One thing pastors like to do is dress up as Roman soldiers and preach on the armor of God. “You need to wear the full armor of God,” they say as they bash their gladii (swords) against their scuta (shields). It’s a lot of fun.
But does it work?
Apart from the memory of Pastor Frank’s paunch poking out from under a shiny breastplate, what have you really taken from these sermons? Have you put on the armor of God? Are you wearing it now? Let’s check.
Without reading on, ask yourself to list the various pieces of spiritual armor. Can you name all six?
When Paul wrote about the armor of God he was in prison or house arrest in Rome. Roman soldiers were coming and going. Inspired by their apparel, Paul wrote these well-known words:
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
Putting on the armor of God does not mean praying harder or singing louder or shouting at the devil. Putting on spiritual armor is analogous to putting on Christ (Rom. 13:14) or putting on the new self (Eph. 4:22–24).
To be clothed with the armor of God is to wear his righteousness, his truth, and his salvation (Is. 59:16–17, 61:10). It is trusting in the might of the Lord rather than standing in your own strength or leaning on your own understanding.
In Ephesians 6, six pieces of armor are listed:
1. The belt of truth (Eph. 6:14)
The devil will attack truth directly by assailing you with lies, and he will attack truth indirectly by telling you there is no truth. “There are many truths. There is your truth and my truth.” He will try to deconstruct your belt of truth by glorifying doubt and uncertainty.
Truth is not a manmade construct but is defined by the One who is truth personified (John 14:6). To be girded with truth is to define and interpret all things through the lens of Jesus Christ. When you are being assailed by Facebook philosophers or doubting deconstructors, your first response should be, “What does Jesus say?” Take your questions to the Lord and allow the Spirit of Truth to guide you into all truth.
2. The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14)
A righteous breastplate protects your heart from the devil’s accusations and keeps you in right standing with the Lord.
The devil will accuse you of being a failure or not doing enough. Heed his lies and you will fall from grace into dead works of self-righteousness. We resist this temptation and guard our hearts by standing secure in the righteous affirmation of our Father’s love and acceptance. When the accuser points to your shortcomings, remind yourself, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” (2 Cor. 5:21).
3. Gospel shoes (Eph. 6:15)
We stand ready and unshakeable when we stand on the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace reveals the God of peace who makes peace by making us righteous (Rom. 15:33). When the devil tries to unsettle us, we remember that God is for us and with us and in us. Knowing that we have been justified, helps us walk in peace (Rom. 5:1).
4. The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16)
Faith is resting in the confident assurance that God is good and he longs to be good to you. Faith is not wishing the devil would go away, nor is it promising to do something for God if he’ll doing something for you. Faith is trusting in your Father’s unfailing love.
The original word for shield (thureos) in this verse means a large door-shaped shield. We extinguish all the fiery darts (temptations and deceptions) of the enemy by resting in Christ. Jesus is not only the Door (John 10:7), he is our door-sized shield who protects us and keeps us safe to the end (1 Cor. 1:8).
5. The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17)
Most spiritual warfare takes place in the battlefield of your mind. Since we are facing a defeated foe (Col. 2:15), the only way Satan can win is if he gets you to take his side. Swallow his lies and fall for his schemes, and you empower a disarmed enemy.
We refute his lies and deceptions by wearing the helmet of salvation. We take every thought captive to the obedience of the Savior (2 Cor. 10:5).
6. The sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17)
The sword of the spirit is the word of God in our hearts and on our lips. It is a most effective weapon because the word of God has power. Jesus refuted the devil in the wilderness by speaking the word of God (see Luke 4:4). In the same way, we resist the enemy’s lies by speaking forth the word of God.
The enemy’s weapons are no match for the believer who is standing firm in the full armor of God. Spiritual attacks and persecution are to be expected (2 Tim. 3:12). But by the grace of God you will win every battle.
When you are wearing the full armor of God – that is, when you are standing firm in the Lord – your enemies will come at you in one direction and flee in seven (Deut. 28:7).
By Paul Ellis, Escape to Reality: http://escapetoreality.org/2023/06/08/are-you-wearing-the-full-armor-of-god/