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The "gospel of peace" in Ephesians 6:15: How can this sit in the midst of descriptions of weapons and warfare? This is the paradox of Spiritual Warfare. It is not against flesh and blood but it is against rulers and principalities. It is ideas over brute force. I go in and out of love for various scriptures. I spent years fighting against the terrible use of Ephesians 6, especially to support slavery, patriarchy and Christian Nationalism which are inextricably linked. But whenever this happens and I am compelled to do a deep dive into the scripture, I fall in love with it again. Ephesians 6 has done this for me once again. Submission of slaves in the household codes must be seen in the context of Spiritual Warfare. Slave uprisings were a huge fear in ancient Rome, with over 30% of the population being slaves. But insurrections always end bloody. Spiritual Warfare is akin to Civil Rights marches. Active, but non-violent. Good trouble as John Lewis said. The change in society that lasts. The warfare is for justice and peace, not with devils and end times. Paul spoke against the extinction of the movement. Recalls the temptation of Jesus for expediency and cheap grace. There is a lot of debate about the sword being an offensive or defensive weapon. Hebrews 4:12 may give us a clue.

References:
Sandra Glahn, "Nobody's Mother", 2023.
Lynn Cohick, "Letter to the Ephesians (NICNT)", 2020.

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