The Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6:13–17 KJV 1900

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Introduction

Vs 13 - Be victorious.

Paul bases the image that he paints off of the unstoppable military operations of the Greek and Roman armies.

Greek hoplites were unstoppable and they knew it.

They would move into battle either singing or in complete silence.

Either way, their enemy was unnerved.

They had superior equipment as well as superior strategy.

The victorious stand - that is their business.

Paul tells us when to stand victorious.

The day is called evil because the spiritual forces of wickedness will hurl themselves against us.

Paul has in mind the critical and decisive day which comes for each of us sometimes but once, again repeatedly, in which Satan pounces upon us with all his forces.

Evil day is a time when the conflict will be most severe due both to persecution from without and trial from within the Christian fellowship.

You can do great and godly things and still wind up as a castaway if you don’t stand.

How do we stand victorious?

Having thoroughly done everything.

The order that armor is given is the order in which a soldier would have put it on.

Vs 14 - Put on Truth and Righteousness

The first three pieces of armor are connected linguistically.

Belt yourself, clothe yourself, shoe yourself.

Gird your loins with truth.

Hoplites typically wore a short tunic.

They didn’t wear the long flowing robes of a typical citizen.

Divine, saving truth.

Belt of truth lies underneath the armor and frees the soldier to move without entanglement.

Gird about with truth reminds us of Paul’s instruction in a different letter to bring every thought into captivity.

Put on the breastplate of righteousness.

No righteousness of our own could be proof against Satan.

Righteousness is that quality that was bestowed by God’s verdict which acquits us of all sin and guilt and declares us righteous for Christ’s sake.

This is not the imputed righteousness of Christ.

Isaiah 59:16-17 “16 And he saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor: Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; And his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation upon his head; And he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

Here, the Messiah is seen putting on righteousness as a breastplate.

If you want to be victorious in this spiritual battle, you must practice righteousness.

Vs 15 - Prepare your feet.

Ready, eager courage that is due to the gospel which fills us with the peace of God.

Preparation = readiness fully prepared to plunge into the fight.

Preparation can also mean a prepared foundation.

Dependance on the gospel gives the Christian soldier a firm foothold in the conflict.

Some historians say that the attention given to the soldier’s shoes was the secret to Roman conquest.

Vs 16 - Take the shield of faith

On all occasions, take up the shield of faith.

Faith is that which is believed by believers.

Satan’s arrows are quenched in the shield, not of “I believe” but of “it is written.”

A hoplite’s shield was typically about 4ft tall.

It was meant to protect from the soldier from his knees to his eyes.

Hoplites in a phalanx literally held a wall before their bodies.

The shields were typically wood covered in leather.

Wicked always means actively, viciously in hostility to God.

Arrows were wrapped in cotton, dipped in tar, and then set on fire.

Faith = trustful obedience.

Not saving faith. living faith.

Darts can be lies, blasphemous thoughts, hateful thoughts, doubts, and burning desire for sin.

The shield of confidence in God.

Vs 17 - Put on your helmet and grab your sword.

Helmet of Salvation

Helmet protects the head from a fatal or disabling blow.

Salvation is not only forgiveness of past sins, it is strength to overcome and conquer present and future sins.

Sword of the Spirit

Utterance of God unaltered.

Multiple authors implore readers to view the sword as more than the static Bible, but as the active, shared Bible.

The word of God is not the logos of God, it is the rhema of God.

You attack and defeat the devil not with a physical Bible but with the words of the Bible.

The Christian who hopes to stand victorious over the attacks of Satan must deploy the armor that God has provided for us.

Application

There is no attack that Satan can throw at you but God has offered you protection against.

Though the specifics of his attacks have changed over the last 2,000 years, the tactics have not changed.

Satan’s strategy remains the same because he has had great success with it.

The only reason he has such success against us as Christians is because we do not take up the armor that God has provided for us.

The armor is available for those who will take it up.

God’s armor is sufficient to protect us against the attacks of Satan, if we will use it.

Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, and His word.

These are all things that God still makes available to you today.

God has provided, we just have to activate it.

All of these pieces of armor require us to put them on.

God has made them available, but we have to do something with them.

If they sit on the side while we are in battle, it is not God that has failed us, it is we have neglected the tools he has provided.

You will face an evil day.

Where Satan and his forces target you and throw everything against you.

This will be especially true if you are actually advancing the kingdom.

“If Satan is opposing and attacking your work, it is often because you are being greatly used for the advancement of the kingdom.”

We are making advancements and inroads against the principalities of Satan.

He will not sit by and let us continue.

If he can turn us against each other, he will.

If he can ensnare us in sin, he will.

If he can get us to trust in our own abilities, he will.

We must stand shoulder to shoulder fully armed in the armor God has given to us.

If we don’t, then the enemy will pick us off, he will turn us against each other, he will disrupt the advancement of God’s church.