Today I want to look more closely at Ephesians 6:10-18. Starting with verse 10, we are called to be strong. How are we to be strong? Not in ourselves, not just doing the best that we can, but in the Lord, and in His mighty power. Why do we need to be strong? Because there is a war going on, and we all come under attack. The devil has schemes in place to take us out of the fight, but as verses 11 and 13 say, we will be able to stand against them if we put on the full armor of God. That tells me that each piece of armor is vitally important for our protection, and if we neglect one of them, we expose ourselves to the enemy's attack. Verses 14-18 go through the various pieces needed, so I'll look at each one.
First, the belt of truth. In John 8:31-32, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. / Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Later in the same chapter, Jesus said that the devil's native language is lies. Putting on the belt of truth will set us free from the lies that the devil would have us believe. How vital is truth to our safety in this battle? 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 says, "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, / and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." Truth is a key piece of armor when we engage in spiritual warfare, without it we're easy pickings for the enemy.
What about the breastplate of righteousness? Psalm 5:8 says, "Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight your way before me." Psalm 71:2 says, "Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness, turn your ear to me and save me." Proverbs 13:6 says, "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner." Clearly righteousness is also important for our protection, but how do we put it on? Both Romans 1:17 and Romans 3:22 indicate that this righteousness comes from God, and through faith in Christ.
Next, our feet are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. I think this is talking about being prepared and ready to go where God wants us, and to fight the battles that He wants us to fight. If we're focused in the right direction, we won't be taken by surprise and have our feet cut out from under us. Since Ephesians 6:12 tells us that people are not our enemy, but spiritual powers of evil are, that's where we need to focus the fight. When we start fighting against people, we get into problems like we see in 1 Corinthians 6, and verse 7 says, "...you have been completely defeated already...." What is this gospel (good news) of peace? One way to sum it up is to look at Judges 6:23... "But the Lord said to him, 'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.' " A simple definition, I know, but it makes it clear that peace can be an important defense. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble." If we want our steps to be firm, God's peace is what will do that. Philippians 4:7 shows that it's a vital part of our defense: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The next piece of armor mentioned is the shield of faith, useful for extinguishing all the flaming arrows of the evil one. We already looked at faith bringing about righteousness (Romans 1:17 and 3:22). 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." What is this shield that guards us so well? Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." How important is faith in the battle we face? 1 John 5:4 says, "...This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
Before I move on to the offense, I'd like to bring up something that a friend of mine reminded me of this morning (presumably without knowing in advance that I'd be blogging on it today - God does some strange and cool things!). She reminded me that there's no mention of back armor anywhere in this passage, and suggested that based on what she had been reading, when you look at the talk about prayer in verse 18 it looks like God intends us to have one another's backs through prayer, that the battle is not fought alone. That makes prayer a vital defense along with the rest of the armor, but with the difference that it enhances the armor of others, as we're united in the same Spirit.
That brings me to the one offensive weapon mentioned. If it's our only weapon, it suggests that we only need one weapon due to how powerful and effective it is. That weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It's useful for cutting through all the lies, deception, hype, and whatever else gets in the way of the issues that God wants to deal with. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Another time, I'd like to look at the fruit of the Spirit, to see what this weapon's use results in, and how to build those things, but that will have to be another day.
I love this :)
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