The Full Armor of God

-Pastor Philip Joseph

Ephesians 6: 10-18 NKJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. [13] 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. [14] Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; [18] praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-

We are in a Battle

Whether we realise it or not, we must know that we are engaged in a battle. Paul says that “finally” – after knowing that we are seated together with Jesus in the (third) heavens, and how we ought to walk while we are on earth, is now focussed on our position of standing firm against the wiles of Satan and his hosts of wickedness having their positions in the (second) heavenly places (v12).

While talking about battle and the armor, Paul clarifies initially itself that our battle is NOT against any human being-not against any flesh and blood.

•          For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} (Eph 6:12)

In another letter, Paul has written about idols and their demonic influence. An idol is nothing, and while we see the religious fervor going on around this time in Mumbai, we sense a heightened potential for demonic revelry. And that is what we have to be warned about. Demons lurking behind idols still crave for worship in whatever form. As believers, we must stay away from any such mess influencing our lives.

•          {No,} but {I say} that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. (1 Cor 10:20) 

Pieces of Armor

1.       The Belt Of Truth

In those days, the belt was not used in the sense as it is used now-but had several functions. And Paul says truth is our first armor. The Roman Soldier Wore A Belt That Held His Shield, Sword, And Breastplate In Place. If he should lose his belt, a few other vital pieces of armor too will lose their functions. But with the Belt on, he could Move Freely.

• Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH.. (Eph 6:14)
• Therefore, gird the loins of your mind (1 Pet 1:13 Literal translation). prepare your minds for action (NASB)
• In Him, you also trusted, after listening to the message of truth (Eph 1:13)
• Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH (Eph 4:25 )

From the above verses, we understand that the truth battle is fought in the mind. Peter warns us that our minds must be alert for action. Paul emphasised on knowing and trusting the gospel-our sins are forgiven because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross; now we have no condemnation, no guilt- This is truth. And in our day-to-day lives we must live truthfully with one another. Because even a single lie will have a cascading effect, and we will soon find pieces of armor falling apart, if we don’t gird our loins with the belt of truth.

2.       The Breastplate Of Righteousness

The Roman Breastplate Was Made Of Either Brass Or Bronze. It Had Two Pieces-One In Front And One In Back. The Breastplate Protected The Vital Organs.

•  BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Eph. 6:14)
• But since we are of {the} day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love.  (1 Thess. 5:8)
•  and put on the new self, which in {the likeness of} God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Eph. 4:24 )
• (for the fruit of the Light {consists} in all goodness and righteousness and truth) (Eph. 5:9)

Breastplate of righteousness is actually the armor arising out of our faith in the finished work of Jesus and His love towards us. Therefore, we not only have the imputed righteousness of Jesus, but also the imparted righteousness of the Holy Spirit’s work within us. Therefore, all our vital organs are protected in this covering. Paul writes that this act of putting off the old self, and putting on the new man as if it is a conscious decision like changing our clothes, and done every day- and it is so. We have to daily put on the breastplate of righteousness.

3.       Sandals Of Peace

The Romans Wore Sandals And Greaves Into Battle. The Sandals Had 1 To 3 Inches Spikes In Them, And The Greaves Protected Their Shins From Wounds.

•          and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; (Eph 6:15)

•          being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:3)

•          Pursue peace with all men (Heb 12:14)

Beloved, let us have peace with one another; both in the house of God as believers, and in the outside world as followers of Jesus. People usually have a chip on their shoulders and think that if the other person is wrong, there is no need to have peace with that person. But, that is just opinionated proud thinking-maybe the other person feels that you were wrong! Therefore, pursue-go behind, do all that you can, to have a bond of peace. Christ has reconciled us to the Father and He Himself is our peace, and we are called to be peace processors (ambassadors) for Christ.

4.       The Shield Of Faith

The Roman Shield Was Made Of Two Pieces Of Wood That Were Glued Together. The Shield Was Saturated With water to Put Out Flaming Arrows.

•          in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil {one.} (Eph 6:16)

•          For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. (1 John 5:4)

The shield of faith is saturated with water of the word of God, and the fiery arrows from the enemy cannot explode on impact but will be only extinguished and remain powerless. Apostle John – a person of tremendous faith, where nobody could do any bodiliy harm to him writes this: this is the victory that overcomes the world-even our faith.

5.       The Helmet of Salvation

The Roman Helmet Was Beautiful And Intimidating. It Was Engraved With Various Pictures.The Red Horse Hair Could Be Seen When They Marched Into Battle; A Terrifying Sight To The Enemy.

•          And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION (Eph 6:17)

•          …and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thess 5:8)

Helmet wearers know that not only is a helmet necessary, but also that it must fit the head firmly and fully to have its protection fully effective. As is the case of Roman soldier, so is the case for us, where we have to be fully assured of our salvation, and have the hope of seeing Jesus on that day for our portion of eternal bliss-the hope of our salvation.

6.       The Sword of The Spirit

The Roman Short Sword Was The Soldier’s Primary Weapon of attack. It Was Dual-Bladed, And Very Sharp. It Could Kill With A Two Inch Blow.

•          and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word {rhema} of God. (Eph 6:17)

•          For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, (Heb 4:12)

In every circumstance of life, we have Him who gives us the necessary ‘rhema’ word for that attack. And one word, spoken, will be sufficient to slay the enemy. Living, active and SHARPER than any two-edged sword.

7.       Prayer

Although not specifically comparing with a physical weapon as mentioned by Paul, we must not miss out on this armor-where Paul says “with all kinds of prayer…”. This armor can be compared to the Spear or Javelin.

•          With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, (Eph 6:18)

A javelin can be used to throw at the enemy even from a distance. And we can covet prayers of others and cover all His saints in prayer, that will put an end to the enemy’s attacks even before it begins.

And one must NOT afford to be complacent, thinking that missing out on one or two of the pieces of armor will do us no harm. Paul clearly states that we must PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR. Every thing in place – in season and out of season.

•          Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Eph 6:11)

•          Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Eph 6:13)

Brother, Stand firm. God bless you.