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The Armor of God - Stand! (Endnotes)

1. Our book, The Christian’s Hope: The Anchor of the Soul, has much about what is coming in the future for believers. Close

2. The Greek word for reasonable is logikos (#3050 logiko,j), and the exact meaning in this verse is disputed by scholars. Thayer’s Lexicon points out that the word was a favorite of ancient Greek philosophers, who used it in the sense of “rational,” from the use of logos as “reason.” If it were used that way in the verse, “your reasonable service” would be a good translation. However, logikos was also used in a sense that referred to what belonged to the realm of words and logic versus the realm of matter. If used in that sense, “reasonable” stands opposed not to that which is foolish or unreasonable, but rather to that which is material, external, or of the flesh, such as the ritualistic and outward worship of the Jews. This is why many versions go with the translation “spiritual service” or “spiritual worship.” To us it seems that both meanings are present in this use in Romans, and thus dedicating our lives to God and living sacrificially is certainly “reasonable.” Close

3. M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled (Simon & Shuster, NY, 1978), p. 15. Close

4. In this translation I understand the Greek kai to have the sense of “even,” or better here, “that is.” Also, “the power of his might” is the figure of speech Antimereia (see Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible) whereby a word that would normally be an adjective is placed as the nominative object of the genitive phrase, becoming “power of his might” rather than “his mighty power,” which is easier to understand but less graphic. Close

5. The idea that “the evil day” refers to both this evil age and specifically days of Satanic attack is well presented in Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2002), pp. 832-834. Close

6. Harold Hoehner, Ephesians (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2002), p. 825. Close

7. A more literal translation than “belt of truth” is that we are to be “belted with truth.” The belt is the truth. Close

8. For a more thorough development of the two ways “righteousness” is used, see our booklet, Righteousness—Every Christian’s Gift From God. Close

9. For more on the definition of “faith,” see our book Don’t Blame God, Chapter 10, “Keep the Faith.” Close

10. We are not saved, rescued, from this present evil world yet, nor is the world saved from the power of sin. The Bible refers to us as “saved” (and we refer to ourselves that way), which is an idiom in the original languages of the Bible known as the “prophetic perfect.” The essence of the prophetic perfect idiom is that if something is absolutely guaranteed to happen in the future, it is often spoken of as if it had already occurred. Because our salvation is guaranteed, we speak as if we have it now, and the salvation of the world from its present distress is guaranteed also. For an explanation of the prophetic perfect, click here. Close

11. Some people might dispute this fact and say that they can help others without knowing the Word of God, but help that is truly help must eventually lead those who do not know God to be open to His Word and especially salvation through Jesus Christ. If helping someone does not eventually lead to his or her salvation, then the help is in vain. It is like “helping” someone re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. Eventually it will not matter. Close

12. The genitive in this verse is probably the figure of speech Amphibologia, encompassing two meanings at once. Thus the genitive has both the force of a genitive of possession, i.e., that it is ‘the Spirit’s sword,” but on loan to us to use, and also the force of a genitive of origin, “the sword given to us by the Spirit,” to use in our earthly lives. Close