Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
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.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the gospel of peace as a firm footing.
In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Paul's guard while he was under arrest would have been a Roman soldier. Maybe Paul was looking at his captor while he was writing this letter. Probably the guard would not have been clothed in his full suit of armor, but Paul would have been very familiar with all it would include.
Paul lists the items of armor in the same order a soldier would use to prepare himself for battle. It is a complete outfit, providing protection from head to foot.
Stand is a key word in the passage. The armor provided protection from the assaults of the enemy. But it would not be very easy to run with it all on. The men wearing armor like this were expected to stand, to hold the line, to form a barrier.
THE BELT OF TRUTH
The belt would be first. It would be tied snugly around the waist. The belt was not a fashion statement--its purpose was to gather in the short tunic and help keep the breastplate in place. And from it he would hang his scabbard, the sheath for his sword. When a soldier loosened his belt, he was "off duty." When it was tied tightly he would be prepared to face the enemy.
Paul referred to this belt as the belt of truth. What truth was Paul talking about? The truth that is in Jesus, he wrote in the fourth chapter of this letter; and the fruit of the light, in the fifth chapter. It's the whole body of truth we find in God's word.
There are many "false truths" in our culture today. That makes sense when you think about it. If there wasn't a real truth, there would be no need to counterfeit it. How do bankers detect a counterfeit bill? By comparing it to a legitimate one.
These false claims to be truth, or claims that there is no truth, are hurled at us every day from the foes that surround us. We need to tighten our belt of truth, secure it, and stand against the enemies of the gospel.
THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
The breastplate covered the soldier's body from his neck to his thighs. It was sometimes called a heart-protector. Sometimes they were bronze and sometimes actual
chain-mail (like we see in movies about the knights in the Middle Ages.) It always covered the soldier's front (the actual breast-plate); but sometimes there was another separate piece that covered the back. That was not "standard issue."
Probably the Roman military leaders did not want their soldiers to have back protection.
Isaiah 59:17 tells us that the LORD put on righteousness as his breastplate and the helmet of salvation on his head.
Our breastplate is Christ's righteousness. We are clothed in His goodness. All our own righteousness is no better than filty rags.
Our protection cannot be found in any works of our own, but only in what Christ has done for us and in us. He did for us what we would not, and could not, ever do.
THE BOOTS OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE
The boots came next. They were heavy-duty, with thick soles studded with sharp nails.
They helped ensure a good grip on the rough ground. Alexander the Great's men wore similar shoes. The Greek and the Roman armies actually made good time on long marches in this type of footwear. And having one's feet shod this way meant the soldiers were ready at any moment to be called for duty.
We must be "ever-ready" also.
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
After the boots, the soldier would take hold of his shield. This was a large oblong or oval piece, with a handle inside, for the soldier to hold in front of him.
It was usually two layers of wood glued together, covered with linen and hide, and bound with iron. When soldiers fought side by side, as they often did, they would form a solid wall of protection.
In the Roman wars the enemies sometimes dipped their darts in pitch and then ignited them. These darts could be stopped by the wall of shields.
When we stand together we can fight the arrows and slings of Satan easier. With that wall of faith in front of us we can withstand his assaults. It's much more effective than trying to stand alone.
All these parts of the armor were laid out for the soldier to put on.
THE HELMET OF SALVATION
The helmet had to be placed on the soldier's head by an attendant or armor-bearer.
(The soldier was holding the shield. He could not put it on by himself.)
The helmet was made of bronze with leather attachments. It had to be adjusted to fit properly.
If we look back again at Isaiah 59:17, we are told that God wears the helmet of salvation, as well as the breastplate of righteousness.
The salvation Paul is talking about here is full salvation to be obtained when the final war is over. Someone has said this salvation is a present deliverance from sin to be consummated in eternity by complete deliverance from every kind of evil.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 the helmet is identified with the hope of full salvation.
We have been saved from the guilt of sin. (Past)
We are being saved from the power of sin. (Present)
We will be saved from the very presence of sin in heaven. (Future)
Salvation has a past, present and future meaning.
We have been saved; we are being saved; we will be saved.
And, like the Roman soldier, we cannot put the helmet on ourselves.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
Finally, the sword. Paul does not mention a spear, which would have been part of the equipment. Probably his guard's spear was not there, because there wouldn't be much reason to have a spear inside.
His sword would be a two-edged thrusting sword. It is the only offensive piece of equipment mentioned. ...the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.
Just as Jesus used the word of God to dispel Satan in the wilderness, so we use His words to fight our battles against the enemy.
Jesus answered Satan
It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
Jesus was claiming God's word recorded in Deuteronomy 8:3.
Swords have not changed much over the years. In the Texas Revolution men had swords. But they were used a little differently. Usually they were used as a machete to clear dry brush from around the cannons. Firing a cannon caused sparks that could cause a grass fire, which would ignite the cannon and the ammunition. So the men first cleared the area with their sword-machete. (There were still a lot of accidents.)
Using God's words enabled Jesus to withstand temptation. We, too, can "thrust" it out and make ineffective Satan's assaults on us. God's word gives us power, and makes Satan powerless.
Using all the armor and the sword we can stand fearlessly in our stand against evil.
Paul finishes this section with:
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I can fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.Ephesians 6:19-20.
Pray that we all will declare the gospel fearlessly.
