Put on the whole armour of God

[John81]

Ephesians 6:10-18 (King James Version)

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;


What does it mean to put on the whole armour of God? How do we go about this? Practically speaking, what is each piece and how do we actually "put on" each piece? How do you apply this passage in your life? What other aspects can we glean from this passage and how do they make a difference in your life?

[irishman]

The Whole Armor of God

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Cannot load image file.

The "whole armor of God is briefly explained in the text. Helmet of salvation (for the head); Loins covered and protected by the Truth of God; a breastplate of righteousness for the heart; and feet ready to carry the Gospel message to all. Feet are not made to run away, but to run forward, as toes point the way. A shield of faith will protect us from the fiery darts of the devil, as a shield protects the soldier from enemy arrows; Only one weapon for attack, that is the sword of the Word of God, all others are defensive. There is no armor for the back, because we do not turn away from our foes, but stand our ground. we are well protected from most of Satan's onslaughts, because we are suited by the Lord Himself. that is the only way we are assured the victory.

Is that what you were expecting?

Edited February 26, 2011 by irishman

[John81]

That's fine, but it might be helpful if we share how we apply this in our lives, or why we don't. It might also be helpful if we took each piece of the armour and considered them separately.

Do we put on the armour of God by simply saying or picturing in our mind that we are putting each piece on, as some teach, or is there more to it than that?

[Seth Doty]

That's fine, but it might be helpful if we share how we apply this in our lives, or why we don't.

Ok, If your looking for confessions I can at times tend to be running around barefoot with a cracked helmet, a battered shield, and a low quality poorly fitting breastplate. The sword is usually ok at least but that is because I know the scriptures fairly well and it is the Spirits sword anyway. I guess the belt is usually alright too.

Do we put on the armour of God by simply saying or picturing in our mind that we are putting each piece on, as some teach, or is there more to it than that?

Lol, I guess someone somewhere might teach that but I can't imagine what good doing that would do. Edited February 27, 2011 by Seth-Doty

[Covenanter]

At Warwick Castle. yesterday there were demonstrations of mediaeval warfare & armour.

It's well worth a visit when you're over here.

An archer dressed up a boy with body armour:
Material jacket;
Chain Mail protection for neck & shoulders;
Metal breast-plate
Metal helmet & visor;
add sword, bow, quivers & shield;
then try & fight under all that weight!

[John81]

Ok, If your looking for confessions I can at times tend to be running around barefoot with a cracked helmet, a battered shield, and a low quality poorly fitting breastplate. The sword is usually ok at least but that is because I know the scriptures fairly well and it is the Spirits sword anyway. I guess the belt is usually alright too.



Lol, I guess someone somewhere might teach that but I can't imagine what good doing that would do.

None of us are perfect and I'm no priest, so no, I'm not looking for confessions.

We are told to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. What I've been looking for in three separate threads now, is how are we "doing" the Word in these areas. We can share this whether we are standing strong in a certain area, having some problems, are growing, are weak in one area but strong in another, etc.

For instance, you point out that your sword is usually ok because you know the Scriptures fairly well. How did you come to know the Scriptures fairly well? What are you doing now to sharpen that sword?

You point out you don't know what good it would do to visualize putting in the armour of God...to which I agree, if that's all they are doing. Yet there are some out there who say each day we should mentally put on the armour before we get out of bed. Now, if one were doing that while meditating upon each piece of armour biblically, and then took such to the Lord in prayer, I can see how that might help prepare them for the day. (Such as picturing taking hold of the sword, the Word of God, and meditating on the fact the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, perhaps also considering a memory verse that will help us that day, etc.

Why is it that so often, when this passage is preached upon, are the sword and the shield given much attention while others parts are often skimmed over; such as the breastplate of righteousness?

Iron sharpeneth iron and we should be iron to one another.

[irishman]

Armor Provided

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)

God provides our armor. Years ago, when I was in the Army, they provided all my needs. I did not have to buy clothes, or weapons, or a flak jacket, a steel pot, or anything of the sort--the Army provided for my protection from the enemy, and from the pangs of hunger as well as the need for clothing. They taught me how to protect myself from the enemy, and gave me the equipment I needed to do it. They even did my laundry, and provided for my cleanliness and health! My friends, the Lord does the same with us!
As we walk through life, we are assailed on every side by Satan’s attacks. We can grow weary and weak if we are not vigilant and properly equipped; we are given what we need to win the battle, but we must wear it before it does any good, and we must walk circumspectly. The Lord is good in providing for us; He doesn’t have to; He could demand of us that we walk circumspectly, and be very careful, and that is all, but He also provides our protection as we do. In the Army, all my needs were met; I did not lack anything that I needed. In the Lord’s Army, it is the same, I have need of naught. Today, I can truly say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1)


(My buttons have disappeared so I have to post on "quick answer", I hope it works!)

[John81]

That's a good analogy. Indeed, our God supplies all our needs. When we submit to God, when we obey His commands, He ALWAYS supplies us with whatever is needed to do His will. He supplies, but he calls us to "do". The armour is set before us, but we must put it on and we must put it to proper use.

[Seth Doty]

We are told to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. What I've been looking for in three separate threads now, is how are we "doing" the Word in these areas. We can share this whether we are standing strong in a certain area, having some problems, are growing, are weak in one area but strong in another, etc.

For instance, you point out that your sword is usually ok because you know the Scriptures fairly well. How did you come to know the Scriptures fairly well? What are you doing now to sharpen that sword?

Same way anyone can, by reading it, memorization, hearing it preached, and spending quite a bit of time thinking about it.

You point out you don't know what good it would do to visualize putting in the armour of God...to which I agree, if that's all they are doing. Yet there are some out there who say each day we should mentally put on the armour before we get out of bed. Now, if one were doing that while meditating upon each piece of armour biblically, and then took such to the Lord in prayer, I can see how that might help prepare them for the day. (Such as picturing taking hold of the sword, the Word of God, and meditating on the fact the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, perhaps also considering a memory verse that will help us that day, etc.

The armour of God is put on by actions for the most part not so much by "meditating" on putting on the armour of God. Further, while every Christian is bound to have a little of the armour of God whether they are fully equipped or not and what sort of quality that equipment is has a lot to do with how much effort was put into it. I dare say every Christian possesses at least a little faith but the shield of some Christians is the metaphoric equivalent to a metal trash can lid that isn't going to stop much of anything while others might have the metaphoric equivalent of a riot shield that can stop bullets. Same applies to every other aspect of the armour of God. Some have kevlar helmets, others might have a bicycle helmet. Some might have top of the line body armour with bullet proof ceramic plate inserts and others might have breastplates about as useful as the little plastic toy breastplates you see little kids playing with sometimes. Some might have a sword that the Spirit can use almost like the legendary excalibur, others might have a sword like a cheap pakistani blade that sticks in the sheath and is made of a poor steel with a poor temper. Not that good spiritual armour isn't available to everyone, but it isn't something you get just by wanting it and without any effort on your part, nor is it something you usually get right away. It isn't so much that most of us don't know how to put on the armour of God, it is more that we sometimes just don't put the maximum effort into getting it until we are already in the middle of a major battle and are realizing we are missing part of the armour of God or wishing that what do have was of better quality. Of course when your actually in the middle of a major battle it is a little hard to upgrade your armour, so if it isn't up to par beforehand you tend to get flattened and the Lord has to pull you up out of the mud and give the devil a few wacks so you don't get killed in your cheapo armour.

Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Why is it that so often, when this passage is preached upon, are the sword and the shield given much attention while others parts are often skimmed over; such as the breastplate of righteousness?

I don't know, I have not particularly noticed that occurring. Edited February 27, 2011 by Seth-Doty

[John81]

Good post Seth! That post has more meat in it than several booklets I read on this subject as a young Christian.

I was reading of a man who, as a child, had to memorize a lot of Scripture in Sunday school, at school and at home. He said he never really thought of it as being much more than work that he could sometimes get a little prize or reward for accomplishing. That is until he found himself as a prisoner of war. It was during those dark, isolated times that he came to realize all that Scripture memorization was providing him with a sword, a well sharpened sword! It was that sharp sword which grounded him in Christ and enabled him to get through the long years of imprisonment and to be of help to his fellows in prison over the years.