When considering and approaching this topic I firstly like to draw reference to the following two passages of scripture:
15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. 16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. – Isaiah 59:15-17 (KJV)
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; -Ephesians 6:13-18 (KJV)
Understanding the Armor of God
In Isaiah 59 we see the Lord intervening in the affairs of His people. His reason for intervening is because of three key factors; there was no truth, there was no judgment, and there was no intercession. God had to produce truth, judgment, and righteousness for Himself as seen in verse 16, with His arm bringing “salvation unto Him”, and “His righteousness sustaining Him”. But He doesn’t stop there. He begins clothing Himself with a breastplate He calls “righteousness”, a helmet He calls “salvation”, garments He calls “vengeance”, and a cloak called “zeal”.
The imagery of God putting on armour is quite captivating. It becomes even more significant when we realize that He does this for His people, who were very rebellious. Yet, in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul presents to us one of the most amazing revelations. God has not only clothed Himself in armor. He has now made provision for us, His beloved and redeemed, to also wear His armor. That is why we are asked to “put on the whole armor of God” – it is His armor not ours. But He has afforded us the privilege to wear it for two key reasons, as seen in Ephesians 6:13; (1) to withstand the attacks of the enemy, and (2) to remain standing. His armor is therefore impenetrable and is sustaining, once worn completely. This shows the importance of us as believers being fully clothed in the complete armor that God has afforded us to wear. Let’s take a look at the different parts of God’s Armour, that He has afforded unto us, highlighted by Paul in Ephesians 6.
#1: The Belt of Truth
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. – John 17:17 (ESV)
The first part of the armor mentioned is called “the belt of truth”. “Truth” is one of the absolutes that many human beings seek to find, along with love and purpose (even Pilate asked Jesus “what is truth” in John 18:37-38). Even finding the purest form of love or purpose is referred to as “true love” or “true purpose”. Truth is the pivot on which everything in existence is hinged on. Everything is held together by Truth. Interestingly, everyone knows this about truth. That’s why people spend so much time seeking out truth, especially what we call existential truth. Even persons who say that truth is not absolute are still intrigued in discovering if there is absolute truth. The problem though is everyone does not know the true identity of Truth.
The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. – Psalm 119:160 (ESV).
The word “sum” comes from the Hebrew word “Rohsh” which means “head” or “beginning”. It is used to describe either a political seat in power or the headwaters or source of a river. The Amplified puts it as “the full meaning of all your precepts is truth”. However, the exact translation is not just saying that the entirety of God’s Word is true. It is also saying that the source or beginning of God’s Word is Truth, making the entire Word true.
Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” – John 14:6
#2: The Breastplate of Righteousness
If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him. – 1 John 2:29 (ESV)
Truth reveals righteousness. Truth leads to you knowing that Jesus is righteous. That’s why the buckling of the belt of Truth helps to hold and fasten the Breastplate of Righteousness in place. Knowing that God is righteous can lead to the revelation and the surety that practicing righteousness authentically is a sign that you have been born again.
But what exactly is Righteousness? Romans 10:1-4 gives us a pretty good answer:
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. – Romans 10:1-4 (ESV)
This is interesting. The Apostle Paul says here that these people, who need to truly be saved, have a “zeal” from God that isn’t true zeal. It isn’t true zeal because, as he says in verse 2, it is not according to knowledge, or rather, it’s not according to the revelation of truth. Since it was not established in Truth, they became ignorant of what God’s righteousness is. This ignorance then led them to self-righteousness. They thought they were righteous with their many deeds and pomp and pageantry, but “they did not submit to God’s righteousness”. Paul then shows us in verse 4 what righteousness truly is.
Righteousness is the product of the completion of the law of God by Christ in our lives. Romans 10:4 tells us that achieving this is done through “believing” in Christ. As the truth of Christ is revealed from His Word and His Spirit, it establishes a breastplate on us that symbolizes the mandates of God’s law being complete in us through Jesus Christ. This breastplate covers our hearts, from which come “the issues of life” and which can also be “deceitfully wicked”. When the breastplate of righteousness is fitted unto your chest it guards the heart, to ensure that “rivers of living water” flow from it. The Belt of Truth keeps the Breastplate fastened so that the heart remain both in and guarded by righteousness. When Truth becomes slack, the breastplate can fall, exposing the heart to the enemy’s attacks.
#3: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17 (ESV)
The Gospel, or “good news” of Jesus Christ, is the manifest power of God for salvation. In other words, the Gospel is the way in which God chooses to manifest His power that He has made available to save mankind. The Gospel seeks to see salvation occur by doing two key things; (1) by revealing the righteousness of God, and (2) by building or increasing faith. Wearing the Breastplate of righteousness keeps the heart protected in righteousness. But the Shoes of the Gospel keep the entire body walking in righteousness by the “righteous living by faith”. Our motion of obedience to the Word of God in the mandate to fulfill the Gospel leads to us walking in righteousness. The breastplate indicates our state of being of righteousness but the shoes of the Gospel represent us living by faith in righteousness. Wearing the shoes of the Gospel isn’t just for “evangelising” on the street. Every motion of your life must be the Gospel, hence why it is represented as shoes.
Why call it the Gospel of Peace? For two reasons:
- This Gospel belongs to Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace.
- This Gospel represents how Christ made peace between us and God.
#4: The Helmet of Salvation
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation”. – Psalm 62:1 (ESV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV)
Salvation is God’s mechanism in redeeming the soul of man back to Him and sealing the spirit of man for Him. Salvation actually leads to a union between God’s Spirit and our spirit, as seen in 1 Corinthians 6:17 which says “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit”. It also results in the Holy Spirit communicating with our spirit, seeing us being sealed until we stand before God. Salvation therefore seeks to bring about redemption by the Lord, unity with the Lord, and safety in the Lord.
Why is it represented as a helmet though?
The helmet is the part of the armor that protects the head of a soldier. The head is the central part of the body, in which the thought processes occur and most sensory organs function. The expression of the mind, the will, and the emotion are seen in and start with the head. These three parts make up the soul of man, of which Christ redeems when we believe on Him. The helmet represents the redemption and protection of the soul. It also represents the renewal of the mind.
Philippians 4:7 says “and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus”. Salvation, and the armor as a whole, represent the work of Christ in making peace between us and God. This peace, this assurance, and this safety protects our hearts in the form of the breastplate and our minds in the form of the helmet.
The other parts of the armour are for safeguarding the soldier. But now comes the parts that are designed to help us fight.
#5: The Shield of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1
I want you to focus on the two descriptions given here about faith; it is “substance” and it is “evidence”. Another version uses the word “assurance” instead of substance and “conviction” instead of evidence. Faith is described as substance and evidence, or assurance and conviction, which directly expresses one key concept; Truth. Substance and Evidence are all part of what helps us to understand Truth. The truth of something, whether it be an object, person, or situation is understood by observing its substance and it’s evidence; what it consists of and what is the sign of its existence. Truth is understood and activated through the mechanism of Faith. This is why Hebrews 11:6 says:
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. – Hebrews 11:6
It is impossible to please God without Faith because Faith reveals and leads to the activation of the work of Truth. That is why the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who hovered over the face of the waters at creation, and who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is also called “the Spirit of Faith”.
In the case of Faith, it is understanding what are the things that are hoped for, and also understanding that what is hoped for is unseen but it has evidence. So it essentially is speaking here about something spiritual and something that is yet to become physical or visible. Faith is the one substance and evidence that we have of these things. In this case, such substance and evidence, or such assurance and conviction, is revealed to us in Faith manifested as the Word of God. If we were to therefore define Faith it would be, essentially, “the revelation and activation of the Truth of God” which also speaks to Faith as not just “believing the Word of God” but actually “being the Word of God”.
Why is Faith represented as a Shield though?
Every soldier needs a shield. But just imagine how you would feel trying to hold up a shield if the rest of your armor is falling off your body. The Belt of Truth would hold an entire suit of armor together, and the truth of that Belt allows the expression and action of the shield of Faith. When Truth is settled and well buckled, Faith can take action. You cannot live a life of true Faith if the Truth of God’s Word is not settled in your own life.
The scripture then shows us a more specific aspect of the function of the Shield of Faith. It helps us “to quench the firery darts of the enemy”. Faith has to be increased and strengthened in order to resist the attacks of the enemy. Faith does come by “hearing the Word of God” so this Shield is a product of God’s Word. In this case, this is showing the defensive capabilities of God’s Word, expressed in faith.
Since Faith is a shield it also acts as the protection for the entire body and even the other parts of the armor. It protects the helmet of salvation because we are saved by grace through faith. It protects the breastplate of righteousness because righteousness occurs in us by faith in Christ. It protects the shoes of the Gospel because living the Gospel increases faith. It also protects the belt of truth as our faith in Christ strengths our assurance in Him and the revelation that we would have received from Him. Faith therefore becomes the armor for the armor in the form of the Shield.
#6: The Sword of the Spirit
So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11
The Sword of the Spirit of God is, as our main scripture shows, the Word of God. Isaiah 55:11 also shows us that God’s sword, which is His Word, is His active tool in accomplishing His purpose. This is the first thing that we must understand about God’s Word, as the purpose of the Word is to firstly help us walk in the accomplishment of His will.
His will is not perfected by us simply wearing the other parts of the armor. Wearing the breastplate without the sword could be deemed as self righteousness. Wearing the helmet without the sword could just leave us weapon-less and useless on the battle field. Same thing goes for wearing the shoes without a sword.
Even the shield of Faith is incomplete in its work without the sword. However the case of the shield is a bit different. Faith reveals and leads to the activation of Truth, for we established that Faith is essentially the Word of God that is revealed and activated. Faith, when revealed and activated, does so in two forms; (1) in defensive form as a shield, and (2) in offensive form as a sword. When you have the Word in you, and use it, you essentially become weaponized and endured with the power from on high.
But how exactly does it function?
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 4:12 shows us three key functions of the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God:
- Piercing to the division of soul and spirit – it explore, brings truth to, and impacts even the core of our spirit nature.
- Piercing to the division of joint and marrow – it impacts and brings truth to the physical realm, even to all that is tangible.
- Discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart – it explores and understands the state of our hearts.
The Sword of the Spirit represents clearly the proclamation given in the epistle of James which says “faith without works is dead”. A life of Faith is one grown in the Word of God, lived in righteousness, and led by the Holy Spirit.
The Sword of the Spirit becomes active more with maturity in Christ. We are called to be able to “rightly handle the Word of Truth”. If you are immature in Christ, your handling of the sword of the Spirit will be poor. If you also refuse to spend time in the Word of God, you can never master the use of the Sword. So when you try to speak the word you would either sound fumbling due to a lack of Word in your repertoire, or you would be effective. It’s not just memorising, it’s living the Word. The more we grow in Christ and the more the Word is in us, the greater our mastery of the Sword.
Beacon Of Flavor 