Chapter 106 of 106

revelation, we should not trust in ourselves but depend on the Lord as

New Jerusalem as the counterpart, the bride, of Christ (S.S. 6:13; Rev. 21:2, 9-10; 22:17a). B. The Shulammite is likened to the dance of two camps, or two armies (Heb.

mahanaim), in the sight of God; after Jacob saw the angels of God, the two armies of God, he named the place where he was Mahanaim and divided his wives, children, and possessions into "two armies"—S.S. 6:13; Gen. 32:110: 1. The spiritual significance of the two armies is the strong testimony that we more than conquer, we "super-overcome," through Him who loved us according to the principle of the Body of Christ—Rom. 8:37; 12:5; Deut. 32:30; Eccl. 4:9-12. 2. God does not want those who are strong in themselves; He wants only the feeble ones, the weaker ones, the women and children; those who are counted worthy to be overcomers will be the weaker ones who depend on the Lord—1 Cor. 1:26-28; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; 13:3-5; S.S. 8:6. 3. God needs a people who are one with Him, a people who are submissive to Him, signified by the plaited hair (1:11), and obedient to Him with a flexible will, signified by the neck with strings of jewels (v. 10). 4. When we consider how to arrive at the highest peak of the divine revelation, we should not trust in ourselves but depend on the Lord as love, power, and mercy to make us vessels of mercy, honor, and glory— Rom. 9:16, 21-23.

‹‹ Day 3 ›› III. Spiritual warfare is necessary because Satan's will is in conflict with God's

will—Eph. 1:5, 9, 11; Matt. 6:10:

A. In addition to God's intention, God's will, there is a second intention, a

second will, for the satanic will is set against the divine will—Isa. 14:12-14. B. All warfare has its source in the conflict between Satan's will and God's

will. C. Spiritual warfare is the warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom

of Satan; in order for the kingdom of the heavens to be established, there is the need of spiritual fighting—Matt. 12:26, 28; Rev. 12:11. D. We walk according to truth and by grace, we live in love and light, and we

fight to subdue the satanic will—Eph. 4:1; 5:2, 8; 6:12.

‹‹ Day 4 ››

IV. To deal with God's enemy, we need to be empowered with the greatness of

the power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the heavenlies, far above all the evil spirits in the air—v. 10; 1:19-22:

A. The fact that we need to be empowered in the Lord indicates that in ourselves

we cannot fight the spiritual warfare against Satan and his evil kingdom; we can fight only in the Lord and in the might of His strength. B. The charge to be empowered implies the need to exercise our will; if we

would be empowered for spiritual warfare, our will must be strong and exercised—S.S. 4:4; 7:4. V. The warfare between the church and Satan is a battle between us who love

the Lord and who are in His church and the evil powers in the heavenlies— Eph. 6:12:

A. The rulers, the authorities, and the world-rulers of this darkness are the

rebellious angels, who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and who now rule in the heavenlies over the nations of the world—Col. 1:13; Dan. 10:20. B. We need to realize that our warfare is not against human beings but against the

evil spirits, the spiritual powers in the heavenlies.

‹‹ Day 5 ›› VI. Spiritual warfare is not an individual matter; it is a matter of Christ's bride

being a corporate warrior—Eph. 6:13:

A. The church is a corporate warrior, and the believers together make up this

corporate warrior; after we have been formed corporately into an army, we will be able to fight against God's enemy. B. God's strategy is to use the church as His army to fight against the enemy;

Satan's strategy is to isolate us from the church as God's army. C. The whole armor of God is for the Body, not for individuals; only the

corporate warrior can wear the whole armor of God. VII. To fight the spiritual warfare, we need to put on the whole armor of God—v.

11: A. God in Christ as the reality in our living is the girdle that strengthens our

whole being for the spiritual warfare—v. 14a. B. The breastplate of righteousness that covers our conscience and guards us

from Satan's accusations is Christ as our righteousness—v. 14b; 1 Cor. 1:30. C. Christ is the peace for us to be one with God and with the saints; this peace is

the firm foundation that enables us to stand against the enemy—Eph. 2:15;

6:15. D. Faith is a shield against the flaming darts of the enemy; Christ is the Author

and Perfecter of such faith—v. 16; Heb. 12:2. E. The helmet of salvation that covers our mind is the saving Christ whom we

experience in our daily life—Eph. 6:17a; John 16:33. F. The sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God, is our offensive

weapon with which we cut the enemy to pieces—Eph. 6:17b.

‹‹ Day 6 ›› G. Prayer is the unique, crucial, and vital means by which we apply the whole

armor of God, making every item of the armor available to us in a practical way—v. 18. VIII. By putting on the whole armor of God, we are able to stand against the

stratagems, the evil plans, of the devil—vv. 11, 13-14:

A. To sit with Christ is to participate in all His accomplishments, to walk in His

Body is to fulfill God's eternal purpose, and to stand in His power is to fight against God's enemy—2:6; 4:1; 5:2, 8; 6:11, 13-14. B. In fighting against the enemy, the most important thing is to stand; having done

all, we need to stand to the end. IX. We all need to see that in the Lord's recovery today we are on a battlefield;

we must cooperate with the Lord to fight against Satan's aerial forces so that we can gain more of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ and the preparation of the bride of Christ, setting up and spreading the kingdom of God so that Christ can come back to inherit the earth.

‹‹ Hymn

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 1 ››

Morning Nourishment

S.S. 6:4 You are as beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as terrible as an army with banners.

S.S. 6:13 Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, as upon the dance of two camps?

When we become one with God to be God's dwelling place, we are as beautiful as Tirzah and as lovely as Jerusalem in the eyes of God [cf. S.S. 6:4]. However, to the enemy this lover, this overcomer, is as terrible as an army with banners. Banners indicate a readiness to fight and also mean that the victory is won...When she becomes as beautiful as the moon and as clear as the sun, she is also as terrible as an army with banners (v. 10).

When she becomes the garden, she is nothing more than a garden, but when she becomes Tirzah and Jerusalem, something is built up to show God's beauty and God's loveliness. At that time, God's enemy trembles because this little country girl has become an army with banners...An army fights the battle for God's kingdom in the degradation of God's people to be the overcomers answering the Lord's call (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). (CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," pp. 346-347)

Today's Reading

After seeing such a high vision in Song of Songs, we may ask, "Who can be such persons?" In order to answer this we need an additional interpretation of 6:13b...By this time the Shulammite is like two camps, or armies, in the eyes of God. These two armies are dancing in celebration of their victory. The country girl eventually attained the status of the Shulammite...In this verse the Shulammite is likened to two armies, or camps, dancing.

This phrase two armies in Hebrew is Mahanaim. This is not a common word; it is a historical name from the Old Testament in Genesis 32:2. Jacob decided to go back to his fathers' land when he could no longer stay with his uncle Laban, to whom he had fled from his brother Esau. By that time he had four wives and many children, servants,

flocks, and herds. However, his twin brother Esau was still alive. Jacob was returning with the fear that Esau still wanted to kill him. As he journeyed with his family, there were no strong ones with him. There were only feeble ones, women and children. Jacob was very frightened at the prospect of meeting Esau. On the way "the angels of God met him," and Jacob said, "This is God's camp." So he "called the name of that place Mahanaim" (vv. 1-2).

After he saw the two armies of God, Jacob did a marvelous thing. He divided his wives, children, and the rest of his possessions into two groups, or "two armies."...This is full of spiritual significance. These two groups are not just the singular army of God but "two armies." This means that we are more than conquerors. It also signifies a strong testimony. God does not want "giants." He wants only the feeble ones, the weaker ones, the women and children. They can become His armies because the fighting is not in their hands but in His hands. He needs a people who are one with Him, a people who are submissive to Him, signified by the plaited hair (S.S. 1:11), and obedient to Him with a flexible will, signified by the neck with strings of jewels (v. 10).

When we consider how to arrive at the high peak of the revelation in Song of Songs, we should not trust in ourselves. We may think that because the apostle Paul was strong, he could do it. But the apostle Paul himself says that he was less than the least among the saints (Eph. 3:8). He says, "Who is weak, and I am not weak?" (2 Cor. 11:29)...In Romans 9:16 Paul says, "It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." We may think that we can run, but we cannot. It is Christ who can run. Paul also says, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20a). (CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," pp. 347348)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs,"

chs. 7, 12

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 2 ››

Morning Nourishment

Rom. 8:37 But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us.

Rom. 12:5 So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Dear saints, when that day comes, all who are strong in themselves will be disqualified. Those who are counted as overcomers will be the weaker ones, the ones who wept with tears, saying, "Lord, I cannot make it. Thank You for releasing all these high-peak truths unveiling to us what we should be. We should be in the Holy of Holies, living within the veil. We should be in oneness with You. You are our dwelling place, and we are Your dweller. I want to attain to this, but I cannot do anything. I am just a little one, a feeble one." Such weaker ones who depend on the Lord will be counted worthy to be the overcomers.

There being two armies indicates that the country girl was not alone. An army indicates the principle of the Body...We should humble ourselves and admit that we are nothing. Instead of worrying, we should change our feeling to praise. We can say, "Praise You, Lord. What a joy that I cannot do anything! What a joy that You do everything and have done everything for me!" Right away we will have plaited hair and strings of jewels around our neck, that is, submission and obedience to the Lord. We will no longer be stiff-necked. (CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," pp. 348-349)

Today's Reading

In Revelation 3:8 the Lord said that those in Philadelphia had "a little power." He admired their absoluteness and faithfulness to do what they could...He is still calling for overcomers. If we say, "Lord, I can't overcome," the Lord will say, "My child, whatever you cannot do, I will do for you. I resist the proud, but I give grace to the humble." This is the principle of two armies (Mahanaim) dancing. Remember that these two armies were composed of Jacob's wives and children. Eventually, none of them fought against Esau. It was God who fought Esau by changing his attitude. Genesis 32 is a history of Mahanaim. Today we are the reality of God's armies (Mahanaim).

Shulammite is the feminine form of Solomon, indicating that now the overcomers have become the same as Christ...The Shulammite was a country girl. Now, as a counterpart of Solomon, she has become the same as Solomon in life, in nature, in expression, and in function for the carrying out of God's economy. In these four things —life, nature, expression, and function—we become the same as God and Christ but not in Their Godhead. To say that we are the same as God in His Godhead is a great blasphemy, but if we say that we cannot be the same as God in life, nature, expression, and function, this is unbelief.

The phrases in Christ and in the Lord are used repeatedly in the New Testament...In the Lord we are able to do all things (Phil. 4:13). Surely, our God is more qualified than Solomon. He is able to make us the same as He is in His life, in His nature, in His expression, and in His function to carry out His economy. This signifies that the overcomers were sinners. Now, in the maturity of Christ's life, they have become the same as Christ in life, in nature, in expression, and in function for the accomplishment of God's eternal economy.

In the last two chapters of the Bible, a city is presented to us. This city is the consummation of the entire Bible. In this city we can find all the types, figures, and prophecies in the Old Testament and all the realities in the New Testament. This city is the aggregate of all the visions and revelations in God's Word...The primary thing is that the almighty King, the almighty "Solomon," wants to be one with His people, signified by a country girl. He does this not by coercing but by the personal and affectionate way of courting. Who could imagine that God wanted to contact His chosen people just like a man courting a lovely lady? This is how the Bible ends, with a couple in a marriage life—the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). (CWWL, 1994–1997, vol. 3, "Crystallization-study of Song of Songs," pp. 349-350)

Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 65

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 3 ››

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.

In the universe there are three wills: the divine will, the satanic will, and the human will...God's will, being self-existing, is eternal, uncreated. As created beings, the angels also have a will. One of these angels, an archangel, was appointed by God to rule the universe that existed before the creation of Adam. Because of his high position and his beauty, this archangel became proud. This pride gave rise to an evil intention, which became the satanic will. Therefore, in addition to God's intention, God's will, there is a second intention, a second will, for now the satanic will is set against God's will. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 515)

Today's Reading

All warfare has its source in this conflict of wills...The controversy in the universe began with the rebellion of the archangel against God. That rebellion was the beginning of all the fighting that is now taking place among nations, in society, in the family, and in individuals...For example, you may experience an inner warfare between your reason and your lust. All the different kinds of warfare have their source in the controversy between the divine will and the satanic will.

At a particular time, God created man and endowed him with a human will that was free. It is because of God's greatness that He gave man a free will. A great person will never compel anyone to follow him. By giving man a free will, God was indicating that He would not force man to obey Him...In His greatness God gave man freedom of choice.

In Genesis 2 we see that man was free to exercise his will to eat either of the tree of life or of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...In the garden there was a triangular situation, with the tree of life representing the divine will, the tree of knowledge representing the satanic will, and Adam representing the human will.

Actually, the tree of life denotes God Himself, and the tree of knowledge denotes Satan. Therefore, there were three persons—God, Satan, and man—each one with a will.

Although there were three wills, the controversy involved just two parties—God and Satan. The crucial issue was whether man would choose the divine will or the satanic will. If the human will stood with the divine will, then God's will would be accomplished. But if the human will took sides with the satanic will, Satan's will would be carried out, at least temporarily. As we all know, the human will took sides with the satanic will. This means that man chose to follow Satan and sided with the satanic will. Therefore, Satan was victorious temporarily.

However, through repentance man can turn from the satanic will to the divine will, from Satan's side to God's side. The first commandment in the gospel is to repent. The next two commandments are to believe and to be baptized. Any sinner who desires to be saved must obey these three commandments. He must repent to God, believe in the Lord Jesus, and be baptized in water. To repent is to have a turn from the satanic will to the divine will.

The Bible says that we must repent for the kingdom (Matt. 4:17). The kingdom of God is actually the exercise of the divine will. When sinners repent for the kingdom of God, they turn from the side of Satan to the side of God, which is the kingdom of God, the will of God. After a person turns from the satanic will to the divine will, he must believe in the Lord Jesus and be baptized. Through baptism he is brought out of the authority of darkness, the satanic will, and is transferred into the kingdom of the Son of God's love (Col. 1:13).

Our walk is for the fulfillment of God's purpose, our living is for the satisfaction of Christ, and our fighting is for the defeat of God's enemy. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 515-517)

Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 63—66, 97

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 4 ››

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 6:10 Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength.

Eph. 6:12 For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.

The Greek word in Ephesians 6:10 rendered "empowered" has the same root as the word powers in 1:19. To deal with God's enemy, to fight against the evil forces of darkness, we need to be empowered with the greatness of the power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the heavenlies, far above all the evil spirits in the air. The fact that we are to be empowered in the Lord indicates that in the spiritual warfare against Satan and his evil kingdom, we can fight only in the Lord, not in ourselves. Whenever we are in ourselves, we are defeated.

The charge to be empowered implies the need to exercise our will. If we would be empowered for spiritual warfare, our will must be strong and exercised. We should not be like jellyfish, those who are weak-willed and vacillating. Actually, it is those with a strong will who are most able to repent. Consider Saul of Tarsus as an example. As he was traveling to Damascus with the intention of arresting all those who called on the name of the Lord Jesus, he was apprehended by the Lord. Because Saul had such a strong will, he could have a strong repentance. (Lifestudy of Ephesians, p. 518)

Today's Reading

In addition to preserving our conscience, God has sovereignly preserved our will...We may mistakenly think that it is difficult to preach the gospel to one with a strong will. According to my experience, most of those who were saved through my gospel preaching were those with a strong will and a definite intention. Such a will is able to function positively in repentance. Repentance requires the exercise of the will. In like manner, to be empowered also involves our will.

The fact that we need to be empowered in the Lord indicates that we cannot fight the spiritual warfare in ourselves; we can fight only in the Lord and in the might of His

strength. In Ephesians 6:10 Paul refers to power, might, and strength. First, we are empowered by the power that raised Christ from the dead and gave Him to be Head over all things. Then we know God's might and strength.

Blood and flesh [v. 12] refers to men. Behind men of blood and flesh are the evil forces of the devil, fighting against God's purpose. Hence, our wrestling, our fighting, must not be against men but against the evil spiritual forces in the heavenlies.

We in the Lord's recovery should realize that spiritual warfare is not a matter of fighting against men. Even if men cause damage to the recovery, we should not fight against them. Behind them and over them is the evil power.

The rulers, the authorities, and the world-rulers of this darkness are the rebellious angels, who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and who now rule in the heavenlies over the nations of the world, such as the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece in Daniel 10:20.

In Ephesians 6:12 Paul also speaks of "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies." The heavenlies here refers to the air (2:2). Satan and his spiritual forces of evil are in the air. But we are seated in the third heaven above them (v. 6). In fighting a battle, the position above the enemy is very important strategically. Satan and his evil forces are under us, and they are destined to be defeated by us.

Thus, the warfare between the church and Satan is a battle between us who love the Lord and who are in His church and the evil powers in the heavenlies. Apparently, it is people of flesh and blood who damage the church. Actually, it is Satan and his evil angels working behind them who cause the damage. Therefore, we must fight against these spiritual forces. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 518-521)

Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 156

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 5 ››

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Eph. 6:17-18 And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God, by means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.

The armor in Ephesians 6 is not for Christians as individuals; it is for the church corporately as the Body. What this chapter reveals is not the believers fighting as individuals but a corporate army fighting the battle for God's interests on earth.

No soldier in a modern army would enter into battle by himself. Rather, he would fight as part of a well-trained and fully equipped army. After we have been formed corporately into an army, we will be able to fight against God's enemy. God's strategy is to use the church as His army to fight against the enemy. Therefore, it is very dangerous to be isolated from the army. Only by remaining in the army will we have the necessary protection. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 793)

Today's Reading

If you separate yourself from the church, you will be defeated. Satan's strategy is simply to isolate you from the church as God's army. It is crucial for us to realize that spiritual warfare is a Body matter. If we realize this and stay with the church, we will be victorious. The battle is not for us as individual believers; it is for the church as God's army.

The Lord with His might is the very armor that we put on for our protection. This means that we, as the Body, need to put on Christ Himself as our armor. In order to fight in the spiritual warfare, we must have Christ as the whole armor of God. In Ephesians 6:14-17 there are six aspects of Christ as armor: the girdle of truth, or reality; the breastplate of righteousness; the firm foundation of the gospel of peace (the shoes); the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit. Therefore, the

whole armor of God consists of the girdle, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield, the helmet, and the sword. The shield is for defense, whereas the sword is for offense. In fact, the sword is the only item of the armor that is for offensive warfare.

We receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit by means of all prayer and petition [v. 18]. Actually, prayer is the means by which we receive all the aspects of the whole armor of God. Do you know how to apply the girdle of reality? It is by praying in spirit. Prayer is also the way to apply the breastplate, the shoes, the shield, the helmet, and the sword.

The antecedent of which in verse 17 is the Spirit, not the sword. This indicates that the Spirit is the word of God. Both the Spirit and the word are Christ (2 Cor. 3:17; Rev. 19:13). We need to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. As we receive the word by means of all prayer and petition, we should pray "at every time in spirit." The spirit in Ephesians 6:18 is our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. Hence, this spirit is the mingled spirit, our spirit mingled with God's Spirit. Whenever we pray as a means of taking in the word, we need to be in spirit. The spirit is the proper organ for prayer...We can be in spirit simply by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus from deep within. When we call "O Lord Jesus," we turn from the vanity of the mind to the spirit of the mind. How sweet and enjoyable it is to call on the Lord Jesus in spirit!

By praying in spirit we apply Christ as the whole armor of God. As we take the word by praying in spirit, we spontaneously contact Christ as the life-giving Spirit. Immediately, our praying and reading become living, and we are empowered by Christ and covered with Him as our armor. Furthermore, we have the realization that we are in the Body and that Christ with all that He is and has is our portion. In this way we apply Him as the all-inclusive armor. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 793-796)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1984, vol. 1, "Teachers' Training," ch. 2

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — DAY 6 ››

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.

Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The armor of God is composed of six items: the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the firm foundation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. When we are equipped with such a full armor, we can stand against the attack of the enemy and even take the offensive against him. After these items of the armor of God, Paul turns to prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 says, "By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints." The phrase by means of all prayer and petition modifies the word receive in verse 17. By prayer we receive both the helmet of salvation and the word of God. This indicates that we need to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. We need to pray as we are receiving the word of God. We have seen that the whole armor of God is composed of six items. Prayer may be considered the seventh. It is the unique, crucial, and vital means by which we apply the other items, making the armor available to us in a practical way. (Lifestudy of Ephesians, p. 537)

Today's Reading

It is by means of all prayer and petition that we gird our loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, and have our feet shod with the firm foundation of the gospel of peace. Furthermore, it is by prayer that we take up the shield of faith and receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God. Whenever we are about to put on the armor or to take up any item of the armor, we need to pray. We cannot and we should not attempt to use any part of God's armor without prayer. Prayer is the unique way to apply the armor of God.

We need to put on the whole armor of God so that we "may be able to stand" (Eph. 6:11). In chapter 6 the word stand is crucial. In chapter 2 we sit with Christ in the heavenlies (v. 6), and in chapters 4 and 5 we walk in His Body on the earth (4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15). Then in chapter 6 we stand in His power in the heavenlies. To sit with Christ is to participate in all His accomplishments; to walk in His Body is to fulfill God's eternal purpose; and to stand in His power is to fight against God's enemy.

By putting on the whole armor of God, we are able to stand against the stratagems of the devil. These stratagems are the devil's evil plans. Not only does the devil have an evil will, but he also has subtle stratagems to work out his will. Even now Satan is busily working and plotting to carry out his evil, subtle stratagems.

In 6:11 we are told to put on the armor of God, and in verse 13 we are charged to take it up...The armor of God is prepared and provided by God for us. But we need to take it up and put it on; we need to use and apply God's provision...Whether we put on the whole armor of God or take it up, we must exercise our will in a strong way.

In order to wage the spiritual warfare, we need the whole armor. This requires the Body of Christ, not only individual believers, to take it up.

By taking up the whole armor of God, we will be able to withstand in the evil day. To withstand is to stand against. In fighting, the most important thing is to stand. In 5:16 Paul says that the days are evil. In this evil age (Gal. 1:4), every day is an evil day because Satan is at work every day.

Paul concludes Ephesians 6:13 with the words, "Having done all, to stand." In fighting we need to stand to the end. Having done all, we still must stand. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 537-538, 519-520, 522)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, "The Experience of Life," ch. 18

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‹‹ WEEK 6 — HYMN

Hymns, #885

1 Fight the battle in the Body;

Never fight it on your own. With the Body to the Head joined,

Fight the battle on the throne.

Fight the battle in the Body!

By the virtue of the Head; Standing firmly with the Body,

Into vict'ry you'll be led.

2 For the Body is God's armor,

Not for anyone alone; When you wrestle in the Body,

All its benefits you own.

3 'Tis the Church on Christ established

Satan shall not overpow'r; 'Tis the Body built together Which resists the evil pow'r.

4 In the Body, by the headship,

Sitting in the heavenlies, Struggle with the wicked spirits

And the principalities.

5 As a member of the Body,

With the brethren stand for God; Praying always in the Spirit,

Claim the vict'ry through the blood.

6 In the heav'nlies more than conqu'ror,

In the power of His might. As a soldier in the army,

In the Lord the battle fight.

7 Keep on wrestling in the Body,

Mighty vict'ry you will see.

Bind and loose, God's will fulfilling,

And the foes your food will be.

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