The whole armour of God
Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:11-13).
Paul begins in verse 11 by exhorting us to put on the whole armour of God. Although he goes on to describe the separate pieces of armour, these pieces complement each other to form one suit of armour. The purpose of the armour is to enable us to stand. The picture Paul paints is of a soldier facing a dangerous enemy with no thought of retreat. It has been pointed out many times that the armour is all front-facing. He doesn’t envisage the soldier running away from the enemy.
Paul then reveals the enemy and the tactics he uses – schemes of deceit. In Revelation 12:9 Satan is called “the deceiver of the whole world”. Paul had already warned the Ephesian Christians of “deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14, ESV) which took the form of false teaching. This is not limited to spiritual things but also affects human experience in general. There is an order and plan to the work of Satan and his spiritual forces and the influence he exerts. In Ephesians 2:2, Paul reminded his readers they “once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”. So their enemy was known to them. They had been under his control, but now they were equipped to stand against him.
The apostle’s expressions “put on” and “take up” mean ‘to put on oneself’ and ‘to take to oneself’. We are personally encouraged to put on the armour of God, to make it our own and to use. By doing this, we shall be able to stand and to withstand in the evil day. “Standing” implies witness. The evil day is a particular period of trial. The armour of God enables us to stand immovable (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). “Withstanding” is positively pushing back against evil when we are attacked by it. An illustration of this is Shammah who, when everyone fled from a troop of Philistines, “stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory” (2 Samuel 23:12).
Today is a day when we need to stand. The rich legacies of the Christian faith are attacked continuously, oreroded, and God’s patterns for the well-being of human life abandoned. But we should never be discouraged. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Our life is hidden with Christ in God. We possess eternal life, and we are held in the hands of God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit indwells our hearts. Paul, in the first three chapters of Ephesians, outlines to us God’s will, God’s work and God’s wisdom. In the last three chapters, he writes about the Christian’s walk, the Christian’s witness and the Christian’s warfare. God has made us worshippers and workers. And He has also made us warriors to stand and witness to Him in our generation. Next, Paul goes on to teach us about the armour God has provided for us to be victorious in the spiritual battle we face.
