The whole armor of God

369 all the weaponry of GodToday, at Christmas, we are studying “the armor of God” in Ephesians. You will be surprised how this relates directly to Jesus our Savior. Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome. He was aware of his weakness and put all his trust in Jesus.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his strength. Put on the armor of God, that ye may stand against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6,10-11).

The armor of God is Jesus Christ. Paul attracted them and Jesus. He knew he could not overcome the devil on his own. He also did not have to do this because Jesus had already defeated the devil for him.

“But because all these children are creatures of flesh and blood, he too has become a human being of flesh and blood. In this way he was able by death to overthrow him who wields his power through death, namely the devil" (Hebrews 2,14 New Geneva translation).

As a human, Jesus became like us except for sin. Every year we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In his life he fought the greatest battle of all time. Jesus was willing to die for you and me in this battle. The survivor seemed to be the winner! “What a triumph,” thought the devil when he saw Jesus dying on the cross. What a total defeat for him when, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he realized that Jesus had taken all his power away from him.

The first part of the armor

The first part of the armor of God consists of Truth, justice, peace and faith, You and I have put on this protection in Jesus and can stand against the cunning attacks of the devil. In Jesus, we resist him and defend the life that Jesus gave us. We now look at this in detail.

The Belt of Truth

“It is now established, gird on your loins with truth” (Ephesians 6,14).

Our belt is made of truth. Who and what is the truth? Jesus says "I am the truth!" (John 14,6Paul said of himself:

“Therefore I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2,20 Hope for all).

The truth lives in you and shows who you are in Jesus. Jesus reveals the truth to you and lets you know your weakness. You perceive your own mistakes. Without Christ you would be a lost sinner. They have nothing good to show God by their own power. All your sins are known to him. He died for you when you were a sinner. That's one side of the truth. The other side is this: Jesus loves you with all its rough edges.
The origin of truth is love, which starts from God!

The tank of justice

“Put on the armor of righteousness” (Ephesians 6,14).

Our breastplate is the God-given righteousness of Christ's death.

“It is my deepest desire to be connected with him (Jesus). That's why I want nothing more to do with that righteousness which is based on the law and which I acquire through my own efforts. Rather, I am concerned with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is founded on faith” (Philippians 3,9 (GNU)).

Christ lives in you with his righteousness. They have received divine justice through Jesus Christ. They are protected by his justice. Rejoice in Christ. He has overcome sin, the world and death. God knew from the beginning, you can not do it alone. Jesus took the punishment of death. With his blood he has paid all debts. They stand justified before God's throne. They put on Christ. His justice makes you pure and strong.
The origin of justice is love, which starts from God!

The boots message of peace

"Booted on the feet, ready to stand for the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6,14).

God's vision for the whole earth is his peace! About two thousand years ago, at the birth of Jesus, this message was proclaimed by a multitude of angels: "Glory and glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his good pleasure rests". Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings peace with him wherever he goes.

“I have spoken this to you so that you may have peace in me. In the world you are afraid; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16,33).

Jesus lives in you with his peace. They have peace in Christ through the faith of Christ. They are sustained by his peace and bear his peace to all people.
The source of peace is the love that comes from God!

The shield of faith

“Above all, take hold of the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6,16).

The shield is made of faith. The determined faith extinguishes all the fiery darts of evil.

"That he might give you strength according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man, that by faith Christ may dwell in your hearts, and that you may be rooted and grounded in love" (Ephesians 3,16-17).

Christ lives in his heart through his faith. They have faith through Jesus and his love. Their faith, obtained through the Spirit of God, extinguishes all the fiery arrows of evil.

“We don't want to look to the left or right, but only to Jesus. He gave us faith and will keep it until we reach our goal. Because of great joy awaiting him, Jesus endured the despised death on the cross" (Hebrews 1 Cor2,2 Hope for all).
The origin of faith is the love that emanates from God!

The second part of the armor as preparation for the fight

Paul said, "Put on all the armor of God."

"Therefore, seize all the weapons that God has in store for you! Then, when the day comes when the forces of evil attack, 'you are armed and ready to face them. You will fight successfully and in the end emerge victorious” (Ephesians 6,13 New Geneva translation).

The helmet and the sword are the last two pieces of equipment that a Christian should take. A Roman soldier puts the uncomfortable helmet in immediate danger. Finally, he takes the sword, his only offensive weapon.

Let us put ourselves in the difficult situation of Paul. Acts tells in great detail about him and the events in Jerusalem, his capture by the Romans, and his prolonged imprisonment in Caesarea. The Jews made serious allegations against him. Paul appeals to the emperor and is brought to Rome. He is in custody awaiting responsibility before the imperial court.

The helmet of salvation

“Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6,17).

The helmet is the hope of salvation. Paul writes in:

“But we, who are children of the day, want to be sober, put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we may live together with him." 1. Thessalonians 5,8.

Paul knew with all certainty, without hope of salvation, he can not stand before the emperor. This dish was about life and death.
The love of God is the source of salvation.

The sword of the spirit

"The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6,17).

Paul tells us the meaning of God's armor as follows: "The sword of the Spirit is the word of God." The Word of God and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked. The Word of God is spiritually inspired. We can only understand and apply the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. Is this definition correct? Yes, when it comes to Bible study and Bible reading.

However Bible study and Bible reading alone is not a weapon in itself!

This is obviously about a sword that the Holy Spirit gives to the believer. This sword of the Spirit is presented as the Word of God. In the case of the term "word" it is not translated from "logos" but from "rhema". This word means "utterance of God," "that said of God," or "utterance of God." I put it this way: “The Word inspired and spoken by the Holy Spirit”. God's Spirit reveals a word to us or keeps it alive. It is pronounced and has its effect. We read in the concordant translation of the Bible
it as follows:

"The sword of the spirit, that is a saying of Godpraying in the spirit through every prayer and supplication on every occasion" (Galatians 6,17-18).

The sword of the Spirit is a saying of God!

The Bible is the written word of God. Studying them is an important part of Christian life. We learn from it who God is, what he has done in the past and will do in the future. Each book has an author. The author of the Bible is God. God's Son came to this earth to be tested by Satan, to resist him and thereby redeem people. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. He fasted 40 days, and he was hungry.

"And the tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. But he answered and said, It is written (Deut 8,3): “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4,3-4).

Here we see how Jesus received this Word from the Spirit of God as an answer for Satan. It's not about who can quote the Bible best. No! It's all or nothing. The devil questioned Jesus' authority. Jesus did not have to justify his sonship to the devil. Jesus received the testimony from God his Father after his baptism: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".

The word inspired and spoken by God's Spirit in prayer

Paul urges the Ephesians to speak a prayer inspired by God's Spirit.

"Pray always with petitions and supplications in the Spirit, watching with all perseverance in prayer for all the saints" (Ephesians 6,18 New Geneva translation).

For the term "prayer" and "prayer" I prefer "talking to God". I talk to God in words and in thoughts at all times. Praying in the spirit means: “I look to God and receive from HIM what I should say and I speak his will into a situation. It is a talking with God inspired by the Spirit of God. I participate in God's work, where he is already at work. Paul urged his readers not only to talk to God for all the saints, but especially for him.

"And pray for me (Paul) that the word might be given me, when I open my mouth, to preach boldly the mystery of the gospel, whose messenger I am in chains, that I may speak boldly of it as I must" ( Ephesians 6,19-20).

Here Paul asks for the help of all believers for his most important commission. He uses in this text "frankly and boldly," and obviously encouragement, for negotiating with the emperor. He needed the right words, the right weapon, to say what God asked him to say. Prayer is that weapon. It is the communication between you and God. The basis of a real deep relationship. Paul's personal prayer:

“Father, out of the riches of your glory, give them the strength that your Spirit is able to give and strengthen them within. Through their faith, may Jesus dwell in their hearts! Let them be firmly rooted in love and build their lives on it, so that together with all brothers and sisters in faith they will be able to comprehend how unimaginably vast and vast, how high and how deep is the love of Christ, which surpasses all imagining. Father, fill them with all the fullness of your glory! God, who can do infinitely more for us than we can ever ask or even imagine - such is the power that works in us - to this God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations in all eternity. Amen” (Ephesians 3,17-21 Bible translation “Welcome home”)

To pronounce the words of God is love, which starts from God!

Finally, I share the following thoughts with you:

Certainly Paul had the image of a Roman soldier in mind when he wrote the letter to Ephesians. As a scribe, he was very familiar with the prophecies of the Messiah's coming. The Messiah himself wore this armor!

“He (the Lord) saw that no one was there and was amazed that no one intervened in prayer before God. Therefore his arm helped him and his righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness in armor and put on the helmet of salvation. He wrapped himself in the robe of vengeance and covered himself with the cloak of his zeal. But for Zion and for those of Jacob who turn from their sin, He comes as a Redeemer. The Lord gives his word” (Isaiah 59,16-17 and 20 Hope for All).

The people of God were waiting for the Messiah, the anointed. He was born as a baby in Bethlehem, but the world did not recognize him.

“He came into his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to those who believed on his name he gave power to become children of God” (John 1,11-12).

The most important weapon in our spiritual struggle is Jesus, the living Word of God, the Messiah, the Anointed, the Peace Prince, Savior, Savior of our Redeemer.

Do you already know him? Would you like to give him more influence in your life? Do you have questions on this topic? The leadership of WKG Switzerland is happy to serve you.
 
Jesus is now living among us, helping you, healing and sanctifying you to be ready when he returns with power and glory.

by Pablo Nauer