Putting on the Whole Armor of God

I Kings 8:22-30, 41-43; Ephesians 6:10-20

Do you believe in the devil?

 Before you roll your eyes and say no, we need to talk about who and what the devil is.  The Apostle Paul believed in a devil.  Jesus did too.  And so did the theologian C. S. Lewis.  In fact, C. S. Lewis says we make two equal and opposite mistakes when we speak of devils.  One is to disbelieve in them entirely.  The other is to believe in them and develop an unhealthy fascination with them.  Lewis had a sophisticated understanding of who and what the devil is and how the devil brings darkness and destruction into our lives.  Some of you have read his book, The Screwtape Letters, in which a couple of devils, Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood, try to undermine the faith of a new Christian, whom they call “the patient.”

  Now, let’s be clear about this.  When I use the word devil, I’m not speaking of a horned creature in a red suit with a pitchfork who is trying to trip us as we walk through life.  We can all abandon that image.  No, devils are dark ideas and fears and insecurities that lure us into places that are not good for us.  Devils are temptations to not believe in ourselves, our worth, and our ability. Devils are doubts about the power of goodness, the importance of kindness, and the possibility of justice.  Devils are those inner forces that cause us to choose vindictiveness, hatefulness, pettiness, meanness, and selfishness.  The devils about which I speak are real and threaten to destroy the best in us, to pull us down and wipe us out.  These devils are powerful, and they can bring us to ruin. 

  C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape is such a devil.  He teaches Wormwood that he has many tools at his disposal.  The most effective, he says, are subtle.  Like the church.  Yes, he says the church can be a tool of the devil.  Rather than steer the patient away from church, they direct him to church.  Then they use something insignificant to rob him of the value of church participation. The church is full of imperfect people.  Use them to dishearten the patient.  Use poorly written and executed liturgies, bad preaching, off-key singing—minor distractions that over time can undermine the patient’s faith.  Here’s what Screwtape says:

 It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light….  Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.  Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

  So, yes, I do believe in devils.  They hang out at my doorstep all the time.  Paul’s too apparently.  The people who first read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians were literally in a fight for their lives.  They were the little guys, the taxpayers, the workers, up against the vast, powerful Roman empire.  They were beaten, spat upon, put in jail, and sometimes killed. Paul himself was in prison when he wrote Ephesians.  But Paul believed they weren’t fighting just the Romans, enemies of flesh and blood.  They were up against “cosmic powers of this present darkness,” he said, and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  No, they weren’t just battling Roman soldiers.  Paul believed they were battling devils. Not characters in a red suit with a pitchfork.  Let’s not trivialize darkness.  They were up against evil spiritual forces. So, he challenged them to be properly equipped by putting on the whole armor of God.  That would be their protection.  “Finally,” he writes, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” 

 It is a striking image Paul gives the Ephesians: the Christian standing as a fully armed Roman infantry soldier.  Paul presents an image of the Christian equipped and ready to wage battle.  But the battle was not against Roman soldiers.  The battle was against the powers of darkness.  So, here is the battle armor we are to wear when we battle darkness.

 First, we are to wear the belt of truth around our waist.  The older translations say to gird your loins with truth.  Many men in that part of the world still wear long robes, rather than the pants and shirts as we do.  In the day of Jesus, when it came time to work or fight, they would wrap up the long draping material and secure it with a leather belt.  The belt also held weapons or tools.  Some argue that the belt held all the armor together.

That’s how important truth is.  It’s our integrity.  We are true to who we claim to be.  We’re not imposters.  There is truth about who we are.  If we claim to be people of peace, then we live peaceably.  If we claim to be people of love, then we live lovingly.  If we claim to people of justice, then we live justly.  Truth, integrity, is the belt around our waist that holds everything else together.  If we are going to be successful in fending off darkness that lures us into unhealthy places, we must wear the belt of truth around our waist.

Second, Paul says we must wear the breastplate of righteousness.  The breastplate functioned much like a bulletproof vest.  It would have been made of bronze or chain mail.   Its purpose was to protect the soldier’s vital organs, specifically the heart. 

 True righteousness is important.  Some may shy away from using the word righteous, as if it is beyond our ability to achieve.  But righteousness is our goal.  It means being in a good, right relationship with God.  It is connecting with God through prayer, study, meditation, and worship.  The breastplate of righteousness, Paul says, will protect us from devils.

 Next, we must wear the gospel of peace as our boots.  It may seem odd at first to consider shoes as part of a soldier’s armor.  But can you imagine going to battle without proper shoes?  Paul knew that a soldier without proper foot protection was vulnerable.  Injure your feet, and you realize quickly how critical they are. 

Paul tells them to wear the gospel of peace as their boots.  Walk in the good news of shalom, peace.  Walk in the message of the Prince of Peace.  Desire to live in peace with God and others.  Walking with the gospel of peace protects us from dark forces.

Then he tells them to take up the shield of faith.  They used two kinds of shields.  One was small and round.  It attached to the forearm and allowed for agility and movability.  The other was a full-body shield.  It was made of wood and leather and protected the whole body.  Both kinds of shields could be used to deflect fiery arrows of the enemy. 

 Paul tells them to take up the shield of faith.  When the enemy attacks with dark thoughts, dangerous ideas, and harmful suggestions, our faith in what is right, our faith in the good, our faith in God protects us.  When devils try to tear us down, when they are shooting fiery arrows at us, our faith shields us.

Next, Paul tells them to put on the helmet of salvation.  Obviously, a head wound in battle would be devastating.  It could mean instant death.  So, soldiers wore a helmet to protect their head. 

 Paul says our helmet is salvation, the great gift God has given us in Jesus Christ.  It is God’s acceptance of us.  It is God’s unconditional love of us.  It is God’s validation of us.  The helmet of salvation protects us from the dark enemies.

 The sixth and final piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit.  Paul tells them to take the sword of the Spirit, which is “the word of God.” Notice this is soldier’s only offensive weapon.  All the others are defensive.  The sword, though, was intended for offense. 

 Do battle, Paul says, with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  The message of Jesus—the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the Farewell Discourse—protects us from the darkness.  The message of Paul— that we are saved by grace through faith; that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling—protects us from darkness.  The message of the prophets—let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream; do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God—protects us from darkness.  The sword of the Spirit combats the messages of darkness that are hurled at us. 

 So, here’s my counsel.  Don’t make the mistake of disbelieving in devils.  And don’t become obsessed with them either.  Dark forces are real.  Dark forces prey upon us every day, pulling us down, stealing our joy, hurting our relationships.  Paul is right.  We must be properly equipped.  So, let us all put on the whole armor of God.

Closing Prayer

 Lord, shield us from the darkness that encompasses us.  And use us to bring light and goodness into the world.  Amen.