Why does Paul say we must “put on the armor of God”? What does Paul mean he talks about spiritual warfare? Is there really a spiritual war taking place?
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul writes one of the most popular passages in the New Testament:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20, NKJV
In my message yesterday at Olney Baptist Church, I talk about Paul’s meaning in the above passage and why he says we must equip ourselves with the armor of God.
In Ephesians 6:10-13, Paul talks about the reality of spiritual warfare, the nature of spiritual warfare and the call to spiritual warfare.
Reality of Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare is real. It’s real on two fronts.
First, we live in a fallen, sinful world. This world has sin and suffering. This world has disease, tragedy, and difficulty. Life is hard. It’s challenging. And we must be equipped for the rigors of life.
Second, the devil is real. There is a great quote from the movie The Usual Suspects that says: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” The devil most certainly does exist, and so do all the fallen angels (or demons) who followed him.
Nature of Spiritual Warfare
There’s a world we see and a world we don’t see. We experience this world in which we live through our five senses. But beyond our senses is a world, a dimension, that we don’t directly see or experience. And yet that world influences and manipulates this one.
Paul says that the spiritual realm is what deserves our most serious attention. And that’s why we’re called to spiritual warfare.
Call to Spiritual Warfare.
We must have a warrior’s mindset. We must recognize that this war is real, the enemy is real, and the enemy will attack us. These facts are true whether we want to be a part of the spiritual war or not.
Therefore, we must take this seriously and we must put on the whole armor of God. (I will be going into the specific pieces of armor in future messages and blog posts).
And sometimes, when it comes to the battles we fight, sometimes…
The best we can do is stand.
Stand until God delivers the victory.
That’s what Paul means by “having done all, to stand.”
Are you willing to take your stand with the Lord and alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ?
