The Armor/Panoply of God

The first three chapters of Ephesians show what we have received by the graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More of God: We are holy in ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More and blameless before God in love, we have been brought to sonshipIt is a special blessing for us to be sons of God (Gal 3:26). God destined us for this before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:5). Sonship (adoption) is... More, we have received the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More, and much more. Paul also shows the common blessings: Christians are members of the body of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More and form the indwelling of God in the Spirit. Children of God have been brought into a great positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More before God and have been richly blessed.

Understanding blessings

The apostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More Paul combines concise but richly informative remarks with two prayers, which are about believers gaining more insight into God's thoughts. In the first prayer, Paul turns to God: may he give the believers enlightened eyes of the heart so that they understand the divine calling (Eph. 1:17 ff.). The second prayer is addressed to the Father: may He grants to the believers the understanding of the whole counselThe counsel (purpose) of God is his plan. What God plans will happen. There is a counsel of God with his people Israel (Isa 46:10). This counsel has existed since... More and to recognize the love of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, which surpasses all understanding (Eph. 3:14 ff.). Our God and Father not only wanted to bless us richly, but He also wants us to know the things that have been given to us and to have fellowship with Him about them.

Living out blessings

But that's not all. The letter to the Ephesians also shows – mainly in chapters 4:1 to 6:9 – that we should live according to our blessed positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More as Christians. The positive aspect of the Christian walk is mentioned five times in this letter. We are to:

• walk in good worksAnother word for deeds or actions. God's works are perfect (Gen 1:31), men's can be good works (Matt 5:16) or dead (Heb 6:1). On the basis of his works, unbelieving... More (Eph. 2:10).
• walk worthy of the calling (Eph. 4:1).
• walk in love (Eph. 5:2).
• walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8).
• walk carefully (Eph. 5:15).

The battle

When we want to understand better and realize our positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More as Christians, resistance arises. For the devil and his dark forces want to prevent us from glorifying ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, building up the body of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, and being an effective witness to the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. SatanThe Bible introduces us to the great adversary of God in Rev 20:2 under four terms: • Dragon • Old Serpent • Devil • Satan Under the term 'Satan,' the... More knows that he cannot rob us of our heavenly blessings, but he wants to take away our joy in them, for example, by unsettling us with false teachings and drawing us away from ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. He often uses people to do this. However, we do not fight against them – as the Israelites did when they conquered Canaan – but against the spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). We resist them (cf. 1 Pet. 5:9, James 4:7).

The strength to fight

We need the power of God in this battle: "Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10). We cannot get any further against SatanThe Bible introduces us to the great adversary of God in Rev 20:2 under four terms: • Dragon • Old Serpent • Devil • Satan Under the term 'Satan,' the... More with our own strength. We see this clearly in Peter: when the Lord warned him that SatanThe Bible introduces us to the great adversary of God in Rev 20:2 under four terms: • Dragon • Old Serpent • Devil • Satan Under the term 'Satan,' the... More would see him, he was unimpressed and self-confident. Shortly afterward, he suffered a painful defeat (Luke 22:31-34, 61, 62). An event from the history of the people of Israel teaches the same lesson. Before the Israelites conquered Jericho, the first city of Canaan, the men in Gilgal were circumcised, and the Lord presented Joshua as the commander of the army of Israel (Josh. 5). This makes it clear that in the battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, of which the Canaanites are a picture, it is not the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More that is required but God's power.

Four important points on the armor

God has given us armor for the battle against the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More rulers of this darkness. Before we take a closer look at this, we should first consider four important points.

• First, We do not need just any armor, but the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). He shows what behavior is necessary to protect us from the mighty enemy. We are not to create our own code of conduct or bring the achievements of the human spirit to bear in this battle.
• Secondly, it is important that we put on or take up the whole armor (Eph. 6:11, 13). We must incorporate everything that the parts of the armor speak of into our Christian life practice. If we neglect one thing, the enemy has an easy game with his treacherous tactics. Partial obedience does not help us.
• Thirdly, we should have put on our armor. We are constantly in enemy territory and must not move around unarmed. When the enemy's sneak attack suddenly comes upon us on an "evil day," it is too late to gird up our loins with the truth or put on the helmet of salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More.
• Fourthly, when we have withstood the enemy's attack and emerged victorious from a battle, we must remain in our armor (Ephesians 6:13). Otherwise, it can easily happen that we are overwhelmed by the enemy in the aftermath – due to slackness or pride over the victory we have won.

Girt with truth

In his teachings, the apostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More Paul has a Roman soldier in mind. He names the parts of the armor in the order in which a soldier puts them on. First, a Roman soldier – who was already dressed in a short and tight-fitting everyday garment – put a wide belt around his hips. This tightened the garment and gave the fighter more stability. The belt was also necessary to attach the breastplate and the sword.

The loins are the seat of strength and also represent the inner man (Nah. 2:1, 10). When we put on the belt of truth, it means that the Word of God gives our thinking and life a clear direction. When we gird up the "loins of our mind" (1 Peter 1:13), we receive spiritual strength. We hold on to the truth in love and are imbued with how great the blessings of God are and how important the appeals based on them are. Our thoughts do not wander through the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More, but in our souls, we burn the holy desire to follow ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More and imitate Him.

Breastplate of righteousness

After the belt, the Roman soldier put on the breastplate, which especially protected his heart from the weapons of the enemy.

The breastplate of righteousness means that we bring our lives into harmony with the will of God. We live as children of light and test what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph. 5:9.10). Through practical righteousness in the details of everyday life, we protect our hearts from tormenting pangs of conscience and a burdened preoccupation with our failures. Those who live according to God's standards preserve the joy of the heart and the unclouded working of God's Spirit in the soul.

Shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace

Thirdly, the Roman soldier put on his nailed boots, which gave him a secure foothold in battle and a firm step on rough terrain. So, he was ready to move on the battlefield.

When we know the gospel of peace, it gives us inner stability. We rejoice in the fact that Christ is our peace, that we are reconciled with God, and that we have peace with one another (Eph. 2:14-18). To prevail in the war against a cunning and cruel enemy, our soul must enjoy the peace that faith in the gospel gives. When we are worn down by inner temptations, as shown in Romans 7, we cannot fight. We need a peace that shapes our nature and our ways (cf. Is. 52:7). Only if the gospel of peace is a matter of the heart for us are we equipped for the "heavenly battle."

Shield of faith

After the soldier had put on the breastplate, he took up the man-sized shield, which effectively protected him from the fiery darts that could cause damage even if they did not hit properly.

Our protection is the shield of faith: trust in God's power, help, faithfulness, and love. We need trust when the enemy shoots his arrows at us. These arrows are not temptations that are pleasing to the flesh but attacks designed to rob us of the awareness of God's favor. Satan likes to sow doubt as to whether God means well with us, as he did with Eve and Job (Gen. 3:4, 5; Job 2:5, 9). He also stirs up fear so that we do not even take up the battle for God's inheritance (cf. Gen. 13:32). But with the shield of faith, we are able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one. How great that is! Even if it hails fiery darts, we need not be afraid. "Satan may try a thousand things against us," wrote J.N. Darby, "our knowledge of God is always the answer."

Helmet of salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More

After the Roman soldier had taken the shield with his left hand, he put a helmet on his head to protect a particularly important part of his body.

When we wear the "helmet of salvation," we realize that the enemy no longer has any claim to power over us because we are saved by graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More (Eph. 2:1-5). We boldly lift up our heads because we understand that the enemy can never rob us of our salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More. Even though the enemy is powerful and cunning, he cannot separate us from the love of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More and from the blessings we have in Him. We can, therefore, face the enemy with holy confidence.

Sword of the Spirit

The soldier finally grasped the short sword with his right hand and put it into the shaft – ready to pull it out again at any time and stab with it. While the other parts of the armor were used for protection, the sword could be used for defense and attack.

The sword is the Word of God; it is our only weapon with which we can actively engage the enemy. We want to trust in its penetrating power and not try to bring the enemy to his knees with the straws of earthly wisdom. However, we must bear in mind that quoting a Bible verse is not necessarily a stroke with the sword of the Spirit. The devil also quoted something from the Word of God when he tempted the Lord. In doing so, he took words from the PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More out of context and used them incorrectly. But the perfect Lord, who was led by the Spirit, fended off this cunning attack by the enemy by quoting a suitable Bible word and not allowing Himself to be led astray from the path of trust. As a result, the enemy left the Lord (Luke 4:1, 9-13). In the same way, we also want to present the Word of God in the power of the Spirit when the devil attacks us.

Prayer

In the seventh point, which should characterize the Christian warrior of faith, the apostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More Paul leaves the imagery and no longer refers to the armor of the Roman soldier.

He now speaks directly of prayer. The connection and dependence on the "Supreme" in heaven are essential. Otherwise, we are at a loss. Prayer should characterize every "heavenly warrior" comprehensively: He prays at all times, he uses all kinds of prayer, he prays with all perseverance, and he prays for all the saints, knowing that he is not alone in the battle (Eph. 6:18).

The whole (!) armor

We are to put on the whole armor. This includes ensuring that the truth of God's Word gives direction to our lives and that our conduct is righteous. Then, we can also enjoy and spread the peace of the gospel. In this atmosphere of peace, our trust in God grows, and we anchor in our hearts that we have been delivered from the power of the devil forever. This enables us to apply the Word of God in the power of the Spirit and thus put the enemy to flight. This whole wonderful description of the armor is framed and concluded by the prayer in which we live out our dependence on the Lord, in whom is all strength.

Do we know the parts of the armor from the practice of our everyday life? Have we put on the whole armor of God? Even today? Then we are sure of victory.