“Put On the Whole Armor of God”

By Bob Myhan

The Christian is commanded to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10). But if inspiration had ended the epistle at this point, the Christian would be “at sea without a compass” as far as knowing how to “be strong in the Lord” is concerned. But in His infinite mercy, the Holy Spirit proceeded by the will of the Father, the direction of the Son and the pen of Paul, to give us the key to being “strong in the Lord.” Only by putting on “the whole armor of God” will we “be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:14, ESV].

The word translated “schemes,” according to Vine, “denotes craft, deceit … a cunning device.” Unfortunately, the devil has many cunning devices with which we might “be outwitted” by him (2 Cor. 2:11, ESV).

First, he approaches us indirectly by means of his ministers (2 Cor. 11:13-15), who “are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Even the Lord’s disciples can be so used (Matt. 16:23).

Second, he appeals to us by way of things that are “in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15-17; Gen. 3:6).

Third, he “takes away the word out of [our] hearts” (Luke 8:12) by the use of lies (John 8:44; Gen. 3:4, 5), worldly wisdom (1 Cor. 1:18-25), and the misuse of Scripture (Matt. 4:6).

Fourth, he causes offense, or stumbling (Matt. 13:20, 21) through tribulation (Matt. 13:21), persecution (Matt. 13:21) and temptation (Luke 8:13).

Fifth, he chokes the word (Matt. 13:22) by means of the cares of this world (Matt. 13:22), the deceitfulness of riches (Matt. 13:22) and pleasures of life (Luke 8:14).

Sixth, by his “craftiness,” he corrupts minds “from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). The word “craftiness” is literally “all-working;” that is, “doing everything … hence, unscrupulous conduct” (Vine). In short, Satan will stop at nothing in his attempts to outwit us. We must “armor up!”

But, in order to “armor up” we must be familiar with the armor to begin with. When a certain boy was about to face a certain Philistine giant, “Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off” (1 Sam. 17:38, 39). Had David tested Saul’s armor beforehand, he would doubtless have felt more comfortable in it. And, while he was able to defeat the giant without it, he would not have been victorious without the spiritual “armor of God.” That armor was his faith in divine providence, as evidenced from the fact he had already “said to Saul. ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you’” (1 Sam. 17:34-37). Faith is also the key to our spiritual armor, as we shall see in future articles. &

“Having Girded Your Waist with Truth”

By Bob Myhan

The first thing the inspired apostle says to do, as far as putting on the whole armor of God is concerned, is gird “your waist with truth” (Eph. 6:14). The word “waist” [“loins,” KJV], when used literal­ly, refers to the hips and the lower ab­domen regarded as part of the body to be clothed and as the region of strength or procreative power. In physical warfare this portion of the body must be protected. The “girdle” [“belt,” ESV] provided this protection, but also “secured the body armor at the waist and sometimes served as a sword belt” (Wilbur Fields, The Glorious Church, p. 190).

But is it the physical waist that is to be “girded…with truth” or its spiritual counterpart? Peter says, “Gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Peter 1:13). Thus, the mind—the intellectual aspect of the heart—is to be encircled with and protected by truth; after all it is the “seed bed” for truth and error (Luke 8:11, 12; Matt. 13:18, 19, 37-39).

Some ask, with Pilate (John 18:38), “What is truth?” This question was in response to Jesus’ statement, “For this cause was I born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” (John 18:37). Some think truth is truth only if one perceives it to be truth. But did Jesus come to bear witness to something that is purely relative? It is it absolutely true that nothing is absolutely true? On behalf of His apostles Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). So truth is the word of God!

But how does one “gird up the loins of [his] mind” with truth? First, he must love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Second, he must seek to know the truth (John 8:32; Acts 17:11). Third, he must have a desire to obey the truth (John 7:17). Fourth, he must handle “accurately” [NASB], or “rightly” [ESV] “the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

As long as one has this fourfold attitude toward truth, his mind will be protected—to a great degree—from the devil’s devices. Satan cannot easily corrupt minds, nor can he easily take the word out of hearts that are “girded...with truth.” Of course, he has other avenues of attack, and thus the other components of the “whole armor of God” are also vitally important. &

“Having Put On the Breastplate of Righteousness”

By W. Bruce Tooley

The second component of “the whole armor of God” is “the breastplate of righteousness" (Eph. 6:14). The literal breastplate was a coat fashioned of chain mail or armor, which covered the body from neck to thigh. It was often made of overlapped metal rings or scales (1 Sam. 17:5). Its purpose was protecting the vulnerable parts, especially the vital organs, such as the heart, where wounds might prove fatal. The spiritual breastplate protects the spiritual heart, like a bulletproof vest protects the physical heart.

According to Vine, “righteousness” is “the character or quality of being right or just…formerly spelled ‘rightwiseness,’ which clearly expresses the meaning” (p. 980). A Christian must protect himself by being righteous; without this spiritual breastplate he will surely fall in battle. But how does an individual “put on” righteousness?

Jesus taught that righteousness is to be obtained by conforming oneself to the commandments of God (Matt. 5:6, 10, 20). Whatever God commands we must obey (Matt. 3:15; 21:32). The gospel reveals God's plan for bestowing righteousness (Rom. 1:16, 17). He does this on the basis of His grace, by means of the shed blood of Jesus, and on the condition of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God.

Therefore, in order to best defend ourselves we must put on righteousness as it is revealed in the Bible. We do so by keeping ourselves free from immorality and other forms of sin—by abstaining from alcohol and drugs, and refraining from lying, cursing, covetousness, stealing, from lust, adultery, etc. (Gal. 5:19-21).

God has not left us defenseless! We are completely protected if we will only follow the instructions given in the Bible. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). &

These articles originally appeared in Know the Truth, a publication of the Eastside church of Christ in Red Bay, AL