Christian Armor.

Ephesians 6:13‑18
 
IN these verses we have instructions as to how the Christian should be arrayed so as to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The first thing we are told is to “stand having our loins girt about with truth.” Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the truth, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). The apostle Peter in his 1St epistle speaks of “the loins of your mind,” exhorting us to gird it up, and be sober. (1:13), so if the believer is to be used by God in the conflict with the powers of darkness, he must be equipped with truth, not thinking more highly than he ought, but thinking soberly. He, who was the truth, won the victory in the wilderness by a three-fold appeal to the written Word.
Next comes the breast-plate of righteousness, which speaks again of the Lord Jesus, as in Jeremiah 51:10,10The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. (Jeremiah 51:10) and Malachi 4:22But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2). The previous part of the equipment, the girdle, is connected with the mind; the breast-plate with the heart. The heart is like a fortress that has to be kept with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. We are told of Job that he was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil,” and because he had on the breastplate of righteousness, Satan could not defeat him. Of the Lord Himself we read in Isaiah 59:1717For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. (Isaiah 59:17) that “He put on righteousness as a breast-plate.”
We must also have our feet shod with “the preparation of the gospel of peace.” There was a time, according to Isaiah 52:77How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (Isaiah 52:7) when the feet of the Lord Jesus alone were beautiful upon the mountains, as He came bringing good tidings, publishing peace. But the Spirit of the Lord has quoted the verse in Romans 10:15,15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15) in the plural, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring good tidings of good things.” Every believer should be in his or her sphere, a preacher of the gospel of peace, ever ready to give an answer concerning the hope that is in them. The “shoes of preparation” are connected with the believer’s walk, the way is not smooth, so shoes are necessary. The preparation, the readiness, which the gospel of peace brings, what does it do? It makes one ready for the battle of life, ready for the good fight of faith, ready to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
The shield of faith comes next, which again speaks to us of our blessed Lord. We read of Him in Hebrews 12. Verse 2 as “the Author and Finisher of faith.” God said to Abram, “Fear not Abram, I am thy shield” (Gen. 15:11After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1)). Psalms 91:44He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4) tells us, “His truth shall be thy shield and buckler,” the result being “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flieth by day,” (verse 5). You shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. As one has said, speaking of the Lord Himself—
“But spotless, undefiled, and pure,
The great Redeemer stood.
White Satan’s fiery darts He bore,
And did resist to blood.”
The message for the redeemed is, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:77Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)).
In the case of Job we see that faith protects him like a shield, for in his temptation we hear him say “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Likewise Paul in the shipwreck holds the shield of faith, saying, “I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me,” (Acts 27:2525Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. (Acts 27:25)).
Then we are told to “Take the helmet of salvation.” Christ has become our salvation. There is a parallel passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10,8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:8‑10) “Putting on... for an helmet, the hope of salvation, for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us.” Salvation known and enjoyed, as represented in the helmet of salvation, or salvation in those aspects of it yet future, an object of hope, as shown in the helmet of the hope of salvation, is to be a protection for the mind. Not only does the heart need guarding, but the mind also. (See Philippians, 4:7).
We now come to this last part of the equipment, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” This was the sword used by the Captain of our salvation, when He was here upon earth. His three quotations from the book of Deuteronomy were sufficient to make the adversary depart defeated, after the forty days’ conflict in the wilderness. When the believer is strong and has the word of God abiding in him, he also is able to “overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:1414I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. (1 John 2:14)).
Now a few words about the armor as a whole. The need for the WHOLE armor, is according to the value of the possessions which we have in Him, and which are to be so diligently guarded. The chapter we have read is the only place in which the apostle tells us to put on the whole armor of God. Every weapon in the Divine armory is now called for, and ALL are to be worn, just as a soldier of the king has his whole equipment strapped on when marching to war. We notice that all the armor, with the exception of the sword of the Spirit, is for defense. The word of God acts as the sword of the Spirit when wielded in the power of the Spirit. In the temptation in the wilderness, the Lord drove Satan away with the word “It is written.” The possessions of the Ephesian saints, and our possessions are so great, “Blessed... with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ,” and while they are all secured by being in Christ, yet the enemy’s object of attack is to rob us of our enjoyment of these riches, and one has to admit, he often succeeds. No wonder we require the whole armor of God. To be well equipped is most important, but even this would not lead to victory without the energy of the Spirit in prayerful dependence upon Him. We gather from David’s refusal of Sail’s armor that nothing of human ingenuity can be of any use to us in the conflict. He tried the coat of mail, but found it would only hamper him, and so he resorted to what was purely of God. We must be prepared before the enemy comes. It is no use running for the sword when he is upon us. How many have been taken by surprise and caught like the man of God in 1 Kings 13; he was surprised under the tree, he was deceived by a false enemy, and slain by the lion. The armor is all a matter of character. The things that are ours are to live in us and they are only armor as they become characteristic of us. We may stand in righteousness, but we are to be characterized by it. We apprehend it by faith, but to be a breast-plate it has to become characteristic.
We are to have our loins girt about with truth. No mere intellectual holding of the truth would be armor. The preparation of the gospel of peace is to walk in peace in a scene of moral confusion. The Christian walks in peace knowing that what caused the confusion has been removed from before God’s eye. Christ is our peace, because He made peace by His death.
We become aggressive as we use the sword of the Spirit. The point is to be in the state to hold the sword. A sword is not armor; the armor is protective, but the sword is aggressive. Truth puts everything in its place. It is the expression of things as they are for God, the revelation of God, and Christ who is before Him. Stephen saw the truth in the glory of God and Jesus.
In addition to the armor we are in the 18th verse exhorted “to pray in the Spirit, watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
How important it is to put on the whole armor of God. We are so apt to leave off some portion, and depend upon it if we do, the fiery darts of the devil will get in, then like the wounded soldier who does not enjoy his natural life, we, as Christians, if wounded, will not enjoy our spiritual life.
It requires the whole armor of God, both protective and aggressive, to ward off the attacks of the enemy.
Gird thy heavenly armor on,
Wear it ever night and day;
Ambush’d lies the evil one;
“Watch and pray.”
A. MOORE.