I love Star Wars, and their recent show The Mandalorian is a favorite. The Mandalorian people in Star Wars are known for their impenetrable armor. They are able to defeat evil because of their armor.
But what about us? How should we interact with evil?
In our study of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:10-13, he repeats a very Mandalorian-sounding command in verses 11 & 13: “Put on the full armor of God.” When we think of armor, we think of ancient Roman soldiers with their metal armor, or the old English Knights of the Round Table, or maybe a modern soldier’s bullet-proof body armor. That armor is primarily defensive. What Paul is referring to is not just defensive, but also offensive. It is the full complement of God’s power.
The whole rest of the blog series, then, we will work step by step through each piece of the armor. Rather I should say, armory. Both defensive and offensive. But know this, it is God’s armor, not ours. When we put on the armor of God, it is not as if we become little Iron Men super soldiers. When we put on the armor of God, we are entirely trusting in him and his power.
Then, and only then, will we be able to do what Paul says, “stand against the crafty scheming deceits of the devil.” The devil is far more intelligent, creative, genius, and powerful than us. We can only stand against him by the power of God.
So therefore, Paul writes in verse 13, that when we put on the full armor of God, we “will be able to resist in the day of evil and having done everything, to stand.”
We need God’s power, God’s armor, not ours. So let’s read Paul’s description of each piece of the armor in Ephesians 6:14-20.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
See the principles, the habits Paul describes as the Armor of God: Truth, Righteousness, Readiness, Peace, Faith, Salvation, the Word of God, and Prayer. These are not just ideas, but practices that we will learn. Practices that help us stand firm in the strength of God, so that we need not fear. We stand in victory with God. He is with us. He is for us. We are deeply loved by Him.
Photo by Michael Marais on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 