5 Worn Pieces
In keeping with the theme of ‘5’, let’s look at the 5 defensive pieces of God’s armor that are worn. God’s Armor, or the “Armor of God”, not meaning what God wears, but what we as His children are told in Ephesians 6:11-24 to put on ourselves to fight and win against Satan and his powers.
From the above mentioned verses we can identify those pieces of armor as….the Belt or Girdle of Truth (verse 14), the Breastplate of Righteousness (verse 14), the footwear of the Gospel of Peace (verse 15), the Shield of Faith (verse 16), and the Helmet of Salvation verse 17).
It’s easy to see why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use this analogy. As a prisoner, Paul was with the Roman soldiers constantly, and Christians of the day were also very familiar with them and would easily understand the analogy. But since we today do not see such soldiers of old, how can we know what God intends? Let’s study on it a bit.
Verse 14 tells us to “gird up” or secure our “loins” with Truth. The “loins” are the abdominal area of the body and is our core of physical strength. Unprotected or wounded in that area, it would be nearly impossible to stand strong in an upright position, let alone fight. Figuratively speaking, Truth is the basis of our spiritual strength and helps us stand firm without falling.
Verse 14 also mentions the Breastplate of Righteousness. This piece of armor protected the chest area over the heart and lungs, the life center of the body. Righteousness is living right for God, striving to be holy and pure in heart as well as actions. Righteousness protects the spiritual heart from evil and the Devil with his snares. Any soldier going into battle without the breastplate is asking for certain death. So too, if we are not spiritually covered with righteousness, we are asking for certain spiritual death.
In Verse 15 Paul tells us to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace”. The NIV says “andwith your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.” Until I studied this verse more, I always thought of it as taking the Gospel somewhere… having our shoes on and ready to go. But, the context of this setting in verses 10-16 is about standing firm and fighting, not advancing or going anywhere. Could it be, as Barnes states in his commentary, that it refers to a Christian’s “stability and surefootedness from the Gospel which gives him peace so that he can stand in the battle”? That does make sense.
The Shield of Faith mentioned in verse 16 is not so much worn on the body as it is held up by the hands. As the shield guards and protects from physical danger, “faith protects us in our spiritual lives even in the midst of physical trials” (Barnes). Satan is always after us with his “fiery darts” of fear, doubt, worry, and temptation, but the only way he can get to us is if, or when, we let that shield of faith drop. We cannot let it dip even a little bit or the Devil will catch us off guard and hit us before we know what has happened.
Another thing I found about the shield of the soldier is the way the soldiers all raised them together. Because these shields were quite large, the outer soldiers held their shields out in front, touching the shield next to him, while the soldiers behind and inside the formation held theirs up over their heads, forming a solid barrier. This reminds me that the fight against Satan is one we all must fight, and fight together. Standing unified in the faith–joining our shields (as it were) will help strengthen us as a Body so that we can as one unit stand firm together. What a comforting thought to know that we don’t have to fight this battle alone.
The last piece of “worn” armor is the Helmet of Salvation in verse 17. The helmet protects the head and gives a sense of safety. The knowledge that we need salvation and taking the action to gain that salvation (believing God’s word, repenting of sins, confessing the name of Christ, and being baptized for the remission of those sins) gives us hope that protects our very thoughts from the cares of the world and the temptations that come our way.
Another thought regarding the Helmet of Salvation is this: Once we have commited our life to Christ and Salvation is ours, we are told in Philippians 2:5 to “develop the mind of Christ”. We should think differently from the world. We should love God and Christ so much that we have His very words written on our minds to help us remember the reason for Salvation, as well as those words of promise and encouragement that help us in our daily battle against Satan.
This concludes the pieces of armor that are “worn” in some fashion. But what soldier would go into battle without his sword? This is the soldier’s only “offensive weapon”. As a Christian, our only offensive weapon is the “Sword of the Spirit”. “Of the Spirit” shows where the sword came from–from the Holy Spirit inspiring those who wrote, then specifies what that sword is–The Word of God. So the Word, God-breathed by God the Holy Spirit, should be our weapon carried into battle against Satan, held close to our sides, ready for use at a moment’s notice.
Along with the five worn pieces of armor and the one offensive weapon, Paul tells us in verse 18 “to pray” and to “be alert”. This armor would be of little use without God’s help and strength to wear it continuously on a daily basis. We must seek Him in prayer so that we do not become weary or discouraged. Our hearts and minds in prayer, ever on Him, will help us to be victorious over Satan.
But I wonder….do we really understand that the Christian Life is a battle, a daily struggle, a true spiritual war we are waging? Do we really understand that putting this armor on is NOT a mere suggestion? The words in this text are commands, not “if you want to” words. We are told to “be strong in the Lord”, to “put on”, to “take”, to “stand firm”, to “pray” and to “be alert”, and “having done all, to stand”.
Do you have your armor on? As women of God we MUST wear this armor daily. Never can we ever take it off and lay it aside. To do so would be to give up and let Satan win. To let Satan win means the loss of not only our souls in Hell, but very likely the souls of our children and grandchildren, spouses, and yes, maybe even our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Our influence reaches farther than we ever know. Let’s encourage each other to wear God’s armor and stand firmly together in our fight against Satan, so that we can one day be victorious and live with God and Christ eternally in Heaven.
By Beth Turner
originally printed in the Winter 2012 issue V5N1