The Armor of God

The Apostle Paul ends his letter to the Ephesian Church with some powerful imagery comparing the life of a Christian to that of a soldier. It’s a remarkable, instructive passage that modern Christians don’t give enough attention to. In fact, it’s true that this passage of Scripture is often reduced to little more than Sunday School material or VBS themes. There’s nothing wrong with this, but any mature Christian should know this passage forwards and backwards. So, let’s look at Paul’s explanation of the whole armor of God.

Paul’s usage of military equipment gives immediate context for what we’re dealing with here. The Christian life is war: war against our flesh, war against sin, and war against the spiritual forces around us. To minimize it to less than this is to trivialize the Christian life as little more than a whim, a walk in the park, or a mindset that every day is Friday. Jesus makes it very clear that the Christian life means dying to oneself, picking up one’s cross, and submitting one’s will to God. And if we’re honest, this is very hard to do. It’s for this reason, however, that Paul uses military concepts here. He wants his readers to know why the following equipment is necessary.

First, Paul says that one must be ready to stand on the day of temptation when the devil comes. This state of being prepared, in biblical terms, is called “be girded about the waists”. In an ancient culture where one’s garment went to the ground, one had to collect their garments up to the knees and tie them around their waist for maneuverability. Failure to do so meant that you would trip all over yourself while the enemy is attacking. Essentially, Paul is saying, “Go ahead and get yourself together before he attacks so you can react properly. Paul goes on to say that the truth is how one prepares themselves for that day of attack. Knowing the truth helps one react when an attack comes.

Next, we have the breastplate of righteousness. In ancient times, the breastplate protected the heart and vital organs that were essential for life. Similarly, righteousness protects the heart from attacks that would keep it from obeying the faith that God establishes there. If Satan can harm our faith, then he can use other weapons like doubt, fear, or hopelessness against us.

Our feet are to be ‘shod about the feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace’ Paul continues. This phrase links the believer’s feet to that of the believer’s sure footing in the Gospel. Without proper footing, the believer cannot effectively defend their ground or advance the peace that is contained within the Gospel.

Then we have the shield of faith. In the Greek, the word ‘shield’ translates “full-body shield”. You’ve probably seen shields like this before, ones that protect the soldier’s entire body. The shield of faith is no different. Faith protects us from the fiery missiles of the devil because faith involves God’s Word being implanted inside of us. When we have the Word in us, it extinguishes the lies that the devil would throw at us.

Next, Paul says, “and take up the helmet of salvation”, which is the believer’s final line of defense for their salvation. The helmet completes the suit of armor by protecting the most vital command center of the believer – the head. The helmet signifies security, identity, and clarity of thought in the midst of battle.

Lastly, Paul gives us the only offensive weapon in our arsenal – the sword of Spirit. Since our battles against the devil are ultimately God’s to fight, the sword of the Spirit enables the believer to proclaim, correct, and defend against Satanic attacks and accusations by using the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit.

Any believer, who is faithfully committed to living for Jesus must understand that this armor is essential. It is not a recommendation or a suggestion to wear. Failure to suit up every day will leave us vulnerable against the work of Satan in our lives.

Blessings,
Bro. Ben