Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
The Apostle Paul, inspired by God, began this section about spiritual struggle by telling us to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). After that word to receive the strength of God, Paul explained the goal of our battle – "that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." We express the strength we have in God by standing against the wiles of the devil. The schemes of our spiritual adversaries come to nothing
when we stand against them in the power of God.
Along the way, Paul told us to put something on – "put on the whole armor of God." Of course, Paul wrote using a metaphor, a word-picture. Just as a Roman soldier had armor that made him
ready to fight, so the follower of Jesus has spiritual resources and equipment that prepare him to survive and to win spiritual conflicts.
This armor of God will be explained for fully in the next passage; but the emphasis here is on "the whole armor of God." God gives the believer a full set of spiritual equipment, and He sends us out into battle with everything we need at our disposal.
This ancient Greek word for armor is used in only one other place in the New Testament. In Luke11:21-22, Jesus spoke of the "strong man who is fully armed," but is stripped of "all his armor" when a stronger one comes and defeats him. We know that at the cross,Jesus disarmed all spiritual authorities and powers that oppose us (Colossians 2:15).
So we are to "put on the whole armor of God." This armor is "of God" both is the sense that it is from Him, and in the sense that it is His actual armor. In the Old Testament, it is the LORD who wears the armor (Isaiah 59:17). He now shares that armor with us - no wonder we are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37)
In the book of 1 Samuel there is a story of a king who gave a boy his armor to fight in. The armor must have been good, because it belonged to a king. Yet the boy didn't want to fight in the king's armor, no matter how good it was. The boy – who would later become a king himself – explained that he didn't want to use the king's armor because he had not tested it (1 Samuel 17:29).
The boy – named David, of course – went on to fight the battle against Goliath in armor that he had tested before. David had trusted God to protect him, give him courage, and to give him skill
in battle before. That trust was part of tested, proven armor for David, and he won the battle against Goliath.
The armor God gives you won't be effective until you use it; until you test it. The more you use it, the more effective it will be. Just make sure you take the whole armor of God.
By David Guzik
The Apostle Paul, inspired by God, began this section about spiritual struggle by telling us to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). After that word to receive the strength of God, Paul explained the goal of our battle – "that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." We express the strength we have in God by standing against the wiles of the devil. The schemes of our spiritual adversaries come to nothing when we stand against them in the power of God.
Along the way, Paul told us to put something on – "put on the whole armor of God." Of course, Paul wrote using a metaphor, a word-picture. Just as a Roman soldier had armor that made him
ready to fight, so the follower of Jesus has spiritual resources and equipment that prepare him to survive and to win spiritual conflicts.
This armor of God will be explained for fully in the next passage; but the emphasis here is on "the whole armor of God." God gives the believer a full set of spiritual equipment, and He sends us out into battle with everything we need at our disposal.
This ancient Greek word for armor is used in only one other place in the New Testament. In Luke11:21-22, Jesus spoke of the "strong man who is fully armed," but is stripped of "all his armor" when a stronger one comes and defeats him. We know that at the cross,Jesus disarmed all spiritual authorities and powers that oppose us (Colossians 2:15).
So we are to "put on the whole armor of God." This armor is "of God" both is the sense that it is from Him, and in the sense that it is His actual armor. In the Old Testament, it is the LORD who wears the armor (Isaiah 59:17). He now shares that armor with us - no wonder we are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37)
In the book of 1 Samuel there is a story of a king who gave a boy his armor to fight in. The armor must have been good, because it belonged to a king. Yet the boy didn't want to fight in the king's armor, no matter how good it was. The boy – who would later become a king himself – explained that he didn't want to use the king's armor because he had not tested it (1 Samuel 17:29).
The boy – named David, of course – went on to fight the battle against Goliath in armor that he had tested before. David had trusted God to protect him, give him courage, and to give him skill in battle before. That trust was part of tested, proven armor for David, and he won the battle against Goliath.
The armor God gives you won't be effective until you use it; until you test it. The more you use it, the more effective it will be. Just make sure you take the whole armor of God.
By David Guzik
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