H. Michael Brewer
Crescent Springs Presbyterian
27 August 2006
GOSPEL ARMOR
Ephesians 6:10-17
Paul’s in prison. He’s writing to the Ephesians. Not surprisingly, he’s warning his readers that
discipleship can be tough. There are powers opposing us, Paul warns. There are forces marshaled against
us, trying to keep us from faithfully following Christ in a fallen world.
But Paul also wants us to understand that God is on our side in this struggle and will give us the help we
need. As he pauses in his writing, perhaps his eye strays to the Roman soldier on guard duty outside his cell,
a soldier in full armor. Paul smiles, puts his pen to paper and writes, “Put on the whole armor of God that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
In a few words, Paul says three things about the spiritual armor that is available to every Christian. First,
Paul makes clear that this is God’s armor. In the writings of Isaiah the prophet, there is passage with which
Paul was surely familiar. Maybe it was the inspiration for Paul’s ideas here. In the passage from Isaiah, God
looks into the world and sees that evil has grown strong. Justice is retreating. Innocence is on the run. Truth
is under siege.
So God dresses for battle. Here’s how Isaiah describes it: “He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation upon his head… Then his own arm brought him victory.” (from Isaiah 59:16-17)
The armor Isaiah describes is identical to the armor Paul urges upon us: the same breastplate of
righteousness, the same helmet of salvation, the same armor. In the struggle of life, God is not some neutral
observer. God isn’t a war correspondent, reporting but never getting involved. God is in the thick of the battle.
God is so much on our side, that God says, “Here, wear my armor.” God preserves us. God becomes our
shield and our defense.
We keep kidding ourselves that we don’t need that kind of divine intervention. We pretend we can do this
on our own. We can become the kind of people we ought to be if we just try hard enough. If we just lose
enough weight, if we pick up the right job skills, if we find the right book on keeping a positive outlook, if we
learn how to win friends and influence people, then we’ll be all right. Then everything will be all right.
But it won’t. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for self-improvement, especially in other people. But Paul reminds
us that we are not struggling against mere flesh and blood. This is a spiritual battle against the principalities
and powers.
We cannot confront the evil in our world or the evil in ourselves armed only with will power and good
intentions. On our own we are naked and helpless. Our resources are not enough, not until God armors us
up. With the help of God—with the presence of God beside us—then we can make a fight of it.
So put on the armor of God, says Paul. Put on the whole armor of God. The expression Paul uses in
Greek literally means “all the weapons.” We must not go into battle half-prepared or half-dressed if we’re
going to hold our own in the spiritual war. By all accounts, ancient armor was heavy and uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, the seasoned soldier wore his armor anyway. He didn’t leave his breastplate behind because
it was too heavy. He didn’t go into battle without his helmet because it was too hot. The armor was issued to
the soldier and the soldier wore it—because his life depended on it.
I’m not suggesting that the Christian life is burdensome, but it does require discipline and commitment.
God gives us the armor we need, and if we abandon even one piece of it, we weaken ourselves. Start pealing
off armor and we put ourselves at risk.
Can a Christian say, “Yes, Lord, I’ll take that shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness. I’ll pass
on the belt of truth. That looks kind of tight. Sure, I’ll have some prayer. But the Word of God? I’m too busy for
that.”
What do you think, is a half-armored Christian—a half-committed disciple, a partly practicing believer—
ready to face the world rulers of this present darkness?
Okay, put on the armor of God, says Paul. Put on the whole armor. And then stand your ground.
Paul says it over and over.
Verse 11: “Stand against the devil.”
Verse 13: “Withstand the evil day.”
Verse 14: “Gird your loins and stand.”
Verse 13: “Having done all, then stand.”
Paul may not be subtle, but he’s straightforward. God doesn’t need more Christians who never report for
duty. God doesn’t need deserters who run from the fight or disciples who go AWOL when the battle heats us.
There are hungry people to be fed. There are children and teens adrift, youngsters for whom a caring
Christian mentor could make all the difference in the world. There are injustices to overturn and lies to
expose. There are broken hearts to comfort. There are neighbors who need to hear the good news of the
loving God and the saving Christ. God is calling for Christians who will take a stand and see it through. There
is a war going on, and we’ve got to do our part.
But that’s all we have to do—our part—and we can leave the rest to God. We don’t have to win the war.
God will win the war. Our part is to remain faithful to the end, to stand our ground.
Maybe we can’t end poverty, but we can make sure some child at River Ridge has school supplies, socks,
and a decent winter coat.
Maybe we can’t evangelize the nations, but we can invite someone to church now and again, and we can
support Presbyterian missionaries around the world with our prayers and our stewardship.
We’re not going to end human suffering and loneliness, but we can hold someone’s hand; we can offer a
listening ear and a caring heart.
We can stand our ground, do what lies within our power, and refuse to be overwhelmed by the struggle.
Don’t worry. God will win the war. In the meanwhile, our calling is to remain obedient, follow our orders, stand
our ground, and never run away.
I’m not the first preacher to point out that the armor Paul describes here is meant to protect from the front
as one faces the battle. As soon as I turn my back on the fight, I lose my protection. It’s not that God writes us
off if we drop out of the struggle. God will still love you if you disappear from church, forsake the needy,
abandon prayer, and burn your Bible. God will still love you, but if you cast off every bit of armor and discard
every spiritual weapon, then you have rejected God’s protection and help. In running from the battle, we end
up running away from God as well and we forfeit the strength that should be ours.
We Christians are caught up in a great war, a spiritual war engaging the values and convictions and
institutions of our age, the principalities and powers that crush hope and mangle human life. That war rages
around us in our streets, in our schools, in our workplaces, in the halls of government… And let’s be honest:
that war clamors within us, as well, a war between selfishness and sharing, between apathy and
compassion, a war between getting even or getting healed, between the low road of least resistance and the
high calling of Christ.
Old words from Paul, old words as relevant today as they were in the 1st Century. “Be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand.”
Soli Deo Gloria!