For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12 ESV

This verse is part of the section of Ephesians where Paul instructs the believers in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Take a few moments to read these verses – after all, context is king.

Look at how many times Paul repeats the word “stand” in the first half of this section. When you see an idea or word repeated in scripture, it should alert you that this is a very important point. Standing means not moving. It infers stability, and since the context of this passage is focused on military armor, we should think about standing in a manner militant.

A soldier on guard duty is to stand his ground, not turn and run at the first sign of hostility. The equipment that a first century soldier wore helped him fulfill his duty. Likewise, God equips the saints (That’s you, believer!) to do the same today.

Now look at what each piece of this armor represents for the Christian: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the word of God. Notice that none of these things are inherent in the soldier – they are all gifts from God. As a defender and guard, the Christian soldier of today needs to know all these things are at his disposal for his own well-being and for the greater purpose for which he stands.

So, with whom is this soldier engaged in battle? Verse 12 answers that question. It is not against our fellow man, but against the powerful forces of evil that have invaded and continue to pervade this world. The ‘flesh and blood’ we encounter in our daily interactions are usually victims or slaves of these forces. They are not the enemy, but they belong to him.

This is where our weapon comes in handy; more than handy actually. It is the only effective weapon against our foe. It is The Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God. Just as our armor is a gift of God, the only weapon we wield is the word of God. Our armor is defensive; it helps us stand our ground. But when we are in danger of being pushed back, we have to struggle and fight against our enemy hand-to-hand and drive him back with the sword.

The word of God is revealed primarily and most perfectly in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it is through Him that our enemy will ultimately be defeated. In Hebrews 4:12-13, we learn that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword and discerns the intentions of the heart. In Revelation 19:15 we see this same imagery when Jesus returns to unleash the wrath of God. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth (like a word) to strike down His foes.

This is all the well-armored Christian may do offensively, wield the word. It is the spirit of God that does the piercing, the dividing, and the discerning. We must only speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and remember that the human beings we address are God’s image bearers, but fallen, deceived and dead in sin like we were at one time (Rom. 3:23, Eph. 2:1). They may be set free and saved from their slavery to sin, but it will not be the doing of flesh and blood, but of the spirit of God through His Holy Word.

Not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil.