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Glory · The Unseen Realm
The armor of God is God's provision for standing in the fight: truth, righteousness, the good news of peace, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer. It is not a call to try harder on our own. It is the way we are strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, piece by piece, standing where Christ has already won.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/what-is-the-armor-of-god-piece-by-piece · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Ephesians 6:10-20
As you read: Read the passage slowly and name each piece: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, sword. Then notice the command that frames it all: be strong in the Lord.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;
16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:
19on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,
20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
As you read: Paul says the weapons are not of the flesh: what does it mean to fight with truth and obedience instead of anger and manipulation?
3For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh;
4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
5throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;
1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
As you read: Paul puts on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope: the same armor from a different angle, worn by people who live in the light.
4But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.
5You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness,
6so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober.
7For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who are drunk are drunk in the night.
8But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
Luke 4:1-13
As you read: Watch Jesus use the word of God as a sword against the tempter: the weapon of the Spirit being wielded in its clearest form.
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.
3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
5The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
7If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”
8Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
9He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,
10for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’
11and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
13When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.
Paul's command is not first 'put on the armor' but 'be strong in the Lord': the armor is how we lean into His strength, not a list of self-improvement tasks. David sang that the Lord is his rock and his shield, and Paul boasted that when he was weak, then he was strong in Christ's power. Every piece of armor is a gift to be received before it is a discipline to be worn.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”Ephesians 6:10-11
“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.”Psalm 18:2
“He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.”2 Corinthians 12:9-10
“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13
Truth is what everything else hangs on: Jesus says He is the truth, and the Psalmist asks God for truth in the inward parts. The breastplate guards the heart with righteousness, which in the gospel is first Christ's righteousness credited to us and then His righteousness worked in us. When the accuser aims at your heart, the breastplate answers with what God says is true about the one who is in Christ.
“Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”Ephesians 6:14
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”John 14:6
“Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”Psalm 51:6
“But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:”1 Corinthians 1:30
“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”Philippians 3:9
“He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.”Isaiah 59:17
The shoes make us ready to go with the good news of peace, free to move even in hostile territory, carrying reconciliation rather than our own resentments. The shield of faith is taken up above all, because faith receives what God has promised and quenches the fiery darts of doubt, fear, and accusation. Faith does not mean feeling strong; it means holding onto the stronger one who has already overcome the world.
“and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.”Ephesians 6:15-16
“And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!””Romans 10:15
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.”1 John 5:4
“whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory— receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”1 Peter 1:8-9
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.”1 John 4:4
The helmet protects the mind with the certainty of salvation: hope set on what God has done and promised. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God, the only offensive weapon in the list, and Jesus wielded it against the tempter by quoting Scripture, not by arguing in His own strength. The word is living and active, able to cut through lies and to be the sword we carry into every fight.
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”Ephesians 6:17
“But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”1 Thessalonians 5:8
“For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”Hebrews 4:12
“But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’””Matthew 4:4
“Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’””Luke 4:4
Paul ends with prayer at all times in the Spirit, with all perseverance, for all the saints: the armor is worn standing still, but prayer is the breathing in which the soldier lives and moves. We put on the armor and then we pray, because the battle is the Lord's and we ask Him to fight it. None of the pieces work apart from reliance on the one who gives them.
“with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:”Ephesians 6:18
“Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””Matthew 26:41
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving; praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds;”Colossians 4:2-3
“He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up,”Luke 18:1