If we’re going to stand within the ranks of Christ’s military, we can’t be naive concerning the battle by which we combat. The identical grace that reconciles us to God antagonizes us to the satan.
However God has not left us empty-handed. He has geared up us for the combat. And so we don’t gown casually, however we placed on the outfit that Paul describes in Ephesians 6: “Take up the entire armor of God, that you just could possibly face up to within the evil day, and having completed all, to face agency” (v. 13).
As Paul stated in one other place, “the weapons of our warfare will not be of the flesh” (2 Cor. 10:4)—that’s, not issues made of fabric or steel to placed on our bodily our bodies. What, then, has God given us for the non secular battle by which all Christians discover themselves engaged?
The Belt of Fact
Stand subsequently, having mounted on the belt of fact… (Eph. 6:14)
For the Roman soldier, who was the epitome of army prowess in Paul’s day, the belt was the foundational aspect of a chunk of armor. The opposite items had been hooked up to the belt and had been secured by it.
To put on the belt of fact is to acknowledge the significance of fact in an goal sense: “the phrase of fact, the gospel of your salvation,” by which the Holy Spirit adopts and seals us (Eph. 1:13). It’s God who saves us, and to depart from the Phrase of Fact delivered to us within the Gospel is to desert our Commander in Chief, to undermine our religion, and to make ineffective the entire package that God has given.
However there may be additionally a subjective aspect to fact—that’s, our fact telling: “Having put away falsehood, let every one in all you converse the reality along with his neighbor, for we’re members one in all one other” (Eph. 4:25). The Christian will not be afraid of the reality however brings all issues out into the sunshine, the place Christ might shine on them and produce newness of life by way of the Gospel (Eph. 5:13–14).
The Breastplate of Righteousness
… and having placed on the breastplate of righteousness… (Eph. 6:14)
The breastplate, secured by the belt, protects the middle of the physique. For the Christian, righteousness protects us. And as with the belt, there may be each an goal and a subjective dimension.
Before everything, our goal righteousness earlier than the judgment seat of God is the Lord Jesus Christ: “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, in order that in him we would turn out to be the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). In our union with Christ, we have now a standing with God that the enemy can not threaten, and we have now no purpose to concern the wrath of God.
Subjectively, we’re additionally to stay out that righteousness in all our days and all our selections. If we declare ourselves to be really in Christ and but stay unrighteous lives, we can be prone to each temptation. However what God has completed for us in Jesus allows and quickens us to a life that pleases Him, guarding us from the snares of sin.
The Sneakers of Readiness
… and, as sneakers to your toes, having placed on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. (Eph. 6:15)
A major a part of the army prowess of Roman armies got here all the way down to good footwear. Nicely-fitted studded boots supplied traction, allowed for lengthy marches, and supplied a bonus over poorly shod enemies.
The Christians sneakers are “the readiness” stirred up by “the gospel of peace.” Isaiah had proclaimed, “How lovely upon the mountains are the toes of him who brings excellent news” (52:7). Paul himself was “keen” to evangelise the Gospel due to the grace and salvation that it brings to those that hear and consider (Rom. 1:15).
Wherever we go, whoever we’re, we have now a possibility, in phrase and deed, to proclaim the Gospel. Having buckled on the reality belt and donned the righteousness breastplate, we can not neglect the sneakers by which we go and proclaim what God has completed. No, we’re to tackle the entire armor and, in so doing, proclaim the Gospel!
The Protect of Religion
In all circumstances take up the defend of religion, with which you’ll be able to extinguish all of the flaming darts of the evil one… (Eph. 6:16)
Roman troopers had been geared up with a big defend, greater than a meter excessive and practically a meter huge, which a bunch of troopers in formation may use to guard themselves from enemy arrows. Arrows carrying flaming pitch would strike the leather-bound shields and would shortly be extinguished.
The Evil One is an accuser. He fires the flaming darts of false guilt with nice rapidity and ability. But we are able to take up religion as our defend as we remind ourselves of the reality that girds us collectively:
From whence this concern and unbelief?
Hath Thou, O Father, put to grief
Thy spotless Son for me?
And can the righteous Choose of males
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Which, Lord, was charged on Thee?
As darts of temptation fly our means, we might “resist …, agency within the religion,” realizing that “the God of all grace … will himself restore, affirm, strengthen, and set up” us (1 Peter 5:9–10). As we set our hope in Christ and the Gospel, we are able to stroll securely in righteousness by way of His energy at work in us.
The Helmet of Salvation
… and take the helmet of salvation… (Eph. 6:17)
The Roman soldier’s helm was forged from bronze or iron. Nothing in need of an ax or a hammer may pierce it. It was a supply of safety for one of the vital susceptible components of the physique.
Now we have safety by way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the satan can not penetrate. “I give them everlasting life,” Jesus promised relating to His disciples in all ages, “and they’re going to by no means perish, and nobody will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). To know that we’re in Christ is to know that we’re secure within the palms of the Savior, no matter evil might befall us on this world of bother (John 16:33).
As we expertise the hope provided to us by this promise, we are able to once more resist the Evil One. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it,
When you’re attacked, besieged, tried, tempted, and the satan says, “There may be nothing in it, you may as nicely get out of it, Christianity makes false guarantees, it doesn’t fulfil them—quit!”, you reply by saying, “No, I’ve not been led astray by this educating. I’ve at all times identified that there are steps and levels in salvation. I do know that I’m saved, I do know that I’m being saved, I do know that in the end I shall be utterly saved.”
The Offensive Weapons
… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the phrase of God, praying always within the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Eph. 6:17–18)
Lastly, we depart the armor behind, and we come to the offensive components of non secular warfare.
The Phrase of God strikes many individuals immediately—very like a medieval sword in a Scottish museum—as traditionally fascinating however virtually ineffective. “Absolutely,” they are saying, “you don’t consider that ebook, do you?” However we do consider it, and we have now causes to belief it. We all know that it’s “worthwhile for educating, for reproof, for correction, and for coaching in righteousness, that the person of God could also be full, geared up for each good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). And we keep in mind that the Lord Himself turned to the Scriptures when it got here time to counter the enemy’s temptations (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13).
To depart from the Phrase of Fact is to desert our Commander in Chief, to undermine our religion, and to make ineffective the entire package that God has given.
Paul units the Phrase alongside prayer. They at all times belong collectively. The satan is unafraid of prayerless proclamation. As Paul himself wrote, “The letter kills, however the Spirit provides life” (2 Cor. 3:6). It’s as God speaks to us by way of the Phrase that we’ll discover energy to beat the Evil One. The Scriptures will not be a talisman with which to keep off evil; they’re a instrument God has given us to convey us to Him, the place we are able to take heed to His voice and draw on His energy for a lifetime of religion.
“The Panoply of God”
In one in all Wesley’s previous hymns we discover these strains:
Stand then in His nice may,
With all His power endued,
And take, to arm you for the combat,
The panoply of God.
A panoply is a full go well with of armor, not missing in any half. If we’re to take our stand in opposition to the Evil One, we can not neglect one piece of the package—not the readiness of the Gospel, not the Phrase, not prayer, nor every other. We should put on all of it in order that we could also be prepared for each offensive that comes our means. We’ll succeed after we give ourselves over in belief to our devoted God, who by His Spirit guards us for the day of redemption.
This text was tailored from the sermons “The Full Armor of God” and “The Soldier’s Weapons” by Alistair Begg.
