The Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The Christian life is not a playground; it is a spiritual battlefield. It is one where the forcesof darkness are arrayed against us seeking to do us great harm. The Puritan, William Gurnall,said that this war is so serious it makes the cruelest battle between armies of men to seem like a child's game. Sometimes we can forget this; other times we can make too much of it. The apostle Paul would not have us to fall into either extreme. In Eph. 6 he gives us a proper balance to spiritual warfare so that we neither underestimate it nor overestimate it. How we think about this spiritual battle is critical to how we fight it. This classic passage gives us a biblical framework for spiritual warfare. It provides us a perspective that can dramatically shape our daily lives, showing us how to engage rightly in this great conflict.
As believers, our first step in successfully waging spiritual warfare is recognizing our weak-ness and the Lord's great strength. Self-sufficiency is a killer in this battle; dependence on Christ is crucial. Ephesians 6:10-20 repeatedly reminds us of our insufficiency for this fight. We need strength (v. 10), weaponry (vv. 11,14-17), and lines of communication with our Savior for aid (vv. 18-20). These means are external to us. Without them, we have inadequate strength to stand against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wicked-ness. Left to ourselves we would soon crumble in the heat of battle. We are simply deficient for the task. However, God loves His people and never leaves us defenseless.
Throughout the rest of this section Paul calls us to "put on the whole armour of God" and describes each piece of the armor (vv. 11-17; cf. Rom. 13:12; 2 Cor. 6:7; 10:4-5; 1 Thess. 5:8). As Christians, we need the whole armor because our enemy is a relentless foe. If Satan and his minions cannot wound us in one place, they will target another: if not the head, then the heart; if not the conscience, then the emotions. Since Satan and his cohorts attack us in a variety of ways, God provides a variety of defenses sufficient to withstand any assault they might throw at us. Every piece of armor is another way of putting on Christ (Rom. 13:12,14). William Gurnall said, "What is this armour? By armour is meant Christ. Till Christ be put on, the creature is unarmed."
The apostle also calls us to stand (vv. 11,13,14). The Christian is a man of war, and as a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is to maintain his spiritual position throughout life. The verb "stand" means "to hold one's position continually." It suggests a soldier firm and steady while under fierce attack. Thus, Paul is calling us to put on the full armor of God so that the Devil will not gain one inch in our lives or lead us off course. In sum, we are to hold fast the solid ground that Jesus has already won us in our lives. It is clear then from Paul's language that the Christian life is not intended to be one of defeat in which the Devil is constantly having his way with us. While we might lose some battles with Satan at times, the believer is ultimately the winner because He who is in him is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Lastly, Paul calls us to pray (v. 18). Prayer is not an additional piece of the armor but the means by which each piece is effectively employed. No doubt, Paul mentions prayer last for the sake of emphasis. The passage that begins with "be strong in the Lord" (v. 10) ends with "praying always with all prayer and supplication" (v. 18). Prayer is the critical component of our warfare, reinforcing each piece of our armor. The armor of God does not consist of literal pieces we can put on; rather, it consists of spiritual truths that the Christian appropriates through prayer. Christians must daily put on each piece with prayer, calling on our great Commander-in-Chief for fresh supplies of grace and help for combat.
