Put on the full armor of God! (Ephesians 6:10-19)

Put on the full armor of God! (Ephesians 6:10-19)

            

 

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

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:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

 

Paul used war as a metaphor to describe the life of a Christian. This world is full of wars; financial wars, information wars, technology wars, and culture wars.  In addition, there are several real wars taking place around the Middle East. Behind these wars, there is Satan. Ezekiel 38 foretells the coming of wars by non-Christian countries. However, the war I want to talk about today is the war in people’s lives. This non-seeable war in daily life is the real threat for Christians.

In today’s text Paul says to wear the full armor of God, but what does that mean?

 

'That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’

There are two reasons why we should wear the whole armor of God.

 

⑴         To easily defeat Satan.

⑵         To be prepared for judgment day.

 

Just like any other soldier, the soldiers of God should be well trained. To be a strong soldier of God, we need to be spiritually strong. We also need to understand the tactics of Satan.

 

So, what is the whole armor of God?

In today’s verse, Paul introduces six parts of the armor.

 

1. Loins girt about with truth!

 

A “loin girt” in the verse is describing a kind of belt used for battle. We usually wear a belt around the middle of our body.

So, what the “loin girt of truth” is telling us is that in the center of us and our lives there should be truth. The truth of God should be central to us, not the power of knowledge. 

 

 2. Breastplate of righteousness!

A breastplate is important because it protects our most important organs such as the heart and lungs. However, what the breastplate represents in this verse is our conscience. In other words, we must protect the righteousness of our Christian faith and ensure all we do does not conflict with our conscience.

 

  3. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace!

 Battle boots were the key success point of the Roman army. Well-made boots let the wearer walk long distances in comfort. We need to wear the boots of gospel, because gospel gives us peace and allows us to walk our life of faith with less pain and discomfort. It also gives us the strength to spread God’s word wherever the boots take us.

 

4. Protect yourself with the shield of faith!

Roman soldiers had their sword in one hand and their shield in the other to protect themselves. The shield mentioned in today’s scripture is a very large shield about 60cm wide and 1.2 meters long. It was big enough to protect the entire body from weapons like arrows. The shields would typically be made of wood and covered in leather in order to protect it from flaming arrows, which were used to set buildings on fire.

 

We too need shields throughout our life of faith. What kind of shield do we need? A shield of faith. Even now Satan is attacking us.

 

If an arrow of discord is shot at a quiet home, arguments and conflict will suddenly take over. Arrows of greed and jealousy are also constantly flying our way. That is why we need our shield of faith.

 

We can overcome and survive these potential wounds only when we believe the Bible and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thus the Apostle John says, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

 

  5. Wear the helmet of salvation!

Roman soldiers wore strong helmets on their heads. Soldiers of higher positions would wear helmets that shone brightly in the sunlight with impressive feathers decorating it so that the helmet not only protected them but also displayed their rank and prominence. These helmets could be seen by enemies from far away.

 

A Christian’s helmet is one of salvation and the confidence that you have indeed received it. It is believing that your name is on God’s List of Life, even if you may not be whole just yet. This helmet protects us from the devil’s tricks and the powers of sin.

1 Thessalonians 5:8, “…let us be…putting on… the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

What do protects our heads? The helmet of salvation.

 

Today’s world is overwhelmed with heresy, cults, and false faith. If we want to make it through its countless traps and deceits we must be sure of our salvation.

 

We must wear the helmet of salvation with assurance; it is the only way we will survive the war.

 

6. Arm yourself with the sword of the Holy Spirit!

The sword of the Roman’s was double-edged. A battle is in favor of the soldier with the better and stronger sword. A Christian’s sword is the Holy Spirit, in other words the Word of God. If we fight Satan with the Word of God, Satan will tremble in fear.

 

When Jesus was being tested by the devil, he defeated him with sword of the Word of God. Satan can not work where God’s message lives and breathes.

 

God’s word is the ultimate weapon for the spirit of those who believe. But one must be able to utilize this double-edged sword properly. To do this, one has to live with the Word of God in their heart and on their lips.

This means that words of negativity, gossip, and swears should come from our mouths. We must listen to the Word of God, understand the message, grow from the message, and apply it to our daily lives. Memorizing verses is also important so that you can have it at your disposal whenever you need it.

 

Above all, God’s military needs prayer.

Prayer is the completing component of God’s full armor. Not just prayer, but prayer at any time and any place. This is the final piece. Without prayer the full armor is essentially useless. A soldier can’t be protected if he is asleep during a battle, even with a full armor.

Through prayer you receive the supply of spiritual strength you need.

Through prayer you receive the instructions and strategies you need from God in order to defeat your enemies.

 

In prayer there are two things you must remember:

First, pray for others.

It is crucial that you pray for other meaning our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Second, pray for missionaries and evangelists.

Paul asked for people to pray for him, not for his own wellbeing, but for the successful proclamation and spread of the Gospel. Paul was captured and put in chains but even then the called himself the “Ambassador in Chains”. He asked for prayers even when he was in jail.

Missionaries cannot successfully carry out their goals without our prayers.

 

The building, facilities, and programs a church has to offer are all important. However, it is much more important that the congregation prepares and arms itself to fight the spiritual war. Losing would bring a wretched and miserable price to pay. Start each day with the Word and prayer.

Let us put on the full armor of God and pray that we fight our battles and come out victorious.

 

(TRANSLATED BY SUNG WOO AHN & YE BIN CHOI)