Lent 24 post 8

 Ephesians 6.10-17

‘The Lord is a warrior'

Do you remember that line from Tuesday’s blog on the Song of Moses and Miriam (Exodus 15.3)? We may not relish the military imagery, but it’s the spiritual truth that counts. Through the whole Bible, God is engaged in a mighty cosmic battle against the powers of evil, spiritual and human. So the metaphor of God himself as a warrior comes naturally, a warrior fighting to overcome evil and defeat all that opposes his good and loving purposes for creation and human life.

And, like a human soldier, God clothes himself with the right equipment. You’ve probably heard preachers say that Paul draws his picture of the armour of God from the Roman soldier he might have been chained to in prison. Very possibly. But, actually, most of the meanings Paul gives to each piece come from the Old Testament, his Scriptures. And they describe either God himself or the coming Messiah.

So, you see, when Paul says ‘the full armour of God', he doesn’t just mean bits of equipment that God hands out like army kit. No, this is what God himself wears! We fight under the protection of the character and attributes of God himself, for he is the God of truth, righteousness, peace, faithfulness, salvation and Spirit-inspired word. And that’s what we need (or rather, who we need), to stand firm in the battle.

‘Don’t you know there’s a war on?’

That’s what people used to say to one another in Britain during the Second World War, apparently, if somebody was complaining or shirking their duties or just talking too loosely. When there’s a war on, everybody needs to be watchful and prepared to put up with hardships and suffering.

Maybe Paul is saying that to the Ephesians, ‘Don’t you know there’s a war on?’ Except that in this war, none of us is a civilian. We are all soldiers on active duty because the whole church is on the front line of God’s cosmic battle. And the enemies of God and the church are legion. Now, of course, Paul suffered at the hands of ‘flesh-and-blood’ human opponents, as the church still does today. But Paul knew that the struggle goes on at a higher level altogether, with his comprehensive list of ‘the spiritual forces of evil'. They are a defeated enemy (as we saw yesterday), but they still fight venomously with ‘flaming arrows' against God and his people.

The full armour of God 

The complete picture portrays aspects of God himself, of God’s Messiah and of the gospel. What greater protection do you need? There isn’t any! The references show what scriptures Paul may have got his ideas from. (They’re worth a quick look.)

The belt of truth. (Isaiah 11.5, the Messiah wears a belt of righteousness, but the whole context speaks of his mission of true judgment and governance) The truth of the gospel holds everything together in Christian life and warfare.

The breastplate of righteousness. (Isaiah 59.17) Paul may be thinking of the saving righteous acts of God (its frequent meaning in the Old Testament), or the righteousness in which we stand through faith in Christ. But there is spiritual protection also in the righteous integrity of life that Paul calls for (4.24, 5.8-9). Living right makes the devil’s work harder.

The shoes of the gospel of peace. (Isaiah 52.7) There’s nothing ‘beautiful' about feet, until they are wearing the running shoes of the messengers of the good news of God’s peace for those who need to hear it (as Paul quotes in Romans 10.14-15).

The shield of faith. (Psalm 18.35, 28.7 etc) The psalmists put their faith in God, to be their shield against all kinds of nasty attacks. So too can we.

The helmet of salvation. (Isaiah 59.17) ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?’ (Psalm 27.1). Enough said.

The sword of the Spirit, the word of God. (Isaiah 11.4b, 49.2) Jesus used the Scriptures to resist the temptations of the devil. And so can we. Fight back!