lt is not for us to deal with Romans here; we simply trace the stream of
this law of the spirit of life until it reaches the glorious climax of Romans
8:37-39:
`In all these things we are More Than Conquerors through Him that loved
us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
Principalities, nor Powers ... shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'.
Here is the essential basis of Ephesians 6:10. In Christ, and by virtue
of His resurrection, we are already `more than conquerors' over principalities
and powers. We go forth to this unequal conflict in `the power of His
resurrection'. We go forth to achieve experimentally that victory already
accomplished in Christ. So far as He is concerned, He has been raised far above
all principality and power (Eph. 1:21,22). So far as the Lord Himself is
concerned, `He stripped off principalities and powers, and made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it' (Col. 2:15). To attempt the conflict of
Ephesians 6 in any other power than that of the risen Christ is to seek defeat.
To attempt it in that power is to make experimental proof of the fact that in
Him we are `more than conquerors'.
Are all the saved, soldiers?
If we allow the typical history of Israel to influence us, we may conclude
that only those who have reached spiritual maturity are called upon to take up
the armour:
`From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in
Israel' (Num. 1:3).
It was no light matter to be `chosen as a soldier' as both 2 Timothy 2 and
Numbers 14 will show:
`Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered
of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward,
which have murmured against Me' (Num. 14:29).
The two exceptions to this statement are Caleb and Joshua.
Of Caleb the
Lord said:
`He had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I
bring into the land' (Num. 14:24).
Now the words `hath followed Me fully' are literally `hath filled after
Me' and Colossians 1:24 comes to mind as a close parallel:
`And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ'.
To Joshua the Lord had said:
`Moses ... is dead ... arise ... be strong' (Joshua 1:2-6).
Just as the inheritance of Israel was in possession of the giants who had
to be overcome in the strength of the Lord, so the inheritance of the church in
the heavenlies is held by spiritual foes of high rank and power. The soldier
has something to win or lose:
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