enemy, lacerating vital organs.
Spiritual Meaning: The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. But here in Ephesians
6:17, the Greek word for “Word” is rhema. It is not logos, which also means the
“Word.” There is a distinct difference between the Greek meanings of the two words.
Since they both refer to God’s Word, and God and His Word are one, they are both
divinely powerful for life and godliness. They are both alive and sharper than any
two-edged sword. However, logos refers to all of God’s Word—the entire Bible,
while rhema refers to when the Spirit of the Lord pours forth a specific part of the
logos into our spirit and makes it real to us. Strong’s Concordance says this about
rhema:
“the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual Scripture
which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite
being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.”
Notice the progression. We 1) store Scripture (logos) in our mind and 2) the Holy
Spirit brings individual Scripture (rhema) to the front of our mind for us to use when
we need it. The logos is general, and the rhema is specific. We know the logos, and
then we can use the rhema.
This is actually a clear picture of the contrast between girding your loins with the belt
of truth and taking the sword of the Spirit and using it. Girding your loins with the
belt of truth is the placement of the Word of God in your heart. Using the sword of
the Spirit is speaking the Word and acting on the Word that is in your heart. As the
Scripture says:
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein…” (Joshua 1:8, KJV)
God’s Word is living and active. His Holy Spirit makes specific Scriptures real to you
and causes you to be aware of Its meaning and importance in your life. That particular
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piece of the Word of God becomes electrified in your heart and It brings you one step
closer to Him in a divine relationship. You are filled with increased awareness and
ability to use His Word. His Word becomes more than words on a page. They are
Spirit and they are Life (John 6:63).
This Word, this sword of the Spirit, does three things:
 gets rid of doubt
 gets rid of fear and condemnation
 strengthens us against temptation and causes the enemy to flee
Practical Application: God’s Word is a sword that puts our enemy to flight. His
Word is literally able to cut down the strongholds of satan, but It has to be used. This
is exactly what Jesus did with the enemy.
Jesus had fasted and prayed in the wilderness for 40 days and was exhausted and
famished. The enemy came and tempted Him (Luke 4:1-13) in three ways. Each of
them are areas in which we also are tempted and are the three roots of all sin (1 John
2:16):
What the devil said
If You are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become
bread
the devil showed Jesus all
the kingdoms of the world
and said, “I will give You
all this domain and its
glory…Therefore if You
worship before me, it shall
all be Yours.”
the devil had Him stand on
the pinnacle of the temple,
and said, “If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself
down from here; for it is
written, ‘He will command
His angels concerning You
to guard You’”
The root of the sin
1. the lust of
the flesh
2. the lust of
the eyes
3. the boastful
pride of life
What Jesus said
“It is written, ‘Man
shall not live on
bread alone.’”
“It is written, ‘You
shall worship the
Lord your God and
serve Him only.’”
“It is said, ‘You
shall not put the
Lord your God to
the test.’”
The devil was trying to get Jesus to do what he said. He wanted Jesus to listen to him
and not God.
It is the same way the tempter did with Eve in the Garden of Eden.
It’s also the same way he does with us.
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Jesus didn't have some long, drawn-out conversation with the devil. He simply spoke
what His Father in Heaven would have said to him. He spoke God's Word. Jesus
really didn’t give satan the time of day. He resisted the devil and just pulled out the
Sword of the Spirit and used it—and satan fled (Luke 4:13, James 4:7). He had no
defense against it…the Sword was too powerful.
That is exactly what Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active
and sharper than any two-edged sword…it cuts more keenly than any two-edged
sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost
intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s
heart” (NAS, PHIL).
This Sword is no mere worldly weapon, it is God’s mighty weapon. The Sword of the
Spirit knocks down strongholds of human reasoning. It destroys false arguments. It
demolishes anything that stands in the way of people knowing God. (2 Cor. 10:4-5,
NLT)
And we can learn to use this Sword of the Spirit against our tempter just as Jesus did.
It will mean taking the time to get this weapon into our hearts.
It will mean watching out for Satan’s temptations and standing firm when he attacks.
It will mean finding out which part of the Word of God is an effective Sword to use
against the enemy’s lies.
It means practice.
Isn’t it obvious that this is what a warrior does? A soldier studies his weapons. He
knows why he is fighting. He learns how the enemy attacks. He finds what is
effective against the enemy. He practices over and over and over and over. Then
when the enemy comes in like a flood all at once, the warrior is ready. He doesn’t
even have to think about what to do or say. He knows instantly what weapon to use.
He has taken the time to be prepared.
The warrior cannot wait until he needs the sword to practice how to use it, just like
we cannot wait until the tempter comes before we put the Word of God in our heart.
If we don’t put the Word of God in our heart, there is nothing there for the Holy Spirit
to bring up from our innermost being.
No sword. No truth. We are almost defenseless.
We have to gird up our loins and tighten up our Belt of Truth. We have to regularly
store up God’s Word in our heart. We have to memorize It and meditate on It, chew It
and swallow It.
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It’s why God’s Word says we should study and do our utmost to present ourselves to
God…a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and
accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth (2
Tim. 2:15, AMP).
The fact is that the more we gird our loins with the truth of God's Word, the more
natural it will become to wield the Sword in our lives. Temptation, doubt and fear
will come, but the Holy Spirit will cause the Sword to rise up out of the Word stored
in our innermost being, so we can focus on It…literally get our own attention with It.
The Sword of God’s Word will protect us from temptation. It will cut away doubt,
slice through fear, and disintegrate condemnation. God’s sword literally saves us day
by day as we walk through this world. We can actually take ground back using this
weapon offensively and gain victory as a result of the wielding of this sword. “God is
not dead. He lives and speaks in and through His message” (Hendrikson.)
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses
indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lam. 3:21-22, NAS)
Lesson 7G: Sword of the Spirit – Questions
1. The Sword of the Spirit is
been stored in our hearts and that the
forefront of our minds for a particular use.
that have
brings to the
2. What is the difference between the Sword of the Spirit and the Belt of Truth?
3. What are the three things the Sword of the Spirit does in our lives?
A.
B.
C.
4. We should be ashamed when the devil tempts us. He never tempted Jesus. (True or
False / underline one)
5. We have to put the
in our heart and
using It in
order for the Sword of the Spirit to be effective in our lives.
__________________________________________________________________
The next page is something we have made for you to print and put in your home or
car. It shows some temptations and lies that the devil uses against us, and what God’s
Sword of the Word says. We have used these Scriptures ourselves and hope they will
further help you on your way to becoming a Sword-wielding warrior.
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USING THE SWORD OF THE WORD
What the devil says:
You have a right to be mad at
that person and get even with
them
You are a loser! You can’t do
anything right! Nothing is ever
going to work out for you!
You big dummy, you’ve done it
this time—one sin too many!
God is done with you now. How
can you ever face Him?
See? Everyone you love has
abandoned you. You are going to
be alone like this all your life.
You are not important to anyone.
You are a loner!
You can’t handle this trouble. It
is too much for you. You’ll never
be able to get through this. It is
going to overwhelm you and you
will be toast.
Fantasize about whoever you
want. Sleep with whoever you
want. You can do what you want
with your body. You’re not
hurting anyone. Go have a good
time.
Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies
What God says:
 Let all bitterness and anger be put away
from you; be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another even
as God has forgiven you (Eph. 4:31-32)
 I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
 I am more than a conqueror through Him
who loves me (Rom. 8:37)
 There is therefore now NO condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom.
8:1)
 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him
will be condemned. (Ps. 34:22)
 I’ll never leave you or forsake you. (Heb.
13:5)
 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and
saves those crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18)
 Fear not for I am with you. Be not
dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you. I will help you. I will
uphold you with My right hand of My
righteousness. (Is. 41:10)
 God has not given me a spirit of fear but
of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Tim.
1:7)
 Therefore do not let sin reign in your
mortal body so that you obey its lusts
(Rom. 6:13)
 Make no provision for your flesh (Rom.
13:14)
 Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22)
 Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and that you
are not your own? For you have been
bought with a price: therefore glorify God
in your body (1 Cor. 6:19)
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7H. The Full Armor Of God In The Here And Now
So now that we’ve studied all the pieces of armor, what does it mean to put on the full
armor of God? What does that look like for us today? It would help to see a picture of
the full armor. There are a lot of pictures on the Internet showing a warrior in the full
armor of God. They do help us visualize what armor looked like, since none of us
today typically see Roman soldiers walking around in shining armor. But let us draw
a slightly different picture of the full armor of God. Let’s look in on a local church
and see how God’s armor plays out in real life:
They came from different walks of life to weekly gather together in God’s name and
worship Him. But their gathering had grown into something more than a simple
church service over the years as they walked with each other in love. They were
living stones being built into the House of God. And just like he did in every other
church in the earth, satan was out to steal, kill and destroy everyone in this local
church. He prowled through this local body of Christ like a hungry roaring lion,
looking for some victim to tear apart.
Like a good shepherd, the church’s pastor had over the years equipped the believers
there. They knew their struggle was not against flesh and blood, but against the
powers of darkness. They were learning how to be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might. They were learning how to resist the devil and stand firm by
putting on the full armor of God.
Jerry had walked with the Lord 35 years and had girded his loins with the belt of truth
so much that his innermost being was becoming enmeshed with God’s Word. He had
hidden it in his heart like a billionaire has money in the bank. As a result when the
devil attacked him or someone in the church, he could see through the schemes and
lies right away. In that way, Jerry was particularly good at guiding people in the
church. Devlin had seen his share of troubles—many from his own hand—but also he
had also seen the Lord deliver him out of them and through them. Through it all, he
had learned to trust that God was going to take care of him. That gave him a great
peace, and he walked in that peace in his home and every time he went out the door.
The enemy tried tripping him up with more typhoons of troubles, but Devlin was able
to stand firm. His feet were shod with the shoes of the Gospel of peace and they never
wore out.
Jasmine had been told early in life she didn’t meet expectations, that she didn’t
measure up. Even though she’d become an overachiever in her zeal to please men and
God, she never felt like she was good enough. But when she learned that it was what
God had done on the cross that made her right—not anything she did—everything
changed. Wearing that breastplate of righteousness, she became convinced by grace
that God found her pleasing in His sight. Her hope was in the Lord and the power of
the cross restored her soul. The enemy, the great liar, threw lie after lie at her.
“You’re bad. You are a failure. You are worthless.” The lies were like birds of the air
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The Letter to the Ephesians
for Jasmine. They flew right over her head and found no place in her soul to make a
nest. The breastplate of righteousness protected her.
The enemy hurled great flaming missiles of trouble, persecution and impossible tasks
at Katherine. But they did not even harm her soul—they were extinguished by her
trust in her Father. She had practiced taking up the shield of faith for much of her life.
She knew that God would take care of her. She knew He would make a way for her.
Katherine knew that He was the God that moved mountains, and she believed that
what He said, He would do. She had learned to trust God and His Word.
David was a young believer. He had done some pretty bad stuff in his life. But God
had saved him—no, rescued him—from all that. He made it a practice every day to
place his trust and hope in the fact that God had saved him by grace, and grace was
enough to make him His child. He grew to relish his relationship with his Father in
Heaven. David’s helmet of salvation fit tightly on his head, and the enemy could not
change David’s mind about that. So the devil turned up the heat on him and attacked
him with all kinds of temptations. He knew right where to hit him. David could have
been swallowed up. But David’s pastor saw what was happening, and taught him how
to use the Word of God as a sword. Now David focused his attention on what God
said about those temptations. He resisted the devil, and stood firm. The devil fled.
The result of all this armor-fitting and armor-wearing and armor-practice was that the
members of this body of Christ grew strong in their relationship with their Father.
These battles made them cry out to Him, and talk to Him constantly. They set aside
times to pray and petition their Father on behalf of their friends in the church. They
practiced helping each other learn to use the armor that they themselves had learned
to use. In this way, the church grew to become a city set on a hill. It shined with the
fullness of Christ.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view,
be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints… Ephesians 6:18,
(NAS)
Lesson 7H: The Full Armor Of God In The Here And Now – Questions
Using the chart below, write the letter of the spiritual armor, in front of the
corresponding armor description. The first one is done for you.
Spiritual Armor
Armor Description
A. Belt of Truth
B. Breastplate of
Righteousness
C. Shoes of the Gospel
of Peace
D. Shield of Faith
E. Helmet of Salvation
F. Sword of the Spirit
Peace with God, and peace in our hearts
The hope that we get from His promise of certain salvation.
A. wrapping our souls—the most intimate part of who we
are—in God’s Word and tightening up that relationship with Jesus
The right-ness of Jesus that is given us to wear and to walk in
The rhema, the specific Word of God brought to the
forefront of our minds by the Holy Spirit
A compelling belief and trust, a confident reliance in the
trustworthiness and reliability of God. It is faith in His faithfulness.
Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Sources:
__________
Loins girded with the belt of truth:
Ephesians 6:14.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and
Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and
David Brown [1882]
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/ephesians/6.htm
Ephesians 6:14.
Exposition of the Entire Bible by John Gill [1746-63].
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/ephesians/6.htm
Strong’s Analytical Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong. Nashville, TN
The Belt of Truth:
The Armor of God.
Series 3 - The Great Teachings of the Bible and What They Mean for You: Bible
Studies: Practical Answers, Real Hope. United Church of God, publisher of The
Good News magazine.
http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-belt-of-truth.htm
Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace:
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]-Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Bible Commentary
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb//ephesians/6.htm
New Testament Commentary Exposition of Ephesians.
Hendriksen, William. Copyright © 1967. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
Sandals of Peace.
Christ-Centered Mall. The content on this site, including text and graphics, is the
property of Christ-Centered Mall. All U.S. and international copyright© laws apply
and are reserved by Christ-Centered Mall. Web pages copyright© 1998-2010 by
Christ-Centered Mall, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-4.htm
Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Strong’s Analytical Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong. Nashville, TN. -preparation. greek word etiology refers to provide, make ready,
The Pulpit Commentary.
Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010 by BibleSoft, inc.,
Used by permission
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/ephesians/6.htm
The Wars of the Jews VI.i.8.
Flavius Josephus.
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/war-6.htm
Breastplate of righteousness:
Breastplate of Righteousness.
Christ-Centered Mall. The content on this site, including text and graphics, is the
property of Christ-Centered Mall. All U.S. and international copyright© laws apply
and are reserved by Christ-Centered Mall. Web pages copyright© 1998-2010 by
Christ-Centered Mall, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-2.htm
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-3.htm
Ephesians 6:14a – The Belt of Truth.
Myers, Jeremy. Till He Comes. Bringing Scriptures And Theology To Life.
Copyright © 2014 Till He Comes · Old · All Rights Reserved
http://www.tillhecomes.org/sermons/ephesians/ephesians_6_14a/
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible. Provided by Public Domain. An
abridgment of the 6 volume Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
Lockyer, Herbert (Editor). Copyright (c) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville.
Righteousness: Putting on the Breastplate.
Wesol, Dan. The Herald of Christ's Kingdom. Official publication of the Pastoral
Bible Institute. Published since 1918.
http://www.heraldmag.org/2009/09jf_2.htm
The Breastplate of Righteousness.
©1998-2008 RGC Ministries web designs all rights reserved Privacy Statement.
http://www.rgcministries.com/bbls/The_Breastplate_of_Righteousness.htm
Shield of faith:
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The Letter to the Ephesians
His Truth Shall Be Your Shield And Buckler.
Yeap, Chee Seng. Yeap Chee Seng Weblog.
http://cheee.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/his-truth-shall-be-your-shield-and-buckler/
Shield of Faith.
Christ-Centered Mall. The content on this site, including text and graphics, is the
property of Christ-Centered Mall. All U.S. and international copyright© laws apply
and are reserved by Christ-Centered Mall. Web pages copyright© 1998-2010 by
Christ-Centered Mall, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-5.htm
Helmet of salvation:
Helmet of Salvation.
Christ-Centered Mall. The content on this site, including text and graphics, is the
property of Christ-Centered Mall. All U.S. and international copyright© laws apply
and are reserved by Christ-Centered Mall. Web pages copyright© 1998-2010 by
Christ-Centered Mall, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-6.htm
Legionary Helmets of the Roman Period.
Dickson, Iain. 'Melvadius Macrinus Cugerni'
http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-006.html
his sources are from:
- H Russell Robinson “The Armour of Imperial Rome”, Purnell Book Services, Book
Club Edition, 1975 used for references although acknowledgement is made in it to
Arms and Armour Press and Lionel Leventhal Ltd.
- Peter Connolly “Greece and Rome at War”, Greenhill Books 1991, 1998.
What Is the Helmet of Salvation?
MacArthur, John. © 2014 Grace to You. All rights reserved. PO Box 4000 Panorama
City, California 91412
http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ060513/what-is-the-helmet-of-salvation
Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God:
Ephesians 6:17.
Barber, Wayne. Precept Austin.
http://preceptaustin.org/ephesians_617_by_wayne_barber.htm
http://preceptaustin.org/ephesians_616-17.htm#6:17
Ephesians 6:17b – The Sword of the Spirit.
Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Myers, Jeremy. Till He Comes. Bringing Scriptures And Theology To Life.
Copyright © 2014 Till He Comes · Old · All Rights Reserved
http://www.tillhecomes.org/sermons/ephesians/ephesians_6_17b/
Gladius.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladius
New Testament Commentary Exposition of Ephesians.
Hendriksen, William. Copyright © 1967. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids,
Michigan. p280 quote: God is not dead…
Rhomphaia.
Burckhardt, Leonhard (Basle). Brill’s New Pauly. Antiquity volumes edited by:
Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider. Brill Online, 2014. Reference. 25 June 2014
First appeared online: 2006
First Print Edition: 9789004122598, 20110510
http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/rhomphaiae1023000?s.num=5&s.au=%22Burckhardt%2C+Leonhard+%28Basle%29%22&s.f.s2_parent_ti
tle=Brill%E2%80%99s+New+Pauly
Roman Weapons.
AncientMilitary.com. Copyright © 2010 AncientMilitary.com
http://www.ancientmilitary.com/roman-weapons.htm
Spatha.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatha
Strong’s Analytical Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong. Nashville, TN. G4487 Ephesians 6:17, p221 rhema
Sword of the Spirit.
Christ-Centered Mall. The content on this site, including text and graphics, is the
property of Christ-Centered Mall. All U.S. and international copyright© laws apply
and are reserved by Christ-Centered Mall. Web pages copyright© 1998-2010 by
Christ-Centered Mall, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-7.htm
This Christian Bible teaching was written by David Holt Boshart, Jr. and his wife
Shari Boshart
The Roman Gladius.
Sword Lore …A History of Swords And More. Copyright 2005-2014 Strongblade
LLC
http://www.strongblade.com/history/romangladius.html
Alle-Kiski School of Biblical Studies
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The Letter to the Ephesians
Weapons Universe: Ancient Roman Weapons.
Copyright © 2001-2014 Weapons Universe Corporation™
http://www.weapons-universe.com/Swords/Ancient_Roman_Weapons.shtml
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To be
filled out by instructor:
Date of course completion
Instructor signature
Instructor's comments:
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