Biblical Map and Application Assignment: Ephesians 6:10-20
Sarah Galade
NBST 620: Hermeneutics
February 22, 2026
, 1
The theological principles in Ephesians 6:10-20 can be determined by examining the
imperatives Paul gives throughout the passage. These are as follows: 1. Become strong in the
Lord and in the might of his strength. 2.Put on the full armor of God. 3. Stand firm. These
imperatives provide theological principles applicable to believers until the end of this present
age. First, spiritual strength comes from the Lord and not from human ability. Second, God
graciously provides every resource necessary for resisting evil. Third, persistent prayer sustains
believers in spiritual warfare and unites the body of Christ.
Ephesians 6:10-20 is understood by many biblical scholars to be paraenesis. To the
layman this is best described as the call-to-action section of the letter. Having outlined the
corporate calling for all made new in Christ in the beginning portion of the letter and defined the
proper ethical response to that calling in the second portion, Paul now provides a series of
imperatives in his final exhortation.
Paul’s first imperative commands believers to “become strong in the Lord” (Eph 6:10
LEB). The verb ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, “be strengthened,” Hoehner suggests, is best understood in the
passive voice, “to be made strong” or “to be strengthened.”1 If the verb is understood in the
passive voice, then it is not the believers who make themselves strong, instead the strength
comes from an external source. Andrew T. Lincoln provides insight into the source of this
strength when he writes, the first imperative ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, “be strong,” which is then followed
by a combination of two prepositional phrases indicating the source of the strength, ἐν κυρίῳ, “in
the Lord,” and, in the by now familiar style of synonyms linked in a genitival construction, ἐν τῷ
κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, “in his mighty power.”2 Put simply, Paul stacks prepositional phrases to
1
Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic,
2002), 742.
2
Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians, Volume 42, (Grand Rapids: HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 2014),
771. Accessed February 22, 2026. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Sarah Galade
NBST 620: Hermeneutics
February 22, 2026
, 1
The theological principles in Ephesians 6:10-20 can be determined by examining the
imperatives Paul gives throughout the passage. These are as follows: 1. Become strong in the
Lord and in the might of his strength. 2.Put on the full armor of God. 3. Stand firm. These
imperatives provide theological principles applicable to believers until the end of this present
age. First, spiritual strength comes from the Lord and not from human ability. Second, God
graciously provides every resource necessary for resisting evil. Third, persistent prayer sustains
believers in spiritual warfare and unites the body of Christ.
Ephesians 6:10-20 is understood by many biblical scholars to be paraenesis. To the
layman this is best described as the call-to-action section of the letter. Having outlined the
corporate calling for all made new in Christ in the beginning portion of the letter and defined the
proper ethical response to that calling in the second portion, Paul now provides a series of
imperatives in his final exhortation.
Paul’s first imperative commands believers to “become strong in the Lord” (Eph 6:10
LEB). The verb ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, “be strengthened,” Hoehner suggests, is best understood in the
passive voice, “to be made strong” or “to be strengthened.”1 If the verb is understood in the
passive voice, then it is not the believers who make themselves strong, instead the strength
comes from an external source. Andrew T. Lincoln provides insight into the source of this
strength when he writes, the first imperative ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, “be strong,” which is then followed
by a combination of two prepositional phrases indicating the source of the strength, ἐν κυρίῳ, “in
the Lord,” and, in the by now familiar style of synonyms linked in a genitival construction, ἐν τῷ
κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, “in his mighty power.”2 Put simply, Paul stacks prepositional phrases to
1
Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic,
2002), 742.
2
Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians, Volume 42, (Grand Rapids: HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 2014),
771. Accessed February 22, 2026. ProQuest Ebook Central.
