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The eight occurrences of the word endunamao speak of resurrection, and the seven
occurrences in the epistles are worth a moment's attention.
Endunamao in Paul's epistles.
A | Rom. 4: 19, 20. Strong, not weak, in faith.--O.T.
B | a | Eph. 6: 10. Strong in the Lord.--WAR.
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b | Phil. 4: 13. Strong in Christ.--ENDURANCE.
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C | I Tim. 1: 12. Christ Jesus.--MINISTRY.
} Acts
B | a | II Tim. 2: 1. Strong in grace.--WAR.
/ 28:
b | II Tim. 4: 17. Strong in the Lord.--ENDURANCE. /
A | Heb. 11: 34. Strong in faith, out of weakness.--O.T.
The first example, that of Abraham, is a strong witness for "the power of His
resurrection", for it is said that "he believed God Who quickeneth the dead". The words
of Eph. 6: 10 look back to Eph. 1: 19. In 6: 10 we have endunamao, "be strong";
kratos, "power"; ischus, "might". In 1: 19 we have dunamis, "power"; ischus,
"mighty"; kratos, "power".
The believer is turned back to the risen and ascended Christ as the source of the power
whereby he may stand the shock of battle. There is no other power at present either
available or sufficient. All believers, whether conscious of it as an experimental fact or
not, "have the sentence of death in themselves that they should not trust in themselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead" (II Cor. 1: 9).
The essential basis.
Before principalities and powers come into view as opponents in Eph. 6:, a
necessary fact is pre-supposed, and that is the teaching of Rom. 5:-8: This basic
portion of Scripture is devoted to the exposition of two laws, viz.,:--
1. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
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(Rom. 8: 2).
2. The law of sin and death.
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It is not for us to deal with Romans in this article; we simply trace the stream of this
law of the spirit of life until it reaches the glorious climax of Rom. 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 Eph. 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, 23). So far as the
Lord Himself is concerned, He "stripped off principalities and powers, and made a show