Summary

Now Ephesians 6:10-20 is the chief passage that gives a detailed description of the armor of God. A couple of items are also mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. This fits well with Ephesians, the helmet being the hope of salvation and the breastplate covering both kinds of righteousness, the righteousness we have before God by faith and the righteousness He works in us through love.

But it is a mistake to see these pieces of armor as totally independent. There are certain underlying themes that run through the armor. One is understanding and using the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16,17; Colossians 3:16; John 17:17). While it is called the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), it is also the basis for other parts of the armor (Ephesians 6:14). Also there is the theme of understanding God's grace (Romans 1:16,17; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 11:25-30). Further, there is the need of faith and prayer (Philippians 4:6,7; 1 John 5:14-15; Matthew 7:7-11). But these are the basics of the Christian life in general. I would therefore conclude that spiritual warfare is the whole Christian life, as seen from a particular perspective. Therefore, the chief thing we need is to grow in Christ, that we might deal with all the situations we face in life.

All Prayer

There is a question whether "all prayer" in Ephesians 6:18 is to be considered part of the armor of God or not. True, it is not given a symbol, such as a helmet or breastplate (perhaps Paul could not think of a good analogy with the warfare of his day). But it is so closely connected with this passage that it is otherwise unclear what it is doing here and why Paul is so abruptly changing the subject. Also, there is a connection between prayer and spiritual warfare (1 Peter 5:6-8; Matthew 6:13; Mark 9:29).
And prayer is the Christians most powerful weapon, transcending time and space (Matthew 21:21; Philippians 4:6,7; 1 John 5:14,15). Therefore prayer is a key element in our battle with the devil and his minions. It should also be noted that in this passage (Ephesians 6:18-20) the emphasis is on prayer for others and not primarily ourselves. Paul himself is admitting that he needs it for his ministry. Prayer is a way we can not only fight demonic forces in our own life but support others in their struggles. And we all need that assistance when dealing with Satan and his schemes.

The Sword of the Spirit

We are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). While other pieces of the armor are related to God's Word, like the belt of truth, the Sword of the Spirit is the specific passage that applies to the specific situation. We see the example of this in Jesus, who met Satan's specific temptations with the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). To do this, we need to know, meditate on, and even memorize the Word of God (Colossians 3:16; Psalm 119:11; Psalm 1:2). But we must be careful not to use God's Word as a magic talisman, feeling that if we merely wave it around like a cross in front of a vampire, it will be effective. God will not let His things be used that way (Acts 19:13-17; 1 Samuel 4:5-11; Judges 16:4-22). And God's Word is not just to be heard but obeyed (James 1:23-25; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Mathew 28:20). We must understand what we are saying to use it as a weapon against Satan. But it is our key offensive weapon to attack the devil's schemes.

Helmet of Salvation

We are told to put on  the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17). What does this mean? The helmet protects the head, and the helmet being salvation suggests that one of Satan's strategies is to make us doubt we are saved or can be saved. Now Scripture does speak of a genuine assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-13; Romans 8:29-30; John 10:27-30). This is based on the fact that salvation is not something we produce, but is given to us through the work of Christ (Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:13,14). Now it is true that salvation should have a result in our lives, and we we should be careful of too easily reaching the assurance that we are saved (2 Corinthians 13:5,6: Titus 2:11-14; James 2:14-26). But we need to be careful of putting the bar too high. Scripture says we can know and can pass the test. One thing that helps me put this in perspective is 2 Peter 2:7,8. Lot in the Old Testament made some bad and sinful choices. But we are told by Peter he was a righteous man; he was saved. But we are also told his soul was tormented continually because of the deeds committed in Sodom. The true believer cannot be at home in sin. But if it is not possible to reach the point of having a real assurance of salvation, we can end up being paralyzed by doubts and unable to do the the things God has for us to do. To have assurance we must not take it too lightly or make it too hard. Also, one thing that can help in such doubts is to remember that we told that he who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved (John 3:16; 1:12,13; Acts 16:31). Then we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and turn to Satan's minions and say, "If I was not saved before, I am now."  

The Shield of Faith

We are to take up the shield of faith, by which we can extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Now faith is oftentimes misunderstood. It is relying on the promises of God (Romans 4:16-25; Hebrews 11:13-16; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8). It is not believing in the face of intellectual arguments. These must be dealt with when they arise. But in the face of circumstances, feelings, and desires. Whatever we believe intellectually, it is difficult to maintain faith in God when going through tough times. I have found that the most helpful thing to do here is to look to the cross, where I see God loves me (Romans 5:6-11; John 3:16-18 ; 1 John 4:9,10). Also, even if there are no difficult circumstances, feelings tend to come and go, and when we are feeling down or dry, it can result in our struggling with our faith. Once more, it is good to fix our faith on the fact of Christ and what He has done, rather than our current feelings (Hebrews 12:1,2; Philippians 3:12-14; 2 Timothy 2:8). And sometimes, when we want to do what is wrong, we let our faith go weak so we can have our desire. In this case we need to confess and turn away from the sin we wish to do (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 19:12,13). Therefore, is is important to nurture and build our faith so it may be strong when it is tested (Proverbs 3:5,6; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 10:19-25).

Christian Footware

We are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). This can be taken two different ways. It can mean that the gospel is the basic truth on which we stand or that we should be prepared to go and share the gospel with others. I would see these as going together. They involve being prepared by knowing and understanding the gospel. And while the belt of truth in general holds the armor on, it is the gospel on which we stand. This is the truth of the coming of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Galatians 3:7-14; 2 Timothy 1:8-11). This gospel is the basis of the Christian faith, from which we are not to turn away (Galatians 1:8,9; Romans 1:16,17; Colossians 1:21-23). It is also the message that we proclaim (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Peter 3:15). This gospel is not some new moral system but the fact that God became man to accomplish our salvation (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13-15; 1 Peter 2:24,25). This is what we need to base our lives on, and this is what we should proclaim. And in doing so, we stand against demonic powers. By trusting in God's grace rather than our good works. And by proclaiming the message that frees others from Satan's power. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. But in either case, we should be prepared by having our feet firmly planted on the gospel that brings peace. Peace with God (Romans 5:1; 14:17; John 14:27) and peace with others (Ephesians 2:14; 4:1-3; James 3:17,18).

Whose Righteousness?

One of the questions regarding the breastplate of righteous (Ephesians 6:14) is whose righteousness is being referred to, Christ's or ours. When we put our faith in Christ we are declared righteous before God based on Christ's righteousness (Philippians 3:8,9: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21-26), But this should result in a change in our life (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Which is in view here?

I am convinced that the basic idea here is Christ's righteousness. It is this we should trust in and this we should build our lives on. And putting on the breastplate means trusting in and remembering that righteousness. But when we feel destructive guilt, guilt that does not lead to repentance and  going on with God, but to digging up old sins and inadequacies (2 Corinthians 7:10; Philippians 3:13-14; Proverbs 28:13), we must trust in God's forgiveness (Colossians 2:13,14; Hebrews 8:12; Ephesians 1:7). For accusing us of our sins is one strategy Satan uses to bring us down (Revelation 12:10,11; Zechariah 3:1-5; Job 1:9-12). (These verses specifically talk of Satan accusing us before God, but I think it is reasonable to infer that Satan's minions also accuse us to ourselves.)
   
But I also think that letting God change us does make a difference here. If we indulge our sinful desires, we give Satan an opportunity he can exploit (Romans 13:14; Ephesians 4:26,27; Galatians 6:7). Therefore, it is helpful for us to cultivate righteousness in our lives so that we may not find ourselves sliding further and further down the road to sin. But ultimately, the chief thing is to trust in Christ's righteousness. 

Belt of Truth

The first part of the armor of God that is mentioned is the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14). This is the central part of the armor that holds the rest of the armor on and together. The first thing we need to recognize when we are fighting Satan and his minions is that we need to take a stand based on truth (John 8:31,32; 14:6, Romans 1:25). This is important, because Satan's chief weapon is the lie (John 8:44; Genesis 3:1-6; 1 John 2:21). Now, the devil cannot make us do anything. He can only lie to us and make evil look more desirable than it is. Also, Satan is a great dealer in half-truths. He will tell us things that have just enough truth in them to be convincing. The only safeguard against this is to be grounded in truth.The basic source of truth is God's Word (John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Psalms 119:160). Now this truth must be upheld with love and gentleness, but truth should be the basis of our behavior (Ephesians 4:15; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Galatians 6:1).

Also, if we are to to take our stand on truth, it should be reflected in the rest of our lives (2 Corinthians 4:2; Ephesians 4:25; Jeremiah 9:4-6). This is important because we live in a day when we are encouraged by the world to cut corners. We are told it does not matter what is true, but only what works. There is a danger of this creeping into the Christian ministry. We cannot hope to fight Satan with his own weapons and to prevail.  We need to be careful that what we do reflects truth in all aspects. Only then are we prepared to deal with the schemes of the devil.

The Enemy

We must understand that we need the armor of God because we have enemies (Ephesians 6:11,12; 1 Peter 5:8,9; 2 Corinthians 11:3). Note, these are not human enemies, but wicked spiritual powers. This  is important to remember, because we need to know we are in a battle. We cannot be complacent and feel things will just naturally go our way; we have someone working against us. We should not feel we can neglect God's armor; if we do, we leave ourselves vulnerable to attack. We must realize that if we are trusting in ourselves rather than Christ, someone is waiting to trip us up. We should not think that all that matters is what makes sense from a purely material perspective. There is a whole other dimension to our life. And we ignore it at our peril.  

Taking a Stand

C. S. Lewis says that there are two great errors made with regard to demons. We can deny their existence or become totally fascinated with them. Lewis says that Satan greets the skeptic and the magician with the same joy. Even Christians can hold these views in a watered-down form. While Christians have a hard time denying the existence of demons, we can minimize them so much as to practically ignore them. And there are Christians who emphasize the actions of demons, developing elaborate plans to combat them. How should we approach this?

Scripture clearly teaches that we have an enemy and we need to be aware of him, his minions, and his schemes (Ephesians 6:10-12; 1 Peter 5:8,9; 2 Corinthians 11:1-3). Therefore, we are to put on the whole armor of God to resist them (Ephesians 6:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Romans 13:11-14). Also, Satan and his minions are currently in control of this world (Hebrews 2:14,15; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19), and we must be on guard not to conform to it (Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4). We must remember that we live in a battlefield. We Christians cannot simply be complacent. We must recognize that there really is someone out there who will try to trip us up.

However, we do not need some mysterious method in order to deal with the demonic. Even less do we need to know all sorts of details about demons to combat them. Nor should we follow the pattern of Flip Wilson (Boy, am I dating myself) of saying, “The devil made me do it.” We must realize that our greatest enemy in following God is our own sinful tendencies (James 1:14,25; Romans 7:14,15; Galatians 5:15). Also, the basic weapons for fighting Satan are the basic methods for living the Christian life. We must trust in God, submitting ourselves to Him (James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:5-7; Romans 12:1), realizing that that Christ is victorious over demonic forces (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4; John 16:11). This is rooted in the fact that Christ has saved us and we have been declared righteous before Him (Ephesians 6:14; Romans 8:33,34; Zechariah 3:1-5), making it possible to now live our life based on faith in God (Ephesians 6:16; 1 John 5:4,5; Galatians 2:20). We also need to make use of the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17; Matthew 4:1-11; Colossians 3:16) and prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Mark 9:29; Philippians 4:6,7). Now I do believe there is a place for the direct rebuke of a demon (Acts 16:18; Mark 1:25; 5:8), but I see nothing to indicate that this is a special method superior to all others. But while we should, when required, deal with demons, we must avoid making them the focus. Based on this, I would to consider in future posts in more detail the armor of God.

Satan's Limits

The resurrection is the best proof that Satan and his minions are not all-knowing and all-powerful. We should have a certain amount of respect for Satan's power and shrewdness so we do not try to face him without the help of the power of God (1 Peter 5:8,9; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:10-13). But Satan helped orchestrate the crucifixion (John 13:2; 14:30, Luke 22:3), which ended in his ultimate defeat (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4; John 16:11). So we need to realize that Satan, for all his cleverness, cannot out-smart God. And God's plans will always work out in the end. Often in spite of Satan's cleverest schemes, which will be used to serve God's purpose. The crucifixion and the resurrection are proof of this.  

Concepts of Power

We live in a dangerous world. This is nothing new. We see this even at Christmas, with the evil of King Herod (Matthew 2:16-18). One of the things Satan and his demons use to work evil in the world is a distorted view of authority. And we need to be aware of this, so that we do not fall into this way of thinking.

There exist in the world different concepts on the nature of power. There are those who hold that power is to be used and abused for the benefit of those in charge. That greed and exploitation are simply a normal part of life. But the Bible puts forth a very different concept of authority. It says that true leadership is service to others (Matthew 20:25-28; Luke 22:24-27; Philippians 2:3,4). But God not only requires that kind of authority; He demonstrates it. God Himself was willing to leave the center of all authority in heaven and become a human being to save us from our sins (Philippians 2:5-11; John 1:1-18; Hebrews 2:9-18). To do this He was willing to undergo suffering, culminating in an ignominious death to pay for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18,19; Colossians 2:13,14). 

To accept this is to accept a new concept of what authority is and what authority should be. This puts the central focus of the universe on the kind of love that reaches out to give to others, rather than to acquire for itself, because that is who God is (1 John 4:7-10; Romans 8:6-8; John 3:16). God is the one who needs nothing (Psalms 50:7-15; Acts 17:24-28; Isaiah 40:28-31) and gives to us out of His bounty. Human rulers can become grasping ,wanting only to benefit themselves. From Herod the Great down to the modern totalitarian tyrants, they want only to collect power and wealth for themselves, and to accomplish this they commit acts of infamy. But Jesus, the real King, who is the God-man, is not like them.

How then should we respond to the true King? We should put our faith in Him for His salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9). We should also trust Him with all of our life (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; Hebrews 11:6). But we need to demonstrate His love to the others around us who so desperately need it (Romans 13:8-10; Ephesians 5:1,2; Luke 10:25-37). For only then will we prove ourselves the representatives of the true King, who needs nothing but gives everything (2 Corinthians 5:14,15; 1 John 4:11-21; Matthew 5:43-48). And whatever greatness we possess must come from being a servant of all.

Demonic Hierarchies

There are many methods put forth for dealing with demons which involve elaborate attempts to identify particular demons and their relation to other demons. This can involve dealing with the demons at work in a specific person's life. It also can be used for evangelism, by attempting to identify the specific demon in charge of certain geographic areas. All this can be good fun, but I am forced to wonder if there in any real spiritual point to it. I certainly do not want to discourage prayer for the assistance of others or for the work of evangelism (Ephesians 6:18-20; Philippians 4:6,7; 1 Timothy 2:1-8). Nor should we forget the fact that we have adversaries who would like to hinder us and who we should stand up against (Ephesians 6:10-13; 1 Peter 5:8,9; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). But there seems to be no place in Scripture that encourages us to make detailed inquiries into demons' names and relationships. (The one case where Jesus inquired about a demon's name seems to be an attempt to determine how many demons were involved; Mark 5:9.) Inquiring after the names and relationship of demons can become a gimmick to avoid emphasizing trust in God and perseverance in prayer  (Proverbs 3:5,6; Isaiah 40:31; Luke 11:5-13). And these are the real issues.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Blaming all our sins on the devil and his minions is a handy excuse. At least if, like me, you believe there is a devil. But does the Scripture uphold this type of idea, especially in terms of those who are believers in Christ? It says that Satan and his demons can tempt (2 Corinthians 11:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:5), and they have traps and schemes to trip us up (Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Timothy 3:7). Certainly the world as a whole is strongly influenced by them ( Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14;15). But Christ has been victorious over them, and we share in that victory (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4; Romans 16:20). The ultimate problem that we have is the fifth column in our own soul, the part that wants to sin (James 1:13-15; Romans 7:14; Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, while I believe it is helpful to know that we have an enemy that we need to be on guard against, we also need to recognize that, in the final analysis, we make our own choices and should not use Satan as an excuse.

Battlefield

Scripture pictures this world as a battlefield. It says Christians are to stand strong against demonic forces (Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; 1 Peter 5:8-10). Now we are told that Christ has already won the victory (Colossians 2:13-15;1 John 4:4; Hebrews 2:14,15). But from our perspective we are still in the midst of the battle. We are told that in Christ we will ultimately conquer (1 John 5:4; Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14). But we are also told to stand firm and be on the alert. Though we will ultimately be victorious, we are not to let our guard down and be comfortable in this world. But we also do not despair, knowing God will bring us through. And we must avoid too simple answers and quick fixes that get us to expect easy solutions. For we are in a battle.