The Armor of God
The
past few summers, it seems that you can’t go a week without running into
another superhero movie. In the past decade or so we’ve had 3 Batmans, 4
Spidermans, 2 Iron Man, 2 Hulks, A Superman (and another one on the way), the
Avengers (and separate movies for most of the characters within it), and more
others than I could count without taking off my shoes. And superhero movies are
all about the struggle between Good and Evil.
Our passage in Ephesians is about the exact same thing, but
it holds a much more realistic understanding of evil than superhero movies. See
superheroes have supervillains, who are often grotesque exaggerations of evil,
and their flaws are written all over their often ugly faces. But the reality of
evil, as Ephesians explains, is that our battle is not with some flesh and
blood enemy, easily identified and easily vanquished, but with spiritual
forces, systems of oppression, the real influence of evil in our world.
So what are the forces of evil in
this world? Evil is selfishness,
the belief that our own self-interest is the highest end in life. Evil is
indifference and apathy, the force that allows us to stand quietly while our
brothers and sisters experience mistreatment, brutality, and misery. Evil is
the need to satisfy our own pride so much that we’d rather shake a finger in
judgment at another and preserve our righteousness than extend a hand in love
and support. Evil is the impulse to lash out when we’ve been hurt, when we just
want someone else to feel our pain. And sometimes, evil is just regular
garden-variety cruelty, when people say something cruel and cutting just
because they can. In short, evil is that which calls us away from God, to lead
lives of self-indulgence, ignorance and hate.
It may sound easy, Christians who
seek to turn themselves towards God will live embattled lives. As Jesus warned
us, in order to follow him we must take up our cross daily. Turning the other
cheek, praying for our enemies, forgiving endlessly, caring about the
forgotten, giving ourselves empty are difficult and frustrating. They go
against the grain of our society and our own instincts. If you seek to do this
in your life, you will find yourself tripped up, by other people, by peer
pressure, by temptation to fulfill your own desires first. Quit being so good, people will say. It makes the rest of us look bad. To take up our cross daily is to go into battle.
Not a battle against flesh and blood enemies, but against something much larger
and much more sinister, the forces of evil trying to pull us down.
Now, it would be foolish to go into
battle alone and unprotected. So the author of Ephesians tells us what we need
to withstand the onslaught of the powers of doom. He has repurposed the image
of the Roman soldier, something that nearly everyone in the ancient
Mediterranean world would be familiar with. But Instead of armor and weaponry
for fighting battles against enemies of blood and flesh, we are given suits of
armor to fight evil not through the sheer force of our might, but by remaining
wholly and utterly dependent on God.
First,
it tell us to fasten the truth around our waist. Just as a belt secures a
soldier’s armor and weaponry to his body so that he does not trip, the truth
secures us so that we don’t fall into error. God’s truth is deeper and more
real than the shallow falseness that so often masquerades as truth in our
world. The PCUSA constitution
states that nothing could be more pernicious or absurd than that which makes no
distinction between truth and falsehood. But we often feel pressure to do just
that. To say that we cannot make a difference. To believe that we are
irredeemable. To think no one cares about us anymore. Under the influence of
the world, in the throes of depression or guilt, these things can seem
plausible, logical even. Thus we must continually fasten the truth to our
waist. Jesus Christ cared for us enough to come down to us, loved us enough to
die for even the most sinful of us, and calls us to response by loving each
other in the same way.
Second,
Ephesians describes the breastplate of righteousness. The torso armor of a
Roman soldier was called a loricum. It
protected the vital organs, while still retaining flexibility. The core of
righteousness is in relationships. To be righteous is to be in right
relationship with God. This includes relationships with our friends, family,
and coworkers, even ourselves; for to love God is to love our neighbors as
ourselves, and not despising both. Arming yourself with the breastplate of
righteousness involves striving for good, healthy relationships, and avoiding
unhealthy, abusive, or demeaning relationships.
Third,
Ephesians describes the shoes. David Cameron, a preacher in Nellysford, VA, has
an autistic son. And one of the things his son has realized, he says, is that
the shoes that we wear speak volumes for what the day will be like. “Dress
shoes mean work,” he says. “Scuffed slip-ons means a casual, more relaxed day
around the house.”[1]
So the shoes we wear speak volumes
about where we are going. Now Ephesians doesn’t tell us what type or style of
shoes to wear, but to wear the shoes that will make you ready to proclaim the
gospel of peace. Our destination is ultimate peace, the peace that passes all
understanding, the kingdom of God. And thus our shoes must be up to the task of
getting us there. As it is written in the book of Isaiah, “How beautiful upon
the mountain are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good
news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns”
Next, Ephesians tells us to guard
ourselves with the shield of faith, that we be able to quench the flaming
arrows of the evil one. The Roman shield was called the sputum, and it was often soaked in water before battle, so
that flaming arrows would not set it ablaze. Roman legionnaires were deployed
in tight ranks, where two-thirds of a man’s shield would cover himself, and the
other third would cover the person next to him. Each person was dependent on
the shield of his neighbor, and each extended his shield to cover his neighbor.
Because there were no gaps in the lines of Roman legions, they were nearly
invincible.[2] As we square
ourselves to face off against the forces of evil in our world, we need each
other to support us and bolster each other in faith. If we are to withstand the
onslaught of the forces of evil, then we need each other. Christian community
helps us stand strong.
The last piece of armor the author
mentions is the helmet of Salvation. Remembering that we are saved is the best
defense there is against forces that would lead us astray. When Martin Luther
endured temptation, doubts, or depression, he would say, “I am baptized! And I
have the promise that God loves me and saves me.” This promise makes all the
difference. No matter where we are in our lives, we can’t hear too often that
we are loved and saved by God’s grace. As Hollie Holt-Woehl puts it,
“The words "I have called
you by name, you are mine" are powerful when your body has forsaken you
and your mind is beginning to fail. The words "I will not leave you or
forsake you" are powerful when the world around you is changing and people
do not want you around. The words "you are my child" are powerful
when you have lost family and home.“[3]
This is the helmet of salvation which we wear to protect
ourselves, the knowledge that no matter what flaming arrows the principalities
and powers of evil in the world launch at us, we are saved. They can wound, but
they can not kill, for that is God’s promise to us.
The
final piece of our Christian ensemble is the sword of the Spirit. There is
power in the word of God, written down in the Bible and understood through
God’s Holy Spirit. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. By its
words we become fully aware of God and our own insignificance in the face of
God’s power, and the incredible promise of God’s redeeming grace. God’s word is a sword with which we can
battle the forces of evil in our world, but I do not think it is meant to be a
weapon that we use on each other, as all too often it is. Our battle is not
with flesh and blood enemies, whom we are called to love as neighbors, but the
rulers, powers and authorities that create and support the darkness that
pervades our world.
Finally,
the passage urges us to prayer. “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every
prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in
supplication for all the saints.” There is much to say about prayer, but let me
just say that prayer is the most underutilized tool in the Christian’s arsenal.
As Bill Hybels wrote, “Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s prevailing power in
your life.”[4] If you are
willing to invite God in to be a part of your daily life, you will experience
God’s power there, in your home, in your work, in your relationships, wherever
you need it most. This continual conversation with God will prepare you for and
protect you from all the evil that you may encounter in your life.
Now
you may wonder where it is that you can outfit yourself with the armor of God,
that you be ready to withstand the onslaught of temptation. When I lived in Austin, I used to drive
past the Texas National Guard armory all the time. The church is our spiritual
armory. Through joining together with others in study and prayer, we are belted
tightly with the truth and given shields of faith to lean on. By holding each
other accountable and forgiving each other endlessly, we are protected with the
breastplate of righteousness. In gathering each week to proclaim the mystery of
the gospel, that we are saved by Christ who came down to earth, we put on the
helmet of salvation, and go out into the world wearing the shoes that make us
ready to proclaim peace. From the people of God we can learn about truth, love,
peace, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer. These qualities can be found in
the armory. You can pick them up and use them here.
Therefore
prepare yourself that you stand tall against the forces that try to wear you
down with cruelty, temptation, and sin. Put on the armor of God. clothe
yourself in Christ, and you be able to withstand all that the world throws at
you and stand up in truth trusting
God, walking in the ways of peace, shielded by faith, guided by the Word, and
always praying in the Spirit.
Let
us now pray together in the Spirit, that we experience the bounty of God’s
grace, and be protected by our dependence on God as our Savior.
Great and powerful God, you made yourself vulnerable, and
came down to us as blood and flesh, fully human, that we might know and
understand your Way. In dying on the cross you redeemed us with the promise of
unending grace and eternal life. Help us as we seek to open ourselves to you,
to invite you into our daily lives, to protect ourselves with faith and trust
in your Word and your truth. Arm us, O Lord, for the battles that we fight each
day as we seek to take up your cross. Give us strength that we may withstand
temptation and evil in our own lives, and walk paths of peace, proclaiming the
good news of your redeeming love. Amen
[1] Cameron,
David. “August 23, 2009 – Ephesians 6:10-20 – David Cameron: Gleanings from the
Text” Join The Feast; An Online Lectionary Resource from Union-PSCE. http://jointhefeast.blogspot.com/2009/07/august-23-2009-ephesians-610-20-david.html
accessed 8/25/2012
[2] Hollie
Holt-Woehl, Hollie. “Putting on the Whole Armor of God: Preaching Ephesians
6:10-20 in a Multicultural Congregation” Word & World vol. 29 no. 3 Summer 2009, 292-299
[3] Ibid, 298.
[4] Hybels,
Bill; with LaVonne Neff. “Too Busy Not to Pray; Slowing Down to Be With God.”
Downders Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998. p. 16.
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