THE ROMAN SOLDIER

The vast majority of a legion consisted of regular ground troops. These troops were equipped by the emperor and trained by veteran soldiers. They followed the orders of their commanding officers and, in the midst of battle, of their centurions. They also followed the principles of their training in battle tactics as individuals, as a cohort, and as a legion. This is the soldier that Paul has in mind when he illuminates the principles of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20.The overall command of a Roman legion was in the hands of the Legatus Legionis, who was appointed by the emperor. The Legate was the ultimate middle manager: not only did here present the legion to the emperor, the senate, and other legions, but he also represented the emperor and the senate to the local population and governing body. He was responsible to maintain order in the legion itself, but also in the territory he was assigned to. Thus, he had the authority to enforce Roman law and to punish violations (c.f. UNRV: Roman Legions[https://www.unrv.com/military/legion.php] for more detail). This authority flowed from the emperor to the Legate to the centurions and ultimately to the individual soldiers. Their knowledge of the emperor’s will was tantamount to his presence in their lives. Armed with this knowledge, and the armor and weapons that the emperor supplied them with, they were empowered and equipped by the sovereign might of the emperor, even though he was not physically present, as long as they obeyed his edicts and commands. In much the same way the authority of the Lord God Almighty, the Eternal King, who is our heavenly Father, flows through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and elders and deacons right down to us, who are the great majority of the army of God, as individual soldiers. Our knowledge of our heavenly Father’s will is tantamount to His presence in our lives and our obedience to that will is the surrender that empowers us on a day-to-day basis. However, we still need to be equipped for battle! We still need to be trained by veteran soldiers. We still need to learn the principles of battle tactics as individuals, as a cohort, and as a legion. We still need to work out our salvation. Therefore, as we shall see, there are certain truths, which we need to embrace, that are foundational to empowerment and without which we will be unable to resist the strategies of the evil one.