Page:On The Spiritual Battle.pdf/25

 Just as the devil clothes himself in various garments and prepares fatal blows (although not painful to the body) for us under their cover, and because those who want to save their lives in this arduous battle must have on the armor of God, he commands that we should put on the armor of God to hold back serious wounds. The one who wants to enter into the battle with the devil must be well clothed because he is a strong armored warrior and has unfamiliar armor. That is why Saint Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God,” as if he would say, “Other clothing will not be good enough–he will despise an ironclad jacket.” Whoever is dressed in that armor will conquer more easily than the person who is in a tunic. But God’s wisdom and strength is sufficient clothing in this battle–God’s wisdom, and not the wisdom of this world. That wisdom does not suffice in this battle against the devil. It is sufficient for worldly profit so that others will not cheat you, and so that you are able to acquire possessions from others cleverly but honestly. That worldly wisdom can also gain praise, prestige, offices, a great name, success in carnal battles, escape from danger and physical difficulties, and victory over the injustices of this world. I do not say that all this would be helpful in the battle against the devil, but that it is harmful and that making use of the wisdom of this world in those things is the loss of the battle in itself. God’s wisdom is sufficient for this battle because it conducts itself contrary to that wisdom. It consciously forsakes carnal profit so that the devil does not have points of access to a person through it. That wisdom subjects the body to peril, disparagement, and difficulties so that a person does not lose the truth. That wisdom leads people through the freedom of the body so that they always forfeit the good of the flesh for the good of the soul. That same wisdom of God has knowledge of God’s ways and about secret spiritual things. That is why the apostle commands such people to take the armor of God so that the devil cannot afflict the soul and rob it of its spiritual clothing. That wisdom is also God’s light in the inner man through which a person can know his peril in the face of the devil’s cunning hatred. It penetrates or sees through him and his cunning appearance and a person is guarded through that and will be safe against his cunning.

Then the apostle says:

The apostle further says, “Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.” He demonstrates a special reason why they should put on the armor of God when he says, “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,” because without the armor of God no one can stand in the face of evil. When he calls the day evil, he does not mean that God would have created some evil day such that people must brace themselves for it; God has created all days good. But for some reason, sometimes a day is called evil and sometimes it is called good. The day is evil when evil things take place; it is called a good day when good things occur. Sometimes a lot of time or an epoch is called a day, and the apostle also means here that we should stand in the evil day of our whole lives because the devil’s hatefulness never stops being against us. Though we stop being careful and prepared to meet up with him, he always shows up, prepared to deceive us. Though we sometimes nod off, he never does. Though we have some cares or are occupied with something, he is not idle and is diligent to find us self-assured in something. If he sometimes eases up on us, he does not do it because he has mercy on us or is turning his back on us, afraid of us for our steadfastness. When he eases up with his cruel provocation, seduction, and roaring, prowling about deceptively like a lion, he does it all so that we become self-assured. Then he strikes at us, seeing us defenseless in something pleasant to us. Having taken off our armor and weapons, we fall into his hand where we did not expect it.

Sometimes a day can also be called evil because of grievous things, serious trials from persecutors of the faith, or other things that God particularly allows to happen to a person. That is why the apostle