If I do not know practically in my soul my acceptance, and my position as a member of Christ's body, I cannot take in the instruction of this portion of the word of God. It presents, in its connection, emphatically, the full result of Christ's work in relation to the Church, as the object of God's thought and counsel before the foundation of the world. There is such a union between Christ and His members that His standing is their standing; His acceptance is their acceptance; and His life and glory are theirs. So, also, there should be a correspondence in the walk with the position in which we are placed. My walk, indeed, is here, but the springs of it are all above. It is just as I apprehend my acceptance in Jesus, and my consequent place in the world, as He was in it, that I shall practically realize this.
The apprehension of this conflict depends upon the realization of the Church's position in Christ. It is not merely the mortifying of the flesh, though it is impossible to meet Satan if I do not keep under my body: for if I am yielding to the flesh, Satan has me down, and, so far, under his power. Nor is it the contending with the temptations of the world, though these, of course, we have to overcome. So far as a Christian is a worldly man, he is a miserable man; and the more so the better. This conflict takes a higher character than either the mortification of the flesh, or the victory, in spirit, over the world; but it will never go on, if those be wanting. It is in a region where Satan and his hosts put forth their might. It is not conflict in our souls about God as to our standing in His sight or as to His thoughts about us; or what the final result of His grace may be. It is of an entirely different character. It is "against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in heavenly places." (See margin.)
Now it is not by underrating these enemies that we are to meet them. It is not by making light of them that we are to overcome them. Satan may soon put down our vaunting. Yet there is no reason to fear him. David did not fear Goliath; but it was because he went against him in the strength of the Lord, and only in His name. There is a phalanx, then, of spiritual enemies—not want of spiritual affections, which, indeed, may be, and will surely unfit us for the conflict—but an army of real spiritual enemies, which every Christian, and the Church of God, has to meet in the heavenly places, if our true and blessed position, as risen in Christ, is to be enjoyed.
Now, says the apostle, in effect, if there is no room for boasting, there is no room for fear. For we are not avenging our own wrongs; we are fighting for God, and seeking, in His might to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore he says, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." And, if we are found practically walking above with Christ, we shall find our need of the exhortation, "Put on the whole armor of God."
To illustrate what is meant by "heavenly places," take the case of Israel. First, there is redemption out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb; not merely from guilt, but from destruction by the sprinkling of the doorposts. Then there is the power which made the path of death to others (the Red Sea) the path of life to the believer. And after all this, there is the wilderness. We are in the wilderness—Oh that we realized it more and more! Well, Israel had there to meet Amalek: (see Ex. 17) and their whole strength was residing in Moses' uplifted hands. So it is by the power of God alone that we overcome. Everything depends on the power of God. It is out of ourselves; yet it is ours to lay hold on it. But the conflict of Israel with Amalek presents rather the conflict of the believer with the enemy, as seeking to hinder God's pilgrims in their onward progress through the world as a wilderness. It is the hindering power of the world, used by Satan to stop the march of a Christian through the world to God's rest in heaven. Hence his power must be met and overcome too, or we cease to be strangers and pilgrims upon earth. " This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith." But the world must be overcome; or the pilgrim character must be dropped. But afterward, even when Jordan was crossed, there was conflict; that is after death and resurrection in Christ are realized this conflict begins. After Israel had got beyond Jordan and were in Canaan, the Canaanites had to be overcome.
Now, here is the point. How am I to live a heavenly life? How am I to present a heavenly character. Why, by living in heaven. It is not by rule, but by living in heaven. Christ said, "I am from above;" so, as to every spring of my action, it ought to be drawn from heaven, from Christ. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." If the wars of the Lord are to be maintained, and if the character of a Christian is to be maintained, it is by our living in heaven, by having our hearts in heaven. We belong to heaven. O beloved! it is not words that can communicate the knowledge of this to you. I might talk forever of heaven to you, and you would never comprehend it unless you were there. But if you are there you know what I mean. Now if you are in heaven, it will cost you no trouble, no anxiety, how to live down here. The power of that life which has brought you there, and the array of everything which faith finds there will mold your character down here. If, however, you are not in heaven, it will cost you much anxiety how to shape your conduct; and how to act so as to have the good opinion of others; and also how to keep on good terms with conscience and yourself. This is the thing, walking in the light as God is in the light.
Now, just as we realize our position in Christ shall we be able to meet the wiles of the enemy. It was just as Joshua got beyond Jordan that he had to conquer Jericho; that Israel fled from the men of Ai; and that he had to meet the wiles of the Gibeonites. The point is to keep our position in the heavenlies. Thus you see how the conflict is taken wholly out of the world. Worldly things have to do with it, yet it is carried on in heavenly places. How little do we realize these powers of evil! Not mere flesh and blood, but spiritual enemies, who strive to hinder our enjoyment in the heavenlies.
We begin at the wrong end when we begin with ourselves. Oh! it is sad for a Christian to be ever questioning and doubting, not certain of his salvation. It is not merely that he is unhappy—of course he is that; but he is not realizing what Christ is. It is a positive slur on the work of Christ. You may say, it is only a question of privilege; but no question of privilege stands alone. Oh, no! It is no light thing to be ignorant of Christ: I do not mean ignorant of His salvation; but ignorant of the fullness of His person, and the divine, eternal, perfectness of His work.
Now as to the Armor.
" Take unto you the whole armor of God." Make a practical use of the truth that is in the scriptures, and especially of that which is presented in this epistle, and let it have its due power in your souls. Thus you will be able to stand against the enemy.
" Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." Do not hold truth loosely. There is much taking up of truth in a loose way. Why do men use a girdle? To enable them to gather up their energies,—to strengthen them for combat, or the race. Truth is what I want to strengthen me for my conflict with Satan's falsehood. And it is just so much of the truth as I am practically enjoying with God, that I can use as a girdle. 0 beloved, what are you doing here? Are you drones? Are you taking your ease? Are your garments loose? It must not be. " Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:13.) We are called to serve Christ. " And if any man serve me," says He, " him will my Father honor." Every one is called to serve Christ. It is poor work if we are not asking every day, " what wouldst thou have me to do?" By and by, He will need no service, and we shall need no girdle; then we shall rest. But here we are in a world where Christ needs service. We are called to fight for Christ, and the apostle says, "no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath called him to be a soldier."
" And having on the breastplate of righteousness." It is the breastplate of righteousness which gives us a perfect standing before God, so that Satan can never raise a question as to this vital point. " We are made the righteousness of God in him." What is the good of Satan's coming to me, and telling me what I have been? I know it all; but I also know what I now am in Christ. By a careless walk the sense of this may be lost: I may lose, practically, the breastplate of righteousness; I may forget that I was purged from my old sins. But there is a righteousness, a perfect divine righteousness, in which the believer stands accepted in the Beloved. I may trip, but nothing can undo the work of God in Christ.
" And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." A walk in peace; fitted by these shoes to walk in the rough places in the world in peace, fitted to go on in peace in the path set before me. If I am abiding in the peace of the gospel, I shall be in rest and quiet, whatever the circumstances of the world may be. Yes, in that peace I can go anywhere. Jesus is our peace; that divine blessed peace, which does not hang upon circumstances.
"Above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." All the fiery darts. There is not a single shaft that can pierce or wound me, if I am holding up this shield of faith. Satan wounds by weakening our faith; and nothing does this sooner than neglect of God's word, or the allowance of any practical unrighteousness. It is not a question of what darts; it may be about acceptance, or temptation to a careless walk. But I by faith get up into the heaven-lies, and see my position there: what then can harm me? There I know that all things work together for good.
There is no ground for faith but the word of God.
" And take the helmet of salvation." I must be sure of my salvation if I go up into the battle. There is no maintaining this conflict with Satan, if the soul is not established in grace. What a blessed thing it is to know that I am already saved! Then I can hold up my head, having on the helmet of salvation. As David says, " Thou halt covered my head in the day of battle." A soldier might almost as well be without his shield as without his helmet: in either case he is unable to look his enemy in the face;—almost as well be without faith, as without the knowledge of salvation, in the practical question of meeting Satan in conflict.
" And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is an offensive weapon. All are not defensive; though we are secured against injury by the breastplate, &c., before we are called upon to take the sword of the Spirit. We are to use the sword to make head against the enemy. We are to use it so as to deliver others held in his bonds. And this is not simply by a great knowledge of the word. I cannot use the sword of the Spirit with an arm of flesh. I must use it in the power of the Spirit. Oh! there is need to honor the Holy Ghost—near to me as Christ is, and dear to me as Christ is! For we read not only that Christ died for us, but that He sent that other Comforter. Oh! that word, "quench not the Spirit!" " Grieve not the Spirit!" Beloved, we should be anxious about this. We cannot use the sword of the Spirit, if we are grieving the Spirit. We cannot enjoy fellowship with God, if we are grieving the Spirit. There cannot be too much enjoyment of the corporate presence of the Spirit; yet we must have the apprehension and enjoyment of His indwelling power. Alas! alas! the inward life has fallen far short of the position in which we are placed. There is a great want of individual practical walking with God, not only so as to get enjoyment-that is low ground-but so as to glorify God, so as to give the consciousness to every one who comes in contact with us that our walk is with God, and that our strength is in God. The sword is not wielded in the power of the Spirit. We take the blessing, but the power to keep it, and to glorify God by it is wanting.
" Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit," &c. It is blessed to find that after being fully equipped for the warfare, absolute dependence on Christ crowns the whole. There is our place of strength. And it is for all saints; because it is alone as I see the Church's union with Christ as risen, and the Holy Ghost revealing the common position of all believers in Christ as His body, that I can understand the place and grounds, and reason, and power of this conflict. God has provided the armor; it is for the believer to take it to himself and to put it on.