The whole armor of God
Today, 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 strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Epheser 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.
“Since all these children are creatures of flesh and blood, he too became a man of flesh and blood. In order that he could by his death destroy him who exercises his power through death, namely, the devil.” (Hebräer 2,14).
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
"Therefore stand firm, with the truth girded around your loins." (Epheser 6,14).
Our belt is made of truth. Who and what is the truth? Jesus says "I am the truth!" (Johannes 14,6)Paul said of himself:
“Therefore it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” (Galater 2,20).
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
"Encased in the armor of justice" (Epheser 6,14).
Our breastplate is the God-given righteousness of Christ's death.
“My deepest desire is to be united with him (Jesus). Therefore, I no longer want to know anything about the righteousness that is based on the law and that I earn by my own works. Rather, I seek the righteousness that is given to us through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and whose foundation is faith” (Philipper 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 our legs, ready to stand up for the gospel of peace" (Epheser 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 told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Johannes 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 up the shield of faith." (Epheser 6,16).
The shield is made of faith. The determined faith extinguishes all the fiery darts of evil.
“That he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened.” (Epheser 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 preserve it until we reach our goal. Because great joy awaited him, Jesus endured the despised death on the cross." (Hebräer 12,2).
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, take up all the weapons God has prepared for you! Then, when the day of evil comes, you will be prepared to face them. You will be victorious and will prevail." (Epheser 6,13).
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” (Epheser 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. Thessalonicher 5,8-10.
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” (Epheser 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 God, by praying in the Spirit on every occasion through every prayer and supplication.” (Galater 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 (5.Mose 8,3)“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthäus 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 at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, be alert and constantly praying for all the saints.” (Epheser 6,18).
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 when I open my mouth, words may be given me boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an apostle in chains, that I may speak of it boldly, as I ought to.” (Epheser 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, grant them from the riches of your glory the power that your Spirit is able to give, and strengthen them inwardly. 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 their brothers and sisters in faith, they may be able to comprehend how unimaginably great and far-reaching, how high and how deep the love of Christ is, which surpasses all imagination. Father, fill them with the fullness of your glory! God, who is able to do immeasurably more for us than we ever ask or imagine—so great is his power at work within us—to this God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.”Epheser 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 astonished that no one approached God in prayer. Therefore, his own arm helped him, and his righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He wrapped himself in the garment of vengeance and covered himself with the robe of his zeal. But for Zion and for those of Jacob who turn from their sin, he comes as a redeemer. This is what the Lord says.” (Jesaja 59,16-17 and 20).
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 to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (Johannes 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
