The Christian's Armory
This past Sunday I preached on Exodus 17:8-16, the episode in which the Lord gave victory to the Israelites over the attacking Amalekites. Moses overlooked the battle from a hill, the staff of God in his upraised hands; with the help of Aaron and Hur he kept his arms raised until the battle was won (the Israelites would begin to falter when the staff was lowered). This curious approach to war reveals who brings about their victory – no one in their right mind expects a raised staff in itself to have any effect; it was God who demonstrated his power for their sake. He sent the Israelites into battle and had their back.
What about us today? Unlike ancient Israel, the Kingdom that Christ brings will not be established in this age by means of the sword (John 18:36). Despite the popular preoccupation with secular power and politics that we find all around us, we must not forget this. While we should seriously grapple with current events and the human actors involved, seeking the good of our neighbors, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the true struggle in our midst is spiritual at root:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV]
For flesh and blood, swords (or cruise missiles) might do – but this would only cut the head off the dandelion while leaving the root. Since the fall of mankind, Satan has raised a rebellion against God that continues into the present. Here no steel will do – grasping for such worldly means tends only to bring corruption. Rather, what is required is the “armor of God.”
Now I had not planned to get into this armor in detail on Sunday, but as I was preaching I realized I should make some mention of its components. I didn’t want to stumble in listing off each piece (I’m not always pristine in such recall) and so I began by suggesting that this armor was composed of Christian virtues, which led me to fumble some details. The armor does include virtues, but also more than that – it dawned on me in that moment that some pieces simply wouldn’t fit in that category. Trying to sort that out, I said that it included, faith, peace, and hope. Faith is featured; hope is a Christian virtue (1 Corinthians 13:13), but not one explicitly listed in this passage; peace is a quality used to describe the Gospel message, but deserves better explanation.
So then, what is in the Christian’s armory? Briefly, here is what is available to us.
[Eph 6:14-18 ESV]
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth
If Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and we see so much falsehood and deception around us, we can only stand firm ourselves if we stand for and upon the truth. In a time in which people are given over to narrative, spin, propaganda, and self-soothing lies, Christians must be people of truth.
14b and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
If we are not a people of virtue, a righteous and holy people, it will not be long before we become compromised and become enemies of the Gospel, bringing the name of Christ into disrepute by our wanton sinfulness. Certainly, we are sinners in need of grace and our covering of righteousness before God is only found in Christ who covers us with his own righteousness. Still, we must remember that grace is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1). If we are going to fight Satan, we cannot be marching with Satan.
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Jesus sends us as his disciples into the world with his Gospel of peace. This is the message that Jesus has brought about reconciliation between heaven and earth in himself for all those who would turn to him in faith. Not only does the Gospel bring peace between God and Man, it brings peace among mankind (Ephesians 4:32). The Satanic conspiracy thrives on conflict and strife – the Gospel invites us to lay down our arms and be reconciled to God and to one another.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Faith is a virtue, given by God, which leads us to trust God beyond what we can see with our own eyes (Hebrews 11:1). Satan’s darts include accusations and doubts which would lead us to despair of our hope in Christ and instead turn to fleeting pleasures and false ideologies/idols for our comfort and consolation. With faith as our shield, truly trusting in Christ, these assaults are repelled.
17 and take the helmet of salvation,
Similarly, our salvation in Christ, our sure hope, serves as our helmet so that we do not lose our head. We do not turn back in the face of battle – our security in Christ empowers us to move forward, even unto death, because we know Christ has conquered death.
17b and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Beyond being secure in the truth ourselves (see belt), we take the sure truth of God’s Word revealed in Scriptures and deploy it against the lies of Satan. Jesus himself demonstrates this when tempted by the devil in his 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. God’s Word is a sword greater than any of steel and its effectiveness is assured by the Holy Spirit – it is no dead body of letters, but rather “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)
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints...
While not assigned the quality of a weapon, we cannot neglect the place of Spirit-filled prayer in this war. A soldier must be alert and prayer is the discipline of those who are alert, taking them beyond the human conflicts that dominate headlines to the genuine spiritual dangers lurking underneath the surface, posing real threats to themselves and others. The struggle calls for prayer at all times, with all perseverance, for all the saints (fellow believers).
Stepping back, notice how all of this armory and weaponry points us to God. Truth is revealed by God, not fabricated by us; we are only judged to be and become righteous when we are joined to Christ; we have a Gospel of peace only because of what God has done in Christ; faith is our shield only if we have a God in whom we can rightly place our faith; again, salvation is given by God, not achieved by us; God gives us his Spirit-inspired Word that we might take it up as a sword; our prayers look to God for guidance and supply, not ourselves.
Anyone who reads this list and thinks this sounds tame compared to “real” weapons only reveals their ignorance. What many consider to be real war is nothing more than overgrown children fighting over toys (though with tragic consequences). The future of humanity does not depend upon such things. Our future is decided in Christ. He was revealed to be the true King when earthly authorities crucified him and he walked out of the tomb three days later. The question now comes down to whether you are with him or whether you are against him (Matthew 12:30).
Christian, our battle is to resist the Devil (who would love to pull you to his side) and to bring freedom to the men, women, and children trapped behind his lines. The frontlines are all around us – across the table, across the street, across the world. As we wage this war, we can expect that life may improve in some places, even while persecution and hardship may increase in other places. We are not careless about current events, but we are looking to Christ’s return to earth – “we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) In the midst of this storm, we can know that end is sure and press on.
Keep that end in sight lest you become distracted, your armor become disheveled, and you be struck through the heart.
Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®
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Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Rev. Tom Loghry
Tom Loghry is the senior pastor of Rockland Community Church in North, Scituate, RI. He is a graduate of the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, Toccoa Falls College (B.S. Pastoral Ministry), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.A. Theology; M.A. Ethics & Society).