(Excerpt from NIV Application Commentary: Ephesians [eBook] by Klyne Snodgrass.)

The Real Enemy

Our struggle is not with humans; they are not the enemy… The way we carry on our battles is the most eloquent witness to our faith.

[This is relevant] for the way Christians respond in arguments over social issues like abortion and homosexuality… If we act in unchristian ways in rejecting sin, what have we become? Violence cannot be used to achieve good. An ancient Jew put it well: “The person trying to do right by violence is like a eunuch desiring to seduce a young woman” (Ecclesiasticus 20:4). Whether absolute pacifism is an option in a sinful world is debatable, but that Christians must be people of peace is not… 

Should Christians fear the ‘spiritual forces of evil’?

The threat of danger exists, but this enemy is defeated, is not in control, and is limited in power. [And] the armor God uses to defeat evil is given to us. Why should we fear? We should experience courage for living because the enemy has been defeated…

Image: The full armor of God (See Ephesians 6:13-20), from a Bible printed in 1800.

Evil as Booby-trap
[Evil] always looks like something good for us, but it does not ask about God or other people, and it does not ask about long term effects. In the process the boundaries and values by which God orders life are distorted.

The spiritual forces of evil in Ephesians are trap setters, seeking to delude us into shifting the boundaries. Some traps we recognize easily, for we see the paths to destruction worn down by previous captives. Other traps we hardly notice, for we have accepted the revaluing. In most cases our choice is not between obvious evil and something good but between two seemingly good and right options. As Walter Wink points out, Satan watches our inclinations and throws us to the side to which we are leaning… Evil traps us with the good, only slightly out of bounds. Each choice slightly out of bounds redraws the boundaries until nothing remains of God’s intent. That is why evil is deceptive and why we need to be alert…

How can we defend against evil?
By focusing on evil we destroy ourselves; by focusing on God we find life and protection. God deserves our attention; evil does not. In asking us to put on the armor of God, the text directs our attention away from evil and to God and his purposes… Christians do not need to worry about evil, for they know how to pray. [See Philippians 4:6–7]

Learn More

Be alert, yes, but don’t worry or fear. Prayer is the key ingredient in being strong and alert…

Learn more about NIV Application Commentary: Ephesians eBook

Question for Discussion: Do you sometimes feel like your real battle is with other people? How would you counsel someone who feels like this?

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

(Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of NIVAC Ephesians eBook… Image attribution: By Phillip Medhurst (Photos by Harry Kossuth) [Public domain {{PD-1923}}], via Wikimedia CommonsThis post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)