10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.Maybe it is because I never got to wear Armor of God PJ's as a kid, but this teaching has always been troublesome for me to understand practically. Paul was speaking to people who were accustomed to seeing Roman soldiers all dressed in their get-ups, so maybe it was easier for the Ephesians to relate. Even then, the imagery is not the most difficult part for me, but the matter-of-factness with which Paul says to take up these arms to stand against evil.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— (Ephesians 6:10-18, New King James Version)
Let's take a quick look at what Paul is talking about:
- Belt of Truth
- Breastplate of Righteousness
- Jerusalem Cruisers of Peace
- Shield of Faith
- Helmet of Salvation
- Sword of the Spirit/Word of God (rhema)
Next, we have the breastplate of righteousness. This one seems pretty straightforward, but it has a subtle complication. Resist evil by not being evil. Fair enough. I don't think any christian sets out with the intent of being evil. However, how many well meaning christians have fallen into sin? Wait, I thought we were supposed to not be evil, and evil would flee from us...It seems we christians...I mean, I as a christian, have a hard time with the whole righteousness bit. No, I am not an evil person, but I try to resist, and I fail, not always, but I do, no matter how righteous I try to be. So, it seems like my breastplate may either not fit right, or has a broken strap or something.
Paul wants us to stand firm, and what better to stand firm with than sandals of the peace of the good news. So, all hell is broken loose against us, and we are supposed to stand peacefully resisting it. Why? Because we have believed the good news that the Prince of Peace has come. This is simple enough, and relatively easy to swallow compared to what we have already looked at. So, do we christians have peace in the face of adversity, or do we practice bunker prayer on a regular basis to see if the Prince of Peace will pull us out of another fire fight?
This armor is already making me tired, and I am only half through. Should I go into the issue of using faith to resist evil? Even the disciples, who were with Jesus every day for three years, struggled with faith on a regular basis. Should I touch on the helmet of salvation? Most of us have reduced salvation to a golden ticket, and when we are in the trenches, what good does that do to resist evil? Many people get so exasperated from the evil assault on their lives, that they become deluded into wanting to die in order to cash in their ticket. And finally, we have the Sword of the Spirit, which is the rhema word of God. I have always heard that this means the Bible, but I am not convinced. That could be a possible mistranslation of what Paul is really saying. Rhema was the greek word used to specify speech or uttered words. I think that the sword Paul is referring to has more to do with the power in the gifts of the Holy Spirit: healing, prophecy, miracles, signs and wonders, etc. If this is the case, the church in general has lost their sword, and not only that, but has created doctrinal excuses for the lack of it.
Paul instructs us to take on all these arms, all of which seems to fit us rather badly, much like David trying on Saul's armor before facing Goliath. I never really understood the reason that Paul used this analogy to describe the resistance of evil. To me, it just sounds too contrived, and contrary to examples of mighty men such as David. But, as any mild mannered Christian is apt to do, I just passed over it so that it would not bother me. It was recently brought back to my attention in a way I will never forget.
Often I find that God uses surprise tactics on me, not just so He get my attention, but so that what He has to say will be engrained in my being on a profound level that only He can touch. The other day, in my personal journaling time, I saw a picture of Jesus sitting non-chalantly on a rock, turning something over in his hands, and He was hunched over it, looking at it carefully as if engaged in creating something. I asked Him, "Lord, what are You doing?" His answer surprised me. "I am making you a tunic," He said. "It is a foundation, of sorts, for your armor. I am fitting you for battle." Surprised, bewildered and a little apprehensive, I asked "What does THAT mean?"
His answer was profound, simple, and it made everything Paul told the Ephesians much more comprehensible. "The tunic is intimacy (with Me). It is put on first, worn closest to the body, and without this tunic, no other armor can be put on without it becoming uncomfortable and unbearable." It is no wonder that this passage about the armor of God never made sense to me. Paul left out the most important piece of the armor: the underwear of communion.
Well, that's really not entirely accurate. In all fairness to the greatest of the apostles, he didn't really leave it out, he just forgot to relate intimacy with God as a part of the armor. Paul bookends the whole analogy by telling us at the beginning to "be strong IN THE LORD and in the power of His Might" (emphasis mine), and by concluding with the instruction to pray at all times and in all sorts of ways "in the Spirit." Being "in the Lord," or "in the Spirit" were lost to me in the context of the imagery of the armor. But Paul does not leave out the need to constantly be in communion with the Father at all. He only says it more subtly than Jesus did to me in my prayer time.
It's a good thing, this intimacy. One thing in particular that Jesus told me in prayer was that He had been preparing me my whole life for the tunic He had made for me. It was an amazing change of perspective, God preparing me to fit a garment, and not the other way around. It is the close relationship with the Father that fills us out, builds and strengthens our spiritual bodies to a point that we fit into the armor God has prepared us for. Without that intimate communion, we step in our own strength into armor built for a man of a different stature, and eventually, it becomes a heavy, clumsy and uncomfortable load for us to bear. So, without a doubt in my mind, Paul's entreaty to the Ephesians is for us to step confidently into the role God has prepared us for. My question now is, how many other people, beside myself, missed in this process the hidden key of developing a real, personal, interactively intimate relationship with God, in order to do what Paul instructs?
I wish I could say I am the only one.
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