The Armour of God
The Armour of God
The armour of God appears in Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:10-18 New International Version
The Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Who wrote Ephesians?
It was written by Paul who was under house arrest at the time in Rome.
House arrest meant being chained to a soldier for 8 hours at a time.
As each soldier came to complete his shift Paul would convert him to Christianity.
Each guard came as a soldier and left as a Christian.
Why did Paul use the analogy of Roman Armour.
o Romans were the most feared and accomplished fighters of the time.
o They had the best and most effective equipment.
o Roman soldiers would train between 6am and midnight.
What is the Armour of God?
The amour of God is spiritual armour used against the spiritual attacks that all Christians face.
Spiritual attacks take place in the mind and can spill over into physical attacks.
The Armour of God is likened to physical armour to aid understanding.
The armour includes:
· the belt of truth
· the breastplate of righteousness
· the shield of faith
· the helmet of salvation
· the sword of the Spirit
What is the Breastplate of Righteousness?
The breastplate covers the heart and shields it and the other vital organs.
What does The Bible say?
The bible indicates that the heart is of supreme importance.
That is why we protect our hearts from all kinds of evil.
Proverbs 4:23 says
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Proverbs 23 v23 says:
“Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Whatever you have in your heart ultimately determines the course of your life for good or evil.
Our hearts are so important.
When we feel sadness or happiness or fear or love we feel it first in the heart.
So, to protect our hearts we need God’s breastplate.
As Christians we need to be vigilant at all times because we will be attacked again and again.
We need to have the spiritual armour of God on at all times of the day.
Paul talks about the breastplate of righteousness as the protection of the heart.
Righteousness for Christians means doing the things that please God and are directed by God.
So how does this work?
· When we become Christians, a spiritual “breastplate” is issued to each one of us.
· This is a spiritual breastplate that is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception.
· The breastplate of righteousness from God has Christ’s name stamped on it, as though He said, “Your righteousness isn’t sufficient to protect you. Wear mine.”
· We are instructed to “put on” this armour, and we need to acknowledge that, without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5) We put on the armour by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33).
· We make God and His ways our ways and make use of his shelter against bad things (Psalm 91:1).
· Therefore when God reveals an area of change to us, we should obey and allow Him to work in us. This is a lifelong process that we embark on.
· Whenever we say “no” to God, we open a little crack in the armour where we start to lose our protections and then we can be attacked by the devil.
· As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception (Proverbs 8:20; Psalm 23:3).
· When armour is abused or worn incorrectly, it can malfunction. Likewise, there are several factors that can interfere with the effectiveness of our spiritual breastplate.
· Things like Carelessness (1 Peter 5:8), unbelief (Hebrews 3:12), abusing grace (Romans 6:1–2), or disobedience (1 John 3:4; Hebrews 4:6) can hinder our ability to stand firm and defeat the enemy in our lives.
· When we tolerate bad things, refuse to forgive (2 Corinthians 2:10–11), rely on our own personal righteousness (Titus 3:5), or allow earthly concerns to crowd out time for an intimate relationship with God, we, in effect, take off the breastplate of righteousness. This minimises its power to protect us.
What is the Shield of Faith?
A shield is simply a method of defence or protection.
You may put your hands up to defend yourself against a strong wind. Use an umbrella to stop getting wet. An oven glove to stop burning your hand.
e know that Paul compares the armour of God to physical armour, and he uses the analogy of the armour used by a Roman soldier.
Example of a Roman shield
The Roman shield, or scutum, was a central part of the soldier’s defence.
The scutum of the first century was rectangular in shape and rounded on the ends. It was typically made from two sheets of soft wood that were glued together, then covered with canvas and leather.
The canvas and leather could be doused with water to protect against flaming arrows.
The shield weighed about 22 pounds (10 kilos) and was roughly 40 inches (1 metre) high and 30 inches (75 centimetres) across.
A metal piece ran across the centre of the shield, so it could also be used as a weapon to punch or push forward.
Roman soldiers would use the shield to defend themselves against flaming arrows that would be used at the start of a conflict.
The army would lock shields together to defend the whole army. A line of soldiers could stretch for a mile or more.
The importance of this story about the shield is that the shield was very effective at protecting the soldier.
When the shield was not there the soldier was very vulnerable to arrows fired by the enemy.
Even with the other armour in place.
The enemy of a Roman soldier was highly organised and very well trained.
An archer would spend 6 years in training.
What is a spiritual shield?
We are attacked spiritually by things being put into our mind which are designed to make us feel bad or take us away from God.
These might be called spiritual arrows or darts that are fired at us.
A spiritual attack can affect both our physical and mental health.
What are the spiritual darts fired at us that Paul wants to shield us from?
Here are some examples.
When the enemy attacks us with doubts the shield of faith turns aside the blow.
Fear
The pessimism that comes from living a life fearful of daily events that stays with you.
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Lies
You will be told lies that will affect your life
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Lack of forgiveness
The need for revenge that comes from lack of forgiveness
Jeremiah 31: 34 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Envy
The jealousy that comes from wanting what other people have and comparing yourself with others.
1 Corinthians 13:4; "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."
Exodus 20:17; "Do not covet your neighbor’s house.
Worry
The depression that comes from worrying about things that we cannot change or things that may not happen
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Disappointment in ourselves or others
The bitterness of disappointment or the mood of cynicism that can happen.
Success
The pride that comes of success and the vanity and self-conceit
James 4:10 Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.
Wealth
The materialism that comes from wealth
Distraction
Our own interests and desires.
Our spiritual shield then is our relationship with God. It becomes stronger as our relationship with God becomes stronger.
The constant contact we have with God. Our prayers and the thanks we give to God develop our spiritual shield.
A shield, whether it be physical or spiritual, can only be effective when it is raised. This requires an ongoing state of preparedness and patience on our part.
The apostle Paul spoke of the need for the Body of Christ to be joined together, helping each other, much like a band of soldiers who raise their shields to defend each other.