10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV)
The Armor of God
This is a general exhortation to constancy in our Christian walk and encouragement in our spiritual warfare. Is not our life a warfare? It is; for we struggle with the troubles of human existence. Is not our religion much more a warfare? It is; for we wrestle with the powers of darkness and many enemies who seek to turn us from God and heaven. We have enemies to fight against, a Captain to fight for, a banner to fight under, and rules of warfare to follow.
“Finally, my brethren” (Ephesians 6:10), it remains that you apply yourselves to your work and duty as Christian soldiers.
A good soldier must be courageous and well armed. If Christians are soldiers of Jesus Christ, they must be strong in the Lord. Those who have many battles to fight and must contend for every step toward heaven need great courage. Be strong for service, for suffering, and for fighting. Let a soldier be ever so well armed outwardly—without a brave heart, his armor is useless. Spiritual strength and courage are necessary for our spiritual warfare. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We have no strength of our own; our courage without God is cowardice, and our strength is weakness. All our sufficiency is from God. Through faith, we must draw grace and help from heaven to do what we cannot do by ourselves. We must resist temptation relying on God’s sufficiency and the omnipotence of His might.
Next, Christians must be well armed: “Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). Make use of every weapon and defense against the temptations and schemes of Satan. Get and exercise all the Christian graces so that no part is left unguarded. Those who would have true grace must aim at all grace, for the whole armor is from God. He prepares and bestows it; we have none of our own that can stand in a trial. We must put it on by prayer and use it in practice.
The reason we must be completely armed is that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, who uses both force and fraud, snares and deceit, to destroy us.
Our danger is great, considering the enemies we face: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). Our combat is not against ordinary human foes, nor merely against our own corrupt nature, but against the devil and his host.
We have to do with a subtle enemy who uses deception. He is called “that old serpent” for his craft in the art of tempting. He is also a powerful enemy, ruling over “principalities, powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world.” The dark places of the earth are the seat of his empire, and all who remain in sin and ignorance are under his dominion. His kingdom is of darkness, while Christ’s is of light.
These are spiritual enemies—wicked spirits in heavenly places—unseen, and therefore the more dangerous. They assault us before we are aware of them and stir us to pride, envy, and malice. They strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings, and to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. Therefore, we must be on our guard, for we wrestle about heavenly things.
Our duty, then, is to take and put on the whole armor of God and to stand our ground. “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Ephesians 6:13). We must not yield to temptation but oppose it. If Satan stands up against us (1 Chronicles 21:1), we must stand against him, striving against sin. When we have done all, we must still stand. We must resolve, by God’s grace, not to yield. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Our warfare will be accomplished when we have stood firm and overcome.
We must stand armed, wearing the armor of God, the armor of light (Romans 13:12), and the armor of righteousness (2 Corinthians 6:7). The apostle specifies the pieces of this armor—both defensive and offensive. It is notable that there is no armor for the back; if we turn back, we are exposed.
Truth or sincerity is our girdle (Ephesians 6:14). As it was prophesied of Christ that “righteousness shall be the belt of His loins and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:5), so must all Christians be girded with sincerity. God desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). Sincerity strengthens and holds together all other graces. Some understand this as the truth of the gospel, which should cleave to us as a belt to the body (Jeremiah 13:11), keeping us from moral looseness.
Righteousness must be our breastplate. It protects the heart. The righteousness of Christ imputed to us shields us from the wrath of God, and the righteousness of Christ implanted in us defends us against Satan’s assaults. “Putting on the breastplate of faith and love” (1 Thessalonians 5:8) sums up this armor. By faith, we are united to Christ; by love, to our brethren.
Resolution must be as greaves to our legs: “Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). Military shoes defended the feet against traps. So the gospel of peace prepares the heart to stand firm and walk steadily in the path of faith despite hardship. It brings peace with God, with ourselves, and with others. Living in repentance arms us against sin and temptation. A quiet and peaceable spirit, as the gospel teaches, will preserve us from many provocations and dangers.
Faith must be our shield: “Above all, taking the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). Faith is vital in temptation. The breastplate secures the heart, but the shield turns every way. “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). Faith trusts in God’s promises and resists Satan’s fiery darts—swift, secret, and deadly temptations that inflame the soul. Faith, acting upon the Word of God and relying on Christ’s grace, quenches these fiery darts so they cannot wound us.
Salvation must be our helmet (Ephesians 6:17), that is, hope—the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8). The helmet guards the head. A well-grounded hope of salvation purifies and comforts the soul. Satan tempts us to despair, but hope keeps us rejoicing and trusting in God.
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). A sword is essential to a soldier. The Word is indispensable to the Christian. It is called the sword of the Spirit because the Spirit inspired it and makes it powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). With it, we repel temptation, as Christ did, saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). Hidden in the heart, it preserves from sin (Psalm 119:11).
Prayer fastens all the other pieces of armor together (Ephesians 6:18). We must pray always—not that we should do nothing else, but that prayer should be constant and regular. We must pray on every occasion, mixing short prayers with all duties. We must pray with all kinds of prayer—public and private, social and solitary, formal and spontaneous. We must pray in the Spirit, with our hearts engaged and the Spirit’s help. We must watch in prayer, keeping our hearts ready to seek God whenever He calls (Psalm 27:8). We must persevere in prayer, continuing in it through all conditions and not ceasing until we are taken from this world.
Finally, we must pray for all saints, for we are members of one body. None are so holy or strong that they do not need the prayers of others.