The Armor of God: Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

The Roman soldier stood guard outside Paul's rented quarters.

Day after day, Paul studied him. The armor. The weapons. The stance of a man trained for battle. And day after day, Paul wrote about a different kind of warfare.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

The believers in Ephesus faced enemies they couldn't see. The temple of Artemis dominated their city. Dark spiritual powers lurked behind the gleaming marble. They needed armor.

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.

Not flesh and blood. The enemies were invisible. Rulers. Authorities. Powers. The hierarchy of darkness. The spiritual forces marshaled against God's people.

The Ephesians knew this world. They had burned fifty thousand drachmas worth of magic scrolls when they came to faith. They knew the dark powers were real.

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. Three times in this passage. Stand your ground. Stand against. Stand firm. The posture of the believer is not advance but resistance. Hold the ground Christ has won.

The day of evil comes. It will come. The assault is guaranteed. The question is whether you'll be ready.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

Paul looked at the soldier's belt. The balteus—the leather belt that held everything together. Without it, the armor would hang loose. The sword would swing wild.

Truth. The belt of truth. Integrity. Honesty. Living in reality rather than fantasy. Truth holds everything else in place.

With the breastplate of righteousness in place.

The breastplate covered the vital organs. Heart, lungs, stomach—protected by bronze or leather.

Righteousness. Not self-righteousness but Christ's righteousness imputed and personal righteousness pursued. The heart protected by right standing with God and right living before others.

And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The soldier wore caligae—sandals with hobnails for grip. Sure footing in battle.

The gospel of peace. Strange equipment for war. But the believer stands firm on the news that peace has been made. The secure footing of reconciliation with God.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The Roman scutum was large—four feet by two and a half feet. It could cover the whole body. Multiple soldiers could interlock shields, forming an impenetrable wall.

The shield of faith. Faith extinguishes. The flaming arrows come—doubt, accusation, temptation, fear—and faith catches them, quenches them, renders them harmless.

All the flaming arrows. Not some. All. Every attack has an answer in faith.

Take the helmet of salvation.

The helmet protected the head. The mind. The seat of thought and will.

Salvation. The helmet is knowing you are saved. The assurance that guards against despair, against the accusation that you don't belong, against the lie that God has abandoned you.

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Finally—an offensive weapon. The gladius, the short Roman sword. Deadly at close range.

The word of God. The Spirit's sword. The only weapon that attacks. The Scriptures, wielded by the Spirit, cut through deception and defeat the enemy.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Prayer is not separate from the armor—it is the atmosphere in which the armor is worn. In the Spirit. On all occasions. All kinds of prayers.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Alert. Watchful. Prayer requires attention. The battle requires vigilance. All the Lord's people—the war is communal.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.

Paul requested prayer. Even the apostle needed it. In chains but still an ambassador. The chains didn't silence the mystery.

Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Fearlessly. Boldly. Without shrinking back. Paul knew the temptation to be silent. He needed prayer for courage.

The soldier outside shifted his stance. His armor clinked softly.

Paul kept writing. The believers would read this letter and look at their own Roman guards with new eyes. The armor was visible—bronze and leather, sword and shield.

But the real armor was invisible. Truth. Righteousness. Gospel. Faith. Salvation. The Word.

And prayer. Always prayer.

Stand firm. The day of evil is coming.

But you have everything you need.