You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
11 Put on[enduo] the whole armour[panoplia] of God,[theos] that[pros] ye[humas] may be able[dunamai] to stand[histemi] against[pros] the wiles[methodeia] of
the devil.[diabolos] KJV-Interlinear
11 Put on
the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes
of the devil. NASB
Whole armor, refers to the complete and covered protection of a soldier in battle.
In the next several verses there are described six pieces of armor in the spiritual battle dress of the believer.
Belt of truth;
Breastplate of righteousness;
Footwear of peace;
Shield of faith;
Helmet of salvation;
Sword of the Spirit.
Each piece of clothing is designed for protection in both a defensive and offensive posture, for the believer living in this devils world. All are an integral part of the believers dress. All work together for the complete protection of the believer. And, all are required.
The believer does not have the option of selecting one or two pieces, but must put on each and every piece for the complete coverage and protection of himself against the onslaught of evil that saturates this world.
Satan is the unseen enemy. His policy of evil is an integral and deceitful and subtle component of the function of this world.
Wiles, 'methodeia' means traveling over, journey, trickery, lie in wait. This means that Satan does not have to face you on a daily basis or even face you at all. His policy is installed into this world and has been since the very first generations. He merely planted the seeds of the first concepts of evil, and thereafter humanity has amplified and enhanced those policies on his own, doing Satans work for him.
Evil travels from person to person, generation to generation, region to region. It migrates from concept to concept, from philosophy to philosophy, from belief to belief. Evil rules beliefs, attitudes, norms and standards of cultures, regulations of governments, rituals of religion.
Evil is so ingrained in the daily lives of all of humanity, that without any defensive mechanism, there is no protection from, and total defeat by, its power and control.
On your own, you cannot defeat nor even protect yourself against evil.
Evil is so sophisticated that multitudes of people believe that their form of righteousness, their form of political correctness, their form of social reform, their form of human good, is sufficient to protect them against evil and even promote them in Gods eyes, when in fact they are so bound up in evil that they do not even know it.
Put on, is a command, not an option, not a choice, not a cafeteria to pick and choose from. It is a command to clothe yourself with the protections that God has made available to you and each and every believer, if they want to avoid and be protected from the evils of this world, and more than that, if they want to advance in Gods plan for their lives and purpose and meaning to the point of absolute and total completion of their lives as God intended.
And a stand is what you need in order to withstand the onslaughts of the world and all anti-truth and anti-God aggressions against you. To stand means to hold your own, to be independent of all external and internal attacks against your essence against your character, against your spiritual life.
The world is so vast for any given person, and the enemy that rises against you is so numerous, that without some form of protection, you will fail and be defeated soundly. You cannot withstand the onslaught of the world when you lack Gods protection.
And Gods protection begins with doctrine, or the body of truth, which when communicated and heard and learned and used, begins the systematic construction of Gods defenses, within your soul, through which no assault can penetrate.
