The Whole Armor of God
A Sunday Morning Exhortation
In this familiar
passage we read words of encouragement, words of strength. Words intended by the Apostle Paul to fortify
the believers in
We have not yet
arrived to the glorious time when the “high places” or “heavenlies”
– symbolic of governmental and religious leadership – are inhabited by Christ
and His Saints. That is the “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” that the Apostle Peter alludes
to in his Second Epistle - The era when “out of
Though the believers in God and his Truth’s are involved in a spiritual war and not a physical conflict, it is a war nonetheless. Therefore it is fitting that the scriptures make reference to the believer’s current situation as being one of conflict and being a “soldier”. In Philippians 2:25, Paul speaking to Ephaphroditus calls him “my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier.” In 2 Timothy 2:3 we are exhorted to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” And the next verse continues on to say “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
Therefore, we are called to be “soldiers of Christ”. We do not physically or even spiritually contend for the preservation of the present world (kosmos). As Christ stated to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight..” Our fight is currently of a spiritual nature, but it is to ward off the evil influences of the “spiritual wickedness in high places” that detract us from properly serving God and His Son. The influences of this world are extremely great upon our weak constitutions. Though they are pressures that lead us to eventual death, their appearance is not usually frightening and they influence us by manipulating our thinking through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. They are influences that we can see, that appeal to us, that make us feel good or give us a sense of relief for the time being. In conventional warfare the site of bullets, bombs (swords and spears) causes great fear and incites an automatic reaction to seek protection. But the spiritual weapons of the world around us, though having the same devastating impact, do not appear in such a frightening way. Instead of destroying a man on contact, the weaponry of the world gets inside of a man and destroys him from the inside out. What is even worse, if the armaments of the world penetrate us, within ourselves we have tendencies and weaknesses that help to aid the progression of their destroying power.
So it is very fitting that Paul exhorts us to protect ourselves with the imagery he uses in this 6th chapter of Ephesians. Here it is described as “the whole armour of God” – an extremely fitting visual representation of a spiritual struggle. The need for “armor” indicates the absolute necessity for protection of the human make-up. Our heart, head, the use of our feet, & etc. are pivotal functions in the activities of the spiritual soldier. These can be easily penetrated by “spiritual wickedness” if not properly protected, maiming the “soldier” and making his service to Christ of no strategic value – rendering him useless and left to die.
In considering the specifics of this spiritual armor, Paul gives us a detailed head to toe consideration. It is an historical fact that the armor of Paul’s day (and which is the case for any soldier throughout the ages) consisted of two functions – defensive and offensive. A soldier is of little value if only allowed to function from a defensive aspect in that if the enemy is left unmolested it is allowed to continually attack and weaken down the defender. The soldier must not only be able to protect his vital functions but must also be able to attack the enemy as well weakening their ability to constantly attack. The old saying, “The best defense is a good offense” is not without merit.
The first piece
of armor that the Apostle mentions is that of the loins or mid section of the
body. This is the girdle, or military
belt. The Diaglott
informs us that this was to be “used to brace the armor tight to the body, and
cover the two parts of the breastplate where they joined; and to support
daggers, short swords, etc.” It is
fitting that Paul speaks of this first in that this was the section that
basically held the body armor together, without this it seemingly would either
fit too loose or fall apart altogether.
What is this spiritual armor? - Nothing less then the Girdle
of Truth. How fitting it is
to compare Truth with this all important girdle. Without Truth, nothing else seems to matter
and everything falls apart. There is no
capability to raise a spiritual defense or mount a spiritual offensive. The warrior is useless and incapable of
action. As an example, such was the
spiritual condition of the Jews who during the time of Paul had “a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge”. To have “zeal” or energy in embracing a cause
is of the utmost importance, but it is of little value if we do not understand
what we are fighting for. The subject of
Truth is at the heart of the message of the scriptures. We are instructed to “buy the truth and sell it not”.
In Ephesians
We next move on in Paul’s illustration to the Breastplate of Righteousness. The Diaglott again informs us that the Breastplate consisted of two parts: One that reached from the neck to the navel, and then the second that continues to down around the knees. Here we have the vital organs protected, but most importantly the heart. The heart is spoken of throughout the scriptures as representing the inner man – the root of his very character. If the heart is pierced by a foreign object the man instantly dies. Speaking from a spiritual aspect, if the heart is infiltrated by the works of darkness and spiritual wickedness then the very motives and desires of a man are redirected. Spiritually he becomes mortally wounded. The inner-man must be sheltered at all costs. Therefore, we must protect the heart, not with the unrighteousness of the world that only turns our heart towards evil, but we must cloak our hearts – our mid section – with the righteousness of God. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6). “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.” (Psalms 106:3). The latter reference that is found in the book of Psalms helps to understand the vital character of this attribute of “righteousness” – we are to practice it “at all times”. It is a piece of armor that must remain on continuously. Just refraining from evil is not enough to ward off the wicked influences upon the heart; we must be active participants in doing that which is right before God.
Paul then
directs our attention to the feet. Here
we are instructed to “have your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of
peace.” This piece of the
warrior’s armor was called the “Greaves” and was made of “gold, silver, brass,
or iron” and covered the front part of the leg as well as the top of the
feet. It is not difficult for us to
understand the importance of our legs and feet.
Our legs and feet are our vehicles for movement. Our feet find common use in the scriptures as
to indicate our spiritual direction. Our
life in the Truth is referred to as our “walk”.
The word “walk” is found some 30 times in the writings of the Apostle
Paul alone in reference to our spiritual course. In Ephesians 4:1 it is stated, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”
Christ himself refers to the “straight
and narrow path” that leads to life everlasting – a path impossible to trek
unless our feet our doing as they should.
In Hebrews
The protective
armor that we are given to keep our feet secure is that of the “gospel” or good
news of “peace”. Though we are currently
embattled in a great conflict with spiritual darkness, what we are fighting for
now is most assuredly a message of peace.
“The Things concerning the
No ancient warrior was defensively protected without his shield. Paul tells us to “above all” take “the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Again, referring to the Diaglott we read that the shield was “sometimes round and sometimes square, was made of strong thick leather or hides; sometimes was wood covered with brass and iron”. By the historical description given of the shield we would understand it to be very strong but extremely heavy and difficult to hold as a defensive tool. Our shield is to be “Faith”, or “The Faith” as it should be rendered. Like holding the shield of the ancient warrior, to hold up faith as a defensive tool is often difficult for the weakness of the flesh. To have faith, which is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” must take a great degree of spiritual strength and maturity in order for it to be properly used as a source of defense. It is only through conviction of the utmost assurance that we are able to overcome the doubts and insecurities that often plague the human mind. We naturally find comfort and confidence in the things that we can see. God cannot be seen and His promises are yet to be fulfilled therefore creating a challenge for the shallow and nearsighted attributes of the flesh. But as the scriptures warn, “without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Through faith, men such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses were able to see beyond the passing and vain times in which they lived and understand that their confidence had to be directed by the promises that God had made. Christ was able to overcome the dismal circumstances of his first appearance through “the joy that was set before him”. The shield of Faith, if held high, protects us from the “fiery darts of the wicked” that seek to undermine our Faith in God’s promises. We know that such “darts” come at us from the world but we also have to recognize that they come at us from within the Household as well. They seek to weaken our resolve by shaming us, shunning us or dangling before us what is perceived to be a more attractive way of living. If our faith is not strong, if we do not use The Faith to counteract such “darts” then we become wounded and weakened in our efforts. The man of “faith” is not fearful of the opinions of others.
Our attention is then drawn to the head, which is protected by the Helmet of salvation. It is the Truth of God’s word and our faith in that Word that saves us – that is our salvation. We cannot separate the tools of our spiritual armor one from another in that they are all inseparably linked – so it is not surprising that we see subject matter already dealt with in the consideration leak over into this aspect of spiritual armor. Our head is where the process of thought, intellect, and reason is stored. Our mind has to understand the absolute importance of the Truth in saving us. Paul refers in 1 Thessalonians to the “hope of salvation”. Our mind must be protected so that we do not lose our focus on this “hope”. It is easy for individuals of even the greatest intellect to question or even reject the simple Truths that make up the hope that we have. Many a so called “wise man” has fallen in this regard. We must protest our head from the vanities and philosophies and “science falsely so called” that attempt to change our view of The Truth and our Hope. It is by keeping on the “helmet of salvation” that this is accomplished.
Finally we reach
the offensive weapon that every soldier must have – without it they are useless
as a soldier in that there is nothing in which to attack and defeat the
enemy. That weapon is the “sword
of the spirit”. This sword,
this weapon is nothing less then the word of God. In Hebrews
In Revelation
Conclusion
Our battle is at times overwhelming but the defensive and offensive weapons and armor at our disposal is of a strength that is impenetrable if properly used. Therefore let us heed the advice of the apostle and “praying always with all prayers and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” The battle is very real but so is the potency of the Truth, Righteousness, Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, and Word of God that have been granted to us for our use. Christ no doubt availed himself of this armor and now stands as “The Captain of our Salvation”. Let us look unto our Captain in remembrance and appreciation of all that he overcame, and serious consideration as to the means he used in which to overcome. And following after his example, let us take on the “whole armor of God” and do honor unto him who we have been called to be soldiers under His authority – truly being soldiers of Christ.
A. Thomas