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the exhortation to "put on the armour of God" (6: 11) is found the essential requisite of
4: 24, "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness" ["For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth"
(5: 9)]. The "officers" of the Lord's army to-day should make these things clear lest any
attempting to engage in this conflict without the presence and blessing of the Lord find
themselves in captivity to the devil.
We obtain most helpful light upon the nature of the conflict that is before the church if
we carefully note the things said in this connection in II Timothy:--
"Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2: 3).
"I endure hardness, even unto bonds" (2: 9).
"If we patiently endure, we shall reign" (2: 12).
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,
henceforth . . . . . a crown" (4: 7, 8).
All this is prefaced by the words, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2: 1).
We have followed the same course in our teaching on this subject. First must come
the absolute position of "grace in Christ", where all is viewed as complete. Before the
believer is called to put on the armour he is assured that he is accepted in the Beloved,
delivered out of the authority of darkness, translated into the kingdom of the Son,
quickened, raised, and seated far above all. In this sphere he can win nothing, nor can he
forfeit anything; all is in grace and all in Christ. The next step is to "be strong" in that
self-same grace: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might" (6: 10). This is the uppermost idea in the closing verses of Eph. 1:: "The
exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe."
The essence of the relation between Eph. 1: and 6: may be seen in the two
expressions, to "work in" and to "work out". Unfortunately the A.V. does not show this
clearly. In Eph. 1: "working" (verse 19) and "wrought in" (verse 20) are translations of
the Greek word energeo, "to work in". The expression, "having done all", of 6: 13, is a
very free translation of katergazonai, "to work out". The conflict of Eph. 6: is largely
the working out of the blessed position and truth of the mystery revealed in chapter 1:
Let us now turn to Phil. 2: 12, 13, so that (1) every reader may be assured that we
have not given a "private interpretation" of the two Greek words in Eph. 1: & 6:, and
(2) that further light upon the nature of the conflict may be obtained. First the
translation: "Work out (katergozonia) your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God which worketh (energeo) in you both to will and to work (energeo)." Secondly,
the light from the context. Let the reader pass in review every case that he may have
known of demon possession, attack, control, satanic dominion over body, mind or estate,
and answer as before the Lord this question: "Have you known one solitary case where
such a person was in the full light of the truth of the mystery?" Many may have used the
terms found in Ephesians. They may have spoken of heavenly places, of membership of
the body, and allied subject, but have not these high glories been mixed in their teaching
with the previous dispensation of the Acts. Has not the Pentecostal baptism been much