Useful Bible Studies > Ephesians Commentary > chapter 3
Christians cannot, of course, defeat the devil and his evil forces by their own strength. They can only stand for God in the circumstances of their daily lives by the power that God gives them. Therefore, Christians depend constantly upon what Christ achieved by his death for them.
In John 14:6, Christ described himself as the true and living way to God the Father. Christ’s death was God’s plan so that people from every nation can have a right relationship with God. When people put their trust in Christ, they become children of God (John 1:12). When they then come to God by means of their prayers, God accepts them (Hebrews 10:19-22). God is eager to answer their prayers and to help them (1 John 5:15).
We must be bold to approach a king and to ask for his help (Esther chapter 4; Ecclesiastes 8:2-6). However, that king is just a man; and God rules both heaven and earth. No person deserves any special kindness from God (Romans 2:11 and 11:35); we are all guilty of wrong and evil acts, against his law (Romans 3:23). We might think that we would never dare to approach God, to ask for his help with our daily lives.
However, Christ’s death makes it possible for us to approach God without fear (Hebrews 12:18-24). We must accept what Christ did for us by his death. Then God invites us to come to him; he is eager to help us (Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 11:28-30). If we trust Christ, we do not need to be afraid of the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15). The devil opposes God’s people fiercely (1 Peter 5:8-9); but nothing can separate them from God’s love for them (Romans 8:31-39). Because of Christ’s death, God’s people overcome the devil (Revelation 12:11). They do it by means of their faith, in other words, their belief and trust in God (Hebrews chapter 11).
Next part: God makes his people strong during their troubles (Ephesians 3:13)
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© 2019, Keith Simons.