Our Spiritual Armor
…and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 (Phillips Translation)
This phrase caught my attention in Phillips Translation of Ephesians.
In Paul’s masterful comparison of the Christian life to a Roman soldier’s battle gear, as the Spirit inspired him, Paul painted a very clear picture of what God has done for us and what we are to do for Him.
The first three realities — “having the belt of truth,” “having on the breastplate of righteousness,” and “having your feet shod” — all describe an action that is in the past, that was done by God and which we have accepted through our faith. This is every Christian’s spiritual foundation in Christ: we are established by Christ in the truth, in His righteousness, in the gospel that is centered in Him. The truth of God’s word was achieved by God, inspired by His Spirit, and His Spirit also convinces us today of its truth. Our righteousness is not our achievement but Christ’s — as the passages of Isaiah 59:16–17 and Romans 3:21–24 attest to. God achieves our salvation and we must stand in its reality. Our “feet shod” with the “readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” anticipates our service, but it still describes a foundational reality of our spiritual life. God by His grace grounds us in the gospel of peace. A soldier must have solid footing to engage in warfare — slipping and sliding in muddy battle fields would not do. We must exist in this reality of God’s grace in Christ.
In the next three phrases the verbs are active and are each translated as “taking” or “take” — “taking the shield of faith” and “take the helmet of salvation” and “the sword of the Spirit.” The idea is that our foundation has prepared us for battle and we must take up these other bits of armor and weaponry. We are established in Christ at our salvation. Every day, however, we are to take up our salvation and do battle with the world.
Phillips grasped this idea in the verse above, “in your hand the sword of the Spirit.” The question is whether we will have the Word of God still sheathed in the scabbard, or whether we will have it drawn, unsheathed, in our hand, in our hearts, on our minds, and in our mouths. Many a Christian tries to stand his ground against the attacks of the forces of evil with a sheathed sword. That is, they have a Bible, it just sits on the shelf, closed and gathering dust. They memorized some verses as children, or they attended Sunday School, or learned something about the Bible — a few stories, a verse or two — but for them the Bible remains a sheathed sword, often left at home.
In war times soldiers must know their weapons, they must carry them with them at all times. Weapons are normally heavy, troublesome, requiring care to maintain in usable condition. If we will “take” the word of God as a sword, we must have it regularly with us, and not just a copy sitting nearby, but placed upon our hearts and in our thoughts. It is interesting here that the word for “word” here is rhema in the Greek, which means the spoken word. For us it means the Word of God that we know by heart, that is on our lips, and that we live out in our lives.
A simple question: Is the Word of God in your life read or unread? Is your sword sheathed or unsheathed? Is it in your hand, ready to use?
An interesting insight into Paul’s thinking here — these verses really are a great comparison to the Christian life. The first three piece of equipment a soldier would normally have to put on to get dressed in the morning — the belt, the breastplate, and his shoes. But the other pieces of equipment he would have to carry with him — shield, helmet, and sword. They would not necessarily be needed for everything he might do that day, or at least for part of that day. These things are heavy, cumbersome, and uncomfortable to lug around all day. Helmets are heavy and do not always fit well, and in the sweltering Mediterranean heat can be bothersome. Shields and swords are also inconvenient to always have to take with you. He had become very well acquainted with many Roman soldiers and knew those who were always leaving these uncomfortable and cumbersome parts of their armory behind.
So for us Christ saves us and establishes us in a new life with a new nature and foundation for all eternity — yet in this world we are still in a warzone. We must always be certain that we are exercising faith, adapting to this new way of thinking as His followers, and prepared with the Word of God to defend ourselves against attack.
