Today’s topic is not a new one for many of us. It may very well be one of the most popularly taught Bible lessons in the Christian circle, from Sunday School children’s lessons, to teens, to adults both newly converted and aged in the Gospel. Wherever you are, I pray this lesson brings about a bit of new insight or at least serves as a good reminder of a biblical truth.
Ephesians chapter 6 teaches us to put on the Armor of God, reminding us that any fight we as Christians engage in is truly a spiritual one and not something in the physical natural world. A point of interest: this explanation of the Armor of God comes after some brief instructions to fathers concerning their children and the relationship between master and servant (or in today’s modern world, between employer and employee) and is what Paul chooses to close his letter to the Ephesians with.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:10-18
I’m just going to break down some of the wording used here, specifically looking at the Greek definition of some words.
Truth – true, truth
Righteousness – equity, justification, righteousness
Gospel of Peace – good news of peace, (to join), prosperity, quietness, rest
Faith – persuasion, credence moral conviction, reliance of Christ, constancy, assurance, belief, fidelity
Salvation – defender or defense
The Spirit – current of air, breath, rational soul, vital principle, mental disposition
Word of God – rhema, an utterance
And then, without going into a lengthy history lesson, I’ll briefly explain what these pieces of clothing and weapons do.
The purpose of the…
Belt – holds clothes in place, surrounds midsection
Breastplate – protects vital organs: heart, lungs, digestive tract
Shoes – protects feet, allows for duration of travel
Shield – maneuverable (moves by command of the soldier’s hand/arm), protects from attack
Helmet – protects brain, and in some instances portions of the face
Sword – offensive piece used for attack, maneuverable (moves by command of the soldier’s hand/arm)
I find it interesting that this portion of scripture instructs us to STAND. I do not read any part that instructs us to move to attack. Almost every portion of armor listed once it is on is intended to stay in one place. The exception being both the sword and the shield. These move as the soldier moves his/her arms and can serve as double protection over any part of the body. If held over the head, the soldier has both a shield and helmet. If held over the chest and midsection, the soldier has both breastplate and shield and belt and shield. Same with the feet. You get the idea. Also, although typically used as an offensive weapon a sword can also be defensive as it can block an attack of another sword. Likewise, the shield, although typically used as a defense to block an attack, at times can be used offensively if the sword arm is pinned down.
Now, since Paul made it clear this Armor of God is not actual physical armor we put on the moment we’re born again. It is spiritual in application. So how does that work? What does that look like? Let’s look at some other verses of scripture that we can connect and possibly apply here. (There are by far hundreds more scriptures I could have linked to this topic. Was trying to keep it concise and to the point for my readers.)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the Truth, and the life.” John 14:6
“From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of the glory to the Righteous One.” Isaiah 24:16
Jesus answered him… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” John 14:27
“we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1
“of the gospel I preached to you… by which you are being saved… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance to the scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 5:1-4
“by faith in His name… the faith that is through Jesus” Acts 3:16
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
And in the last days, God declares… “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh” Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:17
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…” John 1:1 & 14
I am hoping by now you are connecting some dots. When we ask ourselves how do we put on the armor, the answer is, we put on Jesus! He is Truth, He is the Righteous One, He is peace, His life on earth is the Gospel, He provides faith, there’s salvation in no other, it’s His Spirit in us, He is the Word made flesh!!! If we’re worrying if we’re doing it all right, if we’re putting on the armor… stop the worry and just begin to put on Jesus! And then it’s a matter of learning how to depend on Him to supply the coverage the Armor provides – protection over my mind, my thoughts, my emotions, protection over my core being, my heart, protection over my belly (out of which the Spirit flows John 7:38), protection over my feet, the path I take. How to provide defense when an attack comes against me, how to wield the sword correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). Perhaps this seems overwhelming because there is no easy answer. The easy answer is Jesus. The difficult aspect being it takes us time and effort to learn Him! But, it’s worth it! So worth it!!!