need for God’s armor – The Words Of David C. Frampton

The Shield of Faith (Part One)

Ephesians 6:16

The fourth stanza of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” opens with the words, “When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply” (Trinity Hymnal, revised edition, #94). Is this not the common experience of every follower of Christ? We have trials, and we receive grace. Has the following ever happened to you? You have just woken up in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Then suddenly, evil thoughts have come to you, perhaps even blasphemous or filthy thoughts. You were not thinking about such things. You just woke up, but there they are—horrible thoughts floating around in your mind! And then you might think, “How can I possibly be a Christian and think such things?” My brother or sister in Christ, if that has ever happened to you, do not think it something strange or unusual. A flaming arrow of the evil one has hit you. But what should we do? How can you and I counter that kind of attack? How can we live in the face of such pitiless assaults? The Holy Spirit through the apostle presents us with his way of spiritual warfare. Let us think on God’s word together.

Faith is crucial in spiritual warfare. An ancient soldier without his shield was in deadly danger. The word used for shield in this verse is not the one for the little shield that was also carried by the soldier, but for the large shield that the soldier could hide behind. When carried by many soldiers together, they could form a wall. The shield was often put together in such a way as to make it resistant to attacks by flaming arrows, which were used to wreak havoc and destruction on enemy forces, like later generations would use an artillery barrage or missile attacks.

Faith is the believer’s shield. Faith has three elements: knowledge of the good news (gospel), assent to the good news, and trust or dependence on the good news. The good news points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the object of real saving faith. We do not have faith in faith, but faith in the Lord Jesus (John 3:16). Like the other parts of the armor of God, genuine faith in Christ is a gift of God (Acts 13:48; 16:14; 18:27; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29; 1 Timothy 1:14). Faith leads us away from self-reliance or dependence on money, things, and other people to trust in Christ alone.

Faith has a crucial place in the believer’s life. At the time of salvation, the Holy Spirit presents the ability and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as Savior and God’s promises of eternal life to all who will believe. By the gift of faith, we trust in Jesus the Lord, and entering into union with Christ, we are saved. From that moment on as we trust in the Lord, the Spirit of God strengthens our faith, enabling us to make use of Christ’s fullness as our prophet, priest and king and to participate in every grace and blessing in Christ. We are able to draw strength for him. At the same time the Holy Spirit produces his fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) in us to develop resistance to the fiery darts. As faith unites us to the Savior, so faith receives from the Lord all that we need for our daily walk. We must actively depend on Christ to receive what we need to live for God’s glory and to enjoy the Lord. We must rely on him when we face the attacks of the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).

Grace and peace, David

The Breastplate of Righteousness (Part One)

Ephesians 6:14

Consumers are confronted by many marketing schemes, or perhaps some are scams? One that was popular a few years ago during the rebate craze was the “price after rebate”, which sounded fine until you tried to read and fulfill the rebate instructions that seemed impossible to comply with! Another such method was/is the “lifetime guarantee” from companies that are small and that no one has ever heard of. However, true Christianity is not a marketing scheme. Consider Christ’s message to people (Luke 13:3, 5, 24; 14:27; 16:13; 18:22). Such teaching makes it clear that Jesus was not seeking to manipulate people into following him.

Our subject in this series of articles is spiritual warfare. We focus on the armor or spiritual protection that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us. The apostle Paul uses the illustration of an ancient soldier’s armor to represent the spiritual blessings that we have in and through Christ. When we are strong in the Lord and his mighty power and by faith rely on what we have “in him”, we are fully protected against any attack of the enemy. Now let us think about the spiritual blessing we have in “the breastplate of righteousness”.

First, let’s unpack the picture of the breastplate. It was vital in battle long ago. In the close combat action of the ancient world (consider scenes from a movie like Gladiator), the breastplate was especially important. It had two parts (the front and the back) and protected the soldier’s heart, lungs and other vital organs. Without this piece of the armor, the soldier was very vulnerable to every sword, spear or dagger thrust and to arrows and other debris of battle. While not impenetrable, it offered him at least some means of making it through hand to hand fights alive. The armor that Christ gives his people is much better than the armor in the illustration.

Second, we need to remove a misconception. At least since the time of John Bunyan and his Pilgrim’s Progress (and I recommend the book), a teaching has been circulating through the Christian church that “the armor is only for the front. The Christian has no armor for the front, so you must face the enemy.” That teaching is partially incorrect. Certainly, we ought to confront the enemy. “Stand!” But the point of confronting the enemy was taken from the wrong idea. Both the breastplate and the helmet protected the front and the back (and the sides) of the ancient soldier. We are still protected, thank God, if our spiritual enemies slip up behind us, or if we fall flat on our faces! Having put on the armor of God, we are very safe throughout all the special emergencies of spiritual battle.

Third, I offer some thoughts to help us understand this spiritual grace. Like the other pieces of armor, some try to interpret this righteousness as the believer’s own achievements in practical sanctification (that is, growth in grace, 2 Peter 3:18). I can certainly understand their concerns, for the pursuit of holiness and godliness is not optional, as the New Testament Scriptures constantly stress. The imputed righteousness of Christ is not a license to sin, as some wrongly teach (Jude 3-4). In fact, union with Christ demands a godly way of life (Romans 6). In a time of growing rebellion against God, we must stand for righteous and holy conduct. However, the evil surrounding us must not lead us to misuse any text of Scripture. For reasons mentioned in previous blog posts, “righteousness” must the imputed or credited righteousness of Christ. Anything else turns the armor of God into our armor, and offers little, if any, protection against spiritual attacks. Only the proud or the ignorant assume that they have progressed in growth in grace to the point where their own holiness protects them. Yes, the Holy Spirit produces conformity to Christ. Yes, that way of life glorifies God. But where in the Bible does he ever tell us to trust in ourselves and our works of righteousness? No, the Spirit of God does not.

Instead, let us think about the gracious provision of the righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This righteousness, which is ours through faith in Christ, is God’s righteousness. It comes from him and fully meets his approval. By it we are right with God—justified (which means, declared right)! We have peace with God (Romans 5:1), are saved from God’s righteous wrath (Romans 5:10), and reconciled to God (Romans 5:10). Being in Christ Jesus, we can never be condemned (Romans 8:1) or separated from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). The righteousness that comes from God and that is by faith (Philippians 3:9) is what the Spirit of God through the apostle urges us to put on. “It is an infinitely perfect righteousness, consisting in the obedience and sufferings of the Son of God, which satisfies all the demands of the divine law and justice…” (Hodge). It is this kind of breastplate that can protect us who follow Christ against the devil’s schemes. Christ’s righteousness is our true joy and confidence in spiritual warfare. Thank God for this far beyond your ability to imagine perfect armor.

Grace and peace, David

The Belt of Truth (Part One)

Ephesians 6:14

When you shop for a car, truck, van or SUV, at some point the salesperson will tantalize you with all the features of that particular vehicle: internet capability, safety features, sound system, comfort package, etc. All this is an attempt to convince you that particular model will be perfect for you. All believers are in union with Jesus Christ, and so we already have the perfect spiritual protection package. In this section the apostle Paul uses the illustration of the armor an ancient soldier to help us grasp all that we have in the Lord Jesus. However, the apostle is not trying to sell us this spiritual protection. Like a good salesperson that shows you how to use all the features of your new vehicle when you pick up the vehicle, Paul shows the various features of our spiritual blessings in Christ, in order that we might engage in spiritual warfare successfully.

What spiritual reality is represented by the phrase “the armor of God”? There are three alternatives:

The parts of armor signify various aspects of a godly character or lifestyle developed in a believer.
The parts of armor stand for various spiritual blessings that we have in Jesus Christ.
The parts of armor represent both of these ideas.

Here are some reasons for choosing the second alternative. First, it best expresses the idea that these are parts of the armor of God. I find it difficult to see how they could be character traits or way of life actions that we develop, because then they would only be as protective as far as we mature in godliness. Second, it best maintains the consistency of thought, because some of them, like the sword and the helmet) are clearly direct blessings from God. It seems rather arbitrary to take the others as characteristics of a believer. Third, it best conveys the certainty of victory. For example, consider this remark by Hodge about the breastplate of righteousness. “What is that righteousness…? Many say it is our own righteousness, integrity, or rectitude of mind. But this is no protection. It cannot resist the accusations of conscience, the whispers of despondency, the power of temptation, much less the severity of the law, or the assaults of Satan. What Paul desired for himself was not to have on his own righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith; Phil. 3:8, 9. And this, doubtless, is the righteousness which he here urges believers to put on as a breastplate.”

What spiritual blessing does the “belt of truth” symbolize? Let’s begin with two general comments about this picture. The belt was important to a soldier because “it gathered his tunic together and also held his sword. It insured that he was unimpeded when marching” (Stott). Putting on the belt also prepared a person for action, or as here, it was the first step in getting dressed for conflict. Compare 1 Peter 1:13.

Truth does not refer to objective truth, the Scriptures, because that is the sword that we are to take. “But it means truth subjectively considered; that is, the knowledge and belief of the truth” (Hodge). This blessing was given us at the time of salvation, when by the Holy Spirit we were taught the truth that is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:20-21; cf. Matthew 16:17; John 6:45). When by grace we receive Jesus the Lord, we also receive the knowledge of God, one of the basic blessings of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:11).This is the reason Christians ask people, “Do you know the Lord?” By this we do not mean knowledge of the facts about Christ or knowledge about worship skills, but knowledge of the Lord himself. This is where the essence of our protection in spiritual warfare begins. You cannot be strong in a Lord that you do not know. You cannot find protection from one to whom you are a total stranger. Does the Lord know you? Do you know the Lord?

“This is the first and indispensable qualification for a Christian soldier. To enter on this spiritual conflict ignorant or doubting, would be to enter battle blind and lame. As the girdle [belt] gives strength and freedom of action, and therefore confidence, so does the truth when spiritually apprehended and believed. Let not anyone imagine that he is prepared to withstand the assaults of the powers of darkness, if his mind is stored with his own theories or with the speculations of other men. Nothing but the truth of God clearly understood and cordially embraced will enable him to keep his feet for a moment, before these celestial potentates. Reason, tradition, speculative conviction, dead orthodoxy, are a girdle [belt] of spider webs. They give way at the first onset. Truth alone, as abiding in the mind in the form of divine knowledge, can give strength or confidence even in the ordinary conflicts of the Christian life, much more in any really ‘evil day’” (Hodge). Compare Colossians 2:1-10. So then, we ask again, “Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ?

Grace and peace, David

The Nature of Spiritual Warfare (Part One)

Ephesians 6:11-12

To be a Christian is to be part of a new humanity or nation or society that God is making. This is exciting. God by his grace has called us to be a new people, joined to him and each other. Since this basic union in Christ exists, we have a true unity amid our obvious diversity. God has called us out from the old humanity, which is ruined by sin, and made us alive with Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. This is a joyous calling for this life, and a certain prospect of eternal glory.

Yes, all this is very true, and we ought always to praise the Lord for his goodness to us. But we also have enemies, powerful ones, who totally hate God and us and who seek our ruin. “Is God’s plan to create a new society? Then they will do their utmost to destroy it. Has God through Jesus Christ broken down the walls dividing human beings of different races and cultures from each other? Then the devil through his emissaries will strive to rebuild them. Does God intend his reconciled and redeemed people to live together in harmony and purity? Then the powers of hell will scatter among them the seeds of discord and sin” (Stott). In short, we are in a war. We have seen already from this text that we are spiritually outfitted for battle and have the incalculable asset of the Lord’s mighty power. Now we want to understand more about the nature of this war we find ourselves in.

In spiritual warfare the Christian is in conflict with powerful, spiritual enemies. In any kind of war, we must know the identity of the enemy. The battle is not against “flesh and blood”; that is, this battle is not against other humans. The point is not to exclude other people as agents of evil, but to direct us to think of another enemy. Evil people are captives who follow Satan’s commands. They need to be set free by God’s grace, before they enter into eternal destruction.

Diseases like cancer and the flu, famine, and the desolations of war mar much of present life, but they are nothing compared to eternal wrath. However, we need to realize that behind evil people are implacable, malicious spiritual enemies who lust for our ruin. We are confronting enemies that are able to operate in the spiritual realm. Humans can strike at us with physical objects and terrible words, but this spiritual enemy can strike where people are not able.

In this war, we must realize the power that our enemies possess. The apostle uses a number of terms to impress on our minds the fact that they are powerful: rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil. The idea is not to learn some kind of hierarchy of demons, but to understand that they have ability to strike spiritually against the saints. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyan graphically presents Christian in combat with powers far greater in power. After joining the church (the Palace Beautiful) and learning much, Christian continues on his pilgrimage and goes into the Valley of Humiliation. There he meets Apollyon, and becomes involved in a deadly fight with this prince of darkness. Only God’s armor protects Christian from his opponent’s fierce blows. When the contest is done, Bunyan writes a short poem about the contest.

“A more unequal match can hardly be—Christian must fight an angel; but you see, The valiant man by handling sword and shield, Doth make him, though a dragon, quit the field.”

We must also be convinced of the total evil of these enemies. They approve of whatever God forbids; whatever God says is good and right, they utterly hate. “If we hope to overcome them, we shall need to bear in mind that they have no moral principles, no code of honor, no higher feelings. They recognize no Geneva Convention to restrict or partially civilize the weapons of their warfare. They are utterly unscrupulous, and ruthless in the pursuit of their malicious designs” (Stott). Know your enemies and their heinous character.

Grace and peace, David