Spiritual Warfare: The Armor (Part 1 of 2)

Spiritual Warfare: The Armor (Part 1)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel pf peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Eph. 6:10-18).

The soldier

     Spiritual warfare is done by Christians who are in Christ. It is only done in Christ because he is the conqueror and he alone has all authority in heaven and on earth (Col. 2:15; Phil. 2:9-11). God provides abundantly for his soldiers. He provides grace (Jms. 4:6), leadership (Jms. 4:7), weapons (2 Cor. 10:4), strength, (Eph. 6:10), and armor (Eph. 6:11).

    Christian soldiers have duties they must perform. Believers are to: fight the good fight (1 Tim. 6:12), be dedicated (2 Tim. 2:4), be watchful, stand firm, be strong (1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 6:10), pray (Eph. 6:18), be alert (1 Pet. 5:8), be sober (1 Thess. 5:8), resist the devil (Jms. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9), fight with the word of God (Matt. 4:1-11), and utilize the armor God has provided (Eph. 6:10-18; 1 Thess. 5:8).

Purpose of the armor

     We must never forget that this armor is from God. Nothing mentioned in discussing the armor is produced in or by man. What a great gift from a great God. The fact that God has provided armor assumes that we need it. And we need it because we are at war. Believers must not forget this truth. If you are truly in Christ, there is a battle raging and you are in the middle of it.

     The armor has been provided to us by God for standing against the devil (Eph. 6:11). Again, this is assuming that the devil and his demons attack us and that we need to be protected. You will notice that the armor is spiritual in nature and not physical. If the war we are fighting is spiritual, then our armor must be spiritual as well. If the enemy we are warring against is spiritual in nature, then physical weapons will be useless. The soldier also must utilize the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13). It does the soldier no good if he picks and chooses what he will wear and what he will not. God knows best and he saw fit to provide his soldiers with a complete set of armor. We would do well to put on all of it. The purpose of the armor is to withstand the onslaught of the devil (Eph. 6:13). Battle after battle will be fought; soldiers must be prepared and do all to stand firm (Eph. 6:13).

The armor

      The first piece of the armor discussed is the belt of truth. Soldiers wore belts to hold their clothing and equipment in place in order for them to be free for action. Belts gave a sense of security, orderliness, confidence, and above all, readiness. Standing in the truth is a believing and trusting in the knowledge revealed in Christ. Christians are to master the truth and to be mastered by the truth. The truth of Christ binds and holds all things together. This truth is not merely known intellectually but it governs the entirety of the Christian life. The truth must be known, but it must also be believed, trusted, and acted upon.

      Believers must put on the truth first. This means that we are to be settled in our convictions. The Christian must know whom he believes and what he believes. Christian soldiers are to know and be able to apply the fundamental truths of the faith. Doctrine is to be studied and lived out. Another word for this is a Christian worldview. Christ and his truth is the standard by which we live, judge, and act.

     As can be expected, the devil attacks the truth. He tries to confuse and attempts to lead people away from the truth. Two of the favorite weapons of the devil are lies and accusations. How is a believer to withstand the lies and accusations of the devil? By knowing the truth. How is the believer to repel the devil? By applying and living the truth.

     Believer, do you know and are you able to apply the truth of Christ and God's word? What follows is a partial list of truths that believers should be familiar with. Scripture is the inspired and authoritative word of God (2 Tim. 3:16). God is Triune (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). The Father is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things and sent his Son to be a sacrifice for sinners (Eph. 3:9; Rom. 11:36; Jn. 3:16). The Son is fully God and Man and accomplished redemption by giving his life as an atonement for sin, was buried, rose on the third day, ascended to heaven, intercedes on the behalf of his own, and is coming again (Jn. 10:30, 14:9; Col. 2:9; Jn. 1:1, 14; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Cor. 15:1-3; Heb. 7:25; 1 Jn. 2:1; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).

      Believers are to know also that the Holy Spirit is God, applies the work of Christ to the elect regenerating them, sanctifies believers, and gives gifts to the church (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9-11; Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 12:4-11). Certain knowledge of the doctrine of man should be known. Man was created in the image of God but fell, fallen man is now spiritually dead, objects of God's wrath, depraved, and lost apart from the saving work of Christ (Gen. 2:7; Jms. 3:9; Gen. 3:1-19; Jn. 3:36; Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:1-10).

     That salvation is by God's grace through faith in the person and work of the Son applied effectually by the Spirit would be something good to know (Eph. 1:3-14, 2:1-10; Jn. 3:3-8; Tit. 3:5). Believers should have an idea of the doctrine of justification. Justification is the act of God's free grace whereby he pardons the sins of those that repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation, and accepts them as righteous in his sight only due to the righteousness of Christ being imputed to them (Rom. 3:24-25, 4:6-8, 5:17-19; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9). A cursory understanding of the church would also be helpful. Christians ought to know that the church is the body of Christ, who is its Head, and exists to minister the word, make disciples of men, proclaim the gospel, edify believers, and glorify God on earth (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18; Acts 2:42, 6:4; Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 2:2; Eph. 3:21, 4:13-16).

     The second piece of the armor is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was designed to protect the vital organs in the chest and abdomen. Likewise, the believer is to protect his affections, heart, mind, will, and conscience with the breastplate provided by God. This righteousness comes from God; it is the righteousness of God through faith in Christ (which is imputed) and results in an imparted righteousness. The righteousness that is imparted is the sanctifying work of God where he conforms the believer into the image of the Son. God declares sinners righteous upon conversion and begins to actually make the believer righteous through the process of sanctification (Phil. 3:9; Rom. 3:22, 5:17; Phil. 2:12-13).

     The believer, when combating the enemy, can stand confident in Christ's righteousness because of who he is and what he has done on the behalf of those whom he redeemed. Standing assured of salvation gives believers a sense of the victory achieved by Christ which defeated the devil. 

     Christian soldiers cannot stand in or rely on their own righteousness. The devil will accuse, slander, and hurl insults so the believer must know and trust that he is in Christ, justified, being perfected, at peace with God, and not condemned (Rom. 5:1-2). This means that Christian soldiers are to depend on Christ, the High Priest, when the enemy attacks and points out sin and lawlessness (Heb. 4:14-16). Further, redeemed soldiers ought to repent and confess sin in order to be forgiven and restored by Christ our Advocate and Righteousness (1 Jn. 2:1). 

     A responsibility for all soldiers is to be alert and remain watchful. Soldiers must never let their guard down. Also, Christians must not allow their emotions to be hurt or their consciences wounded. Be aware of falling into apathy, growing discouraged, focusing on the negatives instead of the positive, not looking for what God is doing, letting insignificant things rob you of your joy, becoming depressed, or living defeated lives. These are all symptoms of sin that easily beset us. We allow them to take our eyes of off Christ. Why can we not fall prey to these sins? Because Christ lived a perfect life, died a cursed death, bore the penalty of sin, experienced the wrath of God, rose victoriously, ascended to the Father's right hand, is sovereignly orchestrating history, is coming again for his bride, and has imputed his righteousness to his elect and now imparts it so that we can triumphantly pass through this life! We don't have to fall prey to these sins because of who Christ is and what he has done for us and continues to do in us.

     The third article of armor are the shoes of peace. Shoes provided stability, traction, mobility, and protection for the feet of soldiers. A soldiers footwear were very important. Christian soldiers are to be ready and prepared to do battle with the gospel against spiritual forces. However, the gospel in this sense is not in relation to missions and evangelism since the context is spiritual warfare. Believers must be assured of and confident in the gospel of Christ when under spiritual attack. We are at peace with God so must not let the enemy tell us otherwise. Assurance of the love of God, our bond with Christ, and the knowledge that God will defend us are potent weapons in the believer's arsenal supplied by God. 

     Christian, do you stand firm in the gospel when facing conflict or do you waiver or fall? Standing firm in the gospel will even erase fear when being bombarded by the enemy. To be good soldiers, Christians must be resolved to stand on the truth of the gospel no matter the onslaught. Standing firm on the gospel means that you know, believe, and will fight for: the Bible as the inspired word of God, salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the divinity and humanity of Christ, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary atoning death of Christ, the literal and bodily resurrection of Christ, the response to the gospel as repentance from sin and faith in Christ, the deity of the Spirit, and any other essential doctrine that comes under attack.

     It does not only include doctrine but life. Christian soldiers stand with the Lord. This means: living for and obey God, not being friends with the world, seeking to glorify God in all things, resisting temptation and fleeing from sin, spreading peace and love, identifying with Christ, and being ready to fight the good fight.

     Being prepared and ready with the gospel also means to be alert and watchful. Soldiers are always in danger of being attacked. These attacks usually come unexpectedly so we must be ready. Watch for ambushes. Do not let your guard down even for a minute. Be discerning; our enemy is cunning and subtle. Be aware of your enemies tactics and how they may change or be adapted. Our enemy may appear as a fierce lion or as an angel of light. Cruelty and harshness may be replaced by pleasantness and agreeableness so watch out. Some truth is often mixed with lies so be mindful. Often the enemy even uses our terms and words but with a very different meaning, thus be warned.

     Be aware of the enemies methods. The enemy may attack violently at one moment but flatter you the next. A bold attempt to drive you to sin may be utilized in a season while at others, the enemy may seek to entice you subtly. Attacks may come from the front and aim for your head, and the next time, an assault may come from the rear aiming to merely slow or stall you.

     All of this is frightening and daunting. Be of good courage, we are soldiers in the Lord's army. He marches before and leads triumphantly. Remember, we do not do this in our own strength. It is only by the grace of God that we live, and fight, and advance, and grow, and persevere, and minister, and love, and glorify him. So, trust him, rely on him, depend on him, look to him, cry out to him, obey him, and find your strength and hope in him. Also, know that he has supplied more armor for his own. Believers also have access to the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, and prayer.