Lots of Christians don’t like war imagery. They object to hymns like “Onward Christian Soldiers” which, they say, glorify war. They claim that Jesus is a pacifist, God is a pacifist and that talk of battle and armour and swords compromises this message of peace.
Given that we just sang that famous hymn, you can probably tell that I think that view is garbage. If you don’t like war imagery, you’re not going to like large chunks of the Bible. In fact, when God is described as “King” in the Old Testament, it’s actually the same word in Hebrew that would be used for “Warlord”. The Kingship of God is a military image. To most Jews around at the time of Jesus, the phrase the “Kingdom of God” was also a military image, and they were expecting the messiah would come and lead a great military revolution to victory for Israel!
There’s nothing wrong with military imagery!
But as we learnt last week, this doesn’t mean that we’re fighting a physical war. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil that control this dark world.
And against such spiritual forces, the armour and bronze-tipped spear and the shield of the legion and the short-sword worn at the hip would never be effective. Not only that, but our personal spiritual defences are also completely inadequate. With our own power we cannot resist the tempting lies of the devil. Our own conscience cannot and does not stop us from giving in to our pride and our base passions.
What we need, according to Ephesians 6, is the armour of God. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. It’s a military image, it’s a military metaphor, but it reflects a spiritual reality because we’re up against spiritual forces.
I did a google image search for the “armour of God.” It’s extraordinary the number of diagrams and pictures devoted to this theme. For our instruction and entertainment (well, actually more for our entertainment), I’ll show you a selection.
• They normally involve someone decked out somewhat like a Roman legionary – something like this. There’ll be labels pointing out the belt of truth and the helmet of salvation and things like that.
• Other people put in a big effort and hire all manner of costumes and weapons. I particularly like this one. They’ve gone to a lot of trouble to get all the right equipment here so that it looks authentic, but if you look closely you’ll see his sandals are attached with Velcro!
• Others forget the whole historical context of the First Century Mediterranean world and instead have a picture of a medieval knight in full plate armour, like this one.
• Others seem even more confused (baseballer)
• It’s apparently a big hit in children’s ministry – I’m sure when I was growing up I made some cardboard shields and swords based on Ephesians 6. There’s plenty of pictures like this all over the net of Sunday School classes decked out in their home-made armour. This one was captioned “God’s little soldiers”. I remember thinking as a child, if God’s armour is really as effective as this piece of flimsy cardboard, then I’m in trouble.
• This was a little card given out to children at one church in America, something they could check off every day to make sure they were protected.
• There’s the templates and colouring in sheets for the kids’ club craft.
• There’s an armour of God board game, though I’m not quite sure of the rules!
• Perhaps the most bizarre is the his-and-hers armour of God pyjama set. Complete with shield of faith pillow. Only $39.95 plus shipping! I can do a bulk order if anyone is interested!
There’s a veritable industry out there!
But what does this extended metaphor mean? Assuming we’re beyond making cardboard cutouts, how do we protect ourselves with the armour of God so we can stand firm?
Well, for the rest of our time together I’ll be making a few brief points about this armour generally before then commenting specifically on three parts of the armour in verses 14 and 15 of Ephesians 6 – the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth and the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Next week Ian will be taking us through the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, and Chris will be rounding us off by looking at the importance of prayer in vs 18-20 in two weeks time.
The idea of God having armour is an image which appears throughout the Bible. As I’ve already said, military metaphors and the picture of God fighting a battle or winning a great victory are quite common. Isaiah 59:14-17 says this:
ISA 59:14 So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
ISA 59:15 Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
ISA 59:16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
ISA 59:17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
God has looked at Israel, he’s looked at the world and seen that there is not justice, and there is no one who seeks justice. So in his judgment God garbs himself in his own righteousness and his own salvation and goes forth to bring punishment to the wicked and redemption to the faithful. The righteousness and salvation are God’s. They are the instruments of his mighty hand. In Ephesians 6, Paul is no doubt alluding to Isaiah 59, and from that comparison we can see that it’s the armour of God. It’s not protection we achieve by being good followers of God. It’s God’s protection for us. He provides. We can’t protect ourselves. We need God’s truth, the righteousness that comes from a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. We need the good news, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need faith in the Lord, we need the salvation that only Jesus brings, we need the very Word of God. That is our armour, that is our defence against Satan, that, and only that, is what will enable us to stand both in these evil days and when the day of evil comes.
The other thing that I want us to note about the armour God is that we shouldn’t get too hung up over what represents what. I’ve heard sermons and read books on this passage where the speaker will say things like “righteousness is the breastplate because right living comes from the heart and a breastplate protects the heart”. Or perhaps they’ll say that it’s the “belt of truth” because it’s the truth of the gospel that holds everything up and ties everything together. Now, there might be something to that, or there might not. But consider 1 Thessalonians 5:8: But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
There, faith is the breastplate whereas faith is the shield in Ephesians 6. So don’t bother speculating about why this represents that. It’s not the most significant thing in the passage. Instead, let’s focus on these attributes, these characteristics, these gifts from God themselves that we are to arm ourselves with so we can stand firm against the devil.
And finally, we need to recognise that at their heart, all these pieces of armour are simply different aspects of the gospel. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation – what Paul is really telling us is to clothe ourselves in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Surround yourself with the good news that Jesus came into the world to save and to forgive and to transform sinners. In other words, it’s the gospel which defeats Satan. It’s Jesus who triumphs over him on the cross.
Well, after that rather extended introduction, let’s look at these three pieces of armour: truth, righteousness and the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Truth
A minister wound up the services one morning by saying, "Next Sunday I am going to preach on the subject of LIARS. And in preparation, I would like you all to read the 5th chapter of Colossians."
The next Sunday, the preacher rose to begin, and said, "Now, all of you who have done as I requested and read Colossians 5, please raise your hands."
Many hands in the congregation went up. "Very good," said the preacher. "You are precisely the people I wish to speak to this morning.
While some people in our society will say that there is no truth, we know that truth does matter – because we know how much it hurts when we are lied to. And we also know the consequences of lies can be devastating.
Satan is described in John 8:44 as the “father of lies”. Untruth is the native language of the devil, Jesus says. It’s the way Satan deceives and tempts. He convinces us that something isn’t really that wrong. That God didn’t really mean we shouldn’t do that. That it’s only a little sin. He uses lies and half-truths to lead us away from THE truth.
Think about the way Satan operates. Genesis 3. “Did God really say not to eat the fruit, Eve? But it looks so good. You won’t die – in fact you’ll become like God.” Or the way he tempts Jesus in Matthew 4: he quotes and distorts the words of the bible to try to convince Jesus to test God and then offers him the whole world if only Jesus will worship him. Notice how the devil lies subtly, how he appeals to our pride.
It’s no surprise, then, that the first part of the armour of God is the truth. Because if we know what’s right and we know what’s true and we know how God wants us to live and we know how the LORD saves us then we can stand up to these lies from the devil. We will not be tricked by the “sex outside of marriage is ok if you love each other” lie. Or the “spending money extravagantly upon yourself is a blessing from God” lie.
Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State Parliament. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of a church in Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer stirred controversy, and one member of the legislative body walked out. Many criticized the prayer. Official protests were made. Let me quote it now, because it powerfully illustrates the way modern people, including many modern churches, have been taken in by Satan’s lies and half-truths.
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin, show us your truth, and set us free.”
Jesus says in John 8. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
By “truth” we don’t just mean right doctrine, correct theology. It is that, but it’s so much more – and so much more profound. Ultimately the Scripture tells us that the truth is a person, and absolute truth about ourselves, the universe and our creator is found in the life and teaching of that person – Jesus of Nazareth who is called Christ. If we follow him and listen to him then we will know the truth. So when Ephesians tells us to put on the belt of truth we are really being told to gird ourselves with Jesus. To immerse ourselves in and to surround ourselves with the person and work of Christ. That is putting on the belt of truth.
Righteousness
Secondly, the breastplate of righteousness.
Righteousness in this context simply means godly living, following the perfect example of Christ.
I’ve already mentioned that one title of Satan is “the father of lies.” Another is the Accuser. That’s what the word Satan actually means. He accuses us of our guilt, our sin before God. He is like the prosecuting lawyer who lists our crimes so God can pass just judgment.
If we are righteous then we have nothing to be accused of, and Satan has lost his power.
Righteousness doesn’t come from outward signs of religiosity. As Jesus says in Mark 7, our action is the fruit of what is in our heart. So when Paul calls us to put on the breastplate of righteousness, he is not only calling us to do the right thing before God. He is calling us to have our very being transformed so that we submit to the Lord.
What it actually means to be righteous is a huge topic. God demands control over all our lives, not just some of it – so all our behaviours, our thoughts, our attitudes, our conversations, our relationships - everything needs to be subjected to the test of righteousness. Go home after church today and read Ephesians 4 and 5 and this will give you just a little taste of what putting on the breastplate of righteousness involves.
But none of us are perfect, so how can we put on this breastplate of righteousness? Won’t there be far too many chinks in my armour for it to offer any real protection? If you’re anything like me, you know that Satan already has a myriad of things to accuse you of.
I love the way God orders things just so to provide preachers with perfect sermon illustrations. I came across one when I was looking up “righteousness”. The Chinese character for righteousness is made up of a combination of two other words. The bottom character means “me” or “I”. The top character means “lamb”. So when I put the lamb over me, the result is righteousness.
I can’t be righteousness on my own, but I am made righteous in the sight of God because Jesus Christ, the Lamb, has made me so by his blood shed on the cross. I said at the start that this is God’s armour, provided by him based on his character. Jesus provides this breastplate of righteousness. He makes us righteous. He changes us. He recreates us. He makes us his own. And now Ephesians 6 calls us to keep on wearing and living that righteousness so that we can stand firm against what should be empty accusations.
Readiness from the Gospel of Peace
Vs 15 - with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
This is a strange phrase and it has always seemed to be little difficult to pin down. Some commentators and translators have taken it to mean that you should be ready to spread the gospel – so the Good News Bible translates vs 15 as “the readiness to announce the Good News of peace”. It’s interpreted as being about the readiness to spread the message. And this view has some support. We heard Isaiah 52 read earlier, and it could be that this passage is alluding to vs. 7 which talks about bringing the good news and proclaiming peace. So we should be ready to tell people the gospel. Take every opportunity we’re told. Be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us about the hope that we have. That’s a legitimate way to read this passage.
I’m more inclined to view it in another way, though. What’s been the main theme here? It’s been about standing firm, hasn’t it? Most of the imagery is defensive. The forces of evil will attack and we need to be ready to withstand that attack.
The footwear of a Roman soldier - and other soldiers throughout history – were critical in preparing him for battle. Nails were driven into the sole of the shoe to provide good grip, so that when the attack came the front line would not be sent reeling by an enemy charge. I think the context suggests it is that sort of scenario that Paul is referring to in Ephesians 6. Being prepared to stand firm against Satan’s onslaught.
And the irony is deliberate. We prepare for battle with the gospel of peace. Not because we want some treaty with the devil. That’s not the peace the gospel brings. Nor is it peace on earth. That’s not the peace the gospel brings, either. Some people think that the gospel is all about making peace between people, stopping wars, that sort of thing. That’s a good goal, I’m not knocking it, but that’s not what the gospel is really about. Ours wars with each other are just symptoms of our rebellion against God. Lasting peace is only possible if the very nature of humanity is altered, if our blackened hearts are made white, if we are transformed by the blood of Jesus. That’s the gospel of peace – it’s about changing us and forgiving us so that we can be at peace with God. As Colossians 1:20 says: through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
And the paradox is that to be at peace with God means that we must be at war with this world and the devil. And it is for this war that we protect ourselves with the full armour of God.
Well, I began this morning by saying that the Bible is full of military imagery. Indeed, the underlying message of Ephesians 6 is that we are at war – and we should be at war. The dark spiritual powers of this world will not cease their attack and we cannot cease standing up for the gospel and for godliness.
Last week James reminded us that in Christ we already have the victory over Satan. And in this passage we can see that we already have the means to be protected in this battle. The truth of the Gospel, the righteousness imparted by Jesus, the Lamb of God, and the steadfastness we have because we are at peace with the Lord enable us to stand up and to stand firm.
Let me close with the words of Ephesians 6:10-13, which hopefully you should already be familiar with: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor 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 armor 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.
