Armour of God

This post will be a bit different from previous posts. Instead of looking at a character or story in the Bible, I am looking at a section of teaching (from Paul, of all people; not that I have anything against Paul, I just don't often write or speak about him and his work- not a lot of stories in Paul's writing).

This past week, I had the privilege of speaking to a lovely group of seniors. The pastor was on holiday, is working through the Prison Epistles, and asked if I would take the meeting - lead some worship, give them time to pray, and then teach on Ephesians 6:10-24. I was delighted. I have done this before, they are a great group who love Jesus and are excited to keep growing in their faith and relationship with God and others. I'm not going to re-write everything we looked at, but I would like to share some thoughts about the armour (armor for the Americans who may read this :0) of God.

There are six pieces of armour listed by Paul - belt, breastplate, helmet, shoes, shield, and sword. Of these, five are intended as defensive, while only one- the sword -is offensive. Paul begins the section with an injunction to "stand". Three times - in verses 11, 13, and 14- Paul says, "stand." We are wrestling, so why the command, "stand"? I think it may be because, "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Sam 17:47; 2 Chron 20:15)). The victory is already won, and we just need to "stand still and see" (1 Sam 12:16) the salvation of our God. The armour of God is intended to give us what we need to stand firm and allow God to work victory in our lives.

So what do these pieces of armour give the Christian? Lots has been written on each of these, and I can add little to what has already been exegeted, so let me summarize in this post. The belt of truth reminds us that Christianity is true. It is not true because it works; it works because it is true. As believers in Jesus, the first thing we need to stand against the enemy is the conviction that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are true. They are historically verifiable facts. Paul declared misery on himself and all who follow Christ if the resurrection is not true. All the original disciples except John died horrible deaths for a lie if the resurrection is not true. Christianity is true, and on this we stand.

The breastplate of righteousness is not about what I do; it is about what Christ has done. Jesus died for me. He paid the price for my sin, and because of Him , God sees me as righteous. I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ, regardless of my sin- past, present, or future. This does not give me a license to do whatever I want, but it does free me from guilt when I fall.
Shoes are next. The shoes are not the gospel, they are the sense of preparedness that comes from the gospel of peace. This is not Paul talking about being prepared to evanglize or preach. This is the peace that comes from knowing that God is the God of peace, that He brings peace regardless of circumstances, and that whatever wars and/or conflict may come, God is not behind them. He is the God of peace.

The shield of faith is the only article about which Paul gives direction. Believers in Jesus are to use the shield of faith to defeat those things the enemy sends against us. Doubt is extinguished by faith, as is temptation, discouragement, and other darts. Faith in God is what allows the Christian to rise above petty annoyances. It is also what permits the Christian to stand when victory is won; we remember that we did not win, but God won through us so there is no place for pride or triumphalism. We defeat the enemies attack with faith in Christ.

The last piece of mainly-defensive equipment is the helmet of salvation. I do not believe that the location of the armour was significant for Paul. The belt of truth could just as easily have been the helmet of truth, or the shoes of truth upon which we stand. However, in my life, the truth of my salvation became very clear as an older teen. I had been 'saved' many times, but always felt guilty when an evangelist would come and preach a salvation message. Finally, someone showed me 1 John 5:13 "I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life, if you believe on the name of the Son of God." At that moment, I knew that I was saved, and that my salvation did not depend on my ability to live without sinning. Instead, salvation rests on Christ, and on His work completed at Calvary. The helmet of salvation reminds us that we are saved, and nothing can change that fact.

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. For Paul and the early church, this term referenced the Old Testament Scriptures. As Paul is writing Ephesians, perhaps some NT writings would begin to be included in this designation, but perhaps not. In offensive use, the word of God is used to defeat lies Satan sends our way. Just as Jesus used Deuteronomy to counteract the temptations He faced when hungry, so the Christian is to use the words of God to counter the tests Satan sends. 

I would like to make one further point in this discussion: the culture of Paul was much more collectivist than the North American culture of today. Today, the individual is everything. "I demand my rights." We do not think about what is best for the group as much as we are concerned with what is best for the individual. We applaud the rugged individualist, who does whatever will make them happy. The lone cowboy riding the range is a hero, as is the rock-and-roll god or Youtube personality. Twitter and Facebook allow me to share my thoughts with the world, while Instagram allows me to share whatever comes to mind as it comes to mind.

For Paul, and for the Rome of Paul's day, society was important. "What is best for the group?" "How will this benefit society?" The gifts of the Spirit today seem often used to exalt the individual. For Paul, they were to build up the body of Christ, the group of believers. Thus, for Paul, it is likely that the sword of the Spirit was not a weapon for the individual to wield in defeating the enemy, but part of the equipment each individual used to make them effective as a group, as part of a team. Many barbarians may have been superior warriors to individual Roman soldiers, but the soldiers Paul envisioned as he described the armour of God were victorious over these warriors because they worked as a unit, as a team, as a group.

As followers of Christ, robed in the armour of God, we are called to function as part of the 'team' that is the body of Christ, the church of the living God, the fellowship of the faithful. We are not individual warriors in the cause of Christ, but part of the cohort of the redeemed. As individuals, may we dress in the armour of God, so we can be most effective together with our brothers and sisters in the church, standing firm in the place to which God has called us, seeing His salvation day by day, living as He calls us, part of the body of Christ, salt in the midst of decay, light shining in the darkness, the people of God.