The armor of God

Introduction:

Ephesians 6:11-17 – “Put on the whole armor of God...” Paul is counseling the Ephesian saints to put on what he calls “The whole armor of God”. I must confess that prior to undertaking this study the armor of God always seemed a bit mysterious to me; I didn’t understand how it was to work. Was it representative of some external accoutrement’s God put on some people? How do I put it on and what does it feel like? However after undertaking this study the Lord has opened up my eyes to what Paul means by this armor of God. When Paul is speaking here of the armor of God he is stating that this armor is in fact representative of attributes that the believer is to possess in their personal character and once they do then they are able to stand and even advance against the enemy. Paul said that we are more than conquerors, the armor of God illustrates how that is to be.

I want to note at this point that this armor is not used to combat worldliness (a task completed through circumcision of heart; Galatians 2:20 & Romans 6:6) nor is it used to overcome the works of the flesh (for that we refer you to Colossians 3) but it is to combat the devil “...that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. Therefore, this armor represents qualities or virtues that a mature saint possesses, or should be striving to possess, in their personal character (I will comment that Adam & Eve did not have this armor when they were tempted by Satan and fell. However, Christ did possess this armor during His temptation and was victorious over the devil.). This armor will preserve the saint so the enemy does not have access to them but it will also equip them with the tools needed to advance against the devil.

Let’s look into this armor: