Paul ends all his talk about the armor of God by focusing us on prayer. He ends with “finally” as he winds up his letter and reminds us of how to walk in God’s strength. This is a reminder that our strength comes from God, as He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. The armor we wear is God’s armor and not our own.
The book of Ephesians has a beautiful trajectory to it that starts with a rich theology found in the first three chapters: salvation from God’s point of view in chapter one, salvation from a human point of view in chapter two, and how those both come together in chapter three. Chapter four of Ephesians starts with the word “therefore” and reminds us that chapters 4-6, while practical, are based on the theology of chapters 1-3. We cannot live practically unless we know what we believe; in other words, doctrine shapes what we do.
