I have heard a lot of sermons in my time about the armour of God.  Things that stick in my head are:

• The armour is largely defensive because we are always under attack.
• The belt of truth holds the rest together.  Everything hangs on the truth.
• The breastplate covers your heart.  A righteousness from God keeps the heart safe.
• Roman sandals were like hob-nailed boots, not like something that you wore to the beach.  They were made for action.
• The roman shield covered the whole person.  It was also used as a stretcher to take a casualty from the battlefield.
• The gladius/sword is the only offensive weapon.  Because of this we should not be afraid to speak God’s truth into areas where it is not welcome.

As you can see, there is quite a spectrum of ideas that I have heard during the years.  Some of these ideas I think are important to the passage – others are not.  Read today’s passage and see which ones you think are really in the passage.

Ephesians 6:10-20

 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Questions

1. What phrase does Paul repeat for emphasis?
2. Is the armour of God offensive or defensive?
3. From what things would spiritual attacks have occurred for Ephesian Christians?
4. When have you been aware of putting on God’s armour?
5. How might you attribute natural causes to supernatural oppression?

Going Deeper

How do these images help you to understand the passage?