The Whole Defensive Armor of God

Today I want to complete our brief study of Paul's comments about spiritual armor in Ephesians before moving into a discussion of the warrior's instrument of attack, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:11-17).

For long, hard work there's nothing like a good, sturdy pair of boots. I know from personal experience of hiking in the mountains that you can quickly develop some very painful blisters if your boots don't fit and protect you. It was the same for Roman foot soldiers. These men had to march long distances and then stand on their feet to fight. Without the proper boots they were vulnerable and even helpless.

So Paul emphasizes that the spiritual warrior must have a good standing, a good binding around his or her feet. This is nothing less than the Gospel of peace. This good news is ours because Jesus has gone before us and prepared for us a permanent and good standing before God by His sacrificial death upon the cross. We are at peace with our heavenly Father (John 14:27-33; Romans 15:13). Our accounts have been settled, our sins forgiven. The Father has declared us His children for the sake of Jesus. Therefore, no matter what the accuser may throw at us, no matter  how true it is, we can always return humbly to Jesus and be washed by His sacrificial blood. We have a sure place on which to stand.

Further, when the dark powers throw flaming darts, we may raise up the shield of faith as our protection. What are these “flaming darts of the evil one”? They are the schemes and stratagems of Satan. These “flaming arrows” come upon us in various forms. The attacks will always focus upon our weakness, that point where we are most vulnerable. This was particularly so for a Roman foot soldier in the field. What did he have to protect him? He certainly did not have a fortress in which to hide. All he had was the shield he carried with him into battle. So the Apostle speaks about the "shield of faith" that is able to extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one.

These flaming darts or arrows come in many forms. For some believers they come as the temptation to give in to sexual lust. For others it is greed or pride. Further, for over a hundred years a whole volley of arrows have been coming at Bible students to suggest that we can no longer trust or believe in the truth of the Biblical text. These arrows lift up human reason and exclude any notion that God had a chosen people or that He was involved in their history. Consequently there is no Word of God, no Word from God. He did not speak to His chosen people. He does not speak now from that history to us. He is silent and removed. He has not revealed Himself. We are alone in this mystery called human life. We face the vast darkness of death without hope or promise. I will discuss this issue in a later blog.

Paul's advice to all believers under attack is to take up the shield of faith. What is this faith? It is the belief that we are righteous in God's eyes for the sake of Christ. Such a belief is a gift from God worked by His Spirit in His Word. Study carefully what the Apostle says in his letter to the Romans (Romans 10:5-21). There he emphasizes that no one can climb the ladder to heaven to claim personal righteousness. Nor can anyone unlock the gates of hell to release those sent there by a just God. Only Christ can do that. And Christ has done that. In His rich and eternal mercy Christ has descended into hell to proclaim His victory over sin, death and satan. He has in turn ascended into heaven to plead for us before the judgment seat of the Father. He has accomplished for us sinners what we cannot do for ourselves. Thus we stand forgiven before the throne of God. This is God's Word to us. Such a faith comes from hearing in ones heart the Word of Christ.

So we stand firmly planted on the Gospel of peace. We lift up the shield of faith against the flaming arrows sent our way and we keep the helmet of salvation securely tied to our heads. With such armament we are well protected and may now move forward to the offense. That instrument of attack is the Word of God. I'll take that up the next time.