Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:10–18)

Any believer who has read much of the New Testament has likely come across this passage. How does it apply to us today? Are we called to warfare? If so, what is the nature of the warfare? And how do we “stand” in the midst of the battle? These are the questions we’ll look at in this post. 

What Kind of Warfare?

No doubt the imagery of this passage is taken from the battle dress of a Roman soldier at the time. Paul may have gotten the idea from observing Roman soldiers during his time awaiting trial. The Scriptures are full of physical images/symbols to communicate spiritual truth, and this is no different.

To begin with, Paul makes it clear that we need armor to stand. To stand against what? To stand against “the schemes of the devil.” Thus, this automatically means that the battle we find ourselves in is spiritual. Paul further emphasizes this point when he says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Since the battle we wage is not physical but spiritual we need spiritual weapons. In fact, Paul writes of our weapons,

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Therefore, we are engaged in a spiritual battle, and need spiritual weapons and armor. What is this armor, and how do we use it? That is the question. In describing the armor, Paul uses two different verb forms. For the first three items, he uses a form that’s rendered “having” done it. For the rest, we may render it, “Do this,” or “take up” this. The clear implication is that the first three are necessary in order for us to take up the other three.

Truth

Notice Paul begins in verse 15 with “Stand, therefore, having fastened . . . “ He is not telling us to do so. Instead, he is telling us that we can only stand when we have already done this. This must be the first step.  What is it that we are to fasten? Here is the full verse: “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.” In the Greek, this is simply “having girded your waist with truth.” Paul’s reader’s would have understood what he meant; modern translations supply the image of a belt for clarity.

Why must we begin with truth, and how do we “fasten” it around us? Notice Paul doesn’t say that we are to know truth or accumulate knowledge of truth. No, he says that truth is to be that which binds everything else together. We are to be immersed in truth. One can make an argument here that he is referring to Christ, since He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). We are to not only be immersed in truth, but we must first surrender to the truth. We must surrender to Christ.

Righteousness

Pau uses similar language for the next piece of armor. He says, “. . . and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” This is something else that must be in place before the believer can stand. It is what we might call a prerequisite or a basic requirement. Righteousness is not a series of acts but a state of being. Since Paul speaks of “the breastplate of righteousness,” it’s clear he means that our right standing before God is a matter of the heart and also protects our heart.

Elsewhere he speaks of “the breastplate of faith and love” (1 Thessalonians 5:8), and thus links righteousness to faith and love. As throughout Scripture, righteousness comes by faith (Galatians 3:11; also see Romans 3-4 for a fuller explanation). How are we made righteous? By surrendering to Christ, the Truth (as we saw above). Only by trusting in Him and the work He accomplished for us can one be made righteous.

The Gospel of Peace

The third “having” statement Paul gives us is “having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (v. 15). He likens this to shoes on the feet. There are two possible meanings of this. First, one who has surrendered to Christ is to be “ready” to preach the gospel (hence “the readiness”). It is natural for a new believer to want to share the amazing story of salvation. 

Secondly, the term can also mean “footing” or “foundation.” Shoes can be seen as the foundation upon which walks. Thus, the gospel itself becomes the foundation for one’s life, faith, and practice. This is the preferred meaning since it fits well into the context of standing firm. In addition, Paul’s words, “the gospel of peace,” directly link it to Philippians 4:6-7, where he says, “And the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and your minds.”

Take Up the Armor

Beginning in verse 16, Paul tells us to actively “take up” the rest. This is an act that we are responsible for doing. Even if we have surrendered to Christ and have the gospel as our foundation, if we fail to do this, we will not be able to stand. The remaining things we are to take hold of and use are:

The Shield of Faith

It’s no accident that Paul places this first on the list of things we are to take up. The shield protects the heart, and likewise our faith in Christ protects our heart. The apostle John wrote about this protection: 

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. (1 John 3:19–22)

Faith, it must be remembered, is not faith “in faith.” We must first have that foundation that Paul talks about in verses 14-15. We must have surrendered to Christ. Otherwise, there is no basis for our faith, and it’s no better than the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19.

The Helmet of Salvation

One might wonder why Paul includes this here, since he has already dealt with salvation in verses 14-15. One cannot hope to stand unless he or she is saved, right? Right. The helmet protects the head. Spiritually speaking, the helmet of salvation protects the mind. As those who have been saved, we not only have “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), but we still have the flesh–that part of us that seeks to live independently of God.

We are therefore called to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). At the core of this renewal is remembering the simple fact that, “I am new in Christ; I don’t have to live that way anymore.” As we focus on our salvation, our minds can be renewed, and this helps keep us on His path.

The Sword of the Spirit

The last item Paul tells us to take up is “the sword of the Spirit.” He defines this as “the word of God.” To his readers, that would have not only meant the existing Scriptures, but also the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose function is to “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, this is how He fought temptation–by using God’s Word.

In order to effectively use God’s Word, however, we must be intentional about studying and knowing it. I don’t mean just memorizing it, but letting it penetrate deep within us. This is why a regular habit of Bible reading and study is essential in the life of a believer.

One more thing should be noted. Paul closes this section by adding, “. . . praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (v. 18). Some see this as different than taking up the sword of the Spirit. However, Paul links this directly to using our sword. Thus, our prayers must come from what we know in God’s Word. When we pray for people and situations, we must have an idea of how to pray, and God’s Word teaches us how we are to pray. 

We are to “stay alert” in this attitude of prayer, much as a soldier would keep watch on the wall at night. We must never separate the sword of the Spirit and our prayer. The place we take up the sword of the Spirit is on the battleground of prayer. 

As we consistently and consciously take up God’s armor, we will see that we grow and mature in love, obedience, holiness, and victory over temptation.