Armor of God (Pt 1 of 7)
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“The Armor of God” is a well-known passage of Scripture found in Ephesians 6:10-18. Christians should learn how to look at each “piece” of the armor not as an item but as a tactic that summarizes previous teaching in Ephesians.
The context of the armor of God is “the evil day” (v13), when something hard is permitted by God in order to produce refined character in us through God-glorifying choices. That could be something quick and painful or something long and challenging. Satan will attempt to derail us using his “schemes” (v10) and “flaming darts” (v16), but if we employ God’s tactics, the “whole” of them (v10, 13), then Jesus’s mighty strength (v10) will be more than a match for the devil (v13, 16). Let’s start with the first tactic below, and let’s look at each of the next six tactics in the following six posts.
The first tactic of God’s is to tell the truth. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…” (14). Satan is a liar, and when we face an “evil day,” he will try to introduce falsehood. He will try to tell you that you deserve better or that you don’t deserve any hope from God at all. He’ll amplify who is to blame, as if assigning blame will solve anything.
He lied to Eve in the garden and Jesus in the wilderness the same way. Eve had almost everything to eat, and Jesus decided to have nothing at all to eat. And Satan showed up both times with the same lies: God isn’t enough, God withholds good from you, God must prove himself to you.
So we are defended by truth. Tell the truth, especially on the worst days. The truth of the gospel saves you (1:13): By God, you are forgiven, sealed, saved, and called. Jesus died for your sins and rose again for your justification. Don’t let the devil tell you differently.
Use truth well. Truth has a method, love; it has a purpose, growth (4:13). Without love as the method and growth as the goal, truth is not fully truth. So look at your loss and tell it to God in truth. Speak truth to your grieving friends wisely, in love, for growth. Tell yourself the truth, and speak it in love to yourself. Let truth be the voice of God, and not the voice of the devil.
So in your trials, face your choices and days of decision with truth. Tell the truth.