The armor of God

I'm not sure what you think about it, but I do not want to meet any wild lion unprotected! This incredibly powerful, muscular body with huge retractable claws that can cut through even the strongest skin and a bit you do not want to get too close to - all of which equips lions to become the most dangerous predators in Africa and beyond To belong to parts of the earth.

However, we have an adversary who is a much fierce hunter. We even have to deal with it on a daily basis. The Bible describes the devil as a lion who walks the earth looking for easy prey (1. Petrus 5,8). He is cunning and strong in his search for weak and helpless victims. Similar to a lion, we often don't know when and where it will strike next.

I remember reading a comic when I was a kid that featured the devil as a cute comic character with a mischievous grin, a tail sticking out of a diaper, and a trident. The devil would love to be seen that way because it is far from reality. The apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 6,12 against the fact that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the forces of darkness and the masters who live in this dark world.

The good news is that we are not vulnerable to these powers. In verse 11 we can read that we are armed with armor that wraps us from head to toe, allowing us to stand against the dark.

God's armor is tailor made

There is a good reason why it is called the armor of God. We must never assume that we can overcome the devil with our own forces!

In verse 10 we read that we should be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Jesus Christ has already defeated the devil for us. It was tempted by him, but never gave in to him. Through Jesus Christ we too can resist the devil and his temptations; in the Bible we read that we are in the image of God (1. Mose 1,26). He himself became flesh and lived among us (John 1,14). He commands us to put on his armor in order to defeat the devil with God's help (Hebrews 2,14): "Because the children are now of flesh and blood, he too accepted it in equal measure, so that through his death he would take power from him who had power over death, namely the devil". If we deal with the devil, we must put on the perfect armor of God so that we can fully protect our human vulnerabilities.

The armor in fullness

The armor of God protects us through and through!
Each of the ingredients described in Ephesians 6 has a double meaning. They are, on the one hand, the things we should strive for and, on the other hand, the things that can only be achieved in full by Christ and the healing that He brings.

Belts

“It is now established, gird on your loins with truth” (Ephesians 6,14)
As Christians, we know to tell the truth. But while it is important to be truthful, our honesty is never enough. Christ himself said that he is the way, the truth and the life. When we put a belt around ourselves, we surround ourselves with it. However, we do not have to do this alone, because we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who reveals this truth to us: "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16,13).

Tanks

“Dressed in the armor of righteousness” (Ephesians 6,14)
I always thought that it was necessary to do good deeds and be righteous in order to defend oneself against the devil and his temptations. Although we as Christians are expected to aspire to a higher moral standard, God says that our righteousness, even in our best days, is but a tainted garment4,5). In Romans 4,5 explains that it is our faith, not our deeds, that makes us righteous, and when the devil is confronted with the righteousness of Christ, he has no choice but to flee. Then he has no more possibility of contaminating our hearts because it is protected by the armor of justice. When Martin Luther was once asked how he defeated the devil, he said: “Well, when he knocks on the door of my house and asks who lives there, the Lord Jesus goes to the door and says,“ Martin Luther has here once lived, but moved out. I live here now. When Christ fills our hearts and his armor of righteousness protects us, the devil cannot enter.

Boots

"Booted up in boots, ready to stand up for the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6,15)
Boots and shoes protect our feet when we walk through the dirt of this world. We have to try to stay clean. We can only do that through Christ. The gospel is the good news and message Christ has given us; a really good news! Through his Atonement, we are protected and saved. It allows us to have peace that transcends all human understanding. We have the peace to know that our adversary has been defeated and we are protected from him.

Schild

“Above all, take hold of the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6,15)
A shield is a defensive weapon that protects us from attack. We should never believe in our own strength. This would be like a sign made of aluminum foil. No, our faith should be based on Christ because he has already defeated the devil! Galatians 2,16 once again makes it clear that our own works cannot offer us any protection: “But because we know that man is not righteous through works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we too have come to believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; for by works of the law no man is righteous ”. Our faith is in Christ alone and that faith is our protective shield.

Helmet

“Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6,17)
A helmet protects our mind and our thoughts. We must do everything in our power to protect us from evil and perfidious thoughts and fantasies. Our thoughts should be good and pure. But action is much easier to control than thought, and the devil is a master at taking the truth and distorting it. He is pleased when we doubt our salvation and believe that we are unworthy of them or need to do something for them. But we do not have to doubt her because our salvation is in and through Christ.

sword

“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6,17
The word of God is the Bible, but Christ is also described as the word of God (John 1,1). Both help us defend ourselves against the devil. Do you remember the scripture that describes how Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness? Each time he quotes the word of God and the devil immediately gave way (Matthew 4,2-10). The word of God is a double-edged sword that he puts at our disposal so that we can recognize the deceptive ways of the devil and defend ourselves against them.

Without Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we would not be able to grasp the Bible in its entirety4,45). The gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to understand the word of God, which always refers to Christ. We have the most powerful weapon in hand to defeat the devil: Jesus Christ. So don't worry too much when you hear the devil roar. It may look powerful, but we are well protected. Our Lord and Savior has already given us armor to protect us from him: His truth, his justice, his gospel of peace, his faith, his salvation, his spirit and his word.

by Tim Maguire


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