Exploring The Whole Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
What do you really know about the importance of the armor of God? Let us us now explore its value verse by verse. Paul first begins by saying finally, which indicates that this is a conclusion to something that he was previously stating. Verses 1-9 is what had been stated: 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. As you can see, Paul was describing the requirements for those who operate in odedience to God’s word. Next, he identifies these individuals as his brethren (those who carryout the will of God), by instructing them on how to wear their uniform, which is the armor of God; because as Christians we are soldiers in the army of the Lord. As soldiers we must wear our uniform. The importance for children of God to wear a uniform is : (1.) to identify their occupation, affiliation, or status in Christ (Scriptural Reference: “We are set apart/ sanctified” in Christ”; (2.)to help us to take off our old clothing of sin (by the spirit of adoption), and be clothed in an attire that gives us a distinctive style or other feature that identifies us as a child of God.(3.)to enable us to always portray an image of being always the same in quality, degree, character, and manner as Christ (Scriptural Reference: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore”). (4.) to show that we have conformed to the standards and rules of God (Scriptural References: “(“Study to show ourselves approved unto God” & “We are not our own, we are bought with a price”). (5) to help us realize that we are the same as Christ (Scriptural References: “We are joint heirs to the throne; & 1John3:2 & “We are new creatures in Christ”. The first rule of application is to be strong in both, the Lord and the power of his might. In other words, you must never attempt to do anything on your own accord, or by your own strength. You must learn to submit to the authority of God and also operate in humility and reverence to God and the people and things of God. Lord has reference to the covenant name of God; therefore we should find strength, or confidence in being adopted into the family of God. Begin to operate as if Christ is head over every area of your life. The reason is because as Christians, we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us; because God’s grace is sufficient for us: for His strength is made perfect in weakness.
Put on the whole armor of God… Paul’s primary objective for providing them with their spiritual armor is to cause them to operate in one accord. I guess you could say that Paul’s description of the whole armor of God is an animated version of the anointing, in that the anointing breaks the yoke of bondage. (Paul was telling them to invest themselves in the whole armor of God- get familiar with it, spend time learning the importance of each element of the armor and how they defend the body in warfare).
... that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Paul was telling them that the reason why he wanted them to get the feel of their spiritual armor before entering into the actual battle was in order to prepare them to resist whatever manner of temptations that Satan would throw their way).
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, (Paul explains this statement in greater detail in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5):
3 For though we walk in the flesh (live in the world), we do not wage war after the flesh (as the world does). 4The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (that we fight with are not the weapons of the world), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds); 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
But against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (A principality is the rank, dignity and jurisdiction of a prince; since Satan is called the prince of this world and we have now renounced him by becoming Christians, Satan is trying to regain his hold on us; therefore, our fight is against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms).
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Paul had previously told them to “put on” (invest in or spend time getting acquainted with) the whole armor of God, so that they would be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. He then proceeded to inform them of the evil forces that they were dealing with; now Paul is strongly emphasizing the importance for them to take in, or absorb the significance surrounding the benefits when wearing the entire armor of God; in other words, Paul was telling them that their minds must be renewed in order to be able to resist the temptations that Satan would bring their way, because this armor could not be worn physically. He then told them that after they had grasped this concept, that they needed to continue operating in it.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (Paul is also urging them that as they were investing in this armor of God, to add truth to their backbone, because truth will add strength to their spine and prevent them from operating in fear),
and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Paul then told them to cover their chest with the bulletproof vest of upholding morality, or doing what is right. In other words, Paul is telling them to take a stand for righteousness. When you operate in upholding morality, nothing can penetrate your heart and kill your spirit).
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (We all know that our feet are the part of our body in which allows us to stand, so Paul is illustrating that in our spiritual body that we should strengthen our stand for righteousness for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel of peace instead of confusion.);
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Paul is now emphasizing to them that the most important thing for them to do now is to hold on to their faith in God, because it’s only through Christ, that they will be able to do all things; and they will be able to overcome the attacks of the evil ones, because no weapons that are formed against them shall prosper, and every tongue that rises up against them, in judgment they shall condemn. This is the heritage of those who serve the Lord, because their righteousness is of God.).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (It is very interesting, yet most profound that Paul chose to use the word “helmet”. A helmet is part of the suit of armor that is made of a hard material and worn to protect the head from injury. Christ, as we all know, is the head of the church/our spiritual body; therefore, the helmet of salvation will guard their minds with the constant assurance that they are in Christ, because they are children of God. Paul also advises them that they should always rely on the weapon of the Spirit, which is God’s Holy Word, because God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword, and it is capable of piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ):
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Paul seals it by telling them that they should always stay in constant communication with God by humbling themselves unto the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to petition God in prayer. Paul then tells them to also be alert for the needs of all who are in the body of Christ as you are petitioning unto God in prayer. This will teach them how to not pray selfish prayers.);
This armor is meant for all saints of God. If you have not been wearing your armor, I invite you to start wearing it today. You will notice that he never tells you to take it off. This is our protection from Satan and his attacks. Please suit up today!
Until Next Time,
God Be With You
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