The strength of the Lord and the armour of God
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might
(Ephesians 6:10).
Before Paul describes the armour of God, he focuses our eyes on the Lord. He does this in two ways: first, the Person, then His power. The Person of the Lord is always placed first. So how do we become strong in the Lord? I think Paul helps us to understand this in his letter to the Philippians. In ch. 3:10-11 we read the well-known words: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”. Paul explains that knowing the Saviour in His resurrection glory is the source of our strength to live for Him now. We are linked to him by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work is to glorify Christ in our hearts and to reproduce the features of Christ in our lives. These features are described in the language of the fruit of the Spirit. We also have the word of God, which sanctifies us, keeping us separate from the world but equipping us to witness in the world (John 17:15-19). But this demands our obedience to the word of God.
Being strong in the Lord enables us draw upon the power of His might. Paul describes this in Philippians 4: 11-13: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul had learned in all his circumstances that Christ provided the strength he needed. It is this experience he wanted the people of God to know. Only after fixing our eyes on the greatness of the Person and power of the Lord Jesus Christ does the apostle begin to describe the armour of God.
Great armies need great generals to inspire and empower them. It is not only their equipment that is important, but their commitment to and reliance upon their leaders. Paul encourages us first in our devotion to, and our reliance upon the greatest leader, the Lord Jesus. Then he writes, “Put on the whole armour of God.” Paul was used to soldiers because, as a prisoner, he spent a lot of time in their company. He was familiar with their dress and equipment. It was the job of these soldiers to ensure Paul did not escape. But escape was never in Paul’s mind. He accepted his circumstances from God and used them to continue serving the Church of Christ. He uses the armour of his captors to vividly illustrate the armour of God. In the very act of doing this, he was demonstrating the supremacy of the Lord Jesus in his own life, which gave him the strength to prove a victorious faith in his own suffering. As he wrote about the armour of God, he was wearing the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Like David when he met Goliath, he faced the enemy, not wearing the cumbersome protection of soldiers in a physical battle, but a heart that looked up to the Saviour and dressed in the invisible armour of truth, righteousness, good news, faith, security and the word of God. This is the armour we all need to put on.
