Lessons #263 and 264
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Empowerment of the Spirit in the Spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Many Christians are oblivious to the spiritual battle that is taking place at the present time. This does not mean that these Christians do not know about Satan as the term is used and the presence of opposing forces to that which is good. What we mean is that many Christians do not recognize that there is a daily intense spiritual battle for the control of their souls that is going on even as we speak. Some Christians know that there is an internal conflict between doing what is good and what is sinful, that is, if these believers pay much attention to their spiritual life. However, many Christians do not realize that we are in a spiritual struggle as evident in the fact that many Christians fall victim to Satan and not even know it. They live defeated Christian life in that they are not enjoying victorious life over sin and forces of darkness. They know nothing about the abundant life that Jesus indicated he brought 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.
To have life to the full, is not limited to eternal life to be fully realized in the future but living a life completely in an exciting manner that is characterized by peace and joy. Another evident of lack of knowledge of the serious spiritual battle that is taking place is the tendency of some Christians to resent those who cause trouble for them. They see these individual as their enemies and so have hostile attitudes towards them. If these Christians who behave that way knew that there is a spiritual battle in which Satan and all forces of darkness are waging war against believers, then they would have a different attitude towards the human agents that Satan and all forces of darkness employ to get to the believer. In other words, instead of being resentful to the human agent the believer will look pass the human agent to recognize the power of darkness trying to get to him or her through the human agent, in that way, the believer will recognize the true enemy of his or her soul. We are saying that if you are aware of spiritual warfare taking place you will not be antagonist towards the human agent Satan uses to get to you; instead, you will look with pity on such individuals for being agents of Satan and all forces of spiritual darkness.
Do you mean Satan and forces of darkness use human beings or even some believers to try to get to other believers, you may ask? The answer is “yes.” Satan uses human beings to get to believers. This, we know from the interaction between the Lord Jesus and Peter prior to His death on the cross. The Lord addressed His disciples regarding His coming death on the cross, which is certainly a necessity for our redemption and the establishment of His church. However, Peter on hearing these words, with good intention, protested and in a sense rebuked the Lord by saying that what Jesus had said should never take place. On hearing this, Jesus rebuked him, as recorded in Matthew 16:22–23:
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 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.”
The command Get behind me, Satan! is understood by many interpreters as a mere rebuke to Peter for acting like Satan in that he wanted Jesus to take the easy, spectacular way and to avoid the path of suffering. There is no doubt that the Lord in a sense rebuked Peter for being an agent of Satan or even acting like Satan but ultimately the rebuke is to Satan who has put words in the mouth of Peter. When any human speaks, the words are either from God the Holy Spirit or from Satan although ultimately God controls what we utter. In the context of this command, Peter had made a confession that Jesus is the Christ for which Jesus indicated it was not from him but from God the Father as in Matthew 16:17:
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Shortly after this assertion of the Lord, Peter went from being under the control of the Father to the control of Satan so that the thoughts of his mind were fed to him by Satan. Peter spoke under the influence of Satan or he was the mouth piece of Satan at this point. This should not be a surprise to you since the Scripture reveals that we speak under the control of a power greater than we. This truth is recognized in the question of Job 26:4:
Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
This question of Job implies that he did not accept Bildad’s words as originating within himself but hears them flowing out of his mouth. The point we are stressing is that Satan was speaking through Peter and so that although our Lord rebuked Peter because the words came from him as Satan’s agent but the rebuke is ultimately to Satan who has once more returned to tempt Jesus to avoid the cross as he tried at the beginning of His ministry. In fact, the rebuke here by Jesus that is taken by many as directed to Peter, is essentially the same as that of Matthew 4:10:
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
The implication would be that the Lord was once more speaking to Satan for tempting Him with the obstacle as voiced through Peter. Regardless of how one understands the rebuke, one thing is for certain: it is that Peter had served as Satan’s agent or became his spokesman at the time of the event recorded in Matthew 16:21-23 in order to get to Jesus. This proves our point that Satan can and does use humans to try to get to other humans. If he could use Peter to try to get to Jesus who is the God man, then you can be sure that he uses fellow human beings to try to get to believers. Understanding of this truth will enable believers to understand whatever temptation they face as directly from Satan using other humans. Such knowledge should keep the believer from being antagonistic towards human agents. In any event, the fact we want to emphasize is that there is a spiritual warfare taking place on a constant basis that all believers should recognize so they may equip themselves to duke it out with Satan and all evil forces. In considering the message associated with the spiritual warfare we will consider several major points involved, beginning with the first which is that to live as a Christian in the spiritual warfare requires the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Ephesians is one of the epistles where the apostle first dealt with doctrines before focusing on application. Recall that the first three chapters of the book is concerned with doctrine of divine work with respect to our salvation that includes election, adoption, and redemption. Following the exposition of these doctrines, the apostle focused his attention on exhortation to believers based on the doctrines he had espoused. The exhortation of the apostle, as we had indicated during the introduction of the book, is that believers are to live as Christians. This living as Christians is to be manifested in the church, in personal life in general, in domestic life and in spiritual warfare. Thus far, the apostle had covered the three of the four areas of functioning as Christians. So, he ends his exhortation by focusing on the last area that involved spiritual warfare to which all believers are involved. This last area of focus is the conclusion of his exhortation and so he began verse 10 with a Greek phrase that is translated in our English versions with the word finally as we have in the NIV.
The word finally is used to introduce the last area in the series of the areas in which believers are to live as Christians as detailed in this epistle to the Ephesians. The apostle began his exhortation to live as a Christian in the area of the church with the word then in verse 1 of chapter 4 before he issued the first command of that section be completely humble and gentle. Of course, we argued that instead of the word “then” that it is better to use the word “therefore” to indicate that the exhortation of the rest of the epistle result from what preceded, that is, the doctrine of the divine work that the apostle gave in the first three chapters. As he moved to the second area of living as a Christian that involves life in general the apostle began verse 17 of the fourth chapter with the word so before he issued the instruction you must no longer live as the Gentiles do that began that section. We argued that 17 should probably begin with the word “now” instead of “therefore” or “so” to indicate the apostle is continuing or resuming the exhortation began in the first three verses of the fourth chapter although he is moving to another topic in his exhortation. However, when the apostle moved to the third area where believers are to live as Christians, that is, domestic life, he did not use any connector instead he addressed the first recipient of his instruction because he began verse 22 of the fifth chapter with the word wives before the implied command submit to your husbands, implying that he was moving to a new area of application of his exhortation to live as Christians. The pattern that we observe because of what we have said, is that the apostle uses a connector or an address to signal a new area of application that is then followed by a command. As the apostle finished his instructions concerning how various believers in an ancient household should function as Christians, one would think that the apostle had ended his exhortation since he has touched all areas of life where Christians interact with people. But that is not the case. The apostle tells us that there is one more area that we should be aware and function properly; it is the area of spiritual warfare as that affects the other areas of living out our lives as Christians that involves not humans but spiritual forces of darkness. Therefore, the word finally is used not only to indicate the last area of the series of areas we are to live as Christians but it is used in a sense to summarize or even to tell us that beyond the areas he has mentioned lies the last area that influences the first three. In effect, it is the spiritual warfare that creates problems in the three areas of the church, life in general, and in domestic life. The implication is that a believer who understands this spiritual warfare will function better in the three areas the apostle had already identified. Anyway, we are saying that the word finally not only concludes the apostle’s exhortation but it shines light on the entire exhortation. As we have alluded, what this means is that understanding of the spiritual warfare helps to function properly in the three areas so far identified. You see, if you understand that there is a spiritual warfare going on, then when a believer offends you, you will understand that satanic forces are at work and so should not give into such thing as unforgiving spirit so that you become a casualty in spiritual warfare. Similarly, when your spouse or children behave badly towards you, you do not give in to whatever that you are tempted to do because of their bad behavior towards you when you recognize that it is a spiritual warfare that is at work in the behavior displayed. Hence, you see that it is important to understand the spiritual warfare in order to function in a manner pleasing to the Lord in the three areas the apostle mentioned. It is for this reason that we contend that the word finally is not merely to tell us that we have come to the end of the exhortation but it is intended to grab our attention to focus on the area of spiritual warfare as the apostle expounds on it.
In keeping with the pattern of exhortation we have noted in the various areas of application of the exhortation, which is the use of a connector or an address to signal a move to new area of exhortation followed by a command, the apostle gives a command after the word finally. But before we get to the first command, we should make an important observation with regard to the commands the apostle issued in this last area that has to do with spiritual warfare. The apostle gave five commands in the Greek of Ephesians 6:10-20. The first is in verse 10, the second in verse 11, the third in verse 13, the fourth in verse 14, and the fifth in verse 17. Of course, some English versions, such as the NIV, gave up to nine commands but the Greek actually has five commands. That aside, the observation we need to make is that only in one of these five commands, that is, one in verse 10, in the Greek is in the present tense and the rest are in what is known as the aorist tense in the Greek. What does that mean you may ask? Or you may say, so what! Well, it is significant in that the use of present tense in verse 10 indicates that the apostle is concerned with general guideline or principle that should be true of you to the point that it can be said that you have formed a habit of what is commanded in verse 10. While the use of the aorist tense in the other verses imply that the apostle is concerned with specific instructions without any regard to its frequency or continuance but he is concerned that you make the instructions in the other four verses your priority or for you to see their urgency. There is more. It is only the command in verse 10 that is in the passive voce. The implication is that the apostle intends to convey that although a command is issued but the actual result of the command in verse 10 is not something the believer can achieve on his or her own power as we will note at the appropriate time.
In any case, the first command given in verse 10 is concerned with spiritual strength as in the command be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. What is the apostle commanding believers to do in this verse? To understand what it is the apostle meant in this instruction there are three factors we need to consider. The first is the OT usage of the same command since the apostle was aware of it from his understanding of the OT Scripture. A second factor is context. A third factor concerns the meaning of the Greek word used in the command.
Let us consider the first factor. The command be strong as used in the OT Scripture leads to two major observations. A first observation is that the command is used primarily under three major occurrences. It is used when there is a change in the leadership in Israel. Thus, it was used by the Lord in His instruction to Joshua as he began his leadership of Israel, as we read in Joshua 1:6:
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
This usage is evident in that David used it to encourage his son Solomon before he began his reign in Israel, according to 1 Kings 2:2:
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man,
A second occurrence in which the command is used is war. Hence, the command is used to encourage those in battlefield as it was used by the Philistines to encourage themselves in their war against the Israelites in 1 Samuel 4:9:
Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
A third occurrence in which the command is used is spiritual reformation. So, the command was used to encourage King Asa by Prophet Azariah to carry out the spiritual reform he was about to embark on in Israel in 2 Chronicles 15:7:
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
A second major observation of the use of the command be strong in the OT Scriptures is that for the most part, it rarely stands alone. It is often used in connection with the instruction to be courageous, as for example, in Moses’ farewell address to Israel before they entered Canaan, as recorded in Deuteronomy 31:6:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Furthermore, the apostle’s acquaintance of the association of the Hebrew word “be strong” with the word “courage” is reflected in the apostle’s use of the two words together in his instruction to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16:13:
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
Joab used the command in conjunction with another command as he addressed Israel’s army in 2 Samuel 10:12:
Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”
The second command let us fight bravely is more literally let us strengthen ourselves. The psalmist used the command be strong in connection with another command in Psalm 27:14:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Prophet Isaiah used the command in connection with another command in Isaiah 35:4:
say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
The point is that the command be strong in the OT Scripture is rarely used alone. These observations we have given will affect the interpretation of the command when used by the Apostle Paul as he was quite familiar with the OT Scripture.
A second factor we indicated that affects the interpretation of the command be strong in Ephesians 6:10 is the context. The context is particularly important in narrowing down the meaning of the Greek word used in our passage because the expression “be strong” is one that was etched in the apostle’s soul as a result of his acquaintance with the OT Scripture where the instruction is used several times as we have noted. His understanding of the expression “be strong” is certainly influenced by its usage in the OT where the Hebrew word translated “be strong” has a range of meanings that is also affected by a synonymous expression “be courageous” that is often used together with it. For example, let us consider the usage of the command in Deuteronomy 31:23:
The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
The expression “be strong” in Deuteronomy is translated from a Hebrew word (ḥāzǎq) that means to be strong in the sense of having the ability to accomplish what is intended, implying an element of resolve is needed as well. The word can also mean to be “firm” as that is really the sense of the Hebrew word in the passage we cited previously, that is, in Deuteronomy 31:6:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The command Be strong and courageous is rendered in different ways in our English versions. The TEV rendered it Be determined and confident and the NJB rendered it Be strong, stand firm, implying that being strong is the same as being firm. The Hebrew word may mean to “devote oneself to something” as it is used with respect to devotion to the Law in 2 Chronicles 31:4:
He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord.
The Hebrew word can also mean “to prevail” as it is used in Daniel 11:7:
“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious.
The sentence he will fight against them and be victorious is more literally and he will take action against them and he will prevail. In addition to this range of meanings, the word “encourage” used in connection with the expression “be strong” would have also affected the apostle’s understanding of the word as it is synonymous to it. You see, the word “courage” that is used in Deuteronomy 31:6 is translated from a Hebrew word (ʾāmēṣ) that means “to be strong”, “to be courageous”, that is, to be able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching. The word also means “to be victorious” as in 2 Chronicles 13:18:
The men of Israel were subdued on that occasion, and the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.
The range of meanings of the Hebrew word that means “to be strong” was part of the vocabulary of the apostle since the Hebrew word is translated by a Greek word (ischuō) that means “to have power, to be able” as the apostle used the word together with the Greek word translated “to be strong” in Ephesians 6:10 in Philippians 4:13:
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
The sentence I can do may be translated as I am able to do since that is the meaning of the Greek word that is used in the Septuagint to translate the expression “be strong” found in Deuteronomy. Because of the range of meanings of the Hebrew words translated “be strong” which the apostle was certainly familiar, the context of the usage of the word becomes important in narrowing down the meaning the apostle had in mind.
A third factor that we asserted will affect our interpretation of the command be strong in Ephesians 6:10 is the meaning of the Greek word used in the command. The expression “be strong” is translated from a Greek word (endynamoō) that means to cause someone to be able to function or do something, that is, “to strengthen.” It is in the sense of having strength that the apostle used it in that passage many Christians often quote, sometimes out of context, the passage we cited previously, that is, Philippians 4:13:
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
The apostle is saying that he has the ability to cope with life’s problems because of the one who endues him with strength. At the same time, he identified the agent that causes him to have the ability to cope with realities of this life as the Lord Jesus Christ. Either way his emphasis is that this ability to handle life’s challenges comes from his relationship with the One who keeps on pouring strength into him. The sense of having the ability to do something that is from Christ is reflected in the apostle’s use of our word to convey the ability he received from Jesus Christ to carry out his task as the servant of the Lord Jesus, as he stated in 1 Timothy 1:12:
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.
It is still in this sense of enabling someone to function in something that the apostle used it to indicate that the Lord strengthened him during his trial so that in spite of people’s desertion of him, he was able to preach the gospel, as stated in 2 Timothy 4:17:
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.
Another related meaning of our Greek word is that of being able to function or do something hence has the meaning of “to be strong” in a moral sense. It is in the sense of inner or moral strength that the word is used to describe the inner strength of Abraham as he waited for God’s promise of a son through his wife, Sarah, as stated in Romans 4:20:
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
We have noted the two meanings of our Greek word but as usual, it is the context that helps us to understand the meaning of a word. This is certainly the case with our Greek word. For example, the word is used to describe the Apostle Paul during the early days of his conversion in Acts 9:22:
Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
The sentence Saul grew more and more powerful is more literally Saul was becoming stronger. This sentence could be understood in a physical sense but the context is concerned with the apostle’s preaching. Thus, his becoming stronger or more powerful means that he increased his preaching activity. The word is used in sense of physical strength in connection with Gideon or Samson whose weakness was turned into strength as these were among those described using our Greek word in Hebrews 11:34:
quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
It is clear that our Greek word has a range of meanings. In our passage of Ephesians 6:10, the word is used in the sense of inner strength necessary to function in the spiritual life. This meaning is supported by the context. The preceding context is concerned with various exhortations that no human can on his own carry out. Furthermore, the context that follows is concerned with spiritual warfare that certainly needs inner spiritual strength to wage. So, because the expression “be strong” in the apostle’s mind would have various meanings, it is the context that helps to limit its meaning. It is for this reason that we indicated that the context of Ephesians 6:10 demands that we take the Greek word in our passage of study to mean having inner strength required for functioning in the spiritual life.
The meaning of the Greek word we have given enables us to interpret the instruction be strong in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10. The instruction is for believers to have inner strength necessarily for functioning in their spiritual life or the spiritual warfare that they face. But what does this really mean? In practice, the instruction really means for the believers to be filled of the Holy Spirit. A believer is filled of the Holy Spirit by being obedient to the word of God. In effect, the responsibility expected of the believer with respect to this command is to obey the instructions the Holy Spirit through the apostle has stated in this epistle. Obedience to the word of God places a person under God’s control which is essentially what it means to be filled of the Holy Spirit. We are saying that the command be strong is a command to be obedient to the word of God so that the believer comes under the control of the Spirit. The apostle means that the believer should allow himself or herself to be habitually controlled by the Holy Spirit to receive the strength or power necessary to function in the spiritual life. Recall in the introduction, we indicated that the command be strong is in the present tense implying that formation of habit is involved. Thus, a believer should form the habit of being under the control of the Holy Spirit in order to receive power or strength to function in the spiritual life. You see, no believer can on his or her own have the power to function in the spiritual life. We mean that you cannot wish strength on yourself when it comes to spiritual matter. No! Strength has to be given to us if we are to function in the spiritual life. It is probably because the apostle wants us to remember this point that he used a passive voice in the Greek in issuing the command translated be strong. The passive voice indicates that the believer is not the one that can muster the inner strength but it is what is received from God, specifically, God the Holy Spirit. Hence it is God who will produce the inner strength in the believer.
This inner strength the Holy Spirit gives, comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. This point is conveyed in the phrase in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10. The word Lord could refer to God as a general word that describes the true God who is the creator of the universe. However, unless the apostle quotes from the OT, he rarely uses the word as referring to any other member of the Godhead in his epistles but the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for this reason we believe that the Lord here refers to Jesus Christ. Of course, the fact that the apostle used the word Lord here is probably also to convey the deity of Jesus Christ. Anyway, the Greek preposition (en) translated in in the NIV is subjected to at least three interpretations. It can mean “in” in the sense of the sphere of Jesus Christ, meaning that the believer is to receive the inner strength in the sphere of Jesus Christ. Another meaning of the Greek preposition is “because” so that the interpretation is that the believer will receive inner strength because of Jesus Christ. Still another meaning of the Greek preposition is “by, through”, indicating the means of strengthening. The implication of this meaning is that the believer will receive inner strength through Jesus Christ. All these interpretations are possible since each states what is true. Nevertheless, it seems that the it is the third meaning that was in the apostle’s mind when he used it twice in our passage. In effect, the apostle meant that it is through the Lord Jesus Christ that a believer receives the inner strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. This interpretation will be in keeping with the apostle’s statement in the passage we have previously cited, that is, Philippians 4:13:
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
To the apostle, being strengthened by Christ is the same as being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. This is evident in the fact that in his apostolic prayer for the Ephesians he thought of the strengthening as that which takes place through the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 3:16:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
So, it makes sense that the phrase in the Lord of the instruction be strong in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10 should be understood as through the Lord Jesus Christ that strengthening is to take place. Furthermore, it is this interpretation that enables the last phrase and in his mighty power of Ephesians 6:10 to make better sense.
The phrase and in his mighty power on a surface reading, as it appears in the NIV, gives the impression that the apostle instructs the believer to be strong both in the Lord and in His mighty power, especially as the phrase literally reads and in the strength of His might. But this is not the case. This is because the conjunction “and” is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that means “and” that is used to join words and clauses. However, the word has several other usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of explanation, that is, that it can be used to provide an explanation of what precedes the clause in which the word is used, in which case the word may be translated “that is” or “namely.” It is in this sense that the word is used in our passage. This means that the phrase and in his mighty power is intended to give further explanation of what it means to receive inner strength through the Lord Jesus Christ. This interpretation is indeed the case because of the words used in the phrase express similar concept found in the Greek word translated “to be strong.”
The word “mighty” is translated from a Greek word (kratos) that means “might” in the sense of the ability to exhibit or express resident strength as the apostle used it for God’s power in his apostolic prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:11:
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully.
The word can be used in connection with intensity in might, as it is used by the apostle in Ephesians 1:19:
and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
The phrase his mighty strength is literally power of His might. The word may also mean “power, rule, sovereignty” in the sense of the exercise of ruling ability, as the word is used by the apostle in his doxology in 1 Timothy 6:16:
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
The expression To him be honor and might forever may alternatively be translated to whom be honor and eternal power. In our passage of Ephesians 6:10, the meaning is that of “might” although it is used with the sense of intensification because of the second word power used in our phrase in his mighty power or literally in the strength of His might. The word “power” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (ischys) that can mean “strength, power, might” in the sense of capability to function effectively. Because of the meaning of our word, the literal phrase in the strength of His might is better rendered in his mighty power as in the NIV, to convey the sense of intensification.
In any case, it is our interpretation that the phrase in his mighty power is intended to provide explanation of the command be strong in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10, implying that the inner strength believer receives is through the Lord Jesus Christ. This interpretation is supported by the fact the apostle used similar construction that involves the Greek word translated “to be strong” in 2 Timothy 2:1:
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
The command be strong here in 2 Timothy is the same command the apostle issued in Ephesians 6:10 since he also used a present tense and a passive voice in it. The command being in the passive implies that the apostle instructs Timothy to allow God to strengthen him by means of His grace that is through Christ Jesus or it could, of course, be understood as grace located in Christ Jesus. This notwithstanding, the point we should note is that this is an explanation concerning the grace by which Timothy will be strengthened. Thus, it should not be difficult to accept that the command be strong in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10 is explained by the phrase in his mighty power. In any event, we contend that the command be strong in the Lord of Ephesians 6:10 is a command to be filled of the Holy Spirit, that is, to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. It is a command for the believer to allow himself or herself to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. This power is made available through Jesus Christ.
We have indicated that the command be strong in the Lord is another way the apostle instructs believers to be filled of the Spirit so your responsibility is to ensure that you are filled of the Holy Spirit. The preferred method of being under the control of the Holy Spirit is to resist sin and so live in obedience to the word of God since anyone who lives in obedience is filled of the Spirit, as implied in Acts 5:32:
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Here Peter and the other apostles convey that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. The implication is that those who obey God after their salvation are those who will enjoy the power the Holy Spirit provides. Therefore, to obey the command be strong in the Lord you need to ensure that you are obeying God’s word. The apostle has given several instructions that the Ephesians should obey and so it is fitting that as he ends his exhortation that he reminds believers of the necessity to be filled of the Spirit. For it is through the filling of the Spirit that a believer will carry out the instructions he had given. It is also through the filling of the Spirit that believers will be able to do well in the spiritual welfare that the apostle is also concerned as the last area of exhortation of this epistle. In any event, the instruction of the apostle has an eye towards victory in the spiritual warfare. Therefore, if you are going to be victorious in the Spiritual warfare then you should endeavor to be controlled by the Holy Spirit through obedience to God’s word. The point you should go home with today is that to live as a Christian in the spiritual warfare requires being filled of the Spirit.