For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Porque no tenemos lucha contra sangre y carne; sino contra principados, contra potestades, contra seores del siglo, gobernadores de estas tinieblas, contra malicias espirituales en los cielos.
The word palh implies the athletic exercises in the Olympic and other national games; and palaistra was the place in which the contenders exercised. Here it signifies warfare in general.
In high places.] ev toiv epouranioiv? In the most sublime stations.
But who are these of whom the apostle speaks? Schoettgen contends that the rabbins and Jewishrulers are intended. This he thinks proved by the words tou aiwnov toutou, of this world, which are often used to designate the Old Testament, and the Jewish system; and the words en toiv epouranioiv, in heavenly places, which are not unfrequently used to signify the time of the NEW TESTAMENT, and the Gospel system.
: They went out from us, but they were not of us, &c. And he thinks the meaning may be extended to all corrupters of Christianity in all succeeding ages. He shows also that the Jews called their own city lw[ l r sar shel olam, kosmokratwr, the ruler of the world; and proves that David's words, Psa. ii. 2, The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, are applied by the apostles, Acts iv. 26, to the Jewishrulers, arcontev, who persecuted Peter and John for preachingChrist crucified. But commentators in general are not of this mind, but think that by principalities, &c., we are to understand different orders of evil spirits, who are all employed under the devil, their great head, to prevent the spread of the Gospel in the world, and to destroy the souls of mankind.
The spiritualwickedness are supposed to be the angels which kept not their first estate; who fell from the heavenly places but are ever longing after and striving to regain them; and which have their station in the regions of the air. "Perhaps," says Mr. Wesley, "the principalities and powers remain mostly in the citadel of their kingdom of darkness; but there are other spirits which range abroad, to whom the provinces of the world are committed; the darkness is chiefly spiritualdarkness which prevails during the present state of things, and the wicked spirits are those which continually oppose faith, love, and holiness, either by force or fraud; and labour to infuse unbelief, pride, idolatry, malice, envy, anger, and hatred." Some translate the words en toiv epouranioiv, about heavenly things; that is: We contend with these fallen spirits for the heavenly things which are promised to us; and we strive against them, that we may not be deprived of those we have.
Ver. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood , &c.] The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, and some copies, read you, instead of we. This is a reason why saints should be strong in the Lord, and why they should put on the whole armour of God, and prepare for battle, since their enemies are such as here described: not flesh and blood; frail mortal men, such as were wrestled against in the Olympic games, to which the apostle alludes. For this wrestling, as Philo the Jew says f76 , concerning Jacob's wrestling, is not of the body, but of the soul; (see Matthew 16:17Galatians 1:16); and the meaning is, not with men only, for otherwise the saints have a conflict with men; with profane men, and wrestle against them, by bearing a testimony against their enormities, and by patiently enduring their reproaches, and conquer them by a constant adherence to Christ, and an exercise of faith upon him, which gets the victory over the world; and with heretical men, and maintain a conflict with them, by watching and observing the first appearance of their errors and heresies, and declaring against them, and by using Scripture arguments to confute them, and by rejecting the stubborn and incorrigible from churchcommunion: yet they wrestle not against these only, but against principalities, against powers ; by whom are meant not civilmagistrates, or the Romangovernors, though these are sometimes so called, ( Titus 3:1), and may be said to be the rulers of the darkness of this world, or of the darkHeathenworld, and were in high places, and were of wicked and malicious spirits, against the people of Christ; yet these cannot be opposed to flesh and blood, or to men, since they were such themselves; and though they were in high, yet not in heavenly places; and the connection with the preceding verse shows the contrary, the enemy being the devil, and the armour spiritual; wherefore the devils are here designed, who are described from their power, rule, and government, (see Gill on Ephesians 1:21), both in this clause, and in the next: and against the rulers of the darkness of this world ; that is, over wicked men in it, who are in a state of darkness itself; and so Satan is called the prince, and god of the world, ( John 12:312 Corinthians 4:4). The Jews use this very word, the apostle does here, of the angel of death; who is called darkness f77 ; and the devil is called by them, wj l r , the prince of darkness f78 ; and mention is made by them of aml[ ykwj , the darkness of the world f79 ; from whom the apostle seems to have taken these phrases, as being in common use among the Jews; who also use it of civilgovernors f80 , and render it, as here, the rulers of the world, and say it signifies monarchs, such as rule from one end of the world to the other f81 : some copies, and the Ethiopic version, leave out the phrase, of this world. It follows, against spiritualwickedness in high places ; or wicked spirits, as the devils are, unclean, proud, lying, deceitful, and malicious; who may be said to be in high or heavenly places; not in places super celestial, or in the highest heavens, in the third heaven, where God, angels, and saints are; but in the aerial heavens, where the power or posse of devils reside, and where they are above us, over our heads, overlooking us, and watching every advantage against us; and therefore we should have on our armour, and be in a readiness to engage them; and so the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, under, or beneath heaven; and the Arabic version, in the air.
Verses 10-18 - Spiritualstrength and courage are needed for our spiritualwarfare an suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, mus aim at all grace; and put on the whole armour of God, which he prepare and bestows. The Christian armour is made to be worn; and there is n putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and finished ou course. The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our ow corruptnature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousan ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devilsassault us in the thing that belong to our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to SatanResist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armour, we give his advantage. The different parts of the armour of heavy-armed soldiers who had to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are her described. There is none for the back; nothing to defend those who tur back in the Christianwarfare. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. Thi girds on all the other pieces of our armour, and is first mentioned There can be no religion without sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate against the arrows of Divin wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the hear against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as greaves, or armou to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward in rugge paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clea knowledge of the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptationFaith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefit of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, defence every way. The devil is the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell, are dartsSatan shoots at us Also, hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves. Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ, quenches the darts of temptationSalvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a Scriptura expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan. To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifie evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answer unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, wel understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or a objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary. Prayer mus fasten all the other parts of our Christian armour. There are othe duties of religion, and of our stations in the world, but we must kee up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be seasonabl when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted out always are so. We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vai heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy and thanksgiving for favours received. And we must do it by the grac of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstandin discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but ou Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called often neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continu our prayers with patience. (Eph 6:19-24)
