The Armor of God

Part 1

What does it mean to take up the whole armor of God?

 

In Ephesians 6:13 Paul tells us to “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.”  Most studies will start with the verse ahead of this one explaining what we are fighting against, tell us to put on this whole armor then go on to break down what each piece of the armor represents.  I want to approach this from a different angle.  Paul has told us to take up this armor, so let’s start with that verse. 

 

“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.”

 

“Therefore take up” We are here told to pick something up, something that we have not had in our possession until this moment.  We see it, we know what it is, we understand what it is used for, but it means nothing unless we act upon that knowledge and reach out and appropriate it for ourselves.  So I would like you to imagine this.  You, picking up this spiritual armor with the INTENTION of using it!  Sometimes we just pick things up and set them back down…pick this up with the explicit intention that you have a purpose and a reason for picking it up.

“the whole armor of God”  Although Apostle Paul has equated this armor with a natural Roman soldiers armor we must remember and always keep in mind that this is a SPIRITUAL armor.  There is nothing physical about this armor.  We will later break down the pieces, but for now I want you to imagine that you are spiritually placing these garments on your spirit self.  God is a spirit and thinks in spiritual terms.  The pieces of armor, although Paul uses the analogy of soldiers armor are anything but a simple uniform.  I want you to keep in mind, throughout this entire lesson, that it is an ANALOGY!!  It goes deeper than the physical eyes can see.

Armor is something that was developed to further protect the soldier from the sharp weapons that were sent in his direction to cause maiming or death.  The weapons were developed to stop you from advancing against the enemy.  The armor was developed as a deterrent from allowing this to happen.  It is there to stop the bullet from piercing the skin and touching the vital organs.  It stops a knife from cutting through the tender skin and causing bleeding.  At all costs blood must be retained in the body!  Once the blood is lost, unconsciousness occurs then death. One small puncture can kill a person if it is strategically placed.  When we look at this in spiritual terms we see that the devil will set his army of soldiers against you and try to stop you from taking ground in his territory.  Like any army, it will do all that it can to retain ground and try to take ground.  Territory is vital!   Thus, the importance of taking up, and retaining the whole armor of God.  The devil has spiritual weapons to use in this spiritual war.  If we keep this in mind er will do well in the fight against this enemy of God.  He is the enemy of your salvation and the enemy of the salvation of those whom you will share the gospel. Your enemy, God’s enemy, does not want this good news to get out and he will maim or kill you to stop it from happening.  He will start by doing this spiritually and when this does not work then he will begin to do things in the natural to stop your progress.  When you see a minister of the gospel begin to lose things in the natural then keep this warrior in your constant prayers!  The enemy has not been successful in his attack against their spirit, or character, so he has resorted to natural physical attacks.  I have experience flat tires, dead batteries and even having my car set on fire by a person who did not even know me.  All of these things happen when the person is out of reach of the enemy that has been set on assignment against them.  If you have experienced these things yourself, take heart, it is a good sign!

“that you may be able” There is a purpose for you to pick up with intention to use this armor.  The purpose is so that you will have the STRENGTH.  The Greek word used in this text is dynamai.  It means to have power and strength.  It also infers that the power and strength you have is actually a state of mind!  So this tells us that we must always be strong in our minds!  We must never forget that we ARE strong because we have on the spiritual armor of God and nothing can defeat God. 

 

“to withstand in the evil day” 

This strength, this dynamai, is what allows you to resist any evil attack against you with POWER!  The “evil day” is the day when these oppositions come against you.  It includes hardships, harassments, pain and suffering, bad conditions, wickedness and toils.  As TRUE Christians we must expect these things to come against us. If you are not experiencing any of these conditions then I would say that you should seriously examine your life.  The enemy only attacks those that he sees is a threat to him and his territory.  To withstand means that you stand with forceful determination!    It means that you successfully resist and stand against an opposing force!  Does that mean that the enemy will not deliver a forceful blow to you?  No, but it means that you will be able to withstand anything he delivers in your path to try to stop you from advancing the kingdom of God!  Does it mean that you won’t get hurt?  No, getting hit whether spiritually or physically usually hurts, but you have the strength to resist the enemies’ advancement and attack on you!  You have the forcefulness and strength needed to stand strong and powerfully and say, I will not quit and I will not run!  There is no retreat in Christianity.  We do not give up territory!

 

“and having done all”

This means that you have done all that you have been instructed to do to render yourself fit to wear the armor.  A person does not automatically become a soldier when they have first been enlisted.  They must first go through a series of training instruction before they are sent onto the field of battle.  You may ask why is this?  This is because a soldier must first learn how to take instruction from those who are in the position of command.  A seasoned warrior knows the potholes and pitfalls and traps that the enemy sets.  They can recognize a spy in the camp and give fair warning to those under their command and care.  They understand that the very lives of new soldiers are held in their instruction. They know the way and they know the path.  Being a good soldier does not mean we run headlong into the enemies camp.  There is protocol and there is rank in any army.  Rank must be recognized and instruction must be adhered to. You must be a soldier that is fit, mind and spirit, to wear the soldier’s uniform and armor.

 

“to stand.” 

Once you have achieved this completely you are now equipped to stand firm. You are to be unmovable; unshakable and unwavering, in the face of the attack of the enemy.  You are now ready and prepared and you are expected to uphold your authority at all times. (we will study this later in the lesson)  A General in the natural army will never act with the limited authority of a private.  You will never see him quiver and quake In the face of the attack as a private may be expected to act when first experiencing real battle.  As you move from grace to grace and from rank to rank you will learn how to stand in the Christ given authority given to all believers through the cross.  As you grow in strength and in faith the attacks may be fiercer and you may find that you have more soldiers depending on you for instruction.  Have no fear; you are fully equipped to face any attack of the enemy!