The Armor of God

Has any passage been more preached than this one in the sixth chapter of Ephesians? Has any exhortation been more frequently given to believers to "suit up" to defeat the devil based on these verses? And yet, this "putting on" isn't as simplistic or easy as it sounds. There is a depth to this picture that is easily overlooked, and a discipline that nobody wants to talk about.

But before we get into that, let's look at the armor itself.

The first thing Paul mentions is the belt of truth. He jumps to the middle of the costume. Most would start at the head and go down or the feet and go up, but Paul starts in the center. Why? Because truth is the central and most important piece of who we are as Christians. If we are not bearers of truth, our pants fall down, and our lies and hypocrisy are exposed. We've seen that a lot among supposed Christian leaders in the past few years, and it hasn't been pretty.

Every other piece of the armor is strengthened or weakened by the strength of the belt--by the purity of the truth we wrap ourselves in. This is of course Spiritual truth, but it is also real, physical truth. Because our Spiritual truth is often given credence by the world to the degree we are also grounded in physical truth. (Physical truth and Spiritual truth both have their roots in God. Physical truth, such as the basic laws of science, are merely the outward manifestations--the seen, as opposed to the unseen.)

This belt of truth--whether it is a thin ribbon or a thick, wide piece of leather--affects everything up to the helmet and down to the shoes.

The next piece that Paul discusses is the breastplate of righteousness, which has no functionality whatsoever without truth. We only feel confident to stand before God and enter into his throne room with boldness if we have knowledge of the truth of Jesus' righteous, sinless life, and that he is now our intermediary. This complete truth strengthens this piece of armor we receive upon accepting the work Jesus did on the cross. It's this breastplate that guards our hearts from the accusations of the enemy.

Paul then leaps down to the "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." In my book, Ephesians: The Plan, The Purpose, and The Power, I discussed why I believed that, based on the rest of this letter, the "peace" here is that which contributes to unity in the Church. The equipment Paul chose to represent that is shoes because the Church "moves," and we either move in step with the Spirit in unity or serpentine all over the place in chaos. Truth, therefore, is essential--the truth that God desires us to live in unity and the truth of who Jesus is. If you don't know Jesus--who he is and what he did while on the earth, you have no way to know what he's doing now and you're likely to run after another "commander" with a loud voice. You won't hear the Spirit when it whispers, "this is the way." A unified force moves as one in the same direction, listening to only one voice.

Paul then says to "take up the shield of faith." This is an instrument directly fueled by the truth belt. Faith has to be based on something or it will fall flat in a battle. The Christian's faith is built on the truth of who God the Father and God the Son are--their character and how they operate. A faith shield built out of anything other than truth will let those flaming arrows right through.

The next piece of equipment that Paul tells us to take with us is the helmet of salvation. Your knowledge of God's saving grace through Jesus' work on the cross lifts us out of the good works mentality that would have us striving toward our own salvation. So truth, again, is essential. Those without the truth of grace are not only exposed to the lies and accusations of the enemy and side-tracked by earning their own salvation, they will lack the confidence to ever pick up the sword.

The only offensive weapon listed is the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is the word of God. The Greek word for "word" here is rhema, which is the spoken word. It isn't graphē, the written word--a word Paul has used elsewhere to mean the scriptures. Paul isn't talking necessarily about defeating the enemy by throwing a bunch of Bible verses at him, although it could be, if that is what God says to do. The point is that we defeat the enemy with the insights given by God for the moment. That requires being tuned in. Learning to hear God accurately isn't usually accomplished overnight, and you will never hear accurately without the knowledge of the truth of who he is.

The belt of truth holds the whole armor together.

So what are the practicalities of putting all this on? Is it more than a ritualistic declaration or mental spiritual practice?

If it truly relies on truth, then yes.

Proverbs 4:7 says, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." This is another way to say, run after the truth. "Seek and you shall find," Jesus said. David said, "Your word is a light to my path." Only truth can illuminate--that which is false fogs the issues and brings confusion.

Studying and meditating on our triune God builds up our truth belt, and that in turn, strengthens every other part of our armor. With truth as its plating, the shield also grows thicker with use. Every exercise of faith adds another layer. With truth as the sword's hilt, God's voice and purpose become clearer, the sword becomes easier to wield, and you become more deadly to the enemy's schemes.

Paul's illustration is really a picture of who we are and who we can be when we are rooted in the truth of God and how he works. Because of Jesus, we are saved and declared righteous. With Jesus as our commander, we can be a unified force who cuts down the enemy with a timely word.

We all have armor, but it's thickness, impenetrability, and effectiveness is determined by us and the time we put into gaining understanding, walking out our faith, and listening to his voice.

On The Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-33

The men heading to Emmaus were discussing all that had transpired in Jerusalem during Passover, but more than that, they knew details. They call Jesus a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. They hoped he would redeem Israel. They knew about "the third day." They even knew about the women who went to the tomb and found it empty--about the vision of angels and what they said. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that these men had been followers of Jesus. Maybe they had even entered the city with him triumphantly just a week before.

And now they were leaving it all behind.

They weren't hanging with the other disciples. They were sad. Disappointed. They had experienced Jesus being powerful--that meant miracles---and they had heard him explain what would happen to him and what to expect on the third day. And what's more, if the women were to be believed, it did happen, AND YET, they were leaving with faces that were downcast. WHY?

Jesus tells them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"

Jesus really gives these two a double whammy insult. The Greek word for fool is anoētos, meaning unintelligent. The Greek word for heart, kardia, means the seat of intellect or the mind, calling them slow in the intelligence department. And rightly so. These men were given everything we modern followers long for: experiencing Jesus in the flesh with his powerful words and miracles. It wasn't a leap of faith to believe. It was rational and smart to follow a man like Jesus, and they saw the proof of it every day. Leaving behind what they KNEW because of what they DIDN'T YET KNOW was indeed foolish.

But look at the grace of Jesus. He had an appointment to meet up with His followers in Jerusalem, but two of them were heading down the road. Jesus knows what this means. This leaving is permanent. And HE TAKES OFF AFTER THEM! Not only that, He takes the time to explain everything to them beginning with "Moses and the Prophets." This was a teaching of epic proportions that lasted probably most of their seven mile walk.

Then he gives them another opportunity to go on their merry way. This is the test. After having their intellect sharpened, will they still walk away? They passed the test by asking him to come to their house. And their reward was the revelation of Jesus himself, which in turn sent them running back to Jerusalem. Back to the believers. Back to the mission.

Okay, now is the time for our own revelations. At some point in our lives we have been or we will be the men on the road to Emmaus. We will question that which we knew beyond a doubt only three days ago. And we will distance ourselves from the very people who might help us get our perspective--from others waiting for the end of the story. And Jesus in his great mercy will come after us. He might hit us upside the head and call us dolts, but then he will take the time to show us what's missing in our reasoning.

This word might come in a vision straight from Jesus. It might come from a friend or a minister or a podcast. It might come from somewhere and someone you least expect--just a guy on the road. But He WILL come for you. 

Then it's up to you.

Rejecting the discipline and the instruction keeps us walking down that same road.

A road without the glory of Jesus.

A road in the dark.

Accepting the reprimand and listening to reason puts us back in the game.

Back into fellowship, faith, and purpose.

I know where I'd rather be.