LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

The Splendid Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

INTRODUCTION

From the beginning of our study of Ephesians, we have said that the theological background for the letter is the devastation Satan has inflicted upon the universe. Because of his successful rebellion, the universe has been plunged into disunity, disharmony, cacophony, strife, and conflict. In order to redeem the universe and bring to it harmony, unity, and reconciliation, God has sent His Son Jesus as the Messiah in the kingdom of God. God is restoring order and unity to the universe by subjecting all things beneath the feet of Jesus.

Remembering this background is important as we launch into the study of the spiritual armor God has given His people. Ephesians more than any other of Paul's writings correctly lays the ultimate blame for the world's ills right at the feet of Satan. In the conflicts of our lives, we have to deal with Satan; otherwise, we have not done all we need to do in the battles we're engaged in. For example, refusing to deal with Satan and fighting him in his arena is like a person attacking an anthill by going only after the worker ants. Until the queen is destroyed, you are not going to win the battle against the ants. In the same way, until Satan is rendered ineffective in our lives, then we are not going to enjoy real victory.

Normally when we come to the passage regarding the armor of God, we immediately launch into a detailed discussion about how the armor listed here resembles the armor worn by the Roman soldier of Paul's day and how we are to exercise faith, speak truth, and live righteously in order to be able to withstand the schemes of the Evil One. Unfortunately when we do this, we fail to appreciate the biblical background which probably determined Paul's thought here.

The biblical background first for the spiritual armor discussed in Eph. 6 is the concept of the Holy War. In Deuteronomy God gave specific instructions to the Israelites about how to wage Holy War against God's enemies. The invasion of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua was not a land-grab process; it was God executing judgment upon the Canaanites and Amorites. The Holy War is still going on today. It's just that this time, the enemy is not another person; the enemy is none other than Satan himself and his minions. A spiritual battle is waging whether or not you and I admit it. Failing to admit it will result in disaster. It would be like the person living in Afghanistan claiming that no war is going on between the USA and al Qaida, then going outside of their homes at any and all times, and then getting killed by Al Qaida snipers.

Second, in the Holy War the main warrior was not the army of the Israelites; the main warrior was God Himself. When the Israelites attacked Jericho, they did not win because they were more powerful than the Canaanites: they won because God went before them. The main operative here was God. At times God did not even use their help, much less need it. For example, when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah, during the night God sent His angels to destroy the Assyrian army. At other times God worked through the army of the Israelites to secure victory, such as, when the Israelites slaughtered the Amorites on the eastern side of the Jordan River. When God was fighting for the Israelites, they could destroy armies mightier than they; when God was not fighting for them, they were easy prey for even smaller and weaker armies than they, as in the case of the attack against the cities of Bethel and Ai. God and not the Israelites was the ultimate warrior in this Holy War.

Although the above passages describe God fighting for His people, we must turn to Isaiah 59:15-17 and 11:1-5 which respectively describe God and then the Messiah in their roles as the Mighty Warriors. As we look at Paul’s description of the spiritual armor God gives His people, we will see such an uncanny similarity between the divine warrior of Isaiah and the warrior of Ephesians 6 that we must conclude that Eph. 6 is really describing the Christian warrior who is clothed with none other than God Himself, the true Warrior. Being clothed with the Divine Warrior is one of the necessary consequences of being clothed with the Holy Spirit.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD (Eph. 6:10-13)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Before launching into a detailed description of the spiritual armor, Paul commands us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (6:10). Paul does not expect us to wage the spiritual war in our own strength and power; if we do, we are headed for disaster. Rather, just like God did for Israel in the Holy Wars, He expects Himself to be the One who leads out in this new Holy War. Sometimes He expects us to be actively engaged in the battles as He expected the Israelites to take up arms against the Canaanites at the battle of Jericho. At other times He expects us to stand still and see the salvation of our God as He commanded the Israelites at the Red Sea. Whether we are actively engaged or not is not the issue; what is the issue is whether or not God is the One who is fighting for us.

What kind of power does God wield during this Holy War? Paul piles up word upon word to describe this power: “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might,” that is Paul uses 3 words meaning power (strong, strength, and might) to mean that incredible power is operating here. It is like he is calling it power to the third power. From Eph. 1 we see that the power operating on behalf of the Christian is nothing less than the resurrection power God used to raise Jesus from the dead. If this power is working for us, then there is absolutely no excuse for the Christian to fail in this Holy War.

Next, Paul commands us to put on the full armor of God that we may be able to stand firm against the schemes (“wiles”) of the Evil One, that is Satan (6:11). Although our NT versions translation panoplia as “full armor,” Markus Barth our expert on Ephesians argues convincingly that in this passage is should be rendered “splendid,” as in “the splendid armor of God.” He bases this first upon the fact that Paul does not mention all the armor that God uses in His Holy War, second upon the fact that Paul does not list all the different pieces of armor the Roman soldier would use, third upon other descriptions of the way God lavishly gives to His people in Eph. 1, and fourth upon it being more appropriate to the context than the translation “full.” This translation is even more appropriate when you realize that the description of the warrior here uncannily resembles the description of God and the Messiah as the Mighty Warriors in Is. 59:15-17 and 11:1-5. In those passages God is seen as victorious, not as somebody about to enter the battle where the outcome stands in the balance. He is as ready for the triumphal procession as He is for the field of battle. The picture then is of the Christian who is dressed as the Victor who although he has not yet entered the battle is nevertheless still entering it knowing full well that victory is his because of the armor he wears.

What are the schemes of the Evil One? From Eph. 4:26-27 we see that one of the ways the Evil One attacks God’s people is by attacking relationships. Paul informs us that we can be angry; however, we must not let the sun go down on our anger because when anger lasts longer than a day, it becomes the devil’s playground. It provides him with a base of operations from which he can attack Christians.

Early on in our marriage, Nancy and I agreed that if at all possible we would try to resolve anger on the same day it erupted. Remember the first argument we ever had. We had just moved into a new duplex in Dallas. It was cold outside and cold inside too because the gas company had not turned on the heat yet. We had an argument about the arrangement of some furniture. We both got mad and stopped talking to each other. Later that evening when it was time for bed, I knew it was time to make up. We had no heat in the house and only one electric blanket. We either had to make up or one of us was going to have to sleep on the couch. Since I did not relish the idea of sleeping on the couch, I approached her sheepishly and made up! All within the span of one day. That’s the amount of time God wants us to stew in our anger and not a minute longer.

Unfortunately once I let my anger last a lot longer than one day. Rightly or wrong, I felt that one of my supervisors stabbed me in the back. I felt like we had both reached an agreement on how to respond to a certain situation; however, when things got a little hot, my supervisor hung me out to dry. I was very angry. I was also a lot younger than and did not know how to respond to the anger I was feeling. Unfortunately, I remained angry for a long time after that. The only person that anger ended up hurting, though, was me. The anger I felt was not worth the pain I went through.

Paul reminds us of the identity of our primary adversary, Satan (6:12). Too many times we look at each other as being the enemy. Whereas it is true that God holds us responsible for our actions, behind all the evil in the world, though, stands Satan. This is not to put Satan in every movement of the wind or in the eerie sounds of animals in the night; it does, though, lay ultimate responsibility for all evil right at the doorstep of Satan himself. As such, we need to remember that in our difficulties we need to deal with the spiritual aspect of the problem and not just with the personal aspect.

Paul gives the final charge to take up the splendid armor of God so that we might stand firm and be able to resist in the evil day. Because of one of the pieces of armor God gives us (the sandals or boots), God expects us to hold our ground. There is no retreating if we are going to be victorious in the struggle. There is a great scene in the movie Patton in which the British officer advises Patton to pull back, retrench, and then get ready for another offensive. Patton's response is classic: "I pull back and retrench because I don't believe in fighting for the same real estate twice!" The Christian should have the same attitude. We should not pull back by compromising our integrity and character. We should never yield on the things God has commanded us to do. We are to stand firm, especially in the evil day.

By "the evil day," Paul may be referring simply to the days in which we experience evil from Satan. More is probably meant, though, because Paul specifies this as "the evil day," that is, a specific day of evil. In the context of the Bible it is hard to escape the conclusion that "the evil day" refers to that definite period of time in which Satan launches a final assault against Christ by attacking His people. Although that day will precede the glorious event of the return of Christ, it will nevertheless still be a day of great pain and agony for God's people. God's weaponry in Eph. 6 will be more than sufficient to help the believer be victorious in that day. Well, if God's armor can take the Christian through that evil day, the time of great tribulation, then you can rest assured that it will also be sufficient to give us victory during our lesser battles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ARMOR OF GOD (Eph. 6:14-20)

Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Belt of Truth

The first piece of armor the Christian is to put on is the "belt of truth." Various kinds of belts made up part of the soldier's uniform. During the battle the soldiers would put on a leather belt which basically fastened the different pieces of the armor together. From this belt suspended the sword and various other items. This has been the traditional interpretation of the belt. Another belt, though, was worn by the soldiers during the triumphal processions. It was a cloth sash, very similar to our cummerbunds which are worn on dressier occasions (this is the interpretation sponsored by Markus Barth). Now the sash was worn by the superior commanding officers. Note that this belt is not worn by just one set of the soldiers in the divine army. Instead, all the soldiers in the divine army wear this belt. There are no higher or lower ranks; we are all on the same level playing field.

The belt here represents truth. Most of the time we reduce truth here to mean that we should always speak the truth as opposed to speaking lies. Moreover, we are to speak the truth in love even if it might hurt somebody's feelings. Whereas we should not lie, I feel that a lot more is operating here than just merely not telling lies. From the letter of Ephesians itself, Paul says that this truth is in Jesus (4:21). Whatever truth is, it has an indissoluble link to Jesus. Truth primarily refers to the ultimate meaning and goal of life. In connection with Jesus it means that if I want to find real meaning and purpose in life, then I must align myself with the truth that God has sent Jesus as the messiah to bring in God's kingdom into the world and to restore order, harmony, and unity to the universe. Promoting anything less falls well short of speaking the truth in the sense Ephesians means it.

Breastplate of Righteousness

The second piece of weaponry is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was critical in that it protected the vital organs of the body: the lungs, the heart, stomach, etc. Righteousness in this passage does not refer to the righteousness we produce. Isaiah claims that all our righteousness is as filthy rags (Is. 64:6). First, it refers to the righteousness which Jesus demonstrated while on earth. The cross became the marketplace in which the great exchange/transaction occurred. At the cross, at this marketplace God exchanged my unrighteousness for the righteousness of Jesus. God placed Jesus' righteousness upon me and my unrighteousness upon him (2 Cor. 5:21). As a result, on Judgment Day when God judges my righteousness, I am going to point to Jesus and say: "I am with HIM! HE is my righteousness." Second, I experience this righteousness whenever I allow Jesus to live His righteous life through me. How does He live through me? By me obeying Him. Whenever I obey whatever He says to me, I experience His life flowing through me; then I experience His righteousness. This is the only way I can protect my vital spiritual organs.

The Footwear of Peace

The third piece of armor put on is the footwear: “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” The Greek word translated “preparation” is better translated “solidity” or “stability.” Stability and solidity are so important when it comes to the soldier’s footing. The shoes worn by the soldiers were made of a thick sole with metal spikes protruding from the bottom, similar in many ways to our cleats. Leather straps from the bottom of the shoe were laced up the leg of the soldier to fasten the shoes to the feet of the soldier. These cleats were important because of the nature of the terrain of the Mediterranean world. Except for Northern Africa the Mediterranean world is made up of a rocky, mountainous terrain. Footing is unsure in most places. The cleats allowed the soldiers to dig their heals into the ground and give them stability as they swung their swords. The cleats prevented the soldiers from running away too. Any soldier who returned home without his shoes was telegraphing to everybody that he had turned, tucked tail, and run away. The shoes were for the purpose of standing one’s ground—not running away.

The gospel provides us with peace. When we respond properly to the gospel that Jesus is the Messiah who has come to bring in the kingdom of God, then we experience peace with God and peace with fellow Christians. Even those who have not responded positively to the gospel of peace will one day experience the peace of God. This peace, though, will be a peace God imposes upon them, the same kind of peace God will impose upon Satan. The situation will be like that of guards whacking the back of the knees of the prisoners of war who must then fall to the ground and against their will be forced to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. The gospel informs us that peace is coming. We determine only the way we will experience that peace.

The Shield of Faith

The fourth piece of weaponry is the shield of faith which extinguishes the fiery missiles of the Evil One. The shield wielded by the Roman soldier was almost the size of a door. Although it was primarily made of wood with metal encasing, it was many times covered with leather which would be dipped into water before the battle began. As a result, whenever the enemy launched fiery darts (arrows dipped into some flammable substance and set on fire), the shield protected the soldier by extinguishing the fire. Moreover, the shield was an offensive weapon and not strictly a defensive one. The Roman soldiers would form a solid square called the turtle. The soldiers in front would place their shields side by side; those on the sides and on the back would do likewise. Those in the middle would put their shields over their heads forming a type of human tank. This turtle could then advance through enemy ranks.

Paul compares the shield of the Roman soldier to ‘faith.” Although our translations rendered the Greek word as “faith,” a better translation is probably “faithfulness,” that is God’s faithfulness towards us. When it is all said and done, our faith doesn’t do anything. It’s what our faith in in which proves important. In this instance our faith should be in the faithfulness of God. God is committed to getting you and me through the battles we have to face. It is only His faithfulness which guarantees our victory.

The Helmet of Salvation

The next piece of the weaponry is the helmet of salvation. The phrase translated “helmet of salvation” is probably better translated “the helmet of victory.” It points to the fact that whenever God enters the battle, victory is always assured. (Note that much of the description of the armor is for psychological benefits. We should feel so confident as we set out for battle because of the assurance the armor of God gives us.)

The Sword of the Spirit: God's Word

The next to last piece of weaponry is the sword of the Spirit which is God’s Word. We are mistaken if we think that the sword is the only offensive weapon listed in the arsenal. The shield and the footwear are also offensive weapons when they functions are properly understood. The Christian soldier is an OFFENSIVE FIGHTING MACHINE, not a defensive one. The reason Christ says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (gates here are used to protect hell) is that the Christian church should be on the attack against hell. We are to storm the gates of hell to release its captives.

The sword here refers to the Roman short sword, the gladus which was the weapon the Romans used to conquer the world. It was not huge, clumsy, and unwieldy. It was manageable, and being double-edged, it could cut both ways. The sword represents God’s Word which when used properly becomes the means by which we conquer enemies far greater than the Taliban, etc.

By “Word of God,” Paul is probably referring primarily the message of Ephesians, God’s plan to send Jesus as the messiah to usher in the kingdom of God which restores peace and unity to the universe. It also applies secondarily to the Bible and also to the impressions we receive from God periodically which harmonize with the Bible and especially with God’s Word in Jesus.

The Final Weapon: Prayer

The final weapon is prayer. If prayer is not a weapon, then it is the means by which we put on the armor of God. Each day I should process through prayer putting on the armor of God.

Look very closely at verse 18. Two words are repeated frequently in this verse: “prayer” and “all.” With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” He repeats the word “prayer” so often in order to emphasize its significance in spiritual warfare. The older I get the more I understand the significance of prayer. A day may go by in which I may not get to spend as much time in the Word as I would like; however, I never try to shortchange my prayer life. The battle against Satan is ultimately won on your knees.

Next, look at the way he uses the word “all.” All prayer and petition: whatever kind of prayer is available, use it. Whether it be the short breath of prayer throughout the day, the altar prayer during worship, the prayers at meals, public prayers, or private morning devotionals. Engage in all these different kinds of prayer. Note this: the prayer in the morning influences the other prayers more so than vice versa. On the other hand, if I don’t spend quality time in prayer, my breaths of prayer can easily become gasps of breath. Prayer is not something we should do; it should be nothing less than the spiritual air we breathe. At all times: constantly throughout the day.

With all perseverance be on the alert: it reminds us of the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus commanded the disciples to remain alert and watchful. Jesus drank as much wine as the disciple did; He stayed up as late as they did; He was at least as stressed as they were. Yet while they slept, he prayed. The result was that when Satan hit with full force, they either ran away, betrayed Him, or denied Him, while He emerged victoriously from the cross. The difference was that Jesus prayed and they did not.