Hi,
friends! Welcome to Lesson 1 in "The Armor of God" series. Chances
are, you've already heard about this powerful and important set of armor that
Paul describes in Ephesians chapter 6. The breastplate of righteousness, the
helmet of salvation, the shield of faith—these are terms you might already
know. But how much have you looked into them? It turns out that, upon close
examination of the function of each piece of armor and the attribute Paul
assigns to it, there are some incredible lessons to be learned. Let's check
them out.
Lesson 1: Taking Up the Whole Armor of God
Paul tells us to take up
the whole armor of God. But what is this armor, and how do we put it on? Is it
still relevant for Christians today?
Paul, an
apostle of God's first-century Church, has a story for us today:
Accused
of sedition, beaten, arrested, almost assassinated, shipwrecked, attacked by a
snake and placed under house arrest: Most would call this list an unfortunate
run of bad luck. Paul would recognize it as just part of his job description.
Imprisoned
in Rome for two years under the watchful eyes of Roman soldiers, Paul was able
to write four epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon) and
continue preaching "the kingdom of God and teaching the things which
concern the Lord Jesus Christ" to all those who came to hear him (Acts
28:30-31).
Living
for two years with soldiers of the Roman army must have made an impression on
Paul. Likely he saw the soldiers' armor enough to become well acquainted with
it, learned to understand the function of each piece, what purpose it served
and why it was important.
At some
point, a God-inspired analogy began to form in Paul's mind. Just as the Roman
soldiers required physical armor to fight their wars, we Christians require
spiritual armor to successfully fight ours. As the pieces fell into place, Paul
saw that each piece of Roman armor had a powerful
correlation with our own spiritual defenses. It is this analogy that the church
in Ephesus received and which God has preserved for two thousand years for our
benefit.
What Do
We Need Armor for, Anyway?
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
How?
How is it that, as
Christians, we are expected to withstand incredible pressures and not be
defeated? How can we possibly stand up against everything the world has to
throw at us and still expect to emerge victorious?
The answer lies not in
ourselves, but in a divine and unbeatable defense: the armor of God.
What is the armor of God?
Ephesians 6:10-20
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the
saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth
boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in
chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
The armor of God is an
amazing metaphor for action we need to take in our spiritual lives. Paul sets
the scene for us: We are fighting a war, and the stakes are higher than they
have ever been in human history.
Our enemy? Not flesh and
blood, no human foe—we fight against a much more fearsome opponent whose forces
are described in Ephesians 6:12. Our adversary, Satan the devil, and his host
of demons have a single, driving purpose: Obliterate the
children of God.
Faced with the cares of
this world, we can easily forget about the severity of this battle. But
make no mistake: Our spiritual lives and future in God's Kingdom are on the
line. If we lose this war, we lose everything. What can we do in the face of
such overwhelming odds? Is there any hope?
Paul has the answer. In
Ephesians 6:13, he gives the call to arms. By putting on all of God's armor,
which we will be exploring piece by piece in the following lessons, we can be
assured of withstanding our enemy's onslaughts.
Are there any other
references to this armor in the Bible?
Isaiah 59:17
“For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on
the garments of vengeance for clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”
Yes! Though the passages
may not explicitly call it the armor of God, there are sections of the Bible
that further elaborate on the topic—even in the Old Testament! Isaiah 59:17
refers to two familiar pieces of armor—the helmet and the breastplate—and
introduces two other pieces—the clothes of vengeance and cloak of zeal.
We won't be looking at the
clothes of vengeance, since they belong exclusively to God (Hebrews 10:30). The
cloak of zeal, however, is an interesting study and one we'll be spending some
time reviewing.
Romans 13:11-14
“And do this, knowing the time, that now
it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than
when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore
let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in
the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in
strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the
flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Paul admonishes the Romans
to put on both the "armor of light" and "the Lord Jesus
Christ." This passage reveals both that wearing the armor of God is synonymous with having the
character of God and that this armor cannot be worn if we are still wearing the
"works of darkness"—a lifestyle of sin that separates us from God
(Isaiah 59:1-2).
2 Corinthians 6:7
...by the word of truth, by the
power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the
left...
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to
punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
In these passages Paul
calls it the armor of righteousness and reveals its purpose. We put on the
armor and strength of God to effectively wage war against our enemy, the devil.
Without it, we are helpless—but with it, we are soldiers of the living God, and
"more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
Apply Now
Before
proceeding to the following lessons, take a minute to review Ephesians 6:10-20.
Get a piece of paper and a pen and answer the following questions: What pieces
of armor are listed? What spiritual qualities are they coupled with? What
similarities do the armor and the qualities share for Paul to have linked them
together? As you go through the rest of the lessons, compare your answers.
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