Section 3 Summary

In this section, we have noticed the importance of putting on the armour which God has provided. If we want to survive the war we are taking part in against Satan, we need to be properly outfitted against the weapons our enemy will bring against us. We cannot win a spiritual battle with physical weapons, but we need to put on the spiritual armour which God has designed to keep us in the spiritual battle. Without the armour of God, we will be overtaken by the enemy, but with the armour of God, we can win the war, if we learn to use it effectively.

Ephesians 6:11-18 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

As we noticed in this section, the first piece of armour we are to put on is truth and the truth is to come first in everything. If we make sure everything we do is based on the Bible and the truth, the Holy Scriptures, then we will always be pleasing in the sight of God. Truth is necessary in our Christian life. We can not have a spiritual life at all, if it is not based on the truth.

As we have seen, the next piece of armour we put on is righteousness. Righteousness combined with truth is a very powerful defense. But Righteousness without truth is not righteousness, it is nothing. Righteousness is doing the right thing always. It is impossible to do the right thing unless it comes from truth. But when one knows they are doing the right thing, it is hard to defeat them.

The third piece of armour a Christian is to put on is the preparation of the gospel of peace which is compared to putting on footwear. Preparation is important in any task for that task to be a success. The emphasis is being made on the importance of studying and putting the time and effort into making sure one understands the truth.

The next piece of armour we are told to add is the shield of faith. Faith in one’s spouse is the thing keeps marriages together and comes from experience. Faith in God also comes from experience, from trusting God enough to do as he tells us and from that experience, we gain faith. Then in turn faith helps us to withstand temptations, and when combined with righteousness which is based on truth and having put in the time and hard work of studying that goes with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we become formidable warriors for God.

The next piece of armour we learned about was the helmet of salvation. We noticed in the same way a helmet protects one’s head from receiving a fatal blow, the knowledge one has salvation helps turn what could be a fatal blow of into blows which can be easily ignored and overcome.

The last piece of armour we learned about was the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, the Bible. A sword is both a defensive weapon and an offensive one. It can be used defensively to block blows and as such helps strengthen the other defensive weapons and at the same time, it can be used as an offensive weapon to reach out and attack and wound the enemy. This is the part the Bible plays in the spiritual warfare.

In one instance, it can be used defensively to block an attack, as a piece of logic that could be used to shatter your faith, the Bible can defuse the situation by disproving their logic, and then attacking back by showing the truth, hopefully with logic that will change the heart and mind of the person.

Lastly, even though they are not being compared to an equivalent piece of armour, Prayer and watchfulness are listed because they are essential to the spiritual battle. I do not know if the reason they are not compared to pieces of armour is the Holy Spirit either in its infinite wisdom knew there was no equivalent piece of armour or had another reason for not comparing these last two characteristics to a piece of Roman armour.

Prayer, when mentioned with supplication indicates a very fervent prayer. We know from different verses in the Bible, the importance of prayer and fervent prayers without doubting is shown in Acts to be more important spiritually than feeding the hungry. There are several verses also that combine watching and prayer

So for some reason the Holy Spirit mentions fervent prayer and watching with perseverance in showing the pieces of armor we are to put on. If nothing else, this shows the importance of taking the time to pray fervently to God, trusting him to supply our need and watching ourselves. As the Bible says in I Corinthians Chapter 11, if we examine ourselves, we shall not have to be judged.

If we put on these pieces of armour and use them properly, we will be well on our way to maturing as a Christian. And isn’t what we really want to do in fighting the good fight of faith?