READING: Exodus 19-21, Psalm 33, Ephesians 5
I’ve studied Ephesians 6 many, many times as I’ve pursued studies related to spiritual warfare. Each time, I’m impressed again that the armor is both positional and practical for us. Positionally, we stand in Christ. Practically, we must live out that commitment. So, for example, we positionally wear the “belt of truth” because Christ who resides in us is truth (John 14:6). Practically, we must be people of integrity who live in truth. The armor of God, then, is an image that summarizes and concludes the book of Ephesians; our position in Christ (Eph 1-3) means we must practically walk in Him (Eph 4-6).
What grabs my attention today, though, is the way the armor points to our position in Christ. Indeed, Paul picks up on images from the rest of the Bible to make his point—which then helps us see why the Bible calls it the armor “of God”:
- Belt of truth: He is the King who wears the belt in bringing salvation (Isa 11:5); Jesus is Truth living in us (John 14:6)
- Breastplate of righteousness: God is the One who first donned the breastplate to bring us salvation (Isa 59:17); Jesus is our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30-31, 2 Cor 5:21)
- Shoes of the gospel of peace: Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14), and beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news (Isa 52:7).
- Shield of faith: God is our shield (Gen 15:1, Psalm 18:2)
- Helmet of salvation: God first put on the helmet (Isa 59:17) to bring us salvation through Christ.
- Sword of the Spirit: The Servant of the Lord wields His word (Isa 49:2), and God’s Word pierces hearts (Heb 4:12).
We win battles in spiritual warfare not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is in us. In Him, we can defeat principalities and powers.
PRAYER: “God, I praise You that my victory is complete in You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Exodus 25-27, Psalm 90, Philippians 1