H. Michael Brewer
Crescent Springs Presbyterian
3 September 2006
FROM HEAD TO TOE
Ephesians 6:10-20
We spoke last week of the world view behind this letter: a struggle between the children of God and the
spiritual powers of evil. We can read about that war in the daily paper. We can observe that war within
ourselves as we struggle to overcome temptation, to love and forgive those who have wronged us, to do the
right thing in a world that rarely rewards righteousness. Fortunately, God has equipped us to stand our
ground. In the letter to the Ephesians, this spiritual empowerment is called the armor of God. Let’s take a look
at this holy armor from the ground up.
First, there are shoes which, in the symbolism of the letter, are connected with the gospel of peace.
Shoes in the ancient Near East were a crude affair. Forget high-tech cross trainers with impact-absorbing gel-
pockets. The common footwear in New Testament Palestine was a simple sole of leather or wood held to the
foot by thongs.
But the shoe of the Roman soldier was considerably stronger. The sole was made by gluing together
layer after layer of leather until the foot had both support and cushioning. Hobnails in the bottom reinforced the
sole and extended its life. The stout shoe was put on with leather straps which wrapped around the foot and
the leg up to the knee. This was a shoe on which a soldier could stand without fear of losing his footing.
Christians must stand on something firm and enduring: the gospel of Jesus Christ who offered up his life on
the cross to reconcile sinners to a righteous God. In earlier days, Paul stood on the Law, but the Law failed
him, left him lying blind in the dirt on the Damascus Road. From that day Paul took his stand on the good
news of Jesus Christ. And in spite of the many storms and battles that lay ahead for Paul, he was never again
swept from his feet. This is where we start—with the good news of God’s saving love. This is the basis of who
we are and what we do. This is the promise that “your foot will not be moved.”
Next the writer turns to the armor itself: the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. The
Roman breastplate was a thick leather corselet with metal plates on the chest and shoulders. This was the
basic defense of the foot soldier.
And the most basic defense for Christians is a life of righteousness and truth. Normally in Paul’s
writings, righteousness means a forgiven relationship with God. Here the word is used to mean “right living,”
what nowadays we would call morality or integrity. And the truth mentioned here as the belt of the Christian’s
armor is not an abstract belief. Truth here means reliability, genuineness, living up to your convictions.
Simply put, the best way to stay out of trouble is to behave. Integrity and honesty defend us against so
many mistakes and temptations in life. I can think of some public figures who would have done well to put on
the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness before they disgraced themselves and scandalized their
causes. Secrecy will never take the place of decency.
The worst part of wrong living is what it does to our relationship with God. Jesus warns us to be very
careful where we put our hearts. If we throw our hearts into cheating, lying, and conduct that must be covered
up, then our hearts will stray from God. Our Lord doesn’t demand moral perfection, but God does expect our
lives to reflect our beliefs.
Roman armor carried an extra piece of bronze attached inside the breastplate on the left. This was
called the “heart-protector.” A lifestyle faithful to Scripture, obedience to God’s will, what Jesus calls a hunger
and thirst for righteousness, this will forge the best heart protector a Christian could ever have.
Along with all these other things, “take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the
flaming arrows of the evil one.” Faith here means trusting God. It means being assured of God’s power and
God’s victory. Shields in those days were typically made of laminated wood covered with leather. If possible,
you wanted to make your enemy throw away that shield. The flaming arrow was the most effective strategy
against the shield. An arrow tipped with burning tar was fired into the shield. The arrow stuck, the shield
caught fire, and had to be thrown aside.
The writer is saying to us, “Hold on to your faith. Trust God come what may.” Do not be alarmed by the
flaming arrows. The power of God will quench them, if you will just have faith.
I knew a Christian, a man in a position of responsibility in the church. He was active in social ministries,
working with the poor for decent housing, for fair wages, for adequate medical care—a good, worthwhile
battle that should engage every Christian.
But somewhere along the line this soldier began to put his trust in his own political savvy and his
community strategies. Finding that injustice is hard to uproot, the man despaired of God’s help and took the
whole burden on his own shoulders. He threw away the shield of faith. Today, he is a fallen soldier—bitter,
cynical, and ineffectual because he lost his trust in God.
“And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and pray at all times in the Spirit.” The word
of God and prayer: these are the two edges of a single sword. The word of God is all the ways in which God
speaks to us, foremost through the Scriptures and the sacraments and life in the church. And prayer is our
speaking to God, our response to God’s out-reaching love. And, of course, we pray not just for ourselves, but
for God’s world, and for our sisters and brothers in the faith. No Christian is ever alone in the battle. Through
God’s word, God draws near to us, and through prayer, we draw near to God and to one another.
In the Roman army, each company or cohort had its own particular colors which were worn on the crest
of the helmet and also upon the shield. In addition, on the backside of the shield were carved the soldier’s
name and the name of the soldier’s commanding officer. When a Roman soldier put on the official armor, the
soldier was automatically reminded of the allegiance owed to the soldier’s commander and the loyalty owed
to the soldier’s comrades.
We, too, have reminders of who we are, who commands us, and with whom we serve: the Scriptures,
the sacraments, the discipline of prayer, the community of faith. These are things we too readily take for
granted. And once we begin to take them for granted, it is easy enough to neglect them. But we do so at our
peril. None of us is strong enough to go it alone. When we neglect the means of grace, we end up facing the
battle alone, failing God, failing ourselves, and failing one another.
Which leaves only the head gear. We began with the shoes of the gospel and now we end with the
helmet of salvation. What can I say? The helmet of salvation is God’s crowning gift, a gift that protects us not
only from the principalities and the powers, but also protects us even from our own failures.
This armor that makes us strong and sees us through the daily struggle—this armor represents the
mysterious meeting place where divine grace and human choice come together. That is, we cannot defend
ourselves without God’s help, but neither will God defend us without our help. I know police officers who never
go on duty without first putting on a bullet-proof vest; I know other cops who figure they’ll put the vest on when
they need it.
I know Christians who live in their armor—wrapped in grace, armed with faith. I know other Christians
who neglect the armor that is the birthright of our baptism. So be it. God loves both the prepared and
unprepared, both the disciplined and the undisciplined. But I’m not strong enough to battle the powers without
a shield on my arm and a helmet on my head. I am afraid to face temptation without a sword in my hand. I
dare not enlist in the cause of Christ without a breastplate to safeguard my heart. Not me. I’m not strong
enough on my own, not nearly strong enough.
In any other war, if you lose you have to lay down your arms. But in this war, we cannot lose unless we
lay down our arms. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Soli Deo Gloria!