10Finally, be strong in he Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around you waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
9Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambasador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.
This has always been a favorite passage for me. The imagery is appealing and so vivid. Much remains hidden in the images though and it is these insights of Paul that I wish to bring out in my study. I will be using the New International Version (NIV) and the Darby Bible(DB). The NIV is an excellent thought for thought translation of the Bible, and the Darby Bible is good for word translations. Should you have a personal favorite translation I encourage you to read the passages in your translation. As a matter of fact I think everyone should read not just the verses I list but also read the verses around it to get the context of the passage so that you will properly understand it. Note also that this passage is addressed to believers, and is not designed for unbelievers. Unbelievers can not put on the armour of God any more than a dead man can put on a suit of plate mail, and it would do no good for him anyway. I will thus address this study to believers, unbelievers are recommended to read a more basic study like 'Who Do You Say That I Am?'.
Let's start with some background. The book of Ephesians was written by the Appostle Paul around 60A.D. while he was in his first imprisonment in Rome. He was imprisoned roughly 2 years (60-61). The book of Ephesians was not written to correct a wrong but rather to encourage and help Christians to experience a deeper and fuller walk with Christ. While Paul was imprisoned he had many occasions to see Roman guards, and the descriptions of the armor is consistent with that of a Roman soldier. This can be helpful in deciphering the purpose and picture Paul had in mind.A second inspiration for the armour is the book of Isaiah. Throughout the book of Isaiah, the images of the armour occur either word for word or near word for word.
When most Christians I know (myself included) think of the armour of God, we jump to the items in the list of what we have been given. In all honesty, I even started this study without this section because I wanted to get into the "good stuff" that He has given us. I feel like a kid at Christmas, who ignores the card on the present, so I can get to the nifty present inside. As each year passes though the cards become more valuable. Clearly I have a way to go still, because I almost missed the gems in the introduction of the armour.
Look at verse 10 first. Three words appear here that speak of power. Did you ever wonder why? I really like the reading of the New Greek Inter-linear New Testament for this verse,
[For] the rest, be continually empowered in [the] Lord and in the might of the strength of Him.
We are to be continually empowered by the Lord. How do we do that? We are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Turn back to Ephesians 5:18 where we read "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Thus we see that we receive the power to live for God by the continual infilling of the Holy Spirit. This reminds me of Zechariah 4, where there is the vision of the sevenfold lamp filled from one bowl and the Lord declares that the vision tells us 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'. It is not our might or power which will make us stand, but rather the power comes to us from God, by means of His Holy Spirit (the Sevenfold Spirit of Revelation).
The word for might in the Greek (kratos) implies physical prowess or strength. Given the imagery of a warrior in this passage, we can see this as really a seventh piece of armour. God gives us the spiritual physique of a conqueror. We were dead in our sins and could not save ourselves, we would not turn to God because of our depravity, and the Holy Spirit regenerated (God's grace) us and gave us the faith to trust only in the finished work of Christ for our salvation (justification). That would be wonderful if that were all God did for us, but it is not. We are also sanctified daily by God. God continually builds us up in spiritual power that is of and from Him alone. We owe God not only for our justification but for all the fruits that show in our life afterward. God does not save us and leave us alone! Those who God saves, He becomes the Lord of and rules in their life through His power. God not only gives us the armour to protect us, but He gives us the body capable of filling it.
So what are we supposed to do and why? Read verse 11 again. We must put on the armour. Boy does that seem obvious, but that makes it all the more embarrassing when we try to go into spiritual battles unarmed! God gives us what we need, God even gives us the desire for the things of God, but we must wear it in His strength. God has graciously given us the desire now we must put Him first. Don't confuse this with salvation, which is a once for all event (not a prayer or a card, it is when God places a deep love for Him in your heart that causes repentance and a changed life). In salvation God gives us the means (regenerate spirit and faith) and the desire (heart set on Him) so because our heart is set on Him, we must follow Him. We know God's call is effective in salvation (i.e.: all that He calls will respond - Romans 8:28-30), thankfully it is also effective in sanctification (i.e.: all that He saves will call Him Lord). We may struggle at times, we can stumble, but the character of the life of a redeemed person is one of obedience to Christ. The key point here is we are talking about a life, not an event, in your life you will fail at times but not so with a singular event, in which you repent or you don't. We will all put the armour on, but we will not all continually wear it like clothes as the Greek intones. We should therefore seek to serve God in love and put on the armour He has given us.
Do we just wear the armour because God wants us to? That would be enough of a reason, but it is not the only reason. God tells us to do it so we will be able to stand the Devil's schemes. Many clever traps exist which can make the Christian fall, or become ineffective. We are assured of our salvation, for that rests in God's almighty hand, but we can stumble from time to time. When we stumble, we weaken our witness and sadden God as we are not at that time drawing close to Him. God will bring us back, but we may doubt our salvation, giving in to the clever tricks Satan pulls on us. Satan knows we are securely God's, so the best he can do is make us ineffective tools. God gave us armour to protect us from the methods the Devil uses to bring us down. We have but to keep it on. Easier said than done.
When things are repeated in the Bible, it is a sign of their importance. Jesus often started parables with "Truely, truely I say unto you." Creation is first stated in Genesis 1 then the important emphasis is laid out in Genesis 2. The history of the kings of the nation of Isreal is given in 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, then the spiritually significant parts are retold in 1 & 2 Chronicles. Many more examples could be given but for readability I will refrain. What is my point? Well, look at verses 12 and 13. We are given the command again with more emphasis on the spiritual. Clearly God is putting emphasis on the introduction, probably because He knows people like me will keep over-looking it!
Some important points are brought out in the repeating though. First Paul tells us this is not a flesh and blood struggle. Don't look for devils under every rock and demons behind every door. Demons and the Devil are fallen angels, and thus are not physical beings. Nowhere in the Bible do fallen beings exhibit a physical form, though they can posses an unbeliever. We can't bind them and leave them helpless in a closet. We are here to proclaim Christ to a dying world, and thus be used of God in the good work He has planned for us. We are not here to bonk demons! The Devil wants nothing more than for Christians to get sidetracked into profitless fictional battles where we chase demons with the Bible, for that is one less Christian he has to worry about fulfilling the Great Commission.
What are we to do then? We are first fighting against rulers, authorities, and powers of this present darkness. Huh, what is all that? Think of how people are trapped in this current world of sin. It is an enslaving of the mind, and we are to aid in their freedom by preaching the truth of Christ and Him crucified. So the rulers, authorities, and powers are the godless philosophies and false religions that are propagated in this world to ensnare people and keep them from God. We are to use the truth of God, not only to avoid being ensnared ourselves, but also to break the chains that bind those who are lost in this world. This means we must be prepared to do battle, for the stakes are higher than just how well we live this life. We are the rowers of the life boats, sent to seek the drowning, if we fail we don't just look bad, we do great injustice to ourselves. I do not say that souls will be lost, for God is not impotent to save apart form us. God will accomplish His will, though we may not get the joy and growth of sharing and obeying. God held Ezekiel accountable (Ezekiel 3:16-21), and we to are responsible for being faithful. Do not get all worried that God will forsake us if we fail to fulfill the commission He gives us, our salvation is based on what Jesus did not on what we do. The point given has to do with our sanctification, disobedience is stagnation and very unprofitable to us and others.
Lets list the components of the armor and go through them one by one
The first piece of divine protection is the belt of truth. The first thing most people think of when they think of a warrior's belt is that it is just a place to hang things. Knights used to hang their swords on their baldrics (special type of belt common in the middle ages for knights), and anyone who has seen a western is familiar with the gun belts and bandoliers with bullets. In this vein we can certainly agree that the truth of God's word certainly is what we hang our faith on. In Psalms 25:5 we read,
- Make me to walk in thy truth, and teach me
- for thou art the God of my salvation
- on thee do I wait all the day.
What does it mean to walk in God's truth? The expression to walk in something is still used today and means that we are to live our likes according to that something. Habakkuk complained to God about the prosperity of the wicked, while they trod under the more righteous. God answered him in Habakkuk 2:4 by,
- "See, he is puffed up;
- his desires are not upright--
- but the righteous will live by his faith--
We are to live by faith in God. As it is written in Psalm 31:5,
Into thy hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, Jehovah, thou .God of truth.
What is the picture then? We are to live our lives in faith of the Truths of God revealed in His word! Our faith is not founded in lies but rather in truth. If we were hanging our faith and hopes on lies then we would be living in vain. But since we are hoping in truth and our faith is based on Christ's atonement, we do not hope in vain. For we know that from John 14:6,
Jesus says to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father unless by me.
And Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:13,
in whom ye also have trusted, having heard the word of the truth, the glad tidings of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Thus we know that all of our lives are to founded or hung on the truth's of God's promises. The only way to learn them is then to pray to God for guidance and read his word! Then God's Spirit will come and lead us into all truth as it is written in John 16:13,
But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming.
If this were the only insight given by the belt of truth, it would be great, however there is a second piece of insight. In ancient times the belt of the warrior was a wide belt that was tightened as much as possible. In fact it was the predecessor of the girdle that is worn for fashion reasons by women. Fashion and good looks were not the concern of the warrior though, rather it was safety. Safety!? Yes, first before I explain why let me give some references of the use of the belt and girding. The belt was the universal way of holding items and securing clothing, so much so the the word for fastening with a belt was to gird, which as mentioned above is where the term girdle came from. It is used extensively in both testaments,
1 Samuel 25:13
And David said to his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword; and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.
2 Kings 9:1
And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead.
Psalms 18:39
And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.
Psalms 45:3
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one, in thy majesty and thy splendour;
Ezekial 7:18
And they shall gird on sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
1 Peter 1:13
Wherefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope with perfect steadfastness in the grace which will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Nifty right, but how does this differ from the first part? Well remember how I mentioned that warriors used wide belts and fastened them tight? They did this so for two reasons. First doing so kept the loose clothes from tying them up and causing them to fall. We also rely on the truth to keep us from getting tied up in our own vain thoughts. The second reason to do so is if they got cut in what we call the gut (they called the loins) then the belt or girdle would keep their intestines from spilling out. The belt kept them from falling apart (quite literally) when they were wounded! And as Peter mentioned we are to gird up the loins of our mind. What does that mean? The truth of God holds us together when we fail/get wounded in the spiritual battle. Though we stumble we know we are not lost, we will not fall to pieces because John tells us in 1 John 1:9,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We also know from Peter's denial of Jesus, and subsequent repentance that he was forgiven. Note also that Jesus did not leave him and it was Jesus who initiated the reinstatement by convicting his heart. This does not mean we should seek sin, or that we should wait for a miraculous sign for reinstatement, rather the Holy Spirit convicts us and that is our call to repentance. Furthermore Paul tells us in Romans 6:1-2 ,
What then shall we say? Should we continue in sin that grace may abound? Far be the thought. We who have died to sin, how shall we still live in it?
In conclusion we see two main functions of the belt of truth, first it is the truth of God's word and promises on which our faith is hung, and second it is the truth of God's love and mercy which keep us from getting tied up and holds us together when we stumble, preserving His saints till he comes for us.
Just as the belt covers our loins, the breastplate covers our chest. Righteousness is an attribute of God, for we read in Deuteronomy 32:4,
He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are righteousness. A God of faithfulness without deceit, just and right is he.
Only God is truly righteous for only God is perfect. People and nations are called righteous when the are not guilty of a charge such as we see in Genesis 20:4,
But Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, Lord, wilt thou also kill a righteous nation?
Abimelech and his people were not righteous as God is, but they were not guilty of this particular act. Additionally those who follow God's laws are described as more righteous than those who do not, such as we read in Genesis 38:26,
And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I, because I have not given her to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
Again Tamar was not righteous but she did in this particular area act in God's will while Judah did not. So what is ment by righteousness in this case? I appeal to Isaiah 59:16-17,
And he saw that there was no man, and he wondered that there was no intercessor; and his arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness, it sustained him. And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
Here we see two of the pieces of armour attributed to God as he comes to save His people. God sent His only begotten son, Jesus the Christ to save (John 3:16). Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, and thus it is He that Isaiah refers to as putting on righteousness as a breastplate. So we as followers of Christ put on His righteousness when we trust in Jesus for the remission of our sins. Thus the righteousness of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, covers us and keeps us safe. To the Jewish people the heart was not the center of emotion but rather the inner man, soul, mind, will, and understanding. Thus through Christ's atonement our soul is protected from the punishment that was to come to us.
We are also conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) thus we are to become righteous as He is. This will not be achieved in this life, but we will become more and more like Him. Christians are thus to follow Christ as Lord, and thus do the good deeds God ordained for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We can see that we do belong to the Lord, because we live for Him and thus our souls are assured. For instance Peter says in 2 Peter 1:1-11
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Peter covers all the points. We partake of Christ's righteousness (salvation), are partake of His nature and thus righteousness (sanctification), and our election is made sure by this (assurance).
Roman soldiers wore protective and supportive footwear. This kept their feet safe and allowed them to go farther longer. Romans were acutely aware of the needs of travel. Roads existed long before the Romans but the roads that the Romans built were better and lasted longer. In fact it was the Romans ability to communicate and export their way of life that allowed them to rule the world. This is a marked difference to the Old Testament tradition of running barefoot as we see in Isaiah 52:7 (you try running long distance in sandals),
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings, that publisheth peace; that announceth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
The condition of our feet affects our ability to get up and go somewhere, so good shoes keep our feet able to move and make the going easier. In a like manner the gospel brings peace to us and allows us to run the good race without growing weary. As it is written in Hebrews 12:1-3,
Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us, looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself, that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds.
Was the writer of Hebrews saying that we need to actually run for God? To follow Jesus do we need to all be able to run marathons? No! Our race is not a physical race, just like our warfare is not physical warfare. Recall what Paul said in our passage, specifically verse 12 (Ephesians 6:12),
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
So what happens if we do not do everything according to the good news (gospel)?