Download The Full Armor of God - Concord Road Church of Christ

Like most of you, I have heard what seems like hundreds of
lessons on the armor of God. I’ve heard preachers preach
about it and teachers teach it, but there always seems to be
one aspect that is often left out. Many people don’t focus on
the Roman aspect of it. The Roman army was the greatest
army that had ever been up to this point in history. It has
argued by some that until the last 200 years the Roman Army
may have been the greatest army the world has ever know.
So to understand the armor of God it is crucial to understand
the Roman soldier.
The book of Ephesians is a letter Paul wrote to the church at
Ephesus, giving them specific instructions in his absence.
Within this letter, Paul commands the church to put on the full
armor of God. Just what did Paul mean by such a
command?
To understand the meaning of Paul’s command, or any
command in the Bible, it is important to understand the background of
the command. So the first question to ask would be “What happened
while he was in the city of Ephesus?”
• If you recall, from the book of Acts, Paul spent 3-years in the
city of Ephesus (Acts 20:31).
• His ministry there was so successful, that the silversmiths were
losing money, because people stopped buying idols. The
silversmiths threatened Paul’s life, because so many had
turned to Christ. Turning to Christ, the people no longer
needed the idols of Artemis (Diana) produced by the guild. At
this point Paul left the city, eventually returning to Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, he was arrested; from there he was sent to
Rome.
Paul was writing from Rome, as a prisoner, when he wrote the
letter.
• Talk about Mamertime Prison (damp, dark, cold)
• The slab Paul was tied to.
• He was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28) so he
understood Roman soldiers and would have been
familiar with their armor, shields, and weapons. He also
would have had Roman soldiers watching over him daily
while in prison.
• Roman soldiers are everywhere in Rome today. I can’t
imagine back then.
Paul uses the picture of a Roman soldier to get this idea across to us.
We are literally the army of the Lord, occupying the physical
world. If we have obeyed Christ we are now soldiers in His
army. We are in every sense, a soldier for the kingdom of God.
The success of the Roman Empire was the reflection of the
Roman military and the discipline of its army. Their workout
schedules are legendary, and it was this training that made them
unbeatable.
The main pre-requisite for a member of the Roman Army was
fitness, given the long distances they were expected to march. They
commonly trained by running, chopping down trees and doing
obstacle courses. Three times a month Roman Legions in Imperial
Rome were known to march with 66-100 lbs of equipment at an
average pace of at least 4.5 miles/hour for 5 hours. They would build
a fort for the night, take it down the next morning and do it all over
again. During war time they would do all of this and fight during the
same day.
This was simply the physical training, not the skill training.
They had to be in superb physical condition just be in the army.
What does that tell us about our spiritual walk? No, it doesn’t
mean we have to be in great physical condition, but I dare say it does
mean that we are supposed to be in peak spiritual conditioning. If we
are going to fight in the spiritual war with the same fervor that the
Romans fought physical wars we have to be in great spiritual shape.
After being accepted into the Roman Army the first thing the
soldiers are to be taught is the military step, which can only be
acquired by constant practice. I find this extremely interesting
because I believe Paul, being a Roman citizen, would have known
this. Isn’t it interesting that the very first thing a solider learned was to
be in step with the other soldiers? One of the reasons that the church
is in such disarray is because we have people that were never taught
how to be in step with other soldiers and how to be in step with God’s
word. Even the heathen Roman army understood this concept. To
be successful they had to all be on the same page. To be successful
they all had to know what the objective was and how to accomplish it.
For us to be great Christian soldiers we have to be in step with God
and His word. There is no room for my battle plan to enter the
picture. I’ve got to be willing to help and accomplish God’s will not
my own. You tell me, how successful would the Roman army have
been if they weren’t in step and they weren’t unified? It wouldn’t have
worked. Might that be why the church is having so many struggles
today?
Along with being physically fit and in step, the Roman soldiers
were trained to use their weapons and armor in combat (skill
training). Repeatedly they trained from 6:00 AM until Midnight. 18
hours a day!!! Before battles they would spend weeks training,
getting ready for the war. This is the disciplined example that Paul
uses to tell us how we need to be. We need to take the spiritual life
as serious as the Roman soldier took the physical military life.
We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are lucky if they open their
Bible once throughout the week. Is there any wonder that the spiritual war is
too much for them? Is there any wonder that people don’t know God’s word
and don’t know how to fight Satan if they aren’t training themselves in any
way? Let’s be honest, would we have the problems we have in the
church today if people were training themselves spiritually to fight for
the Lord in the same way that the Roman soldiers fought for Rome?
Paul stresses to us that this war is as real as any physical war ever
fought.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:12
Satan is a very real enemy at war with every saint
(believer), his goal is to defeat us and he has a multiple
ways of attacking us.
For example, Satan can, and does, deceive through
false religions and counterfeit Christianity; he also attacks
by denying the existence of God. If none of this works,
there is always materialism, the deception of wealth and
the sensuality of this world to seduce the lost. He has
many strategies and schemes to capture lost souls.
Scripture allows us to see his tactics so we can arm for the
fight.
However, Paul addresses the armor of God for the
believer, how we are to be equipped to withstand what has
captured the world. We as believers are separated from
the world. The Bible calls us holy. This word means to be
“separated or called out.” Too many Christians don’t take
that idea seriously enough. Since we are called out from
the world, we are no longer to be under Satan’s authority,
but the Lord’s authority. To wage successful war against
Satan, we need to wear the armor of God, this is the point
Paul is making.
Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God: This is how we can be
successful in the face of Satan’s attack. Notice, Paul writes
to take the whole armor, being partially armed is not
enough. Satan and his minions are looking for holes in our
armor to bring us down. Every piece of God’s armor is
required to stand against Satan’s methods. The Greek
word here means “to sink into” or “to clothe ones self.”
Every component of the armor is required.
So that you will be able: Without the full armor of God,
our ability to stand is at great risk. The Greek work for able
means “having the strength or power.” From the same
root, we get the word dynamite or power. Having the whole
armor of God gives us the power to stand against Satan.
We have dynamic power. Without the full armor we are
unable to stand.
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil: Satan
and his demonic forces will attack the believer, therefore
we should be ready at all times. We have to be alert that
Satan’s goal is to cause us to be lost. Putting on and
wearing the armor of God is a process. Wearing the armor
of God and effectively using the armor is linked with being
strong in the lord and in the strength of his might. The
armor of God is one whole unit, which functions together.
Any chink in our armor opens the door for Satan’s attack.
Paul’s point here is simple. We should be prepared to
make a stand, just like a Roman soldier.
Vs.14
Stand firm therefore: We have to make the conscious
decision to stand. God has given us the ability to choose,
to make the stand. If we do not make the choice to stand,
we will fall. (You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall
for anything. You’ve got to be your own man not a puppet
on a string. Never compromise what’s right and uphold
your family’s name. You’ve got to stand for something or
you’ll fall for anything.)
Belt of Truth
Having girded your loins with truth: The first piece of
equipment Paul describes is the belt of truth. I’ve got to
admit that growing up I never really understood why the
belt was so important. You see, the Roman Legion belt
was the mark of a solider. Common citizens did not wear
the distinct belt of a legion. The belt had distinct metal
studded strips of leather that were unique to the legions
belt. The belt kept the tunic and armor in place so the
soldier was always prepared to fight. Also, connected to the
belt was the sword. Isn’t it interesting that the sword of the
Spirit is connected to the belt of truth? The belt was where
the soldier always carried his weapons.
Do you have on the belt of truth? The belt displays to
the world that you are a soldier, one of the elite. The belt
keeps your tunic and armor in place so you are always
ready to fight. And without the belt of truth you cannot
have the sword of the spirit. The belt of truth is what holds
everything together. Paul is stressing that without the truth
there is nothing.
Breastplate of Righteousness
Having put on the breastplate of righteousness: This
piece of equipment in the legion is constructed of strips of
metal fastened together by leather. This was standard
issue to the legions during the reign of Augustus. This
piece of equipment weighed from 20 to 30 pounds, and its
design was to protect the vital organs of the legionnaire.
Despite its weight it was actually very easy for the soldier to
maneuver because the breastplate was not a piece that
would weigh the soldier down, just like the righteous life is
not supposed to weigh us down. The metal was designed
to deflect a dart or sword attack, which the shield or sword
failed to stop.
This parallels the righteous life. When we live a
righteous life our vital organs, especially our heart, are
protected from enemy attack. It doesn’t matter if you have
the sword of the spirit or the shield of faith, if you don’t have
the breastplate of righteousness you are completely
exposed for enemy attack. The breastplate of
righteousness is crucial to any Christian. We have to live a
righteous life. If we aren’t righteous all of our vital organs
are exposed and one sharply aimed arrow will kill us
spiritually.
Shoes of Peace
Vs. 15
Having shod your feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace: Much like the belt, I never understood
why shoes were really all that important. Some historians
have suggested that one of the main reasons that Roman
soldiers were such good fighters is because of their
footwear. The Roman boot was designed to stand ground
in battle. The Roman boot was fitted with metal studs, like
the cleats of a football player, to help him maintain ground
in battle.
As a believer we have authority, authority given to us by
Jesus Christ. Part of our authority is to take the Gospel to
enemy territory. The Roman legion represented, the
kingdom of Rome, where they walked was Roman
territory, or was being conquered for Rome. The saint
must be prepared to march on enemy territory, prepared
with the Gospel. Paul tells us that Satan is the god of this
world, but just as the Roman soldiers advanced and
conquered, that is what we are being called to do.
Isaiah 52:7
Shield of faith
Vs. 16
In addition to all (above all; in all circumstances): What
did Paul think the most important piece of equipment was
for the Spiritual warrior? The shield! Faith is a shield,
which allows us to put an immediate end to many of
Satan’s attacks. For the Romans the shield was not just a
defensive weapon, it was also an offensive weapon. The
metal boss in the center, designed to hit the enemy at
impact, allowed the legionnaire to follow up with his sword,
to subdue the opponent.
taking the shield of faith: The Romans had a long,
rectangular, knees-to-chin shield (about 4 feet tall and 2 feet
wide) which protected from arrows and spears and could be knelt
behind during an arrow barrage. Even though it was heavy, a
trained soldier knew how to maneuver and work with it. The
shields were also covered in leather and dipped in water.
This would literally allow them to extinguish any fiery darts
being shot at them. Often times when they were being attacked
or ambushed Roman soldiers could gather together and with
their shields make a “fortress” that nothing could get
through. The shield was also slightly curved so that arrows and
strikes from swords would literally be deflected in a different
direction.
1 Peter 3:15
We can choose to raise our level of faith, by learning
scripture and the evidences contained within it. The more
we engage in spiritual combat training, the more effective
we will be with the shield.
Helmet of salvation
Vs. 17
Take the helmet of salvation: The head was the primary
target in warfare, because an opponent knows, a direct hit
would finish the enemy. Therefore, the legions were
equipped with helmets to protect the head from enemy
swords or arrows. Paul knew that the Romans had the
best helmets known to man. In the same way as the
Romans, we are to take up our helmet, the salvation of
Christ. The helmet keeps us from being killed by Satan. In
other words, with the helmet in place our souls are eternally
saved.
I Thessalonians 5:8-9
Whatever our circumstances, we have eternal hope. Our
home is not in this world. What was the worst thing that
could happen to a soldier on the battlefield? Death. Death
for the Christian means that we spend an eternity with
Christ in Heaven if we have on the helmet of salvation.
John 10:27-29
If we are part of Jesus’ flock, how secure are we? Jesus
says no one can snatch us out of His hand. We need to
learn how to rest in the promise of God, putting on the
helmet of salvation.
Sword of the Spirit
The sword of the Spirit: We have a weapon more
powerful then any earthly weapon. The weapon is a
spiritual weapon which God has given to us. We have a
sword beyond any comparison in the physical world.
Paul spoke of one of five different types of Roman swords. This
one was a two-edged sword with the end turned upward. It
inflicted much more damage than the other swords. Not only was
it intended to kill, but also it could rip the enemy's insides to
shreds. It only needed to penetrate the enemy a depth of two to
three inches to mortally wound him. Another advantage to this
sword is that the soldier did not have to turn his sword around to
inflict damage to the enemy. It cut in two directions. This was
seen as a very deadly and powerful weapon.
The sword was also to become an extension of the arm.
The soldier’s goal was for it to become 2nd nature to use it.
When we were in Rome I got to see some Roman
gymnasiums. This is where they trained to use their
swords. Older legions would spar with younger legions
teaching them how to use the sword effectively.
I believe that Paul envisioned the same for the Church
at Ephesus, and Concord Road, in spiritual warfare. As the
legions were proficient in their handling the sword of steel,
Paul wanted the church to proficient in handling the
Spiritual sword.
One of the things that greatly concerns me in today’s
world is that so many Christians are not very good with the
sword. The sword is our weapon. It is what we take down
the enemy with. Paul expected us to be like the Romans
were in battle. The sword was second nature to them. Is
the Bible second nature to us? Can we use it in warfare to
take down our enemy?
Hebrews 4:12
The world is subject to God’s sword, Satan and his minions
fear God’s sword, why do you think so many Muslim
nations outlaw the Bible? Because they know the power of
it. The word of God has the power to transform and pull
down kingdoms. Unfortunately so few are properly trained
how to use it.
Psalm 19:7-8
For this reason, every spiritual warrior needs to learn to
become proficient in their handling of the word of God. In
the same way the legions of Rome trained for physical
battle the legions of God need to train for battle against
their invisible enemy.
•
Do you train yourself as the Roman soldiers trained?
•
Belt of truth
•
Breastplate of Righteousness
•
The Shoes of the Gospel
•
The Shield of Faith
•
The Helmet of Salvation
•
The Sword of the Spirit
•
Do you have on the full armor of God?