Ephesians 6:14-18 http://www.generationword.com

Each piece of armor is a divine characteristic. Applying this is how you stand.

The imperative to "put on" is followed by four "having" (fastened, put on, fitted, taken up)

6:14

στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ

Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and

ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης

having on the breastplate of righteousness

6:15

καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ

And shod (bind under) your feet with the preparation

τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης,

of the gospel of peace

6:16

ἐν πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως,

Above all taking the shield of faith

ἐν ῷ δυνήσεσθε πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ

wherewith ye shall be able all darts of the wicked

τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσα·

the fiery to quench

6:17

καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου δέξασθε

And the helmet of salvation take

καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ.

and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God

1) Belt of Truth -

· This is not the belt that holds the sword but refers to the leather apron worn under the armor.

· Securely fastening clothes around the body indicates a preparation for vigorous activity such as running or a struggle. (Elisha's prophet to Jehu in 2 Kings 9:1; Luke 12;35, 37; 17:8). Having the Truth and speaking truth indicates we are ready. Truth prepares us for this battle against Satan's schemes.

· Isaiah 11:5 "righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness (LXX "truth") the girdle of his loins"

1 Thes. 5:8 - "Since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

- These are ethical qualities

- These are not:

· the truth of doctrine

· righteousness of Christ

· justification of faith

2) Breastplate of righteousness -

• Isaiah 59:11 righteousness is the breastplate.
• This is the Messiah's girdle
• The Messiah fights his battles (and wins) in righteousness
• This is ethical righteousness. This is the putting on of the new man from 4:24 who is "created to be like God in true righteousness."

3) Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace -

• The feet are what you will be using to stand.
• Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15.
• The word "fitted" or "fit" is from the Greek word ἑτοιμασίᾳ translated above as "preparation". This same Greek word was used in the LXX in Zechariah 5:11 for a stand to support something and Ezra 2:68 ("site") and 3:3 ("foundation")
• The "readiness" refers to the person whose feet are prepared to take their stand because of an understanding of the gospel. We must know (and, communicate) the gospel to be able to stand.
• If our feet (source of our foundation, our base) is not the gospel we will be taken in by Satan's schemes

4) Shield of Faith -

• the shield was held in the left hand
• "fire tipped darts" ( above: πεπυρωμένα = flaming, fiery; βέλη = Darts) were used against the Roman shields. The flaming arrow would intensify as it flew through the air (oxygen). When it stuck in a Roman shield the warrior would tend to throw the burning shield down and thus be exposed to other arrows or a spear in the hand to hand combat. The soldier must keep his head and not panic.
• In Paul's writing he says that the same shield of faith that caught the flaming arrow would also extinguish it. (σβέσα· = quench, extinguish)
• Is this faith in God or faithfulness to God? The answer is in 1 Peter 5:8-9. Here Satan is resisted by being firm in your faith. This is flint like resolution and commitment to what you believe.

5) Helmet of Salvation-

• Isaiah 59:17 - Yahweh wears this and gains the victory.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:8 mentions the hope of salvation.
• Salvation is the victory. The Helmet of salvation is the hope we have in our salvation. First Thessalonians describes this salvation as something we receive at the coming of Christ (1 Thes. 5:9-11)
• Salvation in Ephesians is something we already have, so the helmet protects us even now. (Eph. 2:5)

6) Sword of the Spirit, Word of God - Isaiah 11:4; Revel. 19:15; Deut 8:3.

• This is the Word of God, spoken by the Spirit who empowers us to hear.
• Jesus quoted this word (Deut 8:3) in Matt. 4 to repel Satan.

7) Prayer