The Armor of God – We are told by God to Put on the whole Armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, as it is stated in verse 11 of Ephesians 6:10-18. Below is the full scripture from verses 10 to 18.
The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
What is the Armor of God?
- Belt of Truth around your waist. This is knowing the Word of God is truthful. It is what carried your gear like your sword. Without a belt you would not be able to hold any gear you needed or have the Sword, the Word of God with you. This is where we have the Word of God with us. When times we need to use the Word, we have it ready with us.
- Breastplate of Righteousness. Knowing God’s word will help you be trusted and right. This is also the central part of the armor. It was to protect the core of the body. To also protect your heart and other vital organs. Righteous means doing what is right in the eyes of God. Not man.
- Feet fitted with Readiness. Being ready for evil when it comes. Evil can come at anytime and can be a sin, a person, a feeling, emotion. Anything not of God is evil. It also means going. We are called to serve and we are called go tell the World about Jesus. Go is a command. At church when I pray I pray people have an open heart, open mind and feet ready to apply the message to a lost and dying world. So Go! Share Christ don’t keep Him to yourself. When we go, we will carry the Word of God with us and able to use it.
- Shield of Faith. Having the shield of faith. You have Faith in God. You trust in God and He will take care of you. He will take away all fire and evil by having the shield of faith. This was to protect us from attacks. The devil likes to throw fiery arrows at us. When linked with others in armor the shields made a housing like to protect. Also again, staying in the word is what helps protect us from those darts. This way we can tell if any false or bad arrows are coming at us.
- Helmet of Salvation. Which is Hope. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 This was to protect our head. This was also to protect us from false doctrines. To protect us, we must stay in the Word. Our head is also a vital part of the body. It must be protected and fed with the Word of God as well. Not to mention, this protects us from what goes in and out of our minds.
- Sword of the Spirit, which as stated in verse 17 is the Word of God. (the only offensive part of the armor) It is used to show us false doctrines and false teachers. It is also to show us the Truth of God’s Word. This way we will know it when we hear the truth or point out those who are not offering the truth of God. It is used to attack Satan and his demons.
Notice something in the list above? There is no protection in the back. Therefore there is No Armor in the Back.
Full Armor
Again it says to pray. We ought to remember to leave EVERYTHING into the Hands of the Lord. He will take care of us if we sit and know he is God. (Psalm 46:10). Also, Isaiah 59:17 states we need to have on our Armour of God. Not to mention, prayer is where we do most of our fighting. See War Room.
Not to mention, by us having on the FULL Armor of God we can withstand Satan and evil. Not bits and pieces and choosing what we want to have on, but the FULL, as in ALL of it. It’s ALL or NONE! If we only have just a few we might not as well have any on at all. We are weak if we do not have the full Armor of God on. We will be vulnerable and attacked.
Offensive Weapon
The “sword” is an offensive weapon and the rest of the armor is for defense. According to Bible scholars, this is why reading the Bible and staying in the Word is helpful. Plus, it is to help fight against the evil one. By reading God’s Word, you will know a false teacher when one comes. This way you will stay true to the Word of God.
Also note, each of the defensive parts of the armor fully rely on the offensive part, the Sword, the Word of God. These defensive parts won’t work unless you stay grounded in the word. Plus, staying in the Word helps protect you.
No Armor in the back
Also if you note, there is no protection in the back. This is because there is no running away from a spiritual battle. Like with the feet we are told to Go! God will take care of us and help us. He is always with us. He gives us the tools we need. Remember after all. God won the battle. Jesus won the victory over sin and death. At the end of times, Satan will be defeated and cast in the Lake of Fire for eternity.
Pray and seek help. God will always show us the way. It might not be immediate. An old saying says, “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.” So He will always protect us. See 1 Corinthians 10:13 and in Jeremiah 29:11.
Armor of God Series
Here are some blog post of interest or relating to the Armor of God.
- The Armor of God
- Armor of God analogy using an orange and a cup of water
- Red Alert! Raise your Shields!
- Stand Firm
- No Armor in the Back in the Armor of God
- Sharper than any two-edged sword
- When you neglect fellowship you neglect to get your sword sharpened
First published March 25, 2012. Last updated or Republished April 22, 2023.
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The church, more than ever, needs to really embrace the whole armor… like you said above, we don’t get to pick and choose, it’s an entire and complete outfitting of our faith!
Great post, Steve
This is a great teaching on the armor of God. When I suit up, I find victory with Christ.. ~visiting from Christian Blog Comment Exchange. Glad we were neighbors. Blessings on your ministry.
carmenhorneblog Thanks for the comment Carmen. We should feel victory when fully suited up. I am glad my Savior has the victory and the battle has been won. God Bless.
@Christine Duncan Yes they do need to embrace the full armor. Today churches pick and choose what they want to preach on. They don’t preach the full Bible. They are afraid to offend people or afraid the money won’t come in. They have taken the focus off of Christ. Thanks for the comment Christine.
I like what you said about no protection in the rear as we never run away from spiritual battles…One of the greatest spiritual battles people face is when they are confronted with the Bible itself. The Truth is not comforting at first; it often hurts to hear. God’s word is something we all will have to come face to face with; either now or in the life to come.
Good lesson. I like the way you take the entire idea of putting on the whole armor of god, piece by piece, into digestible nuggets of information. Makes it all the more easier to understand.
Amen!
@Andrew Burns No we don’t run from those spiritual battles. We must face those battles and we don’t face them alone. God is always with us in those battles. Yes, it does hurt when we first hear it. That is the prick and we are going against the yoke. But once we accept that Word, it is like light to us to reveal how wicked we are. Thanks for the comment Andrew. God Bless.
msanders0761 Thanks, Yea I did a piece by piece. Stay tuned or follow this blog, I plan to do a blog post on each of the elements of the Armor separately. Thanks for the comment and God Bless.
2 words that stand out to me in that passage from Ephesians. “Stand” and “Pray” both used multiple times. We have to be outfitted correctly as you so aptly explained, and then be ready to hold ground and I think we do that through prayer. As Paul also tells us our fight is not against “flesh and blood” but is spiritual in nature. so we cannot win a spiritual battle with conventional methods. Prayer, faith and trust in God are the sure way to victory! Thanks again, Steve!
karenwoodall You are right, we must be outfitted in prayer too. By staying in the Word, we would know the prayer is essential. I plan to do a series on the armor, taking each element piece by piece and doing a blog post on that. Yes our battle is a spiritual battle. Yes it does take total trust in God, that shows total faith. Total faith and trust comes with prayer. Thanks for the comment Karen. Have a blessed day.
Glad you wrote this POST Steve. Sometimes we hear the message of these verses over and over again, we become deaf to the message. It’s like when we’re young and our parents “nag” us about putting on heavy clothing when we go out and play in the winter. The purpose of the ARMOR is found in verses 10, 11. The armor is furnished not by us, but by our divine Protector. Isaiah 59:17 says, “For [the Lord] put on righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal [and furious divine jealousy] as a cloak.” So see, our heavenly Father wears similar armor and makes it available to us. Good read.
MelThompson1 Thanks Mel for the comment. I am glad you are glad I wrote this post. Yes we do sooner or later become deaf to scriptures when we hear them over and over. That protection is only put on us by us putting on Him in Word, Prayer and Faith. The protection only comes from a child of God, born again believer.
Steve, I had never heard of the helmet of salvation as being HOPE, but oh, what sense that makes. We renew our minds with His word, and hope comes to our hearts. Your post makes me think about HOPE now in a whole new way, Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom and truth!
You are most welcome. Just think with hope brings salvation because with hope you have faith. I plan to break down each piece by piece and do a blog post on each item. Thanks for the comment. God bless.
Excellent teaching. I love what you are doing on this blog site. Cracks in the Armor of God http://mountainstreamshealingcenter.com/2013/04/02/cracks-in-the-armor-of-god/
Amen.
Never remove the armor.
Great article Steve!
Thank you very much Stephanie