July 5, 2011 – Ephesians 6

Here we have the armor of God laid out before us.

Gird your loins with Truth

Righteousness be your Breastplate

Feet Shod with the Gospel of Peace

Faith as a Shield

Helmet of Salvation and

Sword of Spirit, which is the Word of God

Notice that everything except for the Word of God is Defensive against the weapons of the Evil One. Only with the Word are you to take the offensive. This reminds us of the Temptations in the Desert where Christ beat away the Devil with Scripture quotes, not physical strength. And even after all the armor is there, we are still called to pray and persevere in order to be on guard against the attacks of the Evil one. It is a very masculine thing, armor and warrior outfits. Although I don’t think Paul ever had any military experience, he reaches out to that primal instinct or longing in men to be warriors. He is calling them to be a different kind of warrior for a different kind or war. I think it is worth reflecting on the ratio between offensive and defensive pieces and what Paul is trying to say. Much like the notions of “if you point at someone you are pointing three fingers back at you”, or “that is why we have two ears and only one mouth”. There is a sense that we are to spend more time on the defensive side than the offensive side. I think this also goes along with the idea that Christ has already conquered sin and death. The battle is won and we are partakers of the victory. Although there are battles that may need to be fought, our real calling is to defend ourselves and persevere in Christ until we join Him for eternity.