The most well-known part of Ephesians is Chapter 6:10-20, 'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might'. This is the warfare section, and because we all want the victory, we happily jump to taking up the whole armour of God against the devil. But did you notice the first word of that section?

How many times have you heard it said, ‘Men are the head of the household; therefore, women must comply with every whim and desire of their husbands, it’s written right there in black and white in the Bible’? Or maybe, ‘The Bible condones slavery, therefore it’s irrelevant and dated document!’ These charges are usually met with a stunned face, unable to conjure an adequate response, or worse, an untrue rendering and application the author’s original and intended meaning.

We have got to be careful in our Christian life that we don’t have ‘assumed’ knowledge only. Our knowledge should come from the revelation we get personally from the Word of God as well as from our Pastors, Podcasts and books. My passion is for people to be living, loving and engaged in the Bible.

After Paul has finished outlining the necessity for the early Christians of Ephesus to live in unity and how to behave in a community (right through to the expected family dynamic), introducing the idea that there’s more to this life than just the material, the concept of donning armour seems misplaced. However, when looked at in broad strokes, it fits perfectly.