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? We’ve got six pieces of equipment explained to us in the Bible and we are called to put them on, spiritually speaking. Each piece of armor highlights a different aspect of the victory that Jesus has won for us through his death and resurrection. To put on the armor is to believe something about Jesus, and to respond to Jesus’ work with faith.
We are called to put on the belt of truth. The good news is that Jesus is the truth about God, come to us as a man, to reveal God to us. To put on the belt of truth is to believe the truth Jesus has revealed. But it’s also to live according to the truth, to be people of integrity, and to tell the truth.
We are called to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life before God. He never sinned. He lived the righteous life each one of us ought to have lived. And in love, he suffered as though he were a sinner in our place and gave his record of righteousness as a gift to be received by believing (2 Corinthians 5:21). To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to trust in the righteousness Jesus has won for us. It’s also to live righteously and choose righteousness, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are called to put on the shoes of peace. Jesus paid the debt we owe to God for our sin, and he was punished in our place. He died for us that we might be free of condemnation and the stain of sin and brought into loving relationship with God (1 Peter 3:18). Through his sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to have peace with God (Romans 5:1). This truth is the “gospel of peace”—the good news of who Jesus is and what he has done for us that has made peace between us and God. The gospel is called the “power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). Sharing the gospel with others is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare! If we are to put on as shoes readiness to share this gospel of peace, that assumes we are already believing the good news of our peace with God to be true! To put on the “shoes of readiness” is to go into the world prepared and willing to share the good news with others.
We are called to put on the helmet of salvation. God planned from before time to bring salvation to humanity in the greatest act of love the world has ever known (Ephesians 1:4-6). God sent his Son, Jesus, whose name means “salvation,” to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21; John 3:16). Jesus willingly laid down his life to save us from the wrath of God that our sins deserve. He is the only means of salvation (Acts 4:12). To put on the helmet of salvation is to believe that you have been rescued from sin and hell by Jesus alone and thus have the promise that you will spend eternity in the joyful presence of Jesus. It also means to respond to accusations of the enemy and insecurities about your assurance with persevering faith in Jesus as your only way to be saved.
We are called to hold up the shield of faith. Jesus has done all the work necessary to save us from our sins and to restore us to right relationship with God. He holds out to us not just forgiveness but also eternal life. Because Jesus has fully paid our debt, we have no debt left. Jesus offers salvation to us as a gift, to be received by believing (Romans 3:23-25). And once we put our trust in Jesus, the rest of our lives are defined by faith—relying on God’s promises as we grow in our relationship with him (Galatians 2:20). To take up the shield of faith is to trust God in the face of doubt and to respond to the lies the enemy hurls at you with trust in God.
We are called to wield the sword of the Spirit. God maintains an ongoing relationship with us by his Word and Spirit. He has spoken to us in Christ and in the Word, and he has given us his Spirit to help us understand what he has revealed to us (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12). The Spirit also actively points us back to the words of Jesus and to the person of Jesus (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit speaks through the Word of God that he authored (2 Peter 1:21). To take up the sword of the Spirit is to believe God’s Word and diffuse lies, accusations, discouragements, and fears with Scripture.
Every piece of the armor of God represents a truth of the gospel—the good news about who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Each piece is also something we wear, meaning we respond to that good news with action. The more we understand what Jesus has done for us, the more adept we will be at taking up the armor of God and putting it on.
The Armor of God Is Not for Everyone
The armor of God is not something available to everyone. It is a gift given to those who have believed in the Lord Jesus for their salvation. If you recognize that your life lies in the power of the enemy, you can receive rescue! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will be saved (Romans 10:13). And you’ll be suited up to wage the good fight of believing all that God says he is and walking in obedience to him. The armor of God may not be yours today, but it can be. And if it is already yours in Christ, then take it up every day as God’s gift to you in spiritual war.