What does it mean to be strong in the Lord in Ephesians 6:10?

(V. 10). The Apostle first directs our thoughts to the power that is for us before he describes the power that is against us. To face this conflict we must ever remember that all our strength is in the Lord. Paul therefore says, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Our difficulty oftentimes is to realise that we have no strength in ourselves. Naturally we should like to be strong in numbers, strong in gifts, or strong in the power of some forceful leader, but our real and only strength is “in the Lord, and in the power of His might”.

The prayer of the first chapter brings before us the power of God's might. Christ has been raised from the dead and set at God's right hand in heavenly places, “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”. Now, says the Apostle, that is the “exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe”. The power that is against us is far greater than our power, but the power that is toward us is a surpassing power — it surpasses all the power that is opposed to us. Moreover, the One that has supreme power is the One that possesses “unsearchable riches”, and loves us with a love that “passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:8, 19).

"Be strong in the Lord," that is, be firmly, fully subject to the Lord's authority, for such subjection is true strength. This subjection makes available to us the power of His might, an inward, vital strength, even in apparent weakness, that is not overcome by evil. This power involves the armor now spoken of -- the whole armor of God -- with which each believer is to actively clothe himself as the only protection against the cunning deceit of the devil (v.11).

"Finally, try brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." This is the first sound of the trumpet, we may say: and to what, we inquire, does it call the saints — does it call thee? Certainly not to survey the stronghold of the enemy, or to show thee what thou hast to overcome; but sweetly to turn all thy thoughts to the Lord Himself. Before a word is said about enemies or conflicts thou art called to survey thy strength in the mighty Lord, as seated at the right hand of God in the heavenlies. This is grace — the grace of the Lord Jesus, and like the ways of the Spirit when acting toward us for Him — "Be strong in the Lord." But this touches a high note of privilege and blessing, as well as of security and strength. Clearly, this is the first thing to be understood; what are we to understand by the words, "IN THE LORD?"

In face of this fight and these foes, the watchword is, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." How strange it is that any Christian is ever overcome, when we remember that the dominant fact about heavenly places is that Christ is supreme there. The exceeding greatness of the power of God has been shown in Christ's resurrection from the dead and in His exaltation; and it is explicitly in terms of His being far above these same principalities and powers, placed under His feet, that we learn of His present position in heavenly places. In face of this fact, how can any Christian be overcome? It can only be through neglect of the warnings and admonitions of a passage like this, and especially of this verse 10, "Be strong in the Lord." The real idea here is a passive one. "Be strengthened in the Lord." There can be no real difficulty in understanding this. Who has not had the experience of speaking to a human friend of the difficulties and problems, and coming away strengthened by his sympathy and advice? In how much more full and abundant measure is it true that when we come constantly to the Lord, there flows into us from Him, power superior to every power that can be against us in the spiritual arena. "She only touched the hem of His garment," says the gospel story, and immediately virtue flowed out of Him. If we came to Him more constantly, realising our weakness and need, and His love and the greatness of His power, then we would be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His strength.

To rely on self, or friends, or any other arm of flesh, is sure to bring forth, sooner or later, its bitter fruits. To be strong in self-confidence, is only the exhibition of thorough weakness; but to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might;" "strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus;" "strong in faith, giving glory to God," is strength indeed, though always accompanied with the deepest sense of creature weakness. It is also the path in which the Spirit leads us, the sure way of present blessing. Difficulties thus become bread to faith, and faith grows by being exercised. When the energy and contrivances of nature are called into action in divine things, it will need such trying but salutary lessons of correction from the Father of spirits, as shall produce in us the sense of utter helplessness, and compel us to cling to God for strength. In this way we learn the vastly important lesson, that God's strength is made perfect in weakness; so that when we are weak, and then only, are we really strong in the Lord. God then is our refuge, not man. Men should know our moderation (yieldingness); but we should tell God our need. "In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. 4:5-6.)

"Be strong in the Lord." (Ver. 10.) Here is the place of strength - strength found only in Him. Whatever instrumentality He may be pleased to use, there is no object of faith but the Lord Himself. Whilst there is nothing more blessed than the ministry of the word, and also, if I have been instrumental in the conversion of a soul, through God's blessing, that soul will cleave to me; and rightly so, it is of God, and God owns it (for if He breaks that which is of the flesh, He creates that which is of the Spirit: God gives it - it may be abused, yet God makes the link between the one blessed and the instrument); yet you cannot exercise faith in man, you cannot put your dependence on man. It is true, there is this link; but it is because the soul is brought to Christ. This alone is conversion. And here is the place of strength. There is no strength but in Christ. I have none, at any time, except as my soul is in secret communion with Him, and (through Him) with God the Father.

"Be strong in the Lord," v. 10. Here is the place of strength - strength found only in Him. Whatever instrumentality He may be pleased to use, there is no object of faith but the Lord Himself. Whilst there is nothing more blessed than the ministry of the word, and also, if I have been instrumental in the conversion of a soul, through God's blessing, that soul will cleave to me, and rightly so, it is of God and God owns it (for if He breaks that which is of the flesh, He creates that which is of the Spirit: God gives it - it may be abused, yet God makes the link between the one blessed and the instrument), yet you cannot exercise faith in man, you cannot put your dependence on man. It is true, there is this link; but it is because the soul is brought to Christ. This alone is conversion. And here is the place of strength. There is no strength but in Christ. I have none, at any time, except as my soul is in secret communion with Him, and (through Him) with God the Father. Now the direct power of Satan is towards this point, to keep our souls from living on Christ.

We need God's armour to meet such foes, and we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. To be strong in the Lord we must feed upon Him in the way in which He is presented to us in this epistle. In Ephesians 1 we see Him as the Man of God's purpose who, having entered into death, is now seated at God's right hand in heavenly places. Moreover, we learn that God the Father "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and it is as knowing that our blessings are in Christ in heavenly places that we are made strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Eph. 6:10. It is not a piece of armour, but the character the child of God wears who has learnt God in the wilderness. If Israel had learnt God in the wilderness, they would have known how to stand fast in the land. If you and I have learned what it is to know God, we should understand how to use that word, "Rejoice in tribulation." We should know how to count upon God, as God said through Haggai, "Be strong, O Zerubbabel: be strong, O, Joshua; do not suppose you have to do anything; it is My time to bless, be strong, recognize where and what I am." Here it is, "Be strong in the Lord." If He has given Christ to be Head of the body, if He has given Him all possession of all in heaven and earth, we may well be strong in Him; and if we are not strong in the Lord all the armour in the world is of no use. "The power. of His might." The same power that raised Christ works in the believer. It is just the same power which took a Saul of Tarsus, and enabled him to say, "I am a member of Christ in heaven." But you say, "I want to know about the armour." If a person does not know what it is to be quickened together with Christ, raised together, seated together in Him, he does not know what it is to stand fast in the Lord. If I look at Paul's life, he looks uncommonly like a man quickened together with Christ. He was just the man that to my mind lived by and with Christ. If we are really standing fast in Him, the effect of that life is that it displays our weakness, but it is a bright light by which people take notice of us.

The first thing to be noticed is the all-important consideration, that the very occasion of spiritual conflict, in its proper sense, arises from the fact of our being ourselves no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit, as anointed members of the body of Christ. Believers are exhorted to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. If we have heard Him, and been taught in Him, we have learned that in ourselves we were powerless for anything but evil; for we were sinners. It was when we were without strength that Christ died for our deliverance. But as saints, also, we are just as little able of ourselves to do anything to the praise of Him who has redeemed us. Without a constant remembrance of this double truth, there is no such thing as fighting the good fight of faith. We are not even aware of the nature and manner of our adversary's opposition to us, until we are brought to understand that the power by which God's saints are enabled to adorn the doctrine of their Saviour is their continuing, by faith, in Him. The battle is not ours but His. By standing fast in Him, we learn by degrees, in an experimental way, that His strength is perfected in weakness.

Verse 11. "Put on, therefore, the whole armour of God," etc. Our personal acceptance in the Beloved exposes us severally to the assaults of the adversary; while, for a similar reason, he acts as the deceiver and corrupter of the Church at large (2 Cor. 11:3). To repel such an assailant, we have need of weapons suited to the methods which he practises against our peace. We have to bear constantly in our remembrance, that what we are called to contend for is nothing of our own. It is because we belong to Christ, and in Him to the God who gave Him for our sins, that we are parties in this spiritual strife. We have to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, confessing and maintaining, by faith, the position which Divine truth has assigned to us as partakers of His promise by the Gospel. Now it is because God has openly declared Himself on our side, in the Gospel of His grace, that the devil is avowedly our adversary. As he vainly plotted against Christ, the Captain of our salvation, so he now practises against us; vainly while we withstand him in the power of God, but only too successfully the moment we cease to be conformed to Him in the spirit of our minds. Satan is not and cannot be (in the same sense) against the natural man. On the contrary, he manages, and soothes, and tries to interest him with the vanities of life, in order to keep him in that state of spiritual torpor and deadness which is his natural condition. He is his destroyer only the more effectually by stimulating, instead of opposing, his natural will (ante, Eph. 2:2, seq.). It is in opposition to the claims of Christian faith that he exerts his power as the adversary. The Christian is the creature and the servant of the will of God. To meet, therefore, and withstand our enemy, we have need of such arms as God alone can give. By yielding ourselves to Him, we shall become thoroughly equipped for this otherwise unequal contest. We know our adversary when, by faith, we discern the love of our Friend (John 4:13. Cp. James 4:4). But while unestablished in the grace of God, we think and feel as if both God and Satan were against us. Afflicted by the working of indwelling sin, while unacquainted with the power of effectual redemption, we are in conflict with we know not what. Confusion and despondency are our portion until Christ is appropriated, in simple faith, as our Righteousness and our Strength. When we have submitted. ourselves to the righteousness of God, we become capable of acting in His name, He is Himself the glory of our strength, when we lie down securely under the shadow of that mighty Rock. Subjection to God is our sole practical defence against the enemy. He laughs to scorn all other muniments but that great Name of refuge into which the righteous flees, and is safe (Prov. 18:10).