What Is the Armor of God?
If we’re going to stand within the ranks of Christ’s military, we can’t be naive concerning the battle through which we battle. The identical grace that reconciles us to God antagonizes us to the satan.
However God has not left us empty-handed. He has geared up us for the battle. And so we don’t gown casually, however we placed on the outfit that Paul describes in Ephesians 6: “Take up the entire armor of God, that you just might be able to face up to within the evil day, and having executed all, to face agency” (v. 13).
As Paul mentioned in one other place, “the weapons of our warfare should not of the flesh” (2 Cor. 10:4)—that’s, not issues made of material or metallic to placed on our bodily our bodies. What, then, has God given us for the non secular battle through which all Christians discover themselves engaged?
The Belt of Fact
Stand subsequently, having fixed on the belt of reality… (Eph. 6:14)
For the Roman soldier, who was the epitome of navy prowess in Paul’s day, the belt was the foundational component of a chunk of armor. The opposite items have been hooked up to the belt and have been secured by it.
To put on the belt of reality is to acknowledge the significance of reality in an goal sense: “the phrase of reality, the gospel of your salvation,” by which the Holy Spirit adopts and seals us (Eph. 1:13). It’s God who saves us, and to depart from the Phrase of Fact delivered to us within the Gospel is to desert our Commander in Chief, to undermine our religion, and to make ineffective the entire equipment that God has given.
However there’s additionally a subjective component to reality—that’s, our reality telling: “Having put away falsehood, let every one among you communicate the reality along with his neighbor, for we’re members one among one other” (Eph. 4:25). The Christian will not be afraid of the reality however brings all issues out into the sunshine, the place Christ could shine on them and convey newness of life by means of the Gospel (Eph. 5:13–14).
The Breastplate of Righteousness
… and having placed on the breastplate of righteousness… (Eph. 6:14)
The breastplate, secured by the belt, protects the middle of the physique. For the Christian, righteousness protects us. And as with the belt, there’s each an goal and a subjective dimension.
At first, our goal righteousness earlier than the judgment seat of God is the Lord Jesus Christ: “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, in order that in him we would turn out to be the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). In our union with Christ, we’ve got a standing with God that the enemy can’t threaten, and we’ve got no motive to concern the wrath of God.
Subjectively, we’re additionally to dwell out that righteousness in all our days and all our choices. If we declare ourselves to be really in Christ and but dwell unrighteous lives, we will probably be inclined to each temptation. However what God has executed for us in Jesus permits and quickens us to a life that pleases Him, guarding us from the snares of sin.
The Sneakers of Readiness
… and, as footwear in your ft, having placed on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. (Eph. 6:15)
A big a part of the navy prowess of Roman armies got here all the way down to good footwear. Effectively-fitted studded boots offered traction, allowed for lengthy marches, and offered a bonus over poorly shod enemies.
The Christians footwear are “the readiness” stirred up by “the gospel of peace.” Isaiah had proclaimed, “How lovely upon the mountains are the ft of him who brings excellent news” (52:7). Paul himself was “keen” to evangelise the Gospel due to the grace and salvation that it brings to those that hear and consider (Rom. 1:15).
Wherever we go, whoever we’re, we’ve got a possibility, in phrase and deed, to proclaim the Gospel. Having buckled on the reality belt and donned the righteousness breastplate, we can’t neglect the footwear by which we go and proclaim what God has executed. No, we’re to tackle the entire armor and, in so doing, proclaim the Gospel!
The Defend of Religion
In all circumstances take up the protect of religion, with which you’ll extinguish all of the flaming darts of the evil one… (Eph. 6:16)
Roman troopers have been geared up with a big protect, greater than a meter excessive and almost a meter large, which a bunch of troopers in formation may use to guard themselves from enemy arrows. Arrows carrying flaming pitch would strike the leather-bound shields and would shortly be extinguished.
The Evil One is an accuser. He fires the flaming darts of false guilt with nice rapidity and talent. But we are able to take up religion as our protect as we remind ourselves of the reality that girds us collectively:
From whence this concern and unbelief?
Hath Thou, O Father, put to grief
Thy spotless Son for me?
And can the righteous Decide of males
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Which, Lord, was charged on Thee?
As darts of temptation fly our method, we could “resist …, agency within the religion,” understanding that “the God of all grace … will himself restore, affirm, strengthen, and set up” us (1 Peter 5:9–10). As we set our hope in Christ and the Gospel, we are able to stroll securely in righteousness by means of His energy at work in us.
The Helmet of Salvation
… and take the helmet of salvation… (Eph. 6:17)
The Roman soldier’s helm was forged from bronze or iron. Nothing wanting an ax or a hammer may pierce it. It was a supply of safety for probably the most weak elements of the physique.
We’ve got safety by means of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the satan can’t penetrate. “I give them everlasting life,” Jesus promised concerning His disciples in all ages, “and they’re going to by no means perish, and nobody will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). To know that we’re in Christ is to know that we’re protected within the palms of the Savior, no matter evil could befall us on this world of hassle (John 16:33).
As we expertise the hope supplied to us by this promise, we are able to once more resist the Evil One. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it,
If you find yourself attacked, besieged, tried, tempted, and the satan says, “There’s nothing in it, you would possibly as nicely get out of it, Christianity makes false guarantees, it doesn’t fulfil them—hand over!”, you reply by saying, “No, I’ve not been led astray by this instructing. I’ve all the time recognized that there are steps and phases in salvation. I do know that I’m saved, I do know that I’m being saved, I do know that finally I shall be utterly saved.”
The Offensive Weapons
… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the phrase of God, praying always within the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Eph. 6:17–18)
Lastly, we go away the armor behind, and we come to the offensive parts of non secular warfare.
The Phrase of God strikes many individuals at the moment—very similar to a medieval sword in a Scottish museum—as traditionally attention-grabbing however virtually ineffective. “Certainly,” they are saying, “you don’t consider that e-book, do you?” However we do consider it, and we’ve got causes to belief it. We all know that it’s “worthwhile for instructing, for reproof, for correction, and for coaching in righteousness, that the person of God could also be full, geared up for each good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). And we keep in mind that the Lord Himself turned to the Scriptures when it got here time to counter the enemy’s temptations (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13).
To depart from the Phrase of Fact is to desert our Commander in Chief, to undermine our religion, and to make ineffective the entire equipment that God has given.
Paul units the Phrase alongside prayer. They all the time belong collectively. The satan is unafraid of prayerless proclamation. As Paul himself wrote, “The letter kills, however the Spirit offers life” (2 Cor. 3:6). It’s as God speaks to us by means of the Phrase that we’ll discover energy to beat the Evil One. The Scriptures should not a talisman with which to push back evil; they’re a software God has given us to carry us to Him, the place we are able to take heed to His voice and draw on His energy for a lifetime of religion.
“The Panoply of God”
In one among Wesley’s outdated hymns we discover these traces:
Stand then in His nice would possibly,
With all His power endued,
And take, to arm you for the battle,
The panoply of God.
A panoply is a full swimsuit of armor, not missing in any half. If we’re to take our stand in opposition to the Evil One, we can’t neglect one piece of the equipment—not the readiness of the Gospel, not the Phrase, not prayer, nor another. We should put on all of it in order that we could also be prepared for each offensive that comes our method. We are going to succeed after we give ourselves over in belief to our trustworthy God, who by His Spirit guards us for the day of redemption.
This text was tailored from the sermons “The Full Armor of God” and “The Soldier’s Weapons” by Alistair Begg.
