<Church of Christ L25, Put on the Whole Armor>

We are coming to the close of this letter and Paul has begun to compile his final thoughts to these Christians. He began our last lesson with the word, ‘finally', showing that this was to be the last tutorial he would give them.

He began by stating that we must be strong in the Lord. He would continue this thought by describing a spiritual conflict that we as Christians are engaged in. Our enemy is deceitful and scheming, and has many tools at his disposal. We cannot survive in this conflict alone! Unless we become strong in the Lord, and put on the whole armor of God we cannot stand against our enemy. As this was the context of our last lesson, it brings us up to speed at the beginning of this lesson.

Ephesians 6:13-20 “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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

As we discussed in our last lesson; Paul was in Rome under house arrest and had a daily visual of the palace guards ( Philippians 1:13 ), this would be a reference for describing this whole armor of God.

Stand: Since we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this age, we cannot show a posture of weakness. We must stand therefore! This is a posture of a firm foundation and controlled balance. It was also something described by Paul in the closing of his letter to the Christians in Corinth , note:

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast , immovable , always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Truth: The concept of truth is derived from the character of God and thus displayed in the character of Jesus.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The concept of truth is the exact opposite of lying. Note: Titus 1:2 “in hope of eternal life which God , who cannot lie , promised before time began,”

Since all scripture is God breathed and has been delivered to us by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles and prophets, that we may be complete in every good work, this is the truth that we are to be tightly wrapped in. This is at the foundation of the whole armor, and we are to tightly bind it to our mid-section that it may always be close to us.

Righteousness: In those that love the truth, there is an assimilation of character, an adherence to virtue, a kind of reliability, a change in personal behavior that implies this love. Righteousness implies a status of rightness, a behavior that is a result of making ones self right with God's holy instruction. This righteousness is the metal breastplate that protects a man's vital organs.

Gospel of Peace: The children of Israel were told to eat the Passover with their shoes on their feet ( Exodus 12:11 ). This was in order that they may be ready to travel at a moments notice. Likewise, Christians are to be ready and prepared to travel as spreaders of the Gospel of peace. The peace of the Gospel was that which was given to all of the enemy's ranks that would surrender to Christ through its message.

In Acts 8 , the Christians in Jerusalem had been preparing themselves under the instruction of the Apostles for some 4-6 years. When persecutions began in Jerusalem , this prepared people went out and engaged in a prepared work, note:

Acts 8:4 “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”

Faith: Just as righteousness is an outward product of our love for the truth, faith is also born of the word and is an additional form of outward projection and protection that can be directed towards specific attacks. Satan hurls his fiery darts at us in the form of the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life. We can overcome him in the same fashion as the Lord did in Matthew 4 , through knowledge of the truth and faith in its power to protect us from all un-righteousness.

Salvation: Christ has promised the faithful soldier a rest from all conflict and eternal peace in glory. This is the metal cap that protects the head of the body and provides motivation to fight to a complete victory.

This completes the armor of God. It is important to note that all the peaces are designed for frontal combat. Christ expects his soldiers to always be facing the foe .

Word of God: As all the armor of God is defensive by nature; the soldier of Christ is given one offensive weapon, the sword. This weapon was for close combat and the martial practice of its use was very personal. This sword consists of the word of God; note the Hebrew writer's description:

Hebrews 4:12 “ For the word of God is living and powerful , and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

It is the same sword that Jesus used to ward off Satan in the wilderness ( Matthew 4 ), and we are expected to be able use it skillfully, note:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach , patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

Prayer: Paul begins his conclusion to this tutorial by indicating that a soldier of Christ must be ever prayerful. Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray ( Matthew 26:41 ), and likewise, we are to be ever vigilant and prayerful.

Prayer is used in this passage to mean any request, plea, or thanksgiving. A supplication denotes a more intense pleading for a thing desired. All are spiritual in nature and are directed by the teaching of the Spirit (the Spirit gives us the mind of Christ through the word and instructs us what to ask for, Romans 8:26 ).

In addition to praying always, we are to be watchful and alert to the tricks and cunning of the enemy. We are to have patient continuance in the service of Christ, even when circumstances may be un-favorable (particularly then). Additionally, we should consider all of our brethren that fight side by side with us in this spiritual war. We must attempt to save the fallen, grieve them sorely if they are lost, and we must rejoice in the victorious and look to their victory for strength.

Closing ( Vs. 21-24 ): Paul would ask for the prayers of these Christians on his behalf as well as all their brethren. It is his hope that through their prayers he will garnish the strength to continue his fight for the cause of Christ (for which he will always stand as a symbol of what it means to overcome the flesh to garner a victory for Christ).

He tells them that Tychicus will up-date them on his condition in Rome when he arrives with this letter.

Finally he prays for peace and favor on all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen

Next:

A New Series!

“Set Things in Order”

(A Study in Titus)