The Armor of God
Scripture:
Ephesians 6:14-17 (ESV)
14 Stand therefore, having
fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, 15 and,
as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of
peace. 16 In all
circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the
flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God,
Devotion:
Commentators have used a wide variety
of ways to describe the armor of God. My take follows a different path than
most. Instead of concentrating on the pieces of armor and what body parts they
do or do not cover we will be examining the characteristics of each piece of
armor and why they are so vital for a Christian to be able to stand and fight
the enemy. This thinking is drawn from Eugene Peterson’s the Message
translation below:
“Be
prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every
weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them
throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.” (Ephesians
6:14-17, The Message)
I feel this interpretation of
Ephesians gets at the heart of what Paul was trying to say to the church. While
it is true that the picture that Paul is making in this section of scripture is
a picture of the way a Roman soldier would put on and carry his armor. The main
point is that all these attributes are required of the Christian in order to
survive the enemy's attack.
We must be prepared with the truth.
Eve was not prepared with the truth about God’s commands when she fell for the serpent's temptation in the garden. The resulting fall is still being painfully
felt throughout creation. Being prepared with righteousness is essential. One
who is depending on his own righteousness will fall. We need the righteousness
that only Christ can provide. Faith in Christ will protect you from the daily
seeds of doubt that Satan sows into your mind and keep you on the path of
holiness. Salvation is the necessary condition for all of the rest of the armor
to function properly. It is the foundation on which the other attributes fit
together. Finally, the Word of God is your offensive weapon to defeat the
enemy. Jesus in his temptation in the wilderness used this weapon exclusively
to fend off Satan’s temptations.
Thus, we can see that God has provided
everything that is needful for Christians to lead a victorious life in this
world. We must use these attributes daily to be effective in our fight against
the devil and his demons. When used properly they guarantee our victory in the
fight for our souls.
Prayer:
Lord thank you for providing all the
equipment that we need to live a victorious life in this world. Remind us to
pick up our equipment daily or more often if needful so that we can be prepared
for the fight that each new day brings. May we each be prepared to defend
ourselves and our neighbors against the onslaught of the enemy of our souls.
Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may have the will and the energy for the battles
that lie ahead. In Jesus name we ask all this. Amen.
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