In 2003 I did a full and detailed series on the Armour of God which can be found at http://emmanuel.org.za/emmdev-archive/the-armour-of-god/ .
I'd like to consider the armour in a different way today:
Firstly, lets look at the virtues that make up the armour:
Truth, Righteousness, Readiness (to proclaim the gospel), Faith, Salvation, the Word of God and Prayer.
These are facets of our relationship with God that need to be in use and well-practised. Just as a soldier knows how to wear and use his equipment, we should be practised at speaking and living TRUTHfully. The RIGHTEOUSNESS imputed to us by Christ should assuage our guilt and inspire us to live like Him. We must understand if we are not READY and willing to share our faith, we're going to be as ineffective as a barefoot soldier, because Standing Firm is about sharing our faith. FAITH is trust and trust is like a muscle - it atrophies when not used - growing faith often means there are flaming arrows. SALVATION is the wonderful knowledge that I am saved and don't need to save myself. God's WORD and PRAYER are vital to our walk with Him.
Secondly, we must also look at the parts being protected:
The belt is the foundation of Roman Armour - all the other bits were attached to it. Integrity holds all the facets of our faith together. The heart and vital organs reflect our soul, emotions and character - these need to be immersed in the comfort of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. The feet represent action: they are what we Stand on! The shield is how we protect ourselves and trusting in God rather than ourselves makes a great deal of sense here. The head has to do with our thoughts and we need to think as people who are in the light (saved). An offensive weapon can injure its owner or be used against him, so it makes sense that Scripture is the most balanced weapon we can use. Prayer is like breathing.
Paul's description of armour, whether we go into it in fine detail or overview it, reminds us that we should be serious in wearing the virtues or traits described because we are in a serious battle - but lets be clear: The battle is to "Stand Firm" to keep the faith and we will need all the traits and virtues described here.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
