God's Full Armament

A lot has been said about Ephesians 6 and the armor & weaponry of God, but what does that actually mean for us beyond the metaphor? And how do we actually put on the armament of God? This episode brings out the spiritual realities and guides the listener to equip and put on the power of Jesus Christ to defend against and attack demons.

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God’s Full Armament

Intro (welcome message)

Welcome to the Scripture Talk podcast, where we discuss trending viewpoints, important teachings, and eyewitness testimonials relevant to Christianity today. My name is Jason, and today we’ll be taking a closer look at an important teaching from Scripture.

Cold open (setting the stage)

I remember one time I was speaking on the phone with an older lady who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was interpreting a prophetic dream I had had. At the end of the call, the Lord told her to tell me to put on the armor of God. In my excitement, I agreed and related my thoughts on God’s love and God’s armor. Again though, she told me that God said to put it on. That was a bit jarring. I had heard many talks about the armor of God, and I had thought quite a bit about it, but I hadn’t really thought much about how to put it on.

Hook (pointed question)

And it got me to thinking, how do I actually put on the armor of God?

What the Bible says (background and context)

Now if you’re acquainted with Christianity, then you’ve probably heard a sermon preached about God’s armor, commenting on what’s found in Ephesians 6. It often comes with elaborate descriptions of each piece of armor and how it related to the physical armor of a Roman soldier contemporary with Paul. There are even teachings about how you’re to orient yourself, and which way to face, and how to join with other soldiers. Others even provide verbal declarations of putting armor on. The one thing I never seemed to fully understand though, was how to actually equip myself with God’s armor and accordingly, what His armor really was in a practical way. Years after that conversation I had had with that older lady, God helped me to understand a bit more about the armor and how to put it on. And this discussion is the culmination of what I’ve come to understand. Now instead of starting in Ephesians 6, let’s begin with Romans 13, verses 12 through 14:

Romans 13:12 - The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Romans 13:13 - Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and desire, not in strife and envy.

Romans 13:14 - But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its desires.

Let us put on the armor of light. This is the shortest description of God’s armor given in the New Testament. And it’s important to note that the Greek word for armor here refers not only to the defensive, but also to the offensive instruments of warfare. The contrast between light and darkness as described here in Romans shows the difference between a properly aligned walk in Christ and a desire-driven walk in the flesh. It is here that we see how to put on the armor: to turn around and walk in the opposite direction from self-satisfaction and into the obedience of Jesus Christ. We’re to make no provision for the flesh, rather we’re to live in a holy way. We also see here that Jesus Himself is the armor we put on. He enters us and protects us from harm.

Echoing the teaching we just read in Romans, 1 Thessalonians 5:8 gives a few additional details about the nature of God’s armor:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 - But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Here we see the exhortation to be sober and to put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation. You may notice that faith, hope, and love are the three things written about in 1 Corinthians 13 that last forever, well beyond even the spiritual gifts. This is another minimal description of God’s armor, mentioning only a breastplate and a helmet. But the power that comes through faith, love, and the hope of salvation is enough to protect forever, even after death.

Another scripture I’d like to take a look at is 1 Peter 1:13-16:

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up the waist of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 1:14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former desires, as in your ignorance;

1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy”.

We see that we’re to “gird up the waist” of our mind (a phrase that will be key to understanding the passage in Ephesians 6). Peter harmonizes with Paul with a call to be sober and to shun former desires. We’re to rest our hope on God’s grace and to become holy.

Jesus says this in such an elegant way while praying to His Father according to John 17:17:

John 17:17 Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.

What we can gather then, is that the first step to putting on the armor of God is to be sanctified, or made holy by God’s truth, and His word is truth.

Scripture in view (teaching focus)

Now then, let’s go ahead take a look at Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 18:

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:13 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.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Ephesians 6:15 and having bound shoes on your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Ephesians 6:16 in everything, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

One of the first things you may notice, is that the pieces armor are used to represent slightly different dimensions of God’s protection than in the previous passages. For instance, the breastplate of 1 Thessalonians was of faith and love, while the breastplate here is of righteousness. What this means for us is that the pieces of armor themselves and how they are used physically are not all that significant: what matters here is the spiritual realities being represented by these items.

Here we see a call to be strong in the Lord, in His power, and to access everything that He provides from His armory so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. We also see that the devil, that is satan himself, has a highly sophisticated structure of government in the heavenly places, replete with principalities, powers, rulers and spiritual hosts. In fact, those who are made of flesh and blood, that is to say, human beings, are not even counted as the ones we struggle against. The armor of God enables us to stand against and withstand the evil one in the evil day.

If we take what we read here and harmonize it with the previous passages, we can see a progression of what to stand in: learning God’s truth which brings holiness, receiving righteousness through faith and love, getting prepared to deliver the gospel of peace to others, expressing faith to quench lies and accusations, resting in the hope of salvation, speaking the word of God, praying in the Spirit, and staying watchful and vigilant with perseverance for all of God’s holy people.

Notice how arming ourselves begins with the input of the word of God and results in the output of it. There is an interplay between what God gives us and what we do with it. The “material” of God’s armament is God himself. Relating to God by responding to His grace in a way that pleases Him is what equips us with His armament. The activity of wrestling involves countering persons who are not human and wield extensive spiritual power and authority. We’re defended by God only when we walk in the Spirit. We damage the schemes of the devil when we speak the word of God. And we guard one another by keeping alert at our spiritual outpost, constantly praying to God, asking him for help.

Why it matters (our need for Christ’s power)

Now it bears mentioning that this protection and power from God is not automatic: it must be activated by a cooperative relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible to be harmed by satan - to be stolen from, to be destroyed, or even to be killed. While it is true that born again believers have an ultimate destination in heaven, it is also possible to lose a lot here and now by compromising ourselves with sin and disobedience. As it is written by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:15:
 
 1 Corinthians 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
 
 And satan absolutely gets involved to capitalize on our errors, just as he did in the garden with Adam and Eve. Peter again provides us with some added perspective from the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
 
 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Takeaway (how to be a doer of the Word)
So how do we put on God’s armament to equip ourselves for war? Be made holy by ingesting God’s truth. Be made righteous by God’s grace through a living faith that works through love. Get ready to share the gospel of peace with others. Stand in a faith that quenches lies and accusations. Walk in the hope and expectation of a secured salvation. Speak the word of God as Jesus spoke when He was tempted by satan in the wilderness. Pray persistently, stay watchful with all vigilance, and persevere until the end. Don’t passively live a selfish life, simply to indulge personal pleasure - actively cooperate with God and His plan to bring His kingdom to earth.

Outro (parting words)

Well that’s it for today’s discussion. I’m glad you made it here to Scripture Talk, and I pray that you gained insights that will deepen your faith and love in Jesus Christ. Until next time: God bless you and keep your eyes on Jesus!