What is the armor of God? The term “armor of God” appears in the book of Ephesians, where the apostle Paul tells us to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV).
Paul then tells us to “take up” six pieces of equipment that will help us “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV).
Is this God’s armor or armor God gives to us? Is Paul metaphorically speaking, or do we truly level up our spiritual equipment in our daily battles when we believe and apply the “armor” he speaks of? The answer is yes.
So what is the armor of God? Here are three answers to that question.
The Armor of God Is God’s Armor
“Armor of God” is another way of saying, “God’s armor.” If you browse the rest of the Bible, you won’t find the phrase “armor of God,” but you will find depictions of God as a warrior. You’ll find mention of his belt, his breastplate, and his helmet of salvation (Isaiah 11:5; Isaiah 59:17). You’ll hear that God himself is a shield for those who trust in him (Psalm 28:7). So one way we could look at the armor of God is as God’s own armor, given to those who belong to Jesus along with all other spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3).
The Armor of God Is Roman Armor
When you hear people explain the armor of God, you might hear them refer to the armor a Roman soldier wore.
Paul lived during the height of the Roman Empire. He was imprisoned for his faith, and at times personally guarded by a Roman soldier (Philippians 1:13; Acts 28:16), which would have made him very familiar with the soldier’s attire.
Understanding what “armor” Paul had in mind when he wrote Ephesians can help us better understand the metaphor Paul is using. The Greek words he uses to describe the armor are words for particular pieces of equipment. Thus, it’s appropriate for us to understand the armor of God and each piece of it in light of the armor worn by the soldiers in Paul’s context.
It would be a mistake to see the armor of God in light of our own imagination, forgetting that Paul wrote from a certain time and place. Paul didn’t tell us that God’s armor is night vision goggles, a machine gun, and hand grenades. War looked different in his time than it does in ours. And it is in Paul’s era that God the Holy Spirit saw fit to author the Scriptures. The armor of God that we find in Ephesians 6 is specific equipment Paul would have seen on a Roman soldier, which the Holy Spirit used as a metaphor for the spiritual equipment we will need in our spiritual battles.
The Armor of God Is Armor We Wear
The armor of God, as Paul describes it, is six pieces of equipment that we are called to “put on.” In short, it’s a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a shield, a helmet, and a sword.
These pieces of armor are not lying there to look pretty! They’re an outfit we’re called to don for battle. Just because the armor of God is available to us, doesn’t mean we’ve availed ourselves of it! The armor of God is ours in Christ, laid out for us. But God calls us to pick it up and put it on.
How Do We Put on the Armor of God?
So how do we “put on” the armor of God?...
by Bibles.net
