Whole Armor of God: The Armor (6:14-17)

Introduction:

Last week we began our final series in our study of Ephesians, The Whole Armor of God. With all we have learned from our study of Ephesians about our Christian duty toward unity and purity, it becomes complicated by the presence of hostile spiritual powers. Though we know that Christ’s cross was the devil’s undoing, and in His resurrection Christ was exalted over every created being, visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly, and that at Christ’s second coming, Satan’s defeat will be completed. But we also know that the peace of the cross is experienced in the meantime in the midst of spiritual struggle. The forces of darkness are defeated, but not yet harmless. So, we began to look at the God-given solution, the Whole Armor of God, and particularly last week, we looked at The Command given to us from God in its use, from Ephesians 6:10-13. We saw that the potency of this armor comes from God himself, his eternal inherent power, and ultimate dominion over all things. God has not equipped us for failure but for success in our spiritual struggle against the methods of the devil.

This morning we will look at the Whole Armor of God, from the perspective of the individual pieces, the armor itself, and will seek to understand why we know it was given by God, and how we use it to both defend ourselves and offensively move forward against the onslaught of spiritual wickedness.

Text: Ephesians 6:14-17

Ephesians 6:14–17 ESV

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Main Idea: Because we know that God himself has given us this armor, we therefore are able to stand our ground, defend ourselves, and move offensively against the devil’s attacks.

Background:

As we begin to unpack this text, it is important to note that there are eight verbs driving the action, seven of which are grammatically viewed from an activity that has happened as a snapshot in time with no regard for any changes since. What I mean is this… say you visited the Poconos on your honeymoon and at the ripe old age of 18, and someone snapped a picture of you and your spouse that captured a wonderful point in time. Now we know that there has been some changes since then because we’ve seen you since. But at that point in time, this was you and your spouse. In greek (aorist tense), this snapshot remains in tact, with no regard for or allowance for change (example: Romans 12:1 “1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”). So what’s the point? The point is that this armor of God is metaphorically given as part of our salvation, thus the snapshot in time, and by no means does it give any allowance for removing it or losing it. Therefore, as we go through each of these action verbs, it takes for granted that the armor is there, and just reminds us in how we are to use it, and our absolute assurance of victory!

Paul reiterates the charge to stand in the face of dreaded spiritual enemies because the Lord has not left his people defenseless. They have the complete armor of God from head to foot, which Paul gives us as a series of metaphors for the spiritual resources given to them in Christ. We begin with the parts of the armor used mostly for defense.

I. Armor of Defense (14-16)

A. Enables us to Stand (14)

(14) Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Stand (histemi [aor, act, imp] - to face and withstand with courage) therefore - this standing was first commanded back in verse 11, where we are introduced to the armor of God, and its purpose. Again, retreating is not an option here, but standing our ground with this supernatural armor, which begins with…

[having fastened on the belt] (perizonnymi [aor, mid, par] - to become fastened with a belt in preparation for strenuous activity)

The Roman soldier’s leather belt which supported and protected his lower abdomen, gathered his tunic together, and held his sword.

of truth (aletheia [noun] - statements of dependability) - what prepares us for battle is God’s truth. Without it we cannot stand. All that we have learned in chapters 1-3, prepares us for this moment. Truth and faith go hand in hand. Faith is the action side of the truth we have been given (we will talk about that in a minute).

Paul seems to have in mind the confidence that comes from certainty about the truthfulness of who we are in Christ.

having put on (endyo [aor, mid, par] - to dress oneself) the breastplate of righteousness - the breastplate was that part of the armor that protected his vital organs.

Believers are protected by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them (Phil. 3:9),

Philippians 3:9 ESV

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

As a result, they can stand up to the accusations of the devil, whose title in Greek means “slanderer” (Rom. 8:31–34). Simultaneously, Paul sees believers taking on the righteous character of Christ (4:25; 5:9) while their growing conformity to His image gives them confidence in resisting temptation. This piece of armor is what God was prophesied to wear in judging and defeating the enemy in the latter-day battle (cf. Is. 59:17).

Isaiah 59:17 ESV

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

Believers are to identify with this armor of God’s righteousness in Christ, and are to stand in their battle against Satan as if Christ were standing there.

B. Enables us to Move (15)

(15) and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

[as shoes for] your feet, [having put on] (hypodeo [aor, mid, par]) - to bind sandals onto ones feet.

The image here is of the Roman soldier’s sturdy sandals, which gave him stability and protection in battle. This footwear also contained brass shin pads to protect from the sharp sticks that the enemy would put in the field to trip up his opponent, thus allowing forward movement.

the readiness (hetoimasia [noun] - the state of being ready for action) given by the gospel of peace - sounds very much like Isaiah 52:7…

Isaiah 52:7 ESV

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

As in Is. 52:7, Paul has in mind the messenger who takes the gospel to others. Ironically, the peace that comes from the gospel readies one for war against evil (2:14, 15, 17).

It is God’s desire that in the midst of the battle with our enemy, that the progress of the gospel continues to move forward, even though the enemy will seek to impede our progress at every step. In the midst of the battle, the peace we preach is peace with God. In fact, this lack of peace with God is at the core of all battles! What keeps us in the battle is this realization that the gospel will eventually end all war.

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

C. Enables us to Protect Ourselves (16)

(16) In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

In all circumstances - there is never to be a time where this is not the case.

take up (analambono [aor, act, par] - to take and lift upward) the shield of faith

Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

The Roman shield was large enough to cover the whole body; it was made of wood, covered with animal hide, and bound with iron at the top and bottom. In the OT, the Lord is the “shield” of His people (Gen. 15:1; Ps. 144:1, 2).

This shield of faith finds its potency from the belt of truth. Faith is only as powerful as it’s object. Our faith in the truth of the gospel is what causes to…

with which you can (dynamai [fut, mid, ind] - sufficient to meet a task) extinguish (sbennymi [aor, act, par] - to put out) all the flaming darts (belos [noun] - arrows) of the evil one - When dipped in water before a battle, this shield could extinguish arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set ablaze.

So what are some examples of how this works?

Hebrews 11:32–40 ESV

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

II. Armor of Offense (17)

A. Armor to Prepare: Helmet of Salvation (17a)

(17a) and take (dechomai [aor, mid, imp] - welcome, accept, take hold of) the helmet of salvation, - This part of the armor protects the command center of the body. It is our salvation that identifies us with the armor of God. As mentioned, the grammar here identifies an activity in the past in which we accept or take hold of, that becomes the central, unchangeable motivation for all offensive activities.

For Paul, salvation is a present experience as well as a future hope (1 Thess. 5:8)

1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV

8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

The believer’s final ground of confidence is the faithfulness of God to complete the salvation He has begun (Phil. 1:6)

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

B. Armor to Fight: Sword of the Spirit (17b)

(17b) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

the sword of the Spirit - The one offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal is compared to the Roman sword, short and designed for hand-to-hand combat.

which is the word of God - Jesus used the Word of God in His battle against the temptations of Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13).

Matthew 4:1–11 ESV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

The Lord was prophesied to make the mouth of His messianic Servant like a sharp sword (Is. 49:2; cf. Rev. 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15). Christ has begun to fulfill this prophecy at His first coming (Rev. 1:16; 2:12, 16) and the prophecy will be completed at Christ’s final coming (Rev. 19:15). Christ’s followers also have this offensive weapon when they believe in Christ and come into union with Him.

There is no greater preparation for offensively fighting our enemy Satan than to read and memorize God’s word, over and over again.

So What?

Do we realize that as a child of God with all the blessing we have recieved in Christ, that part of those blessings is a full defensive and offensive armor to stand our ground against the vilest of enemies, Satan?

Do we understand that we are not just to stand our ground and hold out for heaven, but move forward with the Gospel of peace?

Do we spend time reading and memorizing the word of God in order to use its contents offensively against the devil?