Basics on God's Armor

All my Christian life (which is nearly all of it thankfully), I have heard or quoted the verses in Ephesians 6:10-17 regarding putting on the full armor of God. Of course, it's vital to do this. Consider several implications:

1. IT IS A CONTINUOUS SUITING UP. The battle never ends, so neither does our preparation for it. One does not put it on once, and then never think about it again. A main tenet of soldiering is that one must live constantly on the alert, prepared at any time, especially in the most unlikely of circumstances.

2. SUITING UP REQUIRES OUR ACTION. "Put on," "take up," "having fastened," etc., all point to diligence on our part. The battle may be the Lord's, but he requires our commitment, and this, for our good. There is no place for passivity in the battle of the ages.

3. ONE MUST REMEMBER THE CHARACTER OF THE FIGHT--IT IS A SPIRITUAL ONE, NOT A PHYSICAL. This means we don't go around "beating up" on one another, for that in itself is a ploy of the evil one to keep us distracted from the true enemy, as well as squabbling in the rear while the battle rages on the front!

4. THE TRUE ENEMY IS ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT TURNS OUR EYES AWAY FROM THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST ONTO TRUST IN MAN. Granted, our attention turns immediately to Satan, as well it should. But the devil often fools us by coming through another person or event. Remember, Satan was in Peter's good heart to divert Jesus' intended death (Mt. 16:22-23). Peter's main sin here was hearing what Jesus had told them in strictly human terms, and not God's. We might credit Peter with at least wanting Jesus' safety. But Jesus saw it for what it was, an attempt to divert him from the infinitely greater mission--death on the cross!

5. VICTORY IS ASSURED IN EACH PIECE. We are not commanded to don the armor as a mere exercise in obedience. It carries true value and accomplishes powerful victories! Inattention to God's word invites destruction, whereas a vigilent spirit wins in the day of battle! Spurgeon said,

Let me remind you that you are a soldier, you will be always at war, you will never have a furlough or conclude a treaty. Like the old knights who slept in their armor, you will be attacked even in your rest. There is no part of the journey to heaven which is secure from the enemy, and no moment, not even the sweet rest of the Lord’s day, when the clarion may not sound. Therefore, prepare yourselves always for the battle. “Put on the whole armor of God,” and look upon life as a continued battle. Be surprised when you have not to fight; be wonderstruck when the world is peaceful towards you; be astonished when your old corruptions do not rise and assault you. You must travel with your swords always drawn, and you may as well throw away the scabbard, for you will never want it. You are a soldier who must always fight, and by the light of battle you must survey the whole of your life. (From a sermon in 1867)

Run, Christian, run in the almighty power of Jesus Christ!

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