DEEP DIVE
suffering for christ | Katie Haldane
After Paul has finished outlining the necessity for the early Christians of Ephesus to live in unity, he goes through how to behave in a community right through to the expected family dynamic, followed by a reminder of the community’s place within eschatology and finally, introducing the idea that there’s more to this life than just the material. Now, after all this, the concept of donning armour seems misplaced. However, when looked at in such broad strokes, it fits perfectly. Paul has laid out a methodology by which one can live, and additionally introduced the divine concept of the Armour of God. The ready defense we must have in order to defeat the spiritual attacks of the Accuser. Interestingly, this is the same armour that the author of Isaiah refers to God putting on to deliver Israel from her enemies (Isaiah 59:15-17).