Armor of God
The armor of God are spiritual tools or implements that God provided for us His children. In such a way that we can effectively and effectively face them against the adversary the devil. All of these spiritual tools are described by Paul in chapter 6 of the epistle he wrote to the church at Ephesus in verses 14-17 before his final greetings, Ephesians 6:14-17
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist , with the breastplate of righteousness in place , 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God.
Reading these verses it can be seen that Paul refers to six spiritual weapons, figuratively speaking with the physical implements of the armor of a soldier of that time. This way of describing Paul, the spiritual weapons that God puts at our disposal. Perhaps it was because at that time he was a prisoner in Rome guarded by a Roman soldier.
And so that the listeners of the word could understand the meaning of each spiritual weapon, he associated it with physical implements such as the helmet, the belt, the sword, the shield and the cuirass or breastplate of the Roman soldier who guarded it all day. It can also be seen that the armor of God along with each of his assigned tasks is very complete. Only a seventh weapon would be missing to reach its perfection, as is everything that comes from God:
The Seventh Implement of the Armor of God
If we stop and read carefully the passage of the armor of God described by Paul. We can see that the apostle describes a very important seventh weapon to complete and perfect the armor of faith, in verse 18, let's see Ephesians 6:18
18 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;
We see then that prayer complements and perfects the armor of faith. The figurative association of the weapon of prayer is made by Paul with what should be the attitude of a good and experienced soldier: resist, watch and protect at all times. Then the armor of God is finally shaped as follows:
- the belt of truth
- the breastplate of justice
- The Shoes of the gospel of peace
- Take up the shield of faith
- the helmet of salvation
- The sword of the Holy Spirit
- Persevere in Prayer
Now this armor lacks nothing and God makes it available to us. In the same way he assigns a task or action to each implement of the armor and therefore each one of them carries its own meaning.
So, as Christians, let us be vigilant, watching over one another with our trust in God , for the truth of His word and His justice protect us. Furthermore, let us always be ready to share and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, always kept in faith, protected by salvation, and secure in the defense of the Holy Spirit. For with all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, who is Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).
What does the Armor of God mean?
If we look at the actions that the apostle Paul expresses next to each implement of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:14-17. We can perceive that as Christians we are already endowed by God, through Christ of each one of them. So what we must do is activate them through each of these actions. Paul tells us: Suit up, put on your shoes, put on your shoes, and put on the armor of God.
Each of these parts of the armor of God signify or represent the foundations or spiritual foundations with which God endows us by receiving Christ into our hearts. For our protection and shelter from any attack by the adversary the devil, we are required to be firm, vigilant and active in carrying out each of the actions indicated by Paul in Ephesians 6:14-17. Even fulfill the demand stated in verse 18 to pray and watch over one another as members of the church of Jesus Christ. Let us therefore be firm and persevering in all these actions or tasks.
Ephesians 6:13 – The Preparation
If we look at verse 13, we can see that Paul does not exhort us to prepare ourselves as an experienced soldier or trained in battle: Laying hands, placing, girding and shod all the preparation for the spiritual warfare that a soldier of Christ must fight. Ephesians 6:13:
13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that you can resist in the evil day, and having finished everything, stand firm.
When we wear the new garments of Christ we turn our backs on the world; becoming the target of satan's attacks. But the devil has nothing in Christ, as Jesus says in John 14:30:
30 I will not speak much more with you, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no hold on me.
That is to say that the more we clothe ourselves with Christ, the evil one will not be able to touch us, 1 John 5:18:
18 We know that everyone who is born of God does not commit sin, because He who was begotten by God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
The evil one can only touch what is on his own level. That is why Paul in Romans 13:14, demands that we not give the devil an opportunity to attack.
14 but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not provide for the desires of the flesh.
It is therefore the armor of God, the spiritual garment of light that is Jesus Christ. This prepares us for the battle of spiritual warfare. With it, God also guarantees our victory against the schemes of Satan. By putting on the armor of God, we clothe ourselves with the weapons of light, of Christ Jesus ( Romans 13:12) .
12 The night is far gone, and the day is drawing near. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.
The Armor of God for Spiritual Warfare
It is a great truth the existence of spiritual warfare that every Christian has to face. But there is also another truth superior to this and that is that Christ has already defeated the devil on the cross of Calvary. Because of being defeated he walks like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, so we must be firm and sober as the Bible says in 1 Peter 5: 8 (LBLA):
8 Thirst for sober spirit, be alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour
The adversary is going to attack, so we must be strong in spirit to face spiritual battles. Strengthening occurs by preparing ourselves and placing the weapons or tools that God has already placed at our disposal in the spirit. Because the adversary is not fought with arguments of our mind or with our physical carnal forces. Rather, spiritual warfare is fought by living in the Spirit of God. The spiritual warfare we face is described in Ephesians 6:12-13:
12 For we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly realms.
We must always keep in mind that the devil is cunning and will use any trick, deception to try to discourage us in our walk with Christ. If we use the armor of God correctly, we will achieve victory.
Strengthen us in the Lord
With the armor of God we manage to strengthen ourselves, it is from the Lord that our strength and self-control come. We can be aware of this when we recognize how vulnerable we are and that we are totally dependent on God. We must then maintain our communion with him, through prayer in the intimate room, feed the spirit with his word, only then can we exercise the spiritual senses to listen to his voice.
With this we are ready to take on the armor of God and put on it. It also requires a disposition on our part, in an attitude of humility. Knowing that we do not fight with our own strength but that we go to war with the powerful weapons that God gives us. We go in complete confidence of his power, wisdom and authority.
We are called to resist, to be prepared for attack and firm in the faith, as the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:9:
9 whom you resist firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being fulfilled in your brothers throughout the world
Spiritual warfare often leads us to fight intense battles, but God's love will always be on our side. In His love, He equips us with the tools we need to overcome. In Christ we are secure, as Romans 8:38-39 says, nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What are the implements of the Armor of God?
We must use the armor that God provides us in its entirety, put on the six spiritual garments that Ephesians 6:14-17 speaks of. Adding the action indicated in verse 18, so that, with this seventh tool, we become true experienced soldiers of Christ Jesus. An experienced soldier when he goes to war does not fail to put on even one component of his battle gear. It is the armor of God in its entirety that gives us the security, strength and power to face the wiles of the adversary the devil. Below is a brief description of each of the seven implements and how to use them.
-
The Belt of Truth
The first instruction we receive as soldiers of Christ regarding the armor of God is in Ephesians 6:14: Have your loins girded with truth! In order to understand the figurative meaning of Paul's narrative, let's first look at the function of the belt of a Roman soldier of the time. The main function of this belt in a soldier's clothing was to protect the spine of the soldier's body. The spine is key, because it is the member of the body that allows us to be upright and stand. That is why Paul relates the belt with the word of God that is the truth, Jesus says it in John 17:17
17 Sanctify them in your truth; your word is truth.
Protect yourselves with the word of God, because in this way you will be able to remain upright, firm and standing during the battle! This is what Paul really wanted to tell us. The action you are asked to do with the belt is to buckle up and fasten your belt. In other words, prepare yourselves, read, train yourselves, understand the word of God. Finally the belt of the soldier is nothing more than the understanding of the word of God, as it is written in 1 Peter 1:13
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action ; be sober-minded; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The understanding or revelation of the word keeps us firm in the faith in Christ Jesus. Therefore it is not enough to put on the belt (read the word), it is necessary to gird or adjust the belt (understanding of the word), only then can we go to battle. With the understanding of the truth, the word of God we will be able to defeat all lies and deception of the enemy.
-
The Breastplate of Justice
The second instruction we receive as soldiers of Christ regarding the armor of God is in Ephesians 6:14: ...And put on the breastplate of righteousness! With the righteousness of God, because we were justified by faith through Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1-2
In God's justice we are protected. In this matter let us not pretend or trust in our own “righteousness” according to our good works. God tells us that good works do not bring salvation, much less make us righteous, Romans 3:28.
It is in justification by faith, it is this God-given righteousness that represents the breastplate of the armor of God. Now, if we analyze the function of the breastplate in the clothing of the soldier of the time. We see that it was to protect the heart of the soldier. When we put on the breastplate of justice, we guard our heart, this is very important because life flows from it says the word, Proverbs 4:23.
So let us be very aware that God has already justified us through Jesus Christ, that we were justified without works. In this way the devil cannot deceive us with the tricks of accusation, or guilt of him. The breastplate of Justice does not allow our relationship with God to be damaged or weakened.
-
Footwear of the Gospel of Peace
The soldier needs his own shoes to walk or move in battle. In the case of the armor of God, in Ephesians 6:15
15 and feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
The action associated with a soldier's attire, which is footwear, is readiness, preparedness, or readiness. This means that we as Christians must be ready to move, to walk with the goal of carrying and sharing the gospel of peace, which is Jesus himself. Therefore, it is important to understand the meaning of the armor of God so that we can apply it effectively in our lives.
-
The Shield of Faith
The fourth implement of the armor of God is the shield of faith, and we can see it in Ephesians 6:16
16 Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
The shield is a weapon that a soldier uses in battle to stop the flaming arrows that come against him. The action Paul demands regarding this implement in the armor of God is to take up, to grasp, to hold fast. Taking up the shield of faith represents believing in Jesus Christ in his gospel, believing in every word that has already come from God. Only with this conviction can we extinguish any argument that may arise against what God says, 2 Corinthians 10:5.
-
The Helmet of Salvation and The Sword of the Spirit
Finally, the fifth and sixth implements of the armor of God are two weapons in one because the two garments are associated by Paul with the word of God, Ephesians 6:14-17
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
These two weapons are also the offensive part of the armor of God because they are the word of God. Which has life and is sharper than a two-edged sword, says the bible in Hebrews 4:12. Again we see how important is the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
The importance of persevering in prayer
After Paul describes each of God's weapons for facing the enemy, he exhorts us, saying: "Pray in the Spirit at all times, be constant in prayer, and pray for the whole church" (Ephesians 6:18). This means that we must support one another as a church in united prayer, with one spirit and one heart. We must then practice Christian prayer for spiritual renewal. Finally, we leave you with a video on the armor of God.
