Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
When Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians he was under house arrest in Rome, which was his first imprisonment in Rome.
Because of this and his knowledge of Rome, Paul was well aware of the uniform and equipment of the Roman soldier.
Therefore, he uses metaphorical language in these scriptures, knowing that his readers would immediately understand as he symbolizes the Christian armor needed in our fight against Satan.
Paul calls it a battle against the spiritual forces of evil, in the heavenly realms.
It is not a battle against flesh and blood, thus our need for spiritual armor.
The Spiritual Armor of God
Let's take a look at the spiritual armor of God.
The first item that Paul mentions is the belt of truth, buckled around the waist. Without the truth, one has nothing. Jesus told us the He is the way, the TRUTH and the life and no one comes to the Father except by Him. This is where everything must start. Not a lie, not a fable, not a rumor, but the TRUTH.
Next, we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness. If we are to be victorious in battle against Satan, we must definitely be obedient to God, living and acting in accordance to the teachings of Jesus. Notice, it is to be in the proper place. It is to be across our heart.
Then we are to have our feet fitted with proper footwear. The proper footwear of the Roman soldier was necessary to allow solid footing and the ability to move quickly. With the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, we must be ready and alert, able to react or move as quickly as needed.
Then, we are to take up the shield of faith. The shield of the Roman soldier could be moved high or low, thus able to protect all parts of the soldier’s body. With our shield of faith, just as the Roman soldier, we can deflect any of the fiery arrows that Satan might send our way.
Then we are to place on our head the helmet of salvation. The helmet was considered to be the most important piece of equipment for the Roman soldier. Naturally, if we are to defend ourselves in any way from the devil, we must be saved through Christ with a personal relationship with God. It all starts here. Therefore, the helmet of salvation is our most important piece of equipment also.
Finally, we are to arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It is vital that we go to battle with Satan armed with knowledge of God’s word. Knowledge of the promises that God gives us. Knowledge of how God works and knowledge of examples of faith in action.
Paul obviously knew the armor of the Roman soldier very well and even more-so, he knew what we as believers must do in “arming” ourselves to defeat Satan in our spiritual warfare.
Let us consider our spiritual armor carefully. Is it in good order? Do we utilize it daily in our Christian life? Can others see it?
We need to consider these questions carefully and then as the old hymn title proclaims, “Onward Christian Soldier” as we fight the spiritual battle against the spiritual forces of evil.
Not armed with guns or knives or weapons that kill, but with truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the word of God.
Along with this armor, we are to live our lives with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
With such, Satan can never win, and we will always be victorious.
RVH