Fathers

Ephesians 6

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

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What the Fathers say

Ephesians 6:11

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." He saith not, against the fightings, nor against the hostilities, but against the "wiles." For this enemy is at war with us, not simply, nor openly, but by "wiles." What is meant by wiles? To use "wiles," is to deceive and to take by artifice or contrivance; a thing which takes place both in the case of the arts, and by words, and actions, and stratagems, in the case of those who seduce us. I mean something like this. …

Homily on Ephesians 22 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

What the full armor consists of, he will show a little later. But notice why he did not say: battles or wars, but – "schemes." "Schemes" means seduction and entrapment through cunning. For the enemy does not openly propose sin; for example, he does not openly incline one to idolatry, but disposes one to it by another means, through craftiness, that is, by plausible speech and the use of cunning. Paul, by indicating that the adversary is terrible and resourceful, encourages them and urges them to caution.

Commentary on Ephesians ↗

Theodoret of Cyrus

In ordinary battles the generals do not arm women or children or the aged. But our general, Christ the Lord, distributes this royal armory to all alike. He then teaches them the stratagems of the devil. This is what he means by the devil's wiles.

Interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesians 6.11 ↗

Western Saints

Jerome

From what we read of the Lord our Savior throughout the Scriptures, it is manifestly clear that the whole armor of Christ is the Savior himself. It is he whom we are asked to "put on." It is one and the same thing to say "Put on the whole armor of God" and "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." Our belt is truth and our breastplate is righteousness. The Savior is also called both "truth" and "righteousness." So no one can doubt that he himself is that very belt and breastplate. …

Commentary on Ephesians 6:11 ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Someone might say: if God is powerful and wills [to protect us], we ought to be unconcerned. He replies that this is not so; indeed, everyone must do what he can since, if an unarmed man went into battle, no matter how much the king protected him he would still be in danger. Hence he says Put you on the armour of God, that is, the gifts [of the Holy Spirit] and virtues. "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light" (Rom. 13:12). …

Commentary on Ephesians ↗