Final Hermeneutical AssignmentName: Wai Ming HuiPassage: Ephesians 6:14-1714 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.1) General Historical ContextPaul who is the author of The Epistles to the Ephesians wrote it at A.D 60, which is around the same time Colossians was written, while he was still in prison at Rome. The Epistles to the Ephesians was written to the church in Ephesus where the members were mainly gentile believers. Paul wrote this epistle to the Ephesian church to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of Gods eternal purpose and grace, and come to appreciate the high goals God has for the church.

2) Specific Historical Context of PassageThe city of Ephesus was the most important city in current western turkey due to its inland harbor to Aegean Sea and its location a major center of trade routes. The city also boasted a temple dedicated to Greek goddess, Artemis, which was a mile away from the city.Paul also made Ephesus his base of operations for evangelism for three years in Acts 19. During which he and his disciples evangelized around the region.In ancient times, men would wear loincloth underneath the tunic. The leather girdle was used to hold tunic to the waist and to hold money, tools or weapons. When men needed freedom of movement for activities, they would tuck the hem of the tunic into the girdle. This action was called girding up the loin which was a metaphor for being prepared.Roman shields were usually covered in leather which could be soaked with water to extinguish any flame tipped arrows.

3) Overall Literary ContextThe book genre is an epistle, which is an occasional documents addressing specific occasions and audiences. The key theme of this book is that he wants his audience to understand that they are saved through grace and not by works alone (Ephesian 2:8-9). Jews and gentile are one church of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:4-6). The book is structured as shown below:a) Greetings (V1:1-2)b) Glory and headship of Jesus Christ (1:3-14)c) Prayer that Christians may realize Gods purpose and power (1:15-23)d) Steps towards the fulfilment of Gods purpose (chpt 2-3)(i) Salvation of individuals by grace (2:1-10)(ii) Reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles through the cross (2:11-18)(iii) Uniting of Jews and Gentile in One Household (2:19-22)(iv) Revelation of Gods wisdom through the church (3:1-13)(v) Prayer for deeper experience of Gods fullness (3:14-21)e) Ways to fulfil Gods purpose in the church (4:1-6:20)(i) Unity (4:1-6)(ii) Maturity (4:7-16)(iii) Renewal of personal life (4:17-5:20)(iv) Personal relationship (5:21-6:9)-Principle (5:21)-Husbands and wives (5:22-33)-Children and parents (6:1-4)-Slaves and masters (6:5-9)(v) Strength in spiritual conflict (6:10-20)f) Conclusion and Final Greetings (6:21-24)

4) Specific Literary ContextPaul was addressing the audience to be strong in the Lord by putting on the armor of God to stand firm against the devil in 6:10-13. In the selected passage, Paul wrote as further explanation on what items to wear to be considered as fully armored. The items he described were military items found on Roman soldiers. From verse 18-24, Paul encouraged them to pray for the saints and himself as well as informing them that Tychicus is coming to them.

5) Word StudiesThe word chosen for v14-17 is stand firm. The reason stand firm is chosen because it is the main verb in the independent clause as shown in Appendix A. The word means to make to stand, to uphold or sustain the authority or force and to stand. Hence, the word stand firm means to stand without hesitation. The word itself is also a military term for Roman infantry to close ranks without giving ground in battle. For it was considered disgraceful to retreat.6) InterpretationWhen grammatical analysis is referred, it can be inferred that after girded your loins with truth, put on breastplates of righteousness and shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace only then can one stand firm in face of spiritual conflict. The next step is to take up the shield of faith to block evil ones flaming arrow. This step marks the transition from standing firm to attacking because after that Paul write take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of spirit which is the word of God. Along with the word standing firm, Paul was using these military items associated with Roman soldiers to symbolize how the church can have victory over the devil with Gods help. The next matter is to understand the metaphor he is using. Having gird your loins with truth means being prepared to stand firm with truth. To have correct and accurate understanding of Gods character.The breastplate protects the body from light physical blows. The Greek word for righteousness is dikaiosune. It means integrity and correctness of action. Since the breastplate was worn on the body, it means that good character as a result of the spirit will be obvious through actions.Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace means to be prepared to the messenger of the gospel and bring peace through it everywhere we go.Taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one means having conviction and trust in the personhood of Jesus to block out the devils attackTake the helmet of salvation means to be assured of our salvation no matter what happens because the helmet is the most important protection of the most important of the body which is the head. This underlines the importance of salvation.The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God highlights the importance of depending on God through His word and in prayer during spiritual conflict. The word of God is critical to correct understanding of the character of God.7) ApplicationThe first principle gleaned from this passage is that we can stand firm in Jesus by having correct and accurate understanding of His character, doing righteous acts from good character as result of the Holy Spirit and being prepared to be messenger of the gospel at all times. The second principle gleaned is that by having full conviction and trust in Jesus we can suppress the devils attack. To begin going on the offensive, we need to be assured of our salvation, let nothing undermine our salvation. Finally, to use the word of God which is inspired by God to fight it and defeat it.In a world where it is so easy to compromise on biblical principle in our daily lives, we need truth of the word of God to stand firm as an individuals. If all individuals stand firm together as a church, we can push back darkness in many issues that our society faces.On a personal level, this passage can be applied in my life by strengthening myself in Gods word so that I can know Gods character more and have greater trust in Jesus. All this will manifest in my workplace and family to be a better witness and salt and light.Word count: 1163 words

Appendix A: Grammatical AnalysisPassage: Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.