Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax Methodist Church
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 firm. ~ Ephesians 6:13, ESV
In my last On the Spiritual Side, we explored precisely who the Armor of God was designed to protect us from. We recognize that this is a spiritual battle in which we, as Christians, are involved with life-and-death repercussions. Before examining each piece of Armor individually, we see some truths from Scripture reflected in the form and function of the Armor. We must first identify the two critical truths in verse 13 of our text. First, the design of the Armor is for the wearer to wear the whole Armor of God, every piece. Secondly, the Armor is designed in a way we are to stand firm in this battle, not lie down, not turn and run, stand firm. I would even argue we shouldn’t lose ground in the battle, but some of us do.
For armor to be effective, it must be worn as designed and completely. The Greek word here, in the original language of the New Testament, is “panopila,” from which we derive the word panoply when describing the Roman panoply. The word translates from “pas,” which is the root meaning “all” or “every.” Paul is clear here in the 13th verse, evil is present, and to do battle, all of the Armor must be worn. If you fail to wear every piece of the Armor, there will be gaps, leaving something exposed. In battle, you do not want something exposed or left unprotected, especially in spiritual warfare against the devil. We must put on the whole Armor of God.
This might not be the most encouraging advice for everyone, but the Armor Paul describes is designed for us to be present in the fight and not run from a fight. Some absolutely hate confrontation. First, we can not run from the devil, nor does God wish for us to. If He did this, it would be more of a prophetic text telling us to get some “holy Hokas” or something. We were not created to run. Jesus did not die so we could run. Jesus conquered hell, death, and the grave so we could stand firm!
A final noteworthy point, the Armor we are looking at in the Ephesians text is the Roman panoply. It is essential, as we work through each piece in the coming months, that we are aware of this. I have seen the Armor of God represented as a medieval knight, a police officer, or even a modern soldier. I understand why folks want to be creative, but it doesn’t work; it is not a faithful rendering of the text. The more modern examples of the Armor do not translate well from the Roman panoply. I am so looking forward to sharing these insights into the life-changing and life-giving word of God!
