Paul's letter to the Ephesians concludes with concern and confidence. He is capable of trusting in the unmatched love and faithfulness of God, while realistically confronting the hazards all Christians must face. Paul was no stranger to dangerous clashes between the new message of freedom in Christ and the established systems of the dominant pagan culture. Ephesus had already been the scene of one such face-off (see Acts 19:21-41).

Although Paul's own experiences in Ephesus and elsewhere were painfully and frightfully physical, the apostle begins this admonition to "armor up" by identifying "the wiles of the devil" as the most menacing danger threatening Christians. Despite all his run-ins with local authorities, all his nights in gloomy prison cells, all his constant refereeing of bitter …