Finding Strength in the Full Armor of God

Why Does God Ask Us to Be Soldiers of Peace?

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy of the Gospel fills our hearts because it is the story of a God who comes to us with immense love and mercy.1 It is the good news that we are not alone in our struggles. Yet, when we turn to the beautiful letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians, we find a strange image. He speaks to us of battle, of struggle, and of armor. How can this be? How can the God of peace, who asks us to love our enemies, also ask us to be soldiers?

What is the nature of this spiritual battle?

This is a beautiful mystery that touches the heart of our lives. The battle Paul speaks of is not one of flesh and blood, not a war against our neighbors or against those who think differently from us.3 No, that is a temptation of the evil one, who always seeks to divide us. Our struggle is against the spiritual forces of this world—the powers of darkness that promote despair, injustice, hatred, and loneliness.5 It is a battle fought within our own hearts and in the world around us against the schemes of the devil that try to convince us that God’s love is not real, that we are not worthy, and that there is no hope.

The armor God gives us is not for aggression or for conquering others. Notice the word the Apostle uses again and again: “stand”.7 We are called to put on God’s armor so that we may be able to stand our ground, to resist on the evil day, and after we have done everything, to stand firm.3 This is an armor of perseverance. It is a spiritual strength given to the humble, to those who feel small and vulnerable in a world that can often feel hostile to the message of love.

We must remember who this message was first for. It was for a small community of believers, a minority in a powerful empire, whose allegiance to Christ made them different and sometimes put them at odds with the culture around them.4 They were not the powerful ones of the world. So this armor is not a symbol of worldly power or triumphalism. It is a gift of grace for the poor in spirit, a survival strategy for a counter-cultural people of faith. It is the loving provision of a Father who promises to protect his children as they walk a path of peace and truth in a world that does not always understand. It is how a bruised, hurting, and dirty Church, a Church that goes out into the streets, finds the strength to continue its mission of mercy.10


Spiritual Armor

Roman Counterpart

Purpose in Spiritual Life

Key Scripture Verse

Belt of Truth

Soldier's Belt (Cingulum)

Grounds us in God's reality and personal integrity.

Ephesians 6:14a

Breastplate of Righteousness

Breastplate (Lorica)

Protects our heart with Christ's righteousness.

Ephesians 6:14b

Shoes of Peace

Cleated Sandals (Caligae)

Gives us stability and readiness to share the Gospel.

Ephesians 6:15

Shield of Faith

Large Shield (Scutum)

Extinguishes the enemy's attacks of doubt and fear.

Ephesians 6:16

Helmet of Salvation

Helmet (Galea)

Protects our minds with the assurance of our salvation.

Ephesians 6:17a

Sword of the Spirit

Short Sword (Gladius)

The Word of God, our only offensive weapon.

Ephesians 6:17b

Constant Prayer

-

Connects us to God, empowering the armor.

Ephesians 6:18


The Foundation of Our Stand

What is the Belt of Truth that Holds Us Together?

The Apostle Paul begins with the belt. This might seem like a small thing, but for a Roman soldier, the belt, or cingulum, was the foundation of all his equipment.7 It was a wide, leather girdle that he tightened around his waist. It held his tunic in place so he could move freely, it helped secure his heavy breastplate, and it was from this belt that his sword hung.12 More than just a piece of equipment, this belt was the distinguishing mark of a soldier; it showed who he was and gave him the right to carry his weapons.7

How does God's truth give us our identity?

For us, this belt is truth. It is what holds everything else in our spiritual lives together. Without truth, all the other pieces of our armor are loose and we are left vulnerable. This truth has two beautiful dimensions that embrace each other. First, it is the great, objective Truth of the Gospel.14 It is the reality that God is love, that Jesus is our Savior, and that we are set free by His grace. In a world full of lies—the lies of materialism that tell us possessions will make us happy, the lies of power that tell us to dominate others, the lies of despair that tell us we are alone—we must wrap ourselves in the firm truth of God’s Word.16

This leads us to a very tender point for our times. So many people today, especially the young, suffer from an identity crisis.9 They ask, "Who am I?" and the world offers confusing and anxious answers. The devil, who is the father of lies, loves this confusion.5 But God gives us the Belt of Truth as a profound act of pastoral care. He tells us that our identity is not something we must invent in a panic. It is a gift we receive. This belt is the act of wrapping ourselves in the unchanging, life-giving truth of who God says we are: his beloved children, created in his image. This is the truth that sets us free.11

The second dimension of this truth is personal. It is the call to live a life of integrity, honesty, and sincerity.12 It means our actions should match the truth we believe in our hearts. This is not a call to be perfect, for we are all weak and we all fall. It is a call to be sincere, to be transparent, and to walk in the light, trusting in God’s mercy when we fail. When our lives are girded with this honesty, we become credible witnesses to the Truth who is Christ himself.

How Can We Protect Our Hearts with the Breastplate of Righteousness?

After securing the belt, the soldier would put on his breastplate, the lorica. This piece of armor, often made of metal or tough leather, was vital. It covered his torso, protecting his heart, lungs, and other vital organs from a sword slash or a spear thrust that would otherwise be fatal.12 The Bible tells us to guard our heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.14 The breastplate of righteousness is what God gives us to protect this sacred core of our being—our will, our emotions, our capacity to love.

Whose righteousness is our protection?

Here we must be very clear, for it is a point of incredible mercy. This breastplate is not our own righteousness. It is not made from our good deeds or our moral successes.14 If our protection depended on our own goodness, we would be in great trouble, for our righteousness is weak and fragile, like "filthy rags," as the prophet Isaiah says.18 No, this is the perfect, shining righteousness of Jesus Christ himself, which God gives to us as a pure gift of grace when we accept his Son.5 We are made right with God not because we are good, but because He is good.

This truth liberates us from a terrible sickness of the soul: the paralysis of perfectionism. So many good people are crippled by the feeling that they are constantly failing, always letting God down. They live in fear and anxiety, focused on their own performance. The breastplate of righteousness is God’s tender remedy for this. He says to us, "My child, do not be afraid. Your safety does not depend on your ability to be perfect. It depends on my Son's perfection, which I give to you freely." This frees us from a faith based on fear and allows us to serve God out of joy and gratitude.

This gift of righteousness protects our hearts from the sharpest arrows of the enemy: accusation and shame.5 When the devil whispers in our ear, "You are a sinner. You are not worthy. Look at your past," the breastplate of Christ's righteousness is our defense. It reminds us that our standing before God is based on Christ's victory, not our own struggles. And from this place of security, protected by a gift we did not earn, we are then inspired to live a life of practical righteousness, a life of obedience that flows not from a desire to earn salvation, but as a joyful fruit of already being saved.3

What Does It Mean to Walk with the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace?

A Roman legion was famous for its ability to march. They could cover vast distances over difficult ground because of their shoes. These sandals, called caligae, were not designed for comfort but for stability. The soles were studded with hobnails, like the cleats on an athlete's shoe today, which gave the soldier a firm grip on the earth, whether climbing a hill or holding his position in the chaos of battle.12

Is peace the goal or the starting point?

Paul tells us that our shoes are the "readiness that comes from the gospel of peace".3 This means that the Good News—the news that through Christ we are at peace with God—gives us a firm footing in a world that is often shaken by anxiety, fear, and turmoil.12 When we are filled with worry, we lose our balance. But when our feet are shod with the gospel, we can stand firm, anchored in the reality of God's reconciling love.3

This reveals a beautiful truth that turns the world's logic upside down. The world says that you must fight in order to find peace. The Gospel says you must first have peace in order to stand firm in the spiritual fight. Peace with God is not the prize at the end of the battle; it is the equipment we are given at the beginning. It is a present reality, a gift that prepares us for the journey. We do not fight desperately to try to win God's favor. We stand confidently as beloved children who know that our relationship with the Father is already secure in Christ.9

This firm footing of peace also gives us a "readiness" to move. It is not a static, stay-at-home peace. It prepares us to walk, to go forth, and to be instruments of God's peace in the world.14 A person whose heart is at peace with God is ready to bring that peace to others, to be a bridge of reconciliation in their families, workplaces, and communities. We become ready to share the Good News, not with aggression, but with the quiet confidence of one whose feet are planted on solid ground.

How Do We Put On Christ, Our True Armor, Each Day?

As we reflect on this powerful image of the armor of God, a final, beautiful truth emerges, one that gathers all the pieces together into a single, living reality. To put on the armor of God is, in the end, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ himself.18

He is the Belt of Truth, for he is "the way, the truth, and the life".16

He is our Breastplate of Righteousness, for it is he who makes us righteous before the Father.5

He is our Shoes of Peace, for he is the one who has broken down the dividing wall of hostility and is our peace.13

He is the object and perfecter of our Shield of Faith.5

He is our Helmet of Salvation, the author of our deliverance.5

And he is the living Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God made flesh, who dwelt among us.13

To put on the armor is to abide in Christ, to clothe ourselves in him each day through faith. And here we see the beautiful tension of our Christian life. We are commanded with active words to "put on" and "take up," which shows that we have a part to play; our response is needed.23 Yet we know that the armor is a gift, and our strength is not our own. We "are strengthened" in the Lord, a passive reality.8 This is the dance of grace and action. It is a cooperative work, where we act in faith precisely because God is already acting in us and for us with his infinite mercy.23

So let us not be discouraged by the thought of battle. Let us not be afraid of our own weakness. We are not called to be perfect, flawless soldiers. We are called to be beloved children, who may at times be bruised and hurting from being out on the streets of the world, but who are clothed in the strength and mercy of our Father.10 Let us go forward, then, not in fear, but in the joy of the Gospel, wearing the love of Christ as our true armor, confident that the decisive battle has already been won for us on the cross.1

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