Bite 87: Now We Get Into the Armor in Ephesians 6

Groundwork Laid

Now that Paul has issued preliminary assignments and targets to the congregation, he explains what the armor is. Without the Lord’s strength and without knowing what/who is our adversary, what good is the armor? It would be like sitting down to play a board game but not knowing what the pieces are for or what is the objective. Only the game is Life.

An Example from My Life

If you’ve been studying with me for any time, you know that I play Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The first few months, I would go to class, learn a technique and then the professor would turn the students loose on each other to wrestle. Over and over, I can remember saying to my training partner, “I don’t know what I’m doing” as I would do something like clutch their jacket collar as they crushed me flat on my back.

Why would I do that? Do I want them to crush me? No. Why would I pull and clutch the collar, further adding to the weight that was squishing the juice out of my eyeballs?

I didn’t know what any of the tools were (grips, frames, base) and I didn’t know what the objectives were (create space and get in a less bad position). If I don’t know that flat on my back with my sparring partner on top is a bad position, for instance, where will I most likely end up? In a bad position. Especially if I don’t know the tools or the rules and the adversary does.

Back to the Bible

Paul wants believers across time to be prepared first by being strong in the source of strength, the Lord. Surprisingly, he declares that people in general are not the targets. Darkness and the spiritual forces behind it are the targets. There is darkness that occurs in the world and just as the Light uses people to illuminate, the darkness uses people to obfuscate.

But it isn’t the channel; people are not the ultimate target. It’s the philosophy, worldview, the corruption of truth within the people that is the target. What I see is the result of people being trained by the culture how to think. The culture spreads darkness or light. Within the Church even.

Do professing Christians seek abortions?

Why is the divorce rate as high among believers and is it among non-believers?

Do we who are the Church in North America love one another, forgive one another, walk alongside another any differently than a secular organization?

Why? Because we believers are unwilling to train thoughts according the unchanging truth as revealed in the Bible.

I’m working on being strong in the Lord and I’m ready to hear what this armor is that Paul wants his audience to put on. I’m ready to go. Want to join in the adventure of learning with me?

The Whole Armor of God

Does Paul leap into his metaphor explanation yet? He reiterates a principle in Ephesians 6:13. Take up the whole armor of God. It isn’t a new command but the same as put on the whole armor of God. It’s like in poetic literature where there is synonymous parallelism. One line helps define and interpret the other line. He’s still emphasizing the usage of this armor to allow for the believer the ability to stand.

Then Paul tells his audience in Ephesians 6:14 for the fourth time, stand. Do you see what I’m saying about the emphasis on the preparation (be strong, put on/take up) and the purpose (stand)? As students of the Word, let’s not breeze past without noticing. When Paul says stand this time however, he adds participles. He modifies the stand with descriptions of how to stand. Here he gets into the components of the armor.

Actually, it’s three times that Paul uses stand. The fourth I was lumping in is translated withstand (Ephesians 6:13). Looking at the two words, the root is the same for both. Withstand isn’t just staying put but actually opposing. Resistance. Still are the same ideas.

Belt of Truth

Questions About the Belt

Looking at this item of the whole armor, can you predict what questions I asked of the text in order to gain understanding of the belt Paul has in his head? Go ahead, I’m listening.

These are the kinds of questions we students want to ask again and again. I won’t repeat these questions over and over as we chat together today, but know that they are the kinds of questions that continually get asked.

• Does Paul use this word elsewhere in the book? In the rest of his writings? Is there usage in the OT that he would be referencing?
• What part of speech is the phrase?
• Would an original language word study help clarify?

Did you wonder any of these questions? Having these questions on the tip of your tongue is progress in the journey of how to study the Bible. Which is our objective!

Looking Over My Notes

As we move through these pieces of the armor, I will share my notes to greater and lesser degrees.

The word as Paul uses it means “in NT mid. to gird one’s self in preparation for bodily motion and exertion.”¹

Our objective is to determine what Paul meant by the participle having fastened on the belt of truth. The meaning in Paul’s mind of belt fastening is to be prepared for exertion and the how is truth. One of the ways to be prepared for action is by having knowledge of the truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness

Isaiah 59:14-17

14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; 
for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. 
15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. 
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 
16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; 
then his own arm brought him salvation, 
and his righteousness upheld him. 
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, 
and a helmet of salvation on his head; 
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, 
and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.2

No matter the era of time, no matter the culture, there are transcendent principles that are corrupted by the darkness. Justice, righteousness, truth. The darkness wants none of these as God has defined them. And God himself actively takes up arms from of old to intercede for the purpose of vengeance.

God puts on righteousness as metaphorical two-piece protection for his front and his back (the breastplate) as he prepares to repay his enemies (Isaiah 59:18). Now according to the apostle Paul, believers in his audience have a call to take up God’s armor as well, being prepared with truth and using righteousness to protect both their front and back. What else?

And as Shoes for Your Feet

To recap, Paul tells his audience to stand by being prepared with truth, armor-plated in the front and back with righteousness, and to be mobile and ready to go with good news of peace.

Shield of Faith

Even though in the English translation I couldn’t tell this phrase was one of the four participial phrases describing the imperative stand, it actually is. If you look at my stickies, you can see there was a progression of learning what was what as I observed.

Looking Over My Notes

Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This aspect of the armor is one of those that clearly indicates the team-sport-nature of the battle. Bringing some pictures of shields below, we can see how they were used from Paul’s day.

See why I say that the battle believers through the ages are gearing up for requires a team? Paul is clearly speaks to the congregation as a whole for the entire letter, but based on some of the components of that armor indicates the necessity of that whole congregation being trained for the battle.

In order to stand, Paul has these four participles describing how the audience is to stand and not get run down to be stabbed in the back with a spear. Standing requires preparation with truth, protection on front and back sides of a soldier with righteousness, preparedness for mobility with the gospel of peace, and faith as a shield that protects the whole unit. Everyone needs to be prepared and protected in order to stand together. And if someone doesn’t stand, there will be a person-sized chink in the armor of God. Team effort is required.

The Next Imperative

Paul illustrates how to stand with these four participial phrases and then continues to make his point about the importance of preparation to his audience. The command to stand is crucial, as well as his next command to take a couple of more hand-to-hand combat tools.

The first item is the helmet of salvation. If you recall from a moment ago, the OT prophet relates God’s armor from Isaiah 59:17. God uses a helmet of salvation as well as the breastplate of righteousness.

Looking Over My Notes

Sword of the Spirit

Both the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit are lumped together under the same command to take.

Conveniently, Paul interpreted this tool for us. From the text we see that the sword belongs to the Spirit and we see that it is the speaking of God. His very word. Before we get crazy with neat-o-gesis, this Greek word behind the English word word is not the same word that is used for Jesus in John 1:1. One of the ways Jesus is described is translated as the English word word. This isn’t a usage of that word.

Synonyms

You know how we have synonyms in English? There is a specific type of book dedicated to cataloguing such words. The thesaurus. The Greek word here in our text and the Greek word for Jesus in John 1:1 are words that would be in the same entry in a Greek thesaurus. One is translated “word, saying; statement.” The other is translated “word; message.” Greek writers are no different than any other ethnicity of writer: they try to mix it up a bit. Good writing doesn’t use the same words on repeat unless it’s for an effect. Paul was a good writer. He occasionally mixed it up with different words.

Looking Over My Notes

Reflection

In this section, we have three imperatives. I know two of them look like they are the same in English: take. However, once again in the Greek, the words behind the English are different. Paul commands his audience to “take on board” the whole armor of God but “receive” the helmet of salvation. Even “acquire knowledge” about it.

Three imperatives.

• Carry this.
  • Therefore take up the whole armor of God⁸
• Don’t turn tail and run.
  • Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness⁹

• Receive or acquire knowledge.
  • and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit¹⁰

As we discussed, the two commands of carry and stand seem to be connected, maybe even clarifying each other. For these first two, the image Paul paints for believers is an image of us is a cooperative one. Everyone needs to work together. In order to stand, the audience must have the whole armor of God in play. Together.

While the third command is still plural, it looks more like Paul is telling all of them to take up, receive, or acquire knowledge. Which in my head seems like a personal endeavor. I can acquire knowledge with someone else but I can’t acquire it for them.

Application and Implication is Personal

I’m just reminding you in case you forget. When I talk about my own life, I’m not telling you “do this” because my life is mine. Your life is yours. There are timeless principles that we both need to follow. Truths and wisdom that do not fit inside the box that contains the created order. These are what we both must do. But they are not necessarily going to look the same when lived out.

Most of the time, how we do them is not prescribed for us in scripture. How you submit to your specific husband will be different than how I submit to my specific husband. When Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord, that will most likely work out in your life differently than how it works out in my life. Kind of like how Sarah’s culture had definite statements that were made by the clothing, jewelry, and hair styles (ours does this too). Peter said she didn’t bow to that culture externally but declared her allegiance in her behavior. In her heart.

In My Own Life

“Real Life”

Move that to the spiritual realm; I’m always squaring off with the culture. Just because the government has said, “don’t hug people” does that mean I should obey that? It’s a spiritual battle. Do I love this person and am I willing to give them the contact that every human needs or do I bow to the god of fear and stay far from them?

This is me, remember. Not you. We are not necessarily going to work out our salvation in the same ways.

What has the strength of the Lord, the armor of God, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit taught me? What has it prepared me for? Am I ready with my protection and my offense? What skirmishes and battles are in front of me today that require truth to navigate them?

I know I told you months ago that I have been learning how to think. Determining not to inadvertently violate the Law of Non-Contradiction. Recognizing what assumptions are being made in an argument and asking questions. Always having an epistemological question at the ready: how does anyone know the assertion being made?

All truth has its source in God. If I know God, then I will know truth. The reverse is also true: if I know truth, I know a little more about God. And being prepared with truth, both as a means of offense and defense, is how I will be able to stand in the evil day.

Wrap Up

Our Bible Study Bite for today is to remember that there are words that Paul meant when he wrote. He didn’t speak English and so sometimes it is helpful to use tools that allow us to see those words behind the words.

I don’t think we will miss big picture ideas if we forgo the original language aspect of study. We are not all built the same way and that is what makes us all interesting. For some, the nitty gritty details will be crazy-making. I don’t want that for you.

But for some of us, life is in the details. If that fires your imagination, follow it! You don’t even necessarily need exotic tools like the entire library for sale at https://www.logos.com. Start with tools like the NET Bible online. If you exhaust the resources at your disposal, then maybe consider branching out to other tools.

What Kind of Information?

For myself, I find learning more effective, more memorable, if I look under as many rocks for information that I can find. The information I’m looking for corresponds to those questions that I asked at the start of my study.

• Does Paul use this word elsewhere in the book? In the rest of his writings? Is there usage in the OT that he would be referencing?
• What part of speech is the phrase?
• Would an original language word study help clarify?

When asking questions, the kind of information we want to be gathering has more to do with sleuthing history than satisfying our own curiosities.

Thanks for studying with me today! If you’ve found anything helpful here, please like and subscribe. And if you know of other students of the Word, would you please share so we can all study and encourage each other with what we’re learning?

1. Mounce, W. D. (2006). Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 1241). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
2. Isaiah 59:14–17 (ESV)
3. Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 706). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
4. Photo credit: National Museum of Romanian History, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5. Photo credit: Neil Carey https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncarey/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6. Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 572). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
7. Mounce, W. D. (2006). Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 701). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
8. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 6:13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
9. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 6:14). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
10. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 6:17). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.