The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18a)

Ephesians 6:13-18a – Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
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The “armor of God” passage in Ephesians is one of the most famous passages in all the Bible. Christians everywhere, from all denominational backgrounds, make reference to “Putting on God’s armor.” Sermons, sermon series, youth retreats, books, conferences, and whatever else you can think of have been dedicated to teaching the principles of the armor.

One thing that I find a bit sad, in our day, is that more emphasis is often given to the metaphor than is given to the actual attributes which Paul is trying to teach the people of God. If you have sat through a sermon or series on the armor, you likely learned a great deal about the way that Roman soldiers were dressed in the first century. You may have even been given a deeply meaningful lecture on Roman warfare, or perhaps one on the fact that none of the armor protects a soldier’s back in retreat. And, if you are in a more prayerful setting, someone might have even taught you to actually go through the motions of strapping on that armor to prepare yourself for your day.

So, today, as we think through the armor, I want us to go to the opposite extreme. Let’s just look at the list of attributes without thinking of them as pieces of spiritual armor.

· truth
· righteousness
· readiness (given by the gospel of peace)
· faith
· salvation
· the word of God
· prayer

How likely is it, if you were thinking of spiritually defeating Satan, that you would list those things in that way as your tools to win the spiritual war? Sadly, I think it unlikely. Most Christians think of spiritual warfare as something mystical, something emotional, something that is totally unorthodox. But look at that list: Truth, righteousness, readiness (given by the gospel of peace), faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer. Which of those things is mystical? Which of those things is even difficult to grasp. These are simple concepts, and they are what we use in our battle against the enemy.

Truth – You battle against the enemy by battling with truth. You never deceive. You never shade reality. You simply use truth. No gimmicks are necessary. No unseen spiritual incantations are necessary. Just use truth. See the truth; know the truth; embrace the truth, and the truth will protect you.

Righteousness – Part of defeating the enemy is righteousness. In Christ, we have perfect righteousness imputed to our account. At the same time, we are to live in righteousness to defeat the enemy.

Readiness – If you want to live a victorious Christian life, be ready with the gospel. Be ready to share your faith. Be ready to get up and go where God calls you. Do not be unprepared to live as a Christian. Be ready, and your life will be victorious.

Faith – Believing in things you can not see is crucial to the Christian life. It is impossible to please God without faith. It is also impossible to live victoriously in spiritual warfare if you are not willing to believe God, even when you can not see evidence.

Salvation – This one should be a given. If you want to succeed in spiritual warfare, you had better have the salvation of God as your protection. An unsaved person will not live victoriously. A person who has been saved and who is under God’s protection can stand.

The Word of God – No one can live a victorious life without living that life in the word of God. The Bible is the tool that is used by the Spirit of God to teach us who God is and what God wants. A devotion to the word of God is absolutely essential to a Christian life of victory.

Prayer – Talking to God, expressing your trust in him and your need for him, is a final crucial element to spiritual warfare. A prayerless life is very likely to be a life without victory.

Now, not to overemphasize the point, do you see anything hyper-spiritual about those things above? No. There is nothing strange about the armor of God. And, let me say from my own point of view, praying and pretending to put on these things as a soldier’s uniform is not going to make you somehow invulnerable to spiritual attack. What will protect you is if you actually live with these things marking your life. God is telling us all that, if we want victory, we live in truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, scripture, and prayer. Is your life covered in that kind of armor?