The Whole Armour Of God

Bible Study

The Whole Armour of God

Once you get saved you get thrust into the midst of a war that’s been raging since God kicked the devil out of heaven. Being saved you are now a soldier in a battle, and God admonishes you to be a good soldier.  II Tim. 2:3 says, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

II Cor. 10:3-4 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: {4} (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)”  According to these verses we are not in a physical battle, but rather, a spiritual one.

I Tim. 6:12 further indicates this truth as it tells us to “Fight the good fight of faith”.

This same truth is also evident in Ephesians 6:12, “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.” There is an unseen spiritual battle that is being fought on a spiritual plane and not visible to human eyes.  The Bible pulls back the veil and makes us aware of this battle, at times giving us glimpses into its technical workings. See Daniel ch. 10 & Job ch. 1 & 2 for example. The Christian has an adversary.  Our adversary is the same adversary that God has.  Our adversary is the devil.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8). Now, though he is a formidable foe, it should be noted that the devil can’t make you do anything.  You have a free will and you make your own choices.  What the devil will do is try to influence those choices and persuade you to go against God. He will oppress you (Acts 10:38) and try to make it hard for you to do right, or make it hard on you for doing right, so that you’ll quit living for the Lord.You can be sure that he is not your friend, but rather, your sworn enemy. He is your adversary because he is God’s adversary, and you have chosen to align yourself with God.

We saw in Eph. 6, v. 12 that our fight is not against flesh and blood.  Sometimes, however, it seems that we are fighting against flesh and blood.  In such cases you must learn to look deeper than the person that seems to be troubling you. Jesus was being adversely influenced by Peter when He turned to Peter and said, “Get thee behind me, Satan:” (Matthew 16:23).  Though Peter was before Him, Peter was actually being used as a mouthpiece for the devil, as he spoke words against Jesus going to the cross.

The Whole Armour of God

It has already been implied in II Cor. 10:4 that we have some weapons at our disposal in this battle.  We also have some defensive armour given for our protection.  It can be found in Eph. 6:10-20 where the Lord introduces to us, “the whole armour of God”. Here you will find reference to 7 distinct pieces of armour and weaponry that God has given us to utilize in spiritual warfare. You should familiarize yourself with each piece of armour.  You should learn how to use it and make sure to have it ready at hand, for whenever the battle might arise. You are admonished twice in Eph. 6 to utilize “the whole armour of God”.  Anything less than that will leave you unprotected and vulnerable in some area.  Eph. 4:27, “Neither give place to the devil.”  To progress toward this end we must make sure to put on the whole armour of God.

1. Your Loins Girt About With Truth

Sometimes called the girdle of truth for obvious reasons, the Christian soldier is told here to have his “loins girt about with truth”.  At this point, one might think of what Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” That’s a good place to start. Without being exhaustive on the subject right now, let’s note 2 things the Bible declares as truth:  Jesus and the Bible (John 14:6; 17:17).Now before we make application, let’s get a better understanding of girding our loins by looking at I Pet. 1:13.  Here Peter says, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind…” Remembering that this is spiritual armour for spiritual warfare, as we put these things together we can see that the first thing that needs to be done, is to fix your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible. The benefits of doing so are readily seen in Is. 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”  To keep your mind on the Bible, read it, mem-orize it, meditate in it, and attend church where you can hear it preached and taught. Additionally, I think this also speaks to purity.  Keep yourself pure by girding up your loins with the truth of the word of God and not following the loose morals of 21st century society.

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate protects the heart.  There are three types of righteousnesses one might have:  self-righteousness (Isaiah 64:6); God’s righteousness, Romans 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.; and a practical Christian righteousness (I Cor. 15:34). Before one gets saved, he has only self-righteousness.  When a person gets saved, he receives God’s righteousness (II Cor. 5:21).  This is his standing in Christ.  He is judicially righteous before God. After salvation, we are to “follow after righteousness” (I Tim. 6:11).  This is a practical righteousness which we refer to as our state, for it is the state of our practical Christian life. It should match closely with our standing, but it does not always do so. In that Timothy was already saved when Paul called him a “man of God” and told him to “follow after righteousness”, and since Paul addressed the book of Ephesians to saved people (Eph. 1:1), this breastplate of righteousness that the saints are to put on must be a practical righteousness. Living righteously will help protect the Christian from the assaults of the adversary.

3. Your Feet Shod With the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

Eph. 6:15 shows us that witnessing is part of our armour.  Witnessing provides us with our spiritual combat boots. A Christian that doesn’t witness, leaves his feet vulnerable. If your feet get blown out from under you, you won’t get very far in running your Christian race (I Cor. 9:24; Heb. 12:1).  The idea of “the gospel of peace” is bringing people into a peaceful relationship with God (Rom. 5:1; II Cor. 5:18-20). (Rom. 10:15 “as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”) You should endeavor to have beautiful feet for the Lord.

Song of Solomon 7:1  How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter!

Isaiah 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

The “ass” is a type of a Christian, the “ox” is a type of a Preacher.

Job 11:12  For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.

Matthew 21:1-3  And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, {2} Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. {3} And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

Mark 11:1-7  And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, {2} And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. {3} And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. {4} And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. {5} And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? {6} And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. {7} And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

I Tim. 5:17-18  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. {18} For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Now back to Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Mark 4:14  The sower soweth the word.

Waters are sometimes representative of people in the Bible.

Revelation 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Revelation 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

So, getting it all together, let’s get Isaiah 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

4. The Shield of Faith

This portion of armour enables the Christian to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”   The devil’s fiery darts often come at us through the tongues of other people (see Peter & Jesus; see also James 3:6). The shield of faith keeps these from penetrating our heart and mind and troubling us. It provides all around protection (Ps. 5:12); and it is necessary to please God (Heb. 11:6). Matthew 17:20-21  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. {21} Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Isaiah 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

5. The Helmet of Salvation

Since the Christian soldier has already been saved, God is not telling him to get saved again.  The helmet protects the head and gives the soldier his assurance of salvation.  Many Christians have battled doubting their salvation but the Bible tells us we can know and be assured that we are saved (I John 5:13, 3:19-21). The helmet of salvation can also be applied to confidence in God’s deliverance in battle, as when David went out against Goliath saying, “the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.” (I Sam. 17:47)   See also Moses in Exodus 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

6. The Sword of the Spirit

This is the word of God (Eph. 6:17).  It can win many victories for you.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He pulled His sword out of its sheath and quoted Scripture out loud and won the victory (Matt. 4:1-11). We would do well to follow His example.  This is another reason why you should read your Bible regularly and memorize Scripture.

7. Praying Always

Do not overlook the fact that Eph. 6:17 doesn’t end with a period.  The armour continues in v. 18 with prayer.  You will NOT overcome the adversary’s attacks without prayer. Be “instant in prayer” whenever you need the Lords assistance, for “men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18:1).

Study Material

1. Memorize I Peter 5:8.

2. We wrestle not against _____ & ______.

3. List 2 of the things we do wrestle against.

4. Where is the whole armour of God listed?

5. List the 7 pieces of the armour of God.