Editor’s Note: This is a lightly edited transcription of the attached audio message.

Let’s turn in our Bibles for our scripture reading, please, to Genesis chapter two.

Now, for some time, I have been deeply concerned about a short series relating to marriage and we are going to start that this morning. We’re going to have a four week series that will be generally entitled “The Making of a Christian Marriage.” And I feel that this is one of the deep needs in our congregation, in that we have so many children and young people attending and I hope and trust that it will be a profit to those of us who are already married and save our homes from some problems that are so potential today.

So we’re beginning this morning by looking at Genesis chapter two and our title for our message is “The Divine Design.” Genesis chapter two, verse eighteen. Then the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him. Now you will note that I’m reading from the New American Standard Standard Bible, which is, I think, very helpful in the translation of that eighteenth verse.

Verse nineteen says:

“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

‘This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.’”

And although we’re going to save verse twenty four for our next message, we will read it for the connection.

“For this cause a man she leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. And they shall become one flesh.”

And we trust that God shall bless this reading of his word, which deals with the basic elements involved in a marriage.

Lets join together in prayer, shall we? Our father, we’re thankful this morning for the word of God, which instructs us in the way that we ought to go, and we thank thee particularly for that word which contains therein a revelation of the Lord Jesus and his great love for us. We thank Him for the death he has died, for the salvation he provides, for the forgiveness that he offers, for the power that he gives. We thank thee Father for the eternal life that is found in him. We thank thee, each one of us, who have entered into enjoyment of that forgiveness and eternal life.

We pray, Lord, that we shall revel this morning in that position, and that we shall respond to thy matchless grace in giving to us such a full and free salvation, by loving thee deeply and by serving thee faithfully.

We pray for each one bowed before thee this morning, Lord, and ask especially for those who do not know the joy of salvation and their sins forgiven. We pray, Father, that thou shalt draw them to thyself this morning through the preaching of thy word. That thou shalt give to them thy faith to receive Jesus Christ personally as their savior.

We pray for those unable to be with us. Many, father, who are laid aside in bed because of sickness, we commit them to thee. We ask for thy blessing in their lives this morning; for each one who is toiling under the burden of anxieties of life, we ask for thy blessing.

We pray, Lord, that the truth of this lovely hymn shall dawn upon our hearts this morning as we remember how faithful thou art in every situation of life. We commit to thee Father, the ministry of this chapel, and especially as we launch into this radio ministry, we pray that thou will expand the outreach of the group of Christians meeting here that we may reach many in this city, around the city, and perhaps farther as thou dost open doors, even around the country. We ask that thou richly bless this ministry and use it to glorify thyself in building up thy people and in drawing to thyself those whom thou art speaking to.

We commit to thee our young people this morning and ask for blessing in their lives. And we pray Lord, as we launch into this series on Christian marriage, that thou shalt make it a particular blessing in each of our homes. We pray for homes that are straining under the problems of their marriage. We pray for young people who are anticipating marriage, for many young people who are in the dating area of their life. We pray, Lord that thou shalt use these messages and this ministry in the teaching of thy word to heal wounds and to preserve young people from tragic situations in their lives. We commit to thee not only this hour, but the hours to follow this morning, the meeting of the church this evening, the Bible teaching meetings during this week. We ask, Lord, that we shall have a consciousness of thy presence, as we sense the last days upon us. Help us Lord to redeem the time for thy glory. We commit this hour to thee and ask for a sense of thy presence. Glorify thyself, prepare our hearts to receive thy word and to respond to it; for we ask it in thy name, amen.

Our subject for this morning is, “The Divine Design.” “Compared with marriage, being born is a mere episode of our career. And dying is a trivial incident.” Those are the words of Dorthy Dix, one America’s foremost female counsellors. And what she is trying to say when she says that, is that there is no more critical and important and crucial step than the step into marriage. And of course, few of us would want to debate that point.

Marriage is a giant step into either a life of deep fulfillment or life of desperate frustration. And which of the two is largely determined by the concept we have of the nature of marriage. For that reason, this morning we want to turn to Genesis Chapter two. We want to discover the divine design for marriage. And our purpose is to create a correct concept of marriage in the minds of many of our children and young people, and perhaps to correct some corrupted concepts that have developed in our thinking as older folk, as we have viewed marriages in our lifetime and in our day and age.

So in Genesis Chapter two, we have the basic principles that relate to the institution of marriage. We want to look in verses 18 to 23 at four basic principles that will help us to appreciate something of the divine design for marriage.

The first and probably the most obvious of all in reading through our section this morning, is that marriage is a divine institution; it is an institution of God that is apparent from reading verses 18 to 23.

J. Adams has suggested that it is quite wrong for us to think of a number of years, a number of centuries, a number of ages ago, a group of previously promiscuous people sitting in a dark cave around a flickering fire, all of a sudden thinking of the idea of marriage. Marriage is not a social contract that was thought up by men and thought to be useful for a particular period of time. Marriage is an institution of God. It was God who made Adam. It was God who said It is not good for man to be alone. And then it was God who made Eve; and it was God who brought Eve to Adam; it was God who gave Eve to Adam; it was God who presided at the first marriage ceremony. Adam did not take a wife to himself. He received a wife. Society did not invent marriage, it received it as an institution from God. Now that is the apparent principal that emerges from the reading of our section. Now, if that is so, there are at least two implications that we cannot avoid this morning. If marriage is an institution of God, we cannot discard it—if we would wish to. But yet that is precisely what is happening in our generation.

In Sweden today, marriage is going out of style. In Mills College here in the United States, a survey taken last year on the part of senior students, showed forty percent of the women indicated that marriage was no longer important to them.

Many people are writing now in our magazines and newspapers, that because of the pill and legalized abortion, much of the usefulness of marriage has disappeared. And we are in a period of time where marriage is being discarded, like a garment that we have outgrown, or like an object that is no longer useful for us. Now, if marriage is an institution of God, no legislature, no society, no individual, has the right to set aside what God has set up, or to eliminate what God has established. Marriage is an institution of God! And only God can abrogate that institution. He has not done so.

The second implication of this is just as obvious. If marriage is an institution of God, we must define marriage in God’s terms. One of the remarkable things that is happening about us today is that marriage is being redefined. Newsweek magazine about a year or so ago spoke of the more than two million middle class Americans that are engaged in group sex. And then the comment from Newsweek magazine, was that from coast to coast, married swingers are experimenting with a radical redefinition of marriage.

Carol Cline in her book, “The Single Parent Experience,” again notes the trouble that families are in, and as a result, how people are redefining marriage. Speaking of single women, who have decided to have a baby, she says, these are girls in their late twenties, pushing thirty, not married. Rather than coercing the man they were with to marry someone they did not love, they became mothers independently. And one of the amazing phenomena that is happening about us today, is that single girls are adopting babies. And mothers are keeping their babies born out of wedlock. And there is an amazing trend toward women becoming purposefully pregnant without having a man that is committed to being a husband or father for the children. And what is happening today is that a radical redefinition of marriage is taking place.

I was astounded to discover, that since 1948, the religious leaders in Israel have granted to 802 Jewish men in Israel, the permission to take a second wife, without having divorced their first wife, or becoming a widow. Now that is very close to bigamy. And yet, that is exactly what is happening in Israel today. What is happening in our society today because of the failure of the homes, is a radical redefinition of marriage. And yet, we cannot allow ourselves to define marriage in terms of the popular paperback that we see in the corner drug store, or in terms of the perverted production that comes out of Hollywood, or in terms of the promiscuous person that works in the office, or that lives in the dormitory on campus.

If marriage is an institution of God, it must be defined in God’s terms. And God’s definition of marriage according to verse twenty four, which we shall study in detail in our next message, is that marriage, first of all and clearly, is a monogamous relationship. He says, “for this cause, a man should leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife.” It is just as clear that it is to be a permanent relationship. He says that he is to cleave to his wife. He is to cling to her. He is to be glued to her. And it is just as clear from this that marriage is to be an exclusive relationship between that man and that woman, because it says, “and they two shall become one flesh.” Those are the terms that God uses to define marriage. It is a monogamous, permanent, exclusive relationship.

And it is very clear to anyone who reads their Bible, that it is within that relationship that children are to be born. And children are to be raised in a home. That is God’s definition of marriage. If we are to recognize that it is an institution from God that we cannot discard, even though we should like to, we must define it in the terms that God uses for defining a marriage. Now that is the first principle that is very apparent from the passage that we have read.

The second principle is just as apparent. It emerges from the first phrase in verse eighteen where we discover that marriage is a blessing from God. It says in that verse, “then the Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone.” At first thought, that is rather a remarkable statement. God is in the process of creation. This is the first not good thing that God has seen in all his creative work. When you read that verse, you think for a moment, that it seems somewhat contradictory to the phrase in verse thirty one of chapter one. Notice. It says, “and the Lord God saw all that he had made and behold, it was very good.”

Now it would appear for a moment then that verse eighteen is in contradiction to the thirty first verse of chapter one. Of course, we know that is not the case. You have two complementary accounts of creation, one in chapter one and one in chapter two, beginning with verse four. Now, these are not dual accounts taken from different sources, as the literary critics suggest, rather, they are complementary accounts. The one in Genesis chapter one is a panorama of the whole process of creation. And the account in chapter two is a particularization of one segment of that creative work. What is recorded in chapter one, verses twenty six and twenty seven, the creation of man and woman, is expanded in the particularization of chapter two. So the account in chapter two is that expansion, which really fits back into chapter one, verses twenty six and twenty seven.

Chronologically, then chapter two, verse eighteen comes before chapter one, verse thirty one. So if we work to pick the chronology of the sixth day up, we would see that at the beginning of the sixth day, God made the animals. And then he made man and he saw Adam alone, and he said, “it is not good for Adam to be alone.” And so he made the woman to be with Adam. And having made the woman, he completed his work and saw all that he had made and concluded it was very good. Now, one of the things included in that very good is marriage. Marriage is something that God says is very good. Now, may I repeat that? God says, “marriage is something that is very good.” It is one of the blessings that God has given to society.

Now, if that is so, there are at least three implications that touch every one of us in the audience this morning. If marriage is a blessing from God, if marriage is very good, then first of all, we ought to speak of marriage respectfully, When I was a young fellow, one of the things that used to go around our part of the country was something like this. “Marriage is a wonderful institution, if you want to spend the rest of your life in an institution.” The Germans have a proverb which says, “if you would have one happy year, marry. If you would have two, refrain.”

When we were up in Canada, we connected with a number of young couples who were going to a certain church that called their young couples class “The ball and chain class.” Donald G. Barnhouse used to say, “bite your tongue before you ever refer to your wife as your “ball and chain” or as your “jailer.”

Now, the jokes that have been made about marriage are legion, and we all say them very innocently. And, yet my friend, there is no such thing as joking innocently about marriage. Every such comment or joke, contaminates our children. With that type of conversation we are telling our children that what God has designed to be their happiest estate in life is all a big mistake. It sometimes has a way of destroying marriages, because it introduces wedges with those sarcastic remarks set out in public, often in a joking way, that leave wounds and scars and resentments that fester. Sometimes those jokes actually are exposing the very depths of our hearts and oftentimes many a true word has been said in jest.

But the most serious thing about jesting above marriage, is that you are contradicting God. God says it is very good and for you and for me to joke about it and jest about it with other couples in the presence of our partner, or in the presence of our children, is to say to them that what God says is very good I do not think is so good. Dr. Walter Meyer in his book, For Better, Not For Worse, has said “to speak disdainfully of married life, to invoke upon it sophisticated sarcasm, is to exalt the puny errors of pigmy minds over the eternal truth of heaven.” It is to blaspheme God. Now this is something that every parent, every husband, every wife, ought to be very sensitive to. If God says this is very good, this is a blessing from him, then we ought to speak of it respectfully. Secondly, we are to esteem it highly.

I have a close friend who for many years was the champion of celibacy. And his basis of course was the 1 Corinthians chapter seven passage where he thought that Paul clearly taught that celibacy was a higher estate than marriage was. It is true of course that Paul does say in that chapter, “he that marries does well, and he that does not marry does better.” The conclusion then is that celibacy is a higher state than the married state. Now is that what Paul was saying in that passage? Of course, the answer is “no.” That is not generally the case. In Paul’s case that was the case at that period of time because Paul says explicitly in verse 26 of that chapter, “because of the present distress.” He was anticipating a bloodbath. And so as he spoke to the Corinthians, he was speaking to an army of men who were about to enter into an unequal battle with an overwhelming foe on their own battleground for a prolonged period of time. What he was saying is, “this is not the time to get married.” That is exactly the point that he is making in chapter seven.

Celibacy is not a higher state than marriage. Marriage is the higher state. God says, “it is very good.” If God says that, we ought to esteem it as something that is very good.

Now the third implication of that is, that we are to regard marriage as honorable. Occasionally in our counselling ministry, we come across, a young lady, generally, who feels there is something a little defiling or inferior about marriage because of the physical relationship in marriage.

Now it’s very important to see, that the physical relationship within marriage was instituted before the fall of Man. After that relationship was instituted, God saw it and said that it was very good. And to underline it in Hebrews chapter 13, the apostle, or whoever is the writer, clearly asserts that marriage is to be regarded as honorable by all. And the marriage bed is undefiled. Now what the New Testament and the Old Testament are saying throughout the scriptures is that sex within marriage is very good. There is nothing inferior. There is nothing dirty about that. God says, “it is very good.” And we are to regard it as an honorable thing.

It is obvious from the fact that Paul parallels marriage with the relationship that exists between Christ and His church. God describes His relationship with His own in terms of a bridegroom’s relationship with the bride in the book of Revelation. It is very clear then that God does not consider marriage as being defiling or inferior in any state. He considers it as something that is holy and something that is very righteous. If God considers it that way, then we ought to.

I want to speak directly to many of you young people because you are subjected to all kinds of currents of thought today. I want to speak to you as simply as I can, so that you will be able to cultivate and develop attitudes toward marriage which are wholesome and biblical. I want to make it clear that God has given marriage to our society as one of His blessings upon men. He says it is very good and we ought to speak of it respectfully and esteem it very highly and regard it as something that is very honorable, because God does.

Now the third principle that emerges again from this saying in the 18th verse, is, I think very, very important for us to understand. And that is that marriage is a norm for society. That is clear from the 18th verse, which says, “then the Lord God said it is not good for man to be alone.” It is obvious, then, that the norm would be that man should not be alone. The marriage state is the normal state for men and women in our society. Now that is underlined surely by Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 2, when he says, “let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband.”

Marriage is the norm; celibacy is the exception. According to First Corinthians 7, it is for those who have been given the special gift, and it is for times of special distress. But apart from that, the norm is marriage. Now if that is true, again, there are three very important implications for many of us in the audience today. The first implication is that we ought to plan on marriage. We ought to plan on it.

If you are a young person in the audience this morning, then you ought to plan on marriage. It is the norm that God has laid down. Unless God makes it very clear that you are not to marry, then you ought to plan on entering into a marriage relationship, because that is the norm.

May I say a direct word to you mothers and fathers? We ought to plan on our children marrying. That is the norm. I’m astounded to discover how many parents refuse to talk to their young children, or to their teenage children, openly and freely and candidly about their marriage relationship with a young man or a young lady, for fear of putting ideas in the minds of their children. I have that told me often. “I would never say such a thing or I would never bring up such a thing for fear of putting an idea in my daughter’s mind that she might run off with some young fellow and get married.” Now that is a tragic mistake. I will have static for speaking as candidly as I am speaking this morning from some of you. You will fear that I am going to put some thoughts or some ideas in the minds of your children. I am speaking this way because I recognize that marriage is the norm, and your children are going to marry. And if you and I can plan on our children marrying, I am convinced that we will be much more concerned about giving them an example when they are four and five and six years of age, so that when they enter into marriage, they will be able to follow the example that we have given to them in our relationship with our wives.

I am convinced that if we develop the mentality of planning on our children marrying, that we will be much more diligent in training them and in teaching them for marriage. If we plan on our children marrying from the day that we look at them in that hospital nursery, then we will be much more prepared for the day when we have to give them away. And we will be able to give them away without interfering in their marriages, and in their homes, and being a great source of problems. You see, one of the reasons why we are so inefficient in training our children for marriage, and one of the reasons why we are such poor examples to our children for marriage, and one of the reasons why moms and dads on the day of a wedding, cannot come to give themselves away is because they have resisted all through the years, the idea that their child is going to marry. We need to plan for our children to marry.

Dr. Hall from the University of Texas has said that, generally speaking, a successful or an unsuccessful marriage can be forecast in the childhood of a child. Now that is remarkable. And that means that our role as parents is very crucial in determining how successful the marriages will be of our children. If you and I are not doing the job that we ought to do with the four and five and six your old, then we are going to be directly responsible for the lack of leadership that boy will give when he is married. Or for the resistance of submission on the part of the wife when she enters into marriage. It is during those young days that we ought to be working with our children, planning on them entering into marriage.

The second implication is that we ought to be praying about marriage. Now I know that that sounds very mundane and almost simplistic. And yet may I ask you my dear parent, when was the last time you sat down with your child and prayed for their marriage?

My wife and I were deeply moved when we read the story of Billy Graham a number of years ago, when his daughters were young, taking them up into the mountains of Carolina and sitting down with them on the hills and praying individually, when those girls were very young, praying individually for the husband that God had made for those girls somewhere in this world.

And God has moved us to that very thing in our home. Now if marriage is the norm, then as parents we ought to be praying for our children’s marriages.

As soon as we discovered that we were expecting a child, we started to pray for the salvation of that child, and I am sure that that is true of many of you parents. I must say that I am ashamed. I have been rebuked by my preparation for this message this week, that I did not start praying at that same time for the marriage of that child. It is one of the things that I am going to make a high priority in my prayer life. We want to make it a practice in our home to sit down with our daughters and pray with them for the husband that God has made for them.

What we want to do is, even now, to begin to pray about that. Imagine what would happen if our children were reared to pray that God would give them the kind of partner they needed. That God would guide them to the very partner that God had made for them; that God would give them the patience to wait for the one of God’s making, and that God would give them the grace to keep themselves pure and clean until that one is brought into their life! That could revolutionize homes and marriages and lives. And it is all an outflow of recognizing that marriage is the norm for society. If it is the norm, we ought not only to plan on it and pray about it, but we ought to prepare for it.

And I would like to say some things directly to you young people very briefly out of my counselling files this morning. One of the ways that you can prepare for marriage is to determine never to date seriously a person that you are not prepared to marry. Now some of you 15 year olds will smile and say, “what on earth do you mean by that?” I mean exactly that. Never date seriously a young fellow that you would not be prepared to marry, and I say that out of great experience. Not my own personal experience, fortunately, but from observing many experiences right here in the congregation in Believers Chapel. I have seen Christian people marry unbelievers, marry alcoholics, marry social misfits, mary spiritual Pygmies, because they started dating them seriously, never intending to marry them, but ended up at the marriage altar.

If you are to prepare for marriage, never, never date seriously one that you are not prepared to marry. And as you are in that dating relationship with someone seriously, the way to prepare for marriage is to build that relationship, not upon physical involvement, not upon social compatibility, but upon a spiritual foundation. That kind of foundation can hold up a marriage and no other foundation can do it. That is the way you want to be preparing in your relationship as you date a young man or a young lady. Those are the implications of recognizing that marriage is simply the norm that God has ordained for society.

Now from the whole section that remains, there is a fourth principle that we want to develop in our closing minutes. And the fourth principle is that God clearly has indicated that marriage is a partnership, and I want you to know from verses 18 through 23 that there are aspects of this partnership that are brought before us.

The first aspect is that the planner of the partnership is God. God was the one who made Eve for Adam. God planned that partnership and brought the two of them together in the relationship that they had. God made the marriage of Adam and Eve. Now this is a very solid note. It underscores what the New Testament says when it writes, “let no man put asunder,” those whom God has put together. The marriage of Adam and Eve was made by God. So I believe very deeply my dear friend that your marriage was planned and made by God.

Now I had a very good friend just this week turn to me and say, “but Bill, isn’t it possible that I made a mistake and married the wrong woman?” Sometimes we think that, especially when we entered into marriage before we became Christians, or entered into it when we were backslidden, or in rebellion against the Lord and our parents. And we look upon the situation, and we have second thoughts down the road a little, and say, “isn’t it possible that I married the wrong one?” My friend, the answer to that question is Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11, which says that “our God works all things after the counsel of his will.”

There is not one thing that transpires in your life that is out of God’s will. He is the one who works all things in this universe, and in your life according to His will. Now of course, it is possible that the young lady that you married wasn’t God’s perfect will for you. It is also possible that the young lady you married was in God’s permissive will for you. And there is a great difference. But the fact is, that whatever the case, it is God’s will. There is not one thing that God permits in your life that is out of His eternal plan or eternal decree. And the person that you are married to this morning is according to either the perfect will of God or the permissive will of God. But it is according to God’s will. God is the planner of marriages.

Now the second thing that emerges from our passage as we look at it, “why is it that God plans such marriages?” And so the purpose clearly is indicated, I think, as you come down through Verse 18, “the Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper.” Now, isn’t it remarkable that God made Eve for Adam so that Adam would not be alone. That my friend is the primary and most obvious purpose for marriage.

It is for the companionship of a man and woman, and that is one of the beautiful things about marriage. I must say that I find it a tremendously delightful thing to see a couple that has been married for a number of years; really friends; companions enjoying each other’s companionship. Now that is what a marriage is all about! God designed marriage for the companionship of Adam with his wife. And if he designed Adam’s marriage for that purpose, He designed your marriage for exactly the same purpose. That you would have a companion in life.

Isn’t it remarkable that He says of this companion, that “I will make him a helper” and that adds a perspective to the role of a wife that is oftentimes overlooked. The wife is to be the helper of the husband. She is to help him in his role as being the head of the home. She helps him in raising the children. Helps him in administering the household; she is to help him in his role of a businessman in our society. She entertains his business associates. She encourages him, provides a context in a home where he can get out of the pressure of that society. She is a helper to him, the businessman. She is a helper to him, a Christian. She encourages the development of his spiritual gift. She stands side by side with him, a helper in his ministry.

That is one of the reasons why, at Believers Chapel, we encourage husband and wife teams to teach Sunday school. We are convinced that a great team effort is where the wife becomes the helper of the husband in his spiritual ministry. And that is the purpose that God has designed marriage for. That there would be a companionship, whereby the wife becomes the helper of the husband in the role that God has given to him.

Where is God ever going to find such a companion? We move on and note that the partners in this partnership are in a remarkable way, made to be complementary to each other.

The next word that is used in verse 18 is, “it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper, suitable for him.” Now that is a very crucial word. The helper that God was going to make for Adam would be someone who would be suitable for him. The word means, in a sense, corresponding to him. As the reflection in the mirror corresponds to the object being reflected, so the woman corresponded to Adam. God made Eve in such a way that she would correspond to him. As Adam was a physical, intellectual, social, and emotional and spiritual person, God made Eve with all of those same capabilities to correspond to him. And God has been doing that down through the centuries. He makes women to correspond to men.

Animals from all of the creation were examined. Not one was found that would correspond to Adam in these areas, but a woman was made to correspond to him, and a woman still is made to be the corresponder to men in these particular characteristics. When God brought Eve to Adam, she completed him. And no longer were they two separate entities, but they became the male and female of a single entity. And that is what God does when He brings a wife to a man. The wife that he has made for that man completes that man, and they become one entity. And then, in that relationship having been completed by his wife, those two partners complement one another. The strengths of Adam were balanced by the weaknesses of Eve. The assets of Eve were balanced by the deficiencies of Adam. They were made to complement one another. Wouldn’t it be a horrible thing for two identical persons to live together in a home? I can’t imagine what would happen if two perfectionists ever married. It would be chaos in that home. Or two people who were totally impatient.

God makes a man and a woman. They are made to correspond to each other. When God brings those that He is made for each other together, they complete one another, and in that completed state, they complement each other in the design that God has made.

Now I want to say to you young people that if it is in God’s design for you to enter into marriage, God has made a partner to correspond to you, and in God’s time, He will bring that partner to you to complete you. And in that completion, there will be a complement between you and your partner. I oftentimes in counselling situations hear people tell their complaints about their partner, their personality, or their idiosyncrasies, or their habits. And you sit back and you smile and say, “boy I can see exactly why God brought that wife into your life.” It’s exactly what you needed. That is the complement to you. Because we do not recognize that that is the design that God has in marriage.

When we see a partner who is a little different in certain areas, we react against it instead of recognizing that that is God’s design to complement us and to fill in areas of weakness and deficiency in our lives. Perhaps to cultivate qualities in our character that need to be cultivated. And so it is a very beautiful design that God has made as He has designed. The provision for Adam’s partner came from himself. Where was such a partner to complement him, to complete him, and to correspond to him, ever to be found? From all of the animals of creation, not one was found. So God took a rib from Adam, and the provision of the partner came from Adam himself. It was a part of himself.

The Jewish rabbis used to say that Eve was not made from the foot because she was not to be trampled down. She was not made from a head because she was not to rule over her husband. She was made from a rib; close to the heart of Adam, to be loved by him, and under the arm of Adam to be protected by him.

Whether that is really the essence of the message or not, I am not sure, but surely the point is that Adam recognizes, as Eve comes to him, that here is one who was actually part of him.

And that is re-echoed in the New Testament, when husbands are told to love their wives as part of themselves. And that is our responsibility as husbands: to recognize our wives as part of ourselves, and to nourish them and to cherish them as we do other parts of our own body.

Now that is the provision that God made for Adam. From his own self, He made that partner. The remarkable thing is, as you conclude through the passage and come through the New Testament, you discover that the partnership was sealed by a pledge between the two individuals.

There were three things that made marriage in the Old Testament:

1. the giving of a dowry
2. and then the making of a covenant or contract
3. and then the consummation of it

All three were essential for the making of a marriage. Now the center one was the making of a covenant. Malachi chapter 2 verse 14 says that we “make a covenant with our wives” when we enter into marriage with them. And that covenant is witnessed by God. The marriage covenant is simply the Covenant to be faithful to that person, and to live with that person for the rest of their life.

That marriage covenant is expressed in the marriage vows. It is legalized in the marriage license. And the point of Malachi 2:14 is that it is witnessed by God Himself. Now that makes the marriage vow a very, very solemn thing. Do not ever pledge to be faithful to an individual for the rest of your life, unless my dear friend you are committed to that, because to make that pledge is to make it in the presence of God Himself as your witness, and to break that oath, to violate that pledge, is to bring the consequences that inevitably come in violating a pledge or an oath to God! And many of us have made such pledges. We stood at the altar and we stood before that official and we made a pledge to be faithful to our wives. We made a pledge to live with that person for the rest of our life until death shall separate us. My friend, the day that you made that, God was standing between you and your wife and He was the witness of that pledge.

May God help us to be faithful to the pledge that we have made in that marriage covenant. It’s a remarkable thing then to see the design that God has for marriage. It is a partnership that God has instituted and He’s instituted it for the companionship of men and women; and therefore it is normative in our society. That covenant that exists between a male and a female is a beautiful picture, my friend, of the salvation covenant that a person enters into.

Just as the husband takes the initiative in loving that young lady and winning her love to himself, so Jesus Christ has taken the initiative in expressing His love to you and to me by giving His life and dying for us. And just as the young woman responds to the love of that young man, and by a deliberate act of her will, receives him to be her husband, so you and I are invited to respond to the love of Jesus Christ in dying for our sin. And by a deliberate act of our will to receive Jesus Christ personally as our savior. And just as the product of that initiation, and of that response, is a union for the rest of life. So the product of Jesus Christ, and your response in receiving Him personally as your savior will be a union not for the rest of life, but for all eternity, when you will be His. And his alone. That kind of relationship is the only relationship that is above and beyond the marriage relationship.

If entering into marriage is a gigantic step that leads into either a life of deep fulfillment or desperate frustration, receiving Jesus Christ is a more gigantic step. Because that is the step that leads into a life of Eternal blessing as a child of God.

If you have never received Him as your savior, we invite you to do so this morning. And if you have received Him, may God challenge us in relation to His plan and pattern for our lives in marriage.

Let’s stand, shall we, for our closing prayer. Father we do ask this morning that Thou will take the teaching of Thy word, the applications of Thy word, the exhortations of the Holy Spirit, and that Thou shalt apply them directly to each individual. Young and old, male and female, parent and child, husband and wife. Oh God, we pray that by Thy Spirit, we shall receive the word that You have for us individually this morning and respond to that word at this moment. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Answer

Dear ******,

I think you and I are essentially on the same page.

With regard to your first question, the Scriptures (e.g. Leviticus 25) do not specifically address the matter of a Jewish slave/hired man and tithing. But if you stop and think about it, the goal is for him to pay off his master. I don’t think he has any personal assets of his own, which would be the basis for his tithing. His land will be returned to him on the year of Jubilee. Interestingly, if he borrows money from a fellow-Jew he cannot be charged interest (25:37). I would thus assume that one who has no assets would not be subject to the tithe.

In our world today, I would have to regretfully take note of the prosperity preachers, who seem to prey on the poor, promising them wealth if they “send in their check.” The gullible get even more deeply in debt because they think that giving (when they don’t have the money to spare) will pay them back all that they gave and more. If these prosperity preachers were correct, such giving would make sense, but sadly they only make the poor poorer.

I think we would do well to recall that God distinguished between those with means from those with limited means when it came to sacrifices:

6 “‘When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. 7 The priest is to present it before the LORD and make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. 8 If she cannot afford a sheep, then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean’” (Leviticus 12:6-8).

In the New Testament, Paul makes it clear that even when one has purposed to give, he or she is not obligated to give what they do not have:

10 So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, 11 to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you can also complete it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter of equality. 14 At the present time, your abundance will meet their need, so that one day their abundance may also meet your need, and thus there may be equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little” (2 Corinthians 8:10-15, NET).

I am not in favor of credit card giving. In addition, I fear that many Christians don’t look for opportunities to give because they are so deeply in debt. Once out of debt, a savings account for meeting needs will certainly prepare a person to give, and it will make him or her much more attentive to needs the needs of others.

It seems to me that Paul’s ideal is for saints to save up in order to have the means to give.

1 With regard to the collection for the saints, please follow the directions that I gave to the churches of Galatia: 2 On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income and save it to the extent that God has blessed you, so that a collection will not have to be made when I come. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will send those whom you approve with letters of explanation to carry your gift to Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-3).

I also take note of Paul’s words here:

20 We did this as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this generous gift we are administering. 21 For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men (2 Corinthians 8:20-21).

I realize that here Paul is speaking in reference to the way collected monies will be delivered and distributed. Nevertheless, I believe the principle stated has a broader application. I believe that unbelieving men would hardly approve of debtors failing to meet their commitments, so that they can give to the Lord. The One who “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” is not running in the red, and thus desperately in need of our gifts.

I would add one last thing as an aside, based upon my early days as a seminary student. It was my experience that those with lesser means were more alert regarding the needs of others than were those who possessed greater assets. (There were a few exceptions, but very few.) As an elder in a generous church (regarding the needs of others) for many years, I have also observed that some of those who were generously ministered to later became generous givers for the needs of others.

I hope this helps,

Bob Deffinbaugh

How do you envision the end of your life? Living life to the full, right to the end? Using your gifts for God until your final breath? Or, fading into the sunset with nothing much to show for it?

What will be your perspective when you near the end of your life? “I’ve raised my children, worked hard, now I’m entitled to some peace and quiet” – preoccupied with your entitlement? Or, “I’m past it, out of touch, incapable of contributing, no use to anyone anymore” – absorbed with helplessness? Or, “My life is over and all I’m waiting for is to die” – obsessed with hopelessness?

What will others say about you when you’re gone? He lived his life well for God? Or, he lived for self? Or, she was fully devoted to serving God? Or, she was preoccupied with things?

What will be written on your tombstone, your epitaph? An epitaph is something by which a person, time, or event is remembered. It’s an inscription on a tombstone, words written or spoken in memory of a person who has died. So, how will others remember you? What words would they use to sum up your life?

Before commenting on the following verses, please note the interesting literary structure which the writer has chosen in bracketing Abraham’s death between the genealogies of his two concubines - Keturah (25:2-4) and Hagar (25:12-18) – which are then followed by the genealogy of Isaac in 25:19f.

Genesis 25:1-11 constitute the closing testimony of Abraham’s life and death, which testimony teaches us many invaluable lessons about how to end our lives well. Notice the first biblical lesson that…

I. Godly Parents Do Not Always Have Godly Children (25:1-4)

We’ve met Hagar before (Gen. 16:1-16 and 21:8-21) and now we are introduced to Keturah. “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah” (25:1). Like many O.T. men of faith, Abraham had more than one wife. Multiple wives were often taken to produce children. But this practice was contrary to the will of God for marriage, that “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24-25). This practice was an accommodation of cultural standards that were contrary to God’s standard. It conflicted with God’s intent for marriage, just as divorce did (Matt. 19:8).

The questions that are sometimes raised concerning Keturah are: (1) “What was Keturah’s status? (2) When did she become Abraham’s wife? (3) Was she Abraham’s wife or concubine? Or, was she his concubine who became his wife after Sarah died?”

Concubines were sometimes referred to as “wives” (cf. Hagar in 16:3; Bilhah in 35:22 and 30:4), as is Keturah (Gen. 25:1), although they did not have equal status alongside an actual wife. In some respects they were treated as slaves, being kept and provided for by the man and being considered the property of the man.

It appears that Keturah probably began as Abraham’s concubine and that, after Sarah’s death (Gen. 23:2), she became his wife (Gen. 25:1), although we cannot say this definitively since we need to remember that Genesis does not always record its genealogies in literary or chronological order. For example, even though Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah at age 40 is recorded in Genesis 25:20, and the twins were born 20 years later as recorded in Genesis 25:26, yet both these events took place before Abraham’s death, which is recorded earlier in Genesis 25:8. However, that said, if Keturah was Abraham’s concubine (1 Chron. 1:32) prior to Sarah’s death and became his wife after Sarah died, this would quite adequately explain the two different descriptions of her status – concubine and wife. It should be noted, however, that she never enjoyed the same status as Sarah, which perhaps would explain why her sons received gifts from Abraham (Gen. 25:6) but did not share in the inheritance with Isaac.

Other than her name, the only thing we really know about Keturah are the names of the six sons, seven grandsons, and three great-grandsons she bore to Abraham (25:2-4). We know little else but the names of these descendants of Abraham. What we do know is that Abraham sent them “eastward to the east country” (25:6b), probably to Syria or Arabia (cf. Ishmael’s children, Gen. 25:18) where they became the progenitors of six Arabian tribes (cf. 1 Chron. 1:32-33). We also know that the descendants of Midian (the Midianites) became staunch enemies of Israel.

It’s sad, isn’t it, that a godly, faithful man like Abraham should produce descendants who turned out to be so ungodly and so opposed to God’s people. But I suppose what we learn from this is that godly parents can raise their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) but they cannot control how they turn out spiritually. For that we must entrust our children to God’s sovereign care and control.

So, the first biblical lesson that this account of the end of Abraham’s life teaches us that godly parents do not always have godly children. The second lesson is that…

II. Godly Parents Leave Invaluable Lessons For Us (25:5-11)

The first invaluable lesson that we learn from the life of Abraham is…

1. How To Plan Wisely (25:5-6)

Abraham had not always acted responsibly, as we have seen, for example, in earlier studies of Genesis 16 and 21 in his relationship and dealings with Hagar. But at the end of his life, he made responsible and wise provision for his children, provisions that he made voluntarily and not out of obligation.

Because Isaac alone was the son of promise, he was Abraham’s sole heir and inherited all his father’s assets. Thus, Abraham “gave all that he had to Isaac” (25:5). His estate would not be divided up between various children because Isaac was the sole and rightful God-appointed heir, the son of God’s promise.

This is a lovely illustration of Christ’s inheritance, whom God “appointed the heir of all things” (Heb. 1:2). And how much more precious is it to know that, as God’s children by faith, we also are heirs, “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17).

I assume that Isaac’s inheritance of his father’s estate took place upon Abraham’s death, since the text specifically states that to his other children, the children of his concubines, he gave gifts while he was alive: “But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country” (25:6). Giving gifts to the children of Keturah was an act of pure goodwill, as there was no requirement for Abraham to give anything to sons of concubines. They were his biological children, but not children “of promise.” Just as Abraham sent Ishmael away in order that he would not participate in, or interfere with, Isaac’s inheritance (21:10), so he also sends all the sons of his concubines away. And just as he gave provisions to Ishmael when he sent him away (21:14), so he gave gifts to all the sons of his concubines when he sent them away.

Notice the wisdom and forethought that Abraham must have put into the plans for the disposition of his estate pursuant to his death. He not only secured the succession of the covenant through Isaac as his heir (and subsequently Jacob), but he also safeguarded Isaac from any opposition of the children of Keturah (1) by giving them gifts while he was alive (that was the extent of their participation in his wealth); and (2) by sending them “eastward to the east country,” far away from causing Isaac any trouble.

In all of Abraham’s dealings with and provision for his children, we can learn good, practical lessons about responsible parenting and responsible financial planning prior to our death. First, we learn that parents lay up for their children, not vice versa. For, as the apostle Paul says, “children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children” (2 Cor. 12:14).

Second, at our death we must not leave a mess for our children to clean up. While it is not possible to prevent your children from fighting over your estate, at least you can do your part by spelling out in writing what is to happen to it upon your death – i.e. by way of a will. It’s sad, isn’t it, how many families are torn apart by disputes over the division of an estate? Money often changes people’s thinking and behavior. No wonder that 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Third, as God prospers you, use your assets wisely for God’s work, for your family, and for those in need. May we make this a lifelong pursuit to be joyful and generous in blessing others and honoring the Lord with “the first fruits of all your produce” (Prov. 3:9; cf. 2 Cor. 8-9). Let us exemplify generosity now and to the next generation.

Fourth, leave a legacy that will impact your children and grandchildren after you’re gone – not just financial, but how you lived your life. This was the overriding legacy of Abraham’s life - not his wealth, but his faithfulness to God.

So, Abraham teaches us how to plan wisely. And he teaches us…

2. How To Be Remembered Well (25:7-8)

“These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years” (25:7). His biblical biography doesn’t start until he was 75 years old and covers the next 100 years of his life, during which he experienced God in a most personal and dynamic way. Let’s quickly review Abraham’s biblical biography.

Abraham believed God’s promise that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (12:3) and he obeyed God’s instruction to uproot his wife, Sarah, and his entire household from their home in Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia and go to a new home in the promised land of Canaan (12:1-9). When a famine came, he and Sarah journeyed to Egypt, where, because Sarah was “a woman of beautiful appearance” (12:11, 14), he feared the possibility that Pharaoh might kill him in order that he could take Sarah as his wife. So, he lied and said she was his sister. He and his nephew Lot parted company because their livestock and possessions were of such abundance that they needed separate properties (13:6). Lot chose the well-watered plains of the Jordan Valley, settling in Sodom, while Abraham settled in the land of Canaan. When four kings made war with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and captured Lot and his possessions, Abraham rescued them (14:1-16). After this, God repeated his promise to Abraham that he would have descendants in number like the stars of heaven, even though he was still, at that time, childless. And Abraham “believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness” (15:5-6).

But no child was forthcoming from Sarah, so Sarah devised a scheme that, instead of waiting for God to fulfill his promise of a son and heir, they would produce their own son through Sarah’s maid, Hagar (16:1-4). But the result of this self-willed scheme was disastrous. Ultimately, Abraham had to send Hagar and her son, Ishmael, away in order to bring peace to his household (21:8-21). Finally, Isaac, the son of God’s promise, was born and no sooner had he become a young man than God called upon Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in order to test Abraham’s loyalty to God (22:1-19). He passed the test with flying colors.

Finally, in his old age and undoubtedly wanting to preserve their family lineage as God had promised, Abraham sent his servant back to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac. The servant was successful in his search and brought Rebekah, who “became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death” (24:67).

That is a quick summary of Abraham’s long and full life. With his affairs in order and a full and varied life behind him, Abraham’s life ended well. It seems as though the Spirit of God can’t repeat enough the fulness and the blessedness of Abraham’s life, the man who “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God” (James 2:23). And so the final epitaph and benediction on this good and godly man reads: “⁷ These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life. ⁸ Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years and was gathered to his people” (25:7-8). Notice and analyze well this fourfold, repetitive tribute to Abraham…

First, Abraham’s life in retrospect. “These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years” (25:7). A life, no matter how long it may be, is made up of days. And Abraham’s days were varied, full of adventure, failures and faith. Let us learn to walk with God, as Abraham did, to be aware of God’s constant provision, protection, and guidance, and to seek to please God every single day.

Second, Abraham’s death recorded. “Abraham breathed his last and died” (25:8a). It seems from the way this is worded, that his end was not a long, drawn-out battle, as it is for some. He simply slipped peacefully and quietly into the presence of God. There is no hint of any bitterness over life’s hard experiences and lessons, no apparent regrets over bad decisions and behavior, no struggle with guilt, but a life at peace with God. His life ended in full communion with God, despite all the ups and downs, just as we would expect a “friend of God” to die. He died in faith and at peace with God.

Third, Abraham’s life reviewed. He died “at a good old age, an old man and full of years” (25:8b). He died in perfect accord with God’s promise, having received the abundance of God’s blessing. God’s promise was: “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age” (Gen. 15:15). And God’s blessing is indicated in the phrase, “full of years,” which literally and simply reads: “full” – i.e. “satisfied” or “contented.” Thus, his life was not only long in length but “full” in satisfaction and contentedness. How we should long to do the same, to die full of the blessings of God and satisfied in Him.

Fourth, Abraham’s soul reunited. He “was gathered to his people” (25:8c). This probably refers to his reunion with his predeceased loved ones, which reunion takes place immediately upon death, when the soul is separated from the body. Thus, here in the O.T. we have the truth revealed that human beings, despite being mortal and corruptible, have immortal souls that continue on after death.

So, Abraham teaches us how to plan wisely, how to be remembered well, and…

3. How To Be Buried Honorably (25:9-11)

Abraham was buried honorably in two ways. Firstly, Abraham was buried honorably by his two sons. Isaac and Ishmael, whom we last saw in conflict and separation (21:1-17), were reunited in the burial of their father (25:9-10). It’s lovely to see families come together at a time of loss, to set aside their differences and unite at a time when they most need togetherness. Isaac and Ishmael honored their father by reuniting at his burial. Notice that only the sons of Sarah were involved (not the sons of Keturah), Ishmael being considered Sarah’s son by a surrogate mother, Hagar.

Secondly, Abraham was buried honorably at his burial site. The cave of Machpelah was purchased by Abraham on the occasion of Sarah’s death as a family burial plot (Gen. 23:1-20). This was the first acquisition of property in the promised land by Abraham. Abraham made sure that he and his descendants would have a permanent burial place. This is an act of faith that God would fulfill his promise to give them this land. Hence, his careful negotiations and insistence that he own the property by buying it from Ephron the son of Zohar (23:8-16). Abraham would not agree with any of the options offered to him: (1) to borrow a burial place from the sons of Heth (23:3-6); and (2) to accept a burial place as a gift from Ephron the Hittite (23:7-11). Rather, he insisted that he buy the property at the market price and own it by a deed with a detailed description (23:12-16). Not until the deal was concluded to his satisfaction did Abraham bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.

“After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi” (25:11). Isaac now becomes the recipient of God’s covenant blessing to his father, Abraham, the blessing of the God who “lives and sees me” (Gen. 16:7-14). God is faithful and true; He keeps his word. He intervenes in our lives to deliver us from trouble, to correct us when we stray, and to give us renewed hope.

Final Remarks

Even though Abraham’s life was dotted with failures, nonetheless, he is included in the Hebrews hall of faith as one who “obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8). That’s a life of faith well-lived for God. When he was already 75 years old, he obeyed God’s call to leave his home in Mesopotamia and go to the land of Canaan, a land he had never visited, knew nothing about, and didn’t even know how to get there (Gen. 12:1-4). That’s obedience and faith. And that’s what marked the entirety of Abraham’s life. That’s the testimony (epitaph) of his life.

So, what will your descendants write on your epitaph, in your memory? What will they say at your funeral? How will history record your life and death? That you lived a full, rich life for God? That you used all your gifts and abilities to bless your family and God’s people? That you left behind an example of how to live a life of faith that all who come behind you will seek to emulate?

How are you using (or going to use) your time at the end of your life, your “retirement” years? For self and pleasure? Or in activities that have spiritual and eternal consequences and benefits? Will you be known as a man or woman of faith who was gathered to your people?

Let us learn and take courage from the life of Abraham. After living for 175 years, a life with failures amidst incredible faith, at the end of his life Abraham’s epitaph reads: “He died at a good old age, an old man, and full of years” (Gen. 25:8).

Perhaps you are tormented over failures in your life, the memory of which keeps coming back to haunt you. Well, remember that while you can’t erase your memory nor the consequences of your actions, nonetheless you can be fully forgiven.

Sometimes, I think that those memories of failures that keep recurring are stimulated by our lack of acceptance and understanding of God’s full and complete forgiveness. Sometimes I think we are just unable (or unwilling) to accept and grasp the extent of God’s grace. We need to take God at his word, which says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). We may not be able to forget the past, but God can and does: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34).

So, let us keep short accounts with God, confessing our sins every day so that nothing hinders our full fellowship with Him. Let us enjoy the peace of knowing our sins (past, present, and future) are forgiven because of Christ’s death on the cross. And let us strive to live for the glory of God by faith, for the God “who saved us and called us to a holy calling” (2 Tim. 1:9) also strengthens us with power through his Spirit (Eph. 3:16), thus enabling us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4:1; cf. Col. 1:10). Take courage in these great and precious promises and press on for the glory of God until Jesus comes again or until He calls you home to heaven.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

How can we stand firm in spiritual warfare?

In this text, Paul talks about the spiritual war every Christian is engaged in. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, he crosses over from the realm of darkness to the realm of light. He enters a spiritual war that includes demons and angels battling over the souls of men.

Sadly, many Christians live without any real awareness of this battle, and are therefore losing it. There are two wrong views of this battle: some see Satan and his demons in every cough, problem at work, or difficulty with their car. He gets far too much credit in many Christian circles. However, in other circles, Christians act as if Satan doesn’t really exist. They know he is there, but they live without any true awareness of his activity in their lives.

We must recognize that Satan is real. He is an enemy of God and an enemy of the church. He tempts, traps, deceives, and kills, and nobody is exempt from his wrath. In light of this, Paul exhorts us to live the Spirit-filled life. In Ephesians 5:18, he calls believers to be filled with the Spirit, and then in the following verses, he looks at the results of the filling, including the Spirit-filled marriage, home, and workplace (v. 19-33, 6:1-9). A believer who is living a life of power—one that affects and changes people—will receive special attention from the evil one. He doesn’t waste his best resources on those far away from God, but the closer a person gets to God and the more faithful he or she is, the more the enemy attacks.

It is not uncommon for me to talk to men and women who experience more problems the closer they get to God. The more they read their Bible, the more involved they get in church or ministry, the more problems they encounter. In fact, I remember one young man sharing the constant problems he experienced when faithfully reading his Bible, and it made him not want to read it at all. This is exactly how our enemy works.

As seen with Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden, he wants people to doubt God and to turn away from following him. There is no greater joy for the enemy than when a believer is angry at God or cursing him. That was his objective when attacking Job—he wanted Job to curse God (Job 1:11), and he wants us to do so as well.

In Ephesians 6, Paul talks about standing firm in spiritual warfare. The phrase “stand firm” (from histēmi), when used in a military sense, had the idea of holding a critical position while under attack.”¹ He mentions our need to stand four times (v.11,13-14). Essentially, he says the wobbly Christian—the one not serious about God and trapped in sin—cannot stand in this war. He will be destroyed. Sadly, many fail to stand in this battle. MacArthur’s comments are helpful in considering this reality:

Countless men and women have faithfully taught Sunday school for years, led many people to Jesus Christ, pastored a church, led Bible studies, ministered to the sick, and done every sort of service in the Lord’s name—only to one day give up, turn their backs on His work, and disappear into the world. The circumstances differ, but the underlying reason is always the same: they took God’s armor off and thereby lost the courage, the power, and the desire to stand firm.²

How can we stand in this treacherous war and not miss our calling, be taken captive, or be destroyed? We’ll consider three ways to stand firm in this spiritual war.

Big Question: How can believers stand firm in spiritual warfare according to Ephesians 6:10-13?

Believers Stand Firm by Being Prepared

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God…(Ephesians 6:10-11)

In order to stand firm, believers must prepare for battle. This is true for any warfare—a soldier cannot be successful without preparation. Governments invest billions of dollars into training their soldiers both mentally and physically, and such commitment should be similar for Christians—no corners should be cut in becoming spiritually prepared. Many lose this battle simply because of failure to prepare.

Paul says to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God.”  Essentially, Paul wants believers to understand that this battle cannot be won through human strength, but in God’s strength alone. He talks about God’s power throughout Ephesians. In Ephesians 1:18-21, he prays for the believers to know this power.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

This power raised Christ from the dead and put Satan and his demons under his feet (and therefore also under ours according to Ephesians 2:6). We must know that this power is in us. But also in Ephesians 3:16, Paul prays for the believers to be strengthened by it. He says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Finally, in Ephesians 5:18, he calls for us to be filled with the Spirit—meaning to be controlled and empowered by him.

A powerless Christianity is a vulnerable Christianity—in danger of being enslaved and destroyed by the enemy. This is what we see in most churches and in most Christians’ lives—a powerless Christianity. We must constantly pray to know the power that is in us, to be strengthened by it, and to be continually filled with it. That is what Paul again calls for in Ephesians 6:10. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”—the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in heavenly places over the enemy. We must put on the full armor of God so we can take our stand.

Since the verb “strong” is passive present, the verse could also be rendered, ‘‘Strengthen yourselves in the Lord” or (neb) “Find your strength in the Lord.” It is the same construction as in 2 Timothy 2:1 where Paul exhorts Timothy to “take strength from the grace of God which is ours in Christ Jesus” (neb).³

In considering the armor of God, we must realize that throughout Scripture clothing often refers to attitudes and actions (cf. Col 3:12-14, Eph 4:24-25). The armor is God’s clothing, as it essentially represents his character. Isaiah 59:17 says, “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” Therefore, we prepare for battle by putting on God’s power and God’s character.

Interpretation Question: How can we be strong in the Lord (God’s power) and put on his armor (God’s character)?

1. We must recognize our weakness.

If we don’t recognize our insufficiency for this battle, we won’t put on God’s strength and character. Therefore, to prepare us for a lifetime of battle, God often allows us to go through pain, trials, and failure first to show us our weakness. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 about God’s response to his request to take away the thorn in the flesh:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Often trials are meant to reveal our weakness so we can see our need for more of God’s power and character.

2. We must be dependent.

Again, Ephesians 6:10 can be translated, “Find your strength in the Lord.” We need to depend on God to stand in this battle. Sadly, too many Christians are independent. You can see this in their lack of desire to read the Bible, pray, or fellowship with other believers. Why is this so common? It is because they are too independent. They believe that they can make it on their own. 

However, the very opposite is true. We can do nothing without Christ. We are like sheep without a shepherd. We are like branches apart from the vine. John 15:5 says, “‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Are you abiding in Christ? Are you drawing near him daily? Or are you independent, and therefore losing this spiritual battle?

3. We must be disciplined.

The present tense of the verb “be strong” means that it is not a once and for all event—be strong—but a constant strengthening through God.⁴ The implication of this is that we need discipline. If it were a one-time event we could stop working, but it is not. We need to continue to strengthen ourselves in the Lord.

Discipline is not only necessary to be empowered by God, but also to put on his character—his armor. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, “discipline yourself unto godliness” or, as it can also be translated, “exercise yourself unto godliness.” We need to practice spiritual disciplines—prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, serving, solitude, and giving—daily in order to become holy.

The Christian with poor spiritual discipline is like the soldier without discipline—unprepared and therefore vulnerable to attack.

4. We must be thorough.

Paul says to put on the “full” armor of God (Eph 6:11). Partial preparation will not do. If there are any chinks in our armor—which symbolizes our character—that is exactly where the enemy will attack. If we commonly struggle with unforgiveness, lust, anger, or lack of self-control, the enemy will attack in those areas. We must be thorough in this battle. In physical warfare, little compromises can get someone captured or killed, and it is the same in spiritual warfare. We must constantly repent of our sins and seek to get right with God. We must be thorough—putting on the full armor of God.

If we are going to stand in this battle, we must be prepared by knowing our weakness, depending on God, being disciplined, and being thorough.

Application Question: How is God calling you to seek his power and character in your life? What are your spiritual disciplines like? How can you strengthen them?

Believers Stand Firm by Knowing the Enemy

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11-12)

A crucial part of every army is the intelligence branch. Those who work in intel gather information about the enemy so the army can be equipped and prepared. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul gives intel about our enemy so we can be equipped to stand firm in this war.

Paul mentions the devil’s schemes (v.11). The word “schemes” in the Greek is methodia, from which we get the English word “method.” It carries the idea of craftiness, cunning, and deception. It was used of a “wild animal who cunningly stalked and then unexpectedly pounced on its prey. Satan’s evil schemes are built around stealth and deception.”⁵

Paul refers to awareness of the devil’s schemes in 2 Corinthians 2:11: “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” In order for believers to not be outwitted and to stand firm, they must know their enemy and his schemes.

Interpretation Question: What are some of the devil’s schemes—his methods?

1. The devil uses accusation.

The name “devil” actually means “accuser.” One of the devil’s primary tactics against believers is to accuse and condemn. He accuses God to our ears—slandering his goodness and his faithfulness. Many people struggle with worship because they have accepted the enemy’s accusations of God. As in Satan’s attack on Eve, the enemy tempts us to doubt God’s goodness so we will fall into sin.

But Satan also accuses us. He does this primarily through condemnation. After he successfully tempts us to sin, he then says, “Feel bad—feel really bad!” in order to further pull us away from God. Because of their stumbles, many Christians don’t feel worthy to read the Bible, go to church, or serve. In contrast, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin so we will draw near to God; he doesn’t condemn us and push us away from God.

Finally, Satan accuses other people. He continually brings up the failures of others and seeks to draw us into anger, discord and unforgiveness. Many Christians have left the church because they listened to the devil’s accusations.

One of his methods is accusation. He accuses God, us, and others.

2. The devil uses deception.

Very similar to accusation is the devil’s tactic of deception. Jesus says the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He lied to Eve about God’s Word and God’s intentions. Since the devil oversees the world system, it is a system built on lies. He lies about what humanity is, what success is, what beauty is, and many other things. Satan lies in order to lead people away from God and his best for their lives.

He wants people to think they are an accident of evolution instead of the purposeful creation of God. He wants people to think that something is wrong with them—they are not pretty enough, smart enough, tall enough, tan enough, light enough, etc. We live in a world full of discouragement and depression because it is based on Satan’s lies.

He also deceives people about the Word of God. The church is full of false teachings and cults because of the lies of the devil. 1 Timothy 4:1 calls these lies “doctrines of demons.” Second Corinthians 11:14-15 says, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” He and his servants twist God’s Word—creating false teachings or leading people to doubt the accuracy and inerrancy of the Word. He ultimately does this to lead people away from believing in Christ and God all together.

3. The devil uses persecution and fear of persecution.

Though the devil’s favorite tactic is to use deception like a serpent, he often shows up as a lion to incite fear and to destroy. First Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

In many nations around the world, he works to quiet believers or turn them away from God through fear and persecution. He roars so believers will be quiet about their faith instead of being the bold witnesses they are called to be. Christ describes the end times as a time of persecution, and a time when many will fall away from the faith because of it. In Matthew 24:9-10, he says:

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.  At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”

4. The devil uses the world.

Since the devil is not omnipresent, he uses the world system to draw believers away from God. It is essentially a system without God—meant to lead and corrupt people. Satan uses this system to deceive and to conform people to his image. First John 5:19 says, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

We must be aware that Satan is over the fashion industry, the entertainment industry, education, government, and religion. When he offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world, it was a literal offer (Matt 4:8-9).

When Christians are aware of this reality, they keep themselves from befriending the world (James 4:4), loving the world (1 John 2:15), being spotted or polluted by it (James 1:27), and ultimately being conformed to it (Rom 12:2)—where they look just like the world (1 Cor 3:3).

5. The devil works through our flesh.

Our flesh is the unredeemed part of our bodies—it desires to sin and rebel against God. Though saved, we still carry this part of our nature, which came from Adam. When we give in to the flesh, we open the door for the enemy to work in our lives. Ephesians 4:26-27 talks about how anger gives the devil a foothold. But this is also true of lying, stealing, lust, unforgiveness, corrupt talk, and worldly thoughts. The devil works through our flesh.

We get a good picture of this in the account of Christ rebuking Satan while talking to Peter. Matthew 16:21-23 says:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

What gave Satan the door into Peter’s life? It was his secular, worldly thinking. He was mindful of the things of men and not the things of God. Man doesn’t want to sacrifice—he wants prosperity, wealth, and health. Acceptance of death and sacrifice are not part of his old nature. Therefore, many people open doors to the enemy simply because their minds are still secular—their thinking has not been transformed through the Word of God (Rom 12:2).

6. The devil works through an army of demons.

Paul says this in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Scripture teaches that demons are fallen angels. Revelation 12:4 says that at Satan’s fall a third of the angels fell with him.

How many demons are there? We don’t know. But we do know that Satan could spare up to 6,000 of them to focus on one person. In the story of the demoniac in Mark 5:9, the demons said their name was Legion. As a Roman legion consisted of up to 6,000 men,⁶ the fallen angels appear to be innumerable. Satan has no shortage of allies, and all of them are seeking to destroy the people of God and the plans of God.

Paul doesn’t teach us everything about demons, but there are many things that can be discerned from this passage.

Observation Question: What characteristics of demons can be discerned from Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:12?

• Demons are supernatural.

Paul says we don’t battle against flesh and blood. This means that demons are supernatural, and that our primary opponents are not evil people, but the power that works behind them. Wiersbe’s comments are helpful here:

The important point is that our battle is not against human beings. It is against spiritual powers. We are wasting our time fighting people when we ought to be fighting the devil who seeks to control people and make them oppose the work of God… The advice of the King of Syria to his soldiers can be applied to our spiritual battle: “Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king” (1 Kings 22:31).⁷

• Demons are wicked.

Again, Paul says our struggle is against “the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Darkness symbolizes evil in the Bible. That is the demons’ character—there is nothing good in them. They are the spiritual forces of evil. John Stott says this about demons:

If we hope to overcome them, we shall need to bear in mind that they have no moral principles, no code of honour, no higher feelings. They recognize no Geneva Convention to restrict or partially civilize the weapons of their warfare. They are utterly unscrupulous, and ruthless in the pursuit of their malicious designs.⁸

• Demons are organized.

The demonic categories that Paul uses are not explained, but they seem to represent “differing degrees of authority, such as presidents, governors, mayors, and aldermen, on the human scale.”⁹

“Rulers” in the Greek is the word kosmokratoras or, with an anglicized rendering, “cosmocrats.”¹⁰ It can be translated literally as “world rulers.” This probably refers to demons that are set over nations or regions. In Daniel, we see powerful demons called “princes” over Persia and Greece (Daniel 10:20). The angel who spoke with Daniel was involved in a battle with two of these demons. In the same way, there are demons that rule like princes and generals over nations and cities—seeking to turn the people and the culture away from God. It is very interesting to consider that when Christ cast the demons out of the demoniac (Mark 5), they begged him not to send them out of the country. It seems that even the minions are territorial—focused on whatever territory or person they are assigned to.

“Authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil” also seem to reflect varying ranks. MacArthur says this about the “spiritual forces of evil”:

The spiritual forces of wickedness are possibly those demons who are involved in the most wretched and vile immoralities—such as extremely perverse sexual practices, the occult, Satan worship, and the like.¹¹

What else can we discern about our enemy?

7. The devil wants to kill us.

Paul says our “struggle is not against flesh and blood.” The word “struggle” was used of hand to hand combat—especially wrestling. However, wrestling in the ancient world was often a fight to the death.¹² This wrestling wasn’t just for sport; it was deadly combat. The devil and his demons don’t want to just tempt us and lead us into sin; they ultimately want to kill and destroy us. Jesus says this about Satan in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When Satan leads people into ungodly language, secular thinking, selfishness, or compromise, though they may seem harmless at the time, he ultimately wants to lead them to their destruction. The devil is nobody to play with—he is a destroyer.

The only reason he has not killed us is that God is the ultimate sovereign. As in the story of Job, God sets boundaries on how far the enemy can go. If Satan cannot kill us, he is content to attack our bodies, our sleep, our joy, our peace, our testimonies, our callings, and our relationships—with the hope of destroying them. Our enemy is a murderer, and our only hope is our Shepherd—Jesus.

8. The devil often attacks in an overwhelming manner.

Paul says for us to put on the full armor of God so that we may stand in the “day of evil,” or the “evil day,” as it’s called in the ESV (Eph 6:13). MacDonald says this about the evil day:

The evil day probably refers to any time when the enemy comes against us like a flood. Satanic opposition seems to occur in waves, advancing and receding. Even after our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness, the devil left Him for a season (Luke 4:13).¹³

Job experienced the “evil day” when the devil attacked his body, his family, his finances, and his friends for a season. This happens with many believers. Satan desires to make people give up, get angry at God, and turn away from him. A believer that is not being filled with the Spirit, who is not strong in the Lord, will fall prey to our enemy on this day.

Application Questions: What are some other characteristics of our enemy? What is a healthy perspective for Christians to have regarding the devil and spiritual warfare? What is an unhealthy one?

Believers Stand Firm by Fighting

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

Paul writes of the need to stand firm four times in Ephesians 6; however, it must be remembered that this standing is not a passive, defensive stance. It is, in fact, active and offensive. Ephesians 6:17 and 19 tell us so.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

The sword was not primarily a defensive weapon, but an offensive one. As we share the Word of God with others, we are on the offensive. In fact, Paul prays for grace in sharing the gospel with others (v. 19).

It has been said that the best defense is a great offense. When the enemy is constantly being attacked, it is hard for him to mount an effective offense. Similarly, when Paul was going throughout the Gentile world spreading the gospel, he was fighting against the darkness. He was setting captives of Satan free by leading them to Christ. He was exposing the Roman world to light so that the darkness began to flee, and it must be the same for us.

We also see this in Christ’s words about building his church in Matthew 16:18. He says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” The gates of Hades not prevailing is a picture of the church on the offensive. Believers are taking the battering ram of the gospel and breaking down the gates of Hades in communities, cities, and nations. This is a proper picture of God’s battle plan for the church in this war.

Application Question: How can believers fight this spiritual battle?

1. We must know what we are fighting for.

In a war, a soldier fights to protect his home, his family, his country, and his freedom. These things motivate him, and it must be the same for believers. If we don’t know what we’re fighting for, our spiritual lives often become dreary and lifeless.

What do believers fight for?

• Believers fight for the souls of the lost.

Jesus says this to Paul about his calling as an apostle in Acts 26:17-18:

“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Similarly, Christians must recognize that they are on a rescue mission to save the lost from eternal darkness.

• Believers fight to please God and be rewarded by him.

Consider these verses:

Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. (2 John 1:8)

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

John calls Christians to be careful to not lose their reward, but rather to seek a full reward from God. Similarly, Paul was not afraid of losing his salvation, but he feared losing his reward and ultimately his usefulness. We fight to please God and to be rewarded by him. Believers with no desire to please God will not fight—they will remain spiritually lethargic.

• Believers fight to glorify God with their lives.

First Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Even our fighting in this war is for the glory of God. When Christ went into the temple and turned over tables, he was consumed with zeal for God’s house (John 2:17), and with the glory of God. Similarly, we fight because we are consumed with the glory of God. A person not consumed with God’s glory—God being exalted throughout the world—will not fight.

How else can believers fight this battle?

2. We must know that the war has already been won, and we must fight with Christ’s authority.

Another important reality that every believer must understand when fighting this battle is that the war is already won. Therefore, we are not fighting to win, but because we’ve won. We see this taught in many texts, including the following:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, (Ephesians 1:18-22)

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

This is important to understand so that we don’t become discouraged and quit. Christ has already won this battle on the cross. Satan—the serpent—bit his heel, but Jesus crushed the serpent’s head by his own death and resurrection (cf. Gen 3:15). He disarmed the evil powers and authorities, and was raised up in authority over them. Christians must remember this.

This is why when Paul encountered those possessed with demons, he cast them out in the “name of Jesus” (Acts 16:18). He declared Christ’s authority over them. We must walk in this reality as well. Christ is seated in authority over the demonic powers; he disarmed them and has placed us in authority over them as well—because we are in Christ (Eph 2:6).

As Paul did, there may be times where you need to rebuke the devil in “the name of Jesus”—declaring Christ’s authority. You may have to pray in authority over people stuck in spiritual depression (cf. 1 Sam 16:15), habitual sin (cf. Eph 4:26-27), or some type of demonic illness (cf. Lk 13:11). You may need to speak and stand on this reality in your own life, as you feel assaulted by the enemy emotionally, physically, and socially. Yes, the flesh and the world tempt and attack us, but we also must recognize this very real evil force—the devil and his demons—and the authority Christ has given us in his name (cf. Matt 28:18-19).

Application Questions: Why is it important to be on the offensive in spiritual warfare? What is your motivation to fight?

Conclusion

How can believers stand firm in this spiritual war?

1. Believers Stand Firm by Being Prepared (with God’s Power and Character)
2. Believers Stand Firm by Knowing the Enemy
3. Believers Stand Firm by Fighting

Copyright © 2016 Gregory Brown

Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV or AKJV are from the King James Version or Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations and commentators’ quotations have been added.

¹ MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 337–338). Chicago: Moody Press.

² MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 344). Chicago: Moody Press.

³ Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. 266–267). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

⁴ Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 175). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

⁵ MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 338). Chicago: Moody Press.

⁶ Accessed 10/31/2015 from http://global.britannica.com/topic/legion

⁷ Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 57). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

⁸ Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (p. 264). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

⁹ MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1952). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

¹⁰ Hughes, R. K. (1990). Ephesians: the mystery of the body of Christ (p. 215). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

¹¹ MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 341). Chicago: Moody Press.

¹² MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 340). Chicago: Moody Press.

¹³ MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1952). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.