Put on the Whole Armor of God

Message 4: Put on the Whole Armor of God

Scripture: Eph 6:1-24 (Additional References: Eph 2:14-19; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10-11;
Luke 10:25-28; 1Thes 5:8; Phil 1:1; Phil 2:5-8)

We have come to Ephesians chapter six which means we have come, all too quickly, to the end of this marvelous epistle on the church. Although it has taken us four months to go through this book, some have felt that that the time we spent has flown by and somehow we have missed something. I had the feeling that when Paul was writing this epistle and coming to the end of his letter, he also had the feeling that he had so much still to say but he had to conclude for now. He wrote:  

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might  (Eph 6:10) 

Why did I have such a feeling that this was Paul's sentiment?

After exhorting the saints to put on the whole armor of God, Paul continued to instruct the saints:  

With all prayer and supplication ('petition', NASB), praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication ('petition', NASB) for all the saints (Eph 6:18) 

And on my behalf ('and for me', Darby), that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19)  

To exhort the Ephesians to continue 'with all prayer and petition, praying at all seasons in the Spirit for the all the saints', is perfectly fine. But why did Paul also write 'and for me'? Paul was asking the saints for specific prayers that utterance be given to him to make known the mystery of the gospel. Having written such an epistle, do you really think Paul was lacking in utterance? Then why did Paul specifically request for this? It is with this feeling that I would like to share with you a summary of this epistle and this chapter.

The Triune God & The Tri-Partite Man

Paul wrote to the Ephesians concerning the church in such a marvelous way. In the first half of chapter one, he mentions the heavenly blessings from the Triune God - the blessing from the Father, the Son and the Spirit. He presented to them a heavenly 'skybox view'. Being confident of their faith in  the Word of God he prayed that the Father of glory may give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him:

For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints (Eph 1:15)

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers (Eph 1:16 )

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge (full knowledge, Darby) of Him (Eph 1:17)  

Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Eph 1:18 )

And what the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of His might (Eph 1:19)  

Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places (Eph 1:20)

Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come (Eph 1:21)

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church (Eph 1:22) 

He used all these superlative expressions to describe the heavenly view of the church.

The Church

         Then Paul reminded them what the church is. It is not a physical building, neither is it an organization, but the church is composed of all the called out ones. They are living persons not just in one particular age, but in every age. They were people who were once dead in trespasses and sins: 

 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (NASV) (Eph 2:1)  

But now have been transferred from death to life, from the realm of darkness to the realm of light:

Even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved) (Eph 2:5) 

And raised us up with Him, and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6) 

In other words, the church is composed of people who live on the earth, walk on the earth, pedestrians but with a heavenly view.

The New Man

Paul continued in chapter two by introducing to them a new term, the new man. The new man is in contrast to the old man. Man was created in  Genesis 1 and 2; in Genesis 3, man fell. So therefore the old man was the one God created for His purpose in Genesis 1 and 2 - the tri-partite man with the body, soul and spirit (Gen 2:7), ready to accomplish God's purpose on the earth. But because man's fall, he became earth-bound. That is, man became pedestrians held by a pedestrian view. 

Then in the fullness of time, God prepared the way of salvation to call the earth-bound man (mankind) and put them into the new man. And so the church is composed of the man on the earth, yet not of this world. He is on the earth, yet does not hold a pedestrian view but a heavenly 'skybox' view. This was how Paul described the church and it was important for the believers to have a realization of this truth.   

As the Lord Jesus said in John 17:17, ' Sanctify them in the truth: Thy word is truth', so the words in Ephesians 1 and 2 were to bring to light the truth. It shows us we are different from the world because we are no longer in the old man but in the new man both individually and corporately. Therefore the building up of the church to fulfill God's purpose has much to do with people. This is very practical, not just doctrinal.

That Christ May Dwell in Your Hearts Through Faith

The book of Ephesians can be divided into two sections. The first three chapters is on the truth concerning the church. It is important to see this because when we come to the last chapter on putting on the whole armor of God, the first thing is to gird your loins with truth. If you do not have the proper understanding of the truth, you cannot 'stand therefore' (Eph 6:14). If you do not see that God is Triune, and man is tri-partite, you may be able to  talk, but you will not be able to 'withstand in the evil day' (Eph 6:13) because truth is the basis of our faith.

         In Ephesians 1, Paul prayed for wisdom and revelation; and in Ephesians 3, he prayed that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith:

 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father (Eph 3:14)

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love (Eph 3:17 )

Our faith is based on the Word of God, which is the truth.

         When going through the book of Ephesians, I realize that it is the utterance God gave to Paul to expound what the Lord Jesus had said. For example, in Matthew 16:17-18, the Lord Jesus told Peter after he had received the revelation that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matt 16:17) 

And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) 

The Lord's declaration, "I will build My church" sounds very simple to us but it is not. This declaration gives us the confidence that what God is doing and will do, the 'gates of Hades shall not prevail against it'. Without such a firm foundation in the Lord's assurance and the full confidence in what He said, we will not be able to stand. This is why it is so important for us to see how Paul presents the truth concerning the church. The first three chapters of Ephesians is just Paul's utterance to explain what the Lord said in Matthew 16:18, "I will build My church".

The building of 'My church' is based on who the Father has selected and predestinated; and on the Son's accomplishment of redemption; and on the Spirit's sealing and fellowship. What the Father planned, the Son carried out on the cross creating the new man to bring those whom He called out of the old man. This is not wishful thinking, this is the hope of our calling. This is the truth concerning the church you see in Ephesians. That is why in the second section of Ephesians (chapters 4 thru 6) concerning the building up of the church, Paul mentions so much about human relationships. This is because the building up of the church is to build among people.

Human Relationships & The Building of the Church

Do not forget that the church is composed of people; it is not a building no matter how large or stately, it is not an organization no matter how well structured, and it is not human effort no matter how much is expended. The building of the church means nothing if people are not built together. Paul realized this so he introduced the saints to the new man that everyone needs to experience individually and corporately.   

Although Paul introduced the new man in Ephesians, it was not until Colossians that this became more clear. In Ephesians Paul only mentioned the husband and wife relationship as a type of Christ and the church. Paul used the example of how the wife should submit to the husband and how the husband should love the wife to explain this great mystery of Christ and the church. But the husband and wife relationship is not the only human relationship that exists. So for the building of the church, the Body of Christ, and for the practical church life he went on to include two other human relationships in Ephesians 6.      

The first is about parents and children, the second is about slaves and masters.   

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right (Eph 6:1)

Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise) (Eph 6:2) 

That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth  (Eph6:3)

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening (discipline, Darby) and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4) 

The word 'nurture' in Ephesians 6:4 is the same word in Greek as 'nourish' in Ephesians 5:29, 'for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it'. This word means to feed, to fatten. I have my concerns that  parents may be taking this too literally.  Children's obesity has become such a problem today. The word here is not physical nourishing by giving them too much calories, too much fat, but to nourish them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. Man is tri-partite so we need to nourish them not only in their body but also in their soul and in their spirit. 

'Discipline' is to give them a general education. It is not just to send them to the best schools but to educate them not to be so self-centered. One of the problems with childhood obesity is because children are too self-centered and the parents just give in to them. This problem is not just a physical one but it is translated into self-centeredness and a lack of self-control in other areas as well. Many children nowadays because of smaller families do not have the opportunity to learn to share and do not have the opportunity to experience the joy of sharing. They have not only become physically obese, they have become 'soulishly obese' and self-bloated.

Parents, we must bring them up, nurture them and nourish them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. We have to educate them not only to have good grades but also to become useful members in society, in the church life, and in the family. This is all part of the putting off the old man and putting on the new man in human relationships.   

The following verses are my real concern; it is between slaves and masters. Let us see how Paul writes:

Servants (Slaves, NASV) be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ (Eph 6:5) 

Not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants (slaves, NASV)  of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Eph 6:6) 

With good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men (Eph 6:7) 

Knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free (Eph 6:8) 

And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, and forbear threatening: knowing that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with Him. (Eph 6:9) 

Paul spent four out of five verses addressing the slaves. He emphasized repeatedly that their service is 'unto Christ' and 'unto the Lord'. Since we are no longer living in a society with slavery today, we have heard that this section is applicable to our present day employer-employee relationship. Now I feel this is 'a stretch'. Why?     

According to those familiar with history, at that time there were about 60 million slaves out of an approximate total population of 180 million in the Roman Empire and the then known world. So the population mix within the Roman Empire was about one-third slaves, and two-thirds free men. The institution of slavery came mainly through the conquerors enslaving the conquered - men, women and children. This perpetuated the slave system with a large segment of the population at that time being slaves. 

Now the gospel reached some of them and they became Christians. Since Paul himself was a free man, how was he to advise those who were under such a terrible institution? He was not telling them to rebel against the system because you are now free in Christ. Yes, you are free in Christ from sins and from God's enemy; you have been transferred from the authority of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love. This is the spiritual aspect of freedom, but physically you are still slaves.

If about one-third of the population at that time were slaves, then it is fair to say that in the church life at least the same proportion, if not greater, existed. If you had a congregation in which approximately half were slaves and half were free men, how was the proper human relationship for the building up of the church going to be maintained? How should one conduct oneself? Paul's advice to the slaves was not to rebel because you are now free in Christ. On the other hand, Paul's advice to the masters who were free men was not since you are a Christian, you should now set your slaves free. 

You can see this was not a very simple issue for Paul. It was not too difficult for Paul to write about the husband and wife relationship nor the parent and children relationship. But the master and slave relationship is the ultimate example of a human relationship that the enemy can use to control and put someone in bondage. The husband and wife relationship is a wonderful type of Christ and the church. Parents and their children have a 'blood relationship'. It is the master and slave relationship that the enemy can exploit for one to impose control and bondage over the other. But Paul reminded them that whether you are a slave or a free man, you will receive the same from the Lord. This was Paul's ending words concerning this in verse 9.

Put On The Whole Armor Of God

 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. (Eph 6:10) 

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph 6:11)

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness (spiritual forces of evil, NIV) in the heavenly places (heavenlies, Darby). (Eph 6:12)

Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (Eph 6:13) 

Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (Eph 6:14) 

And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (Eph 6:15)

Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. (Eph 6:16)

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Eph 6:17) 

When Paul said 'finally' in verse 10, I had the feeling he was not totally satisfied with what he wrote concerning this issue. He knew that the enemy will not just use circumstances and situations, but he will use our close human relationships to attack the saints. That is why we need to be aware of the wiles of the devil. As members of the Body of Christ, we are still on the earth even though we are not of the world. We are still in contact with people all the time. Our test is to remember that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.

Of all the human relationships, I believe the most amount of 'wrestling' that goes on is probably between slaves and masters. It is not like today's employer-employee relationships; a slave and master relationship is for 24/7, and lasts a lifetime. Today, no employer expects an employee to work 24/7. Besides, if an employer is too demanding, you can always quit. For a slave, there is no quitting. So you cannot equate slaves and masters to today's employer-employee relationship.

 Paul reminded the saints that their wrestling was against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. That is, if you have a heavenly view that Christ is the Victor, your attitude will be very different. He has defeated the enemy and He is now in the heavenlies. So whatever human relationships the enemy uses, Christ has already overcome him. Don't use your own effort to try to overcome him, you will fail. We must fight from God's point of view.  

Righteousness & Truth

         Paul in Ephesians 6:13-14 said, "Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness".

In Ephesians 2:15, Paul said, 'that He might create in Himself of the two one new man, so making peace'. Paul first traced where the Ephesians were initially - dead in their trespasses and sins. Now God has made them alive in Christ on the cross. And on the cross He is our peace. He removed all the racial, cultural and even religious differences between the Jews and the Greeks. All were made peace on the cross. In other words, He has removed all the disharmony between all human relationships. 

Then in Ephesians 4:24, Paul said, 'And put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth'. In other words  the new man was created by God in righteousness and in truth.

In Genesis 2, God created man. Out of the dust of the ground He created the body, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, the spirit; and man became a living soul. So man is made of three parts: spirit, soul and body, ready to receive God as life to carry out His purpose. But then Satan came in to seduce man and he fell. But the fall of man did not deter God from His purpose.

Even though the first man fell and became the old man, God created on the cross a new man according to righteousness and holiness of truth. So God's purpose was still to be accomplished through man; through His saved ones. That is through those who have been transferred from one realm into another, and who now can just put off the old man and put on the new man. 

Notice to put on the new man is the same as putting on the whole armor of God. In the armor, when you  gird your loins with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness, it is the same as putting on the new man who is created in righteousness and truth. It means you gird yourself with who God is and how He has made man; and with the assurance God's purpose will be accomplished. It is based on what God has done, not what we do. This is truth. Righteousness is to be right with God and right with man.

Corporate or Individual?

The question often comes up about putting on the whole armor of God is how do we put it on and does this apply to us individually or corporately? Can you put on every item of the armor by yourself? The answer is not so simple. For example, John 3:16 says:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16 )

What does eternal life mean? Does it mean you will live for a very long time? Does it mean personal longevity?

In Luke 10:25, a lawyer came to tempt the Lord Jesus with this question:

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of Him (tempted Him, KJV), saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25) 

The Lord answered him by asking him what does the law say, and how do you read it? This was his answer:

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. (Luke 10:27)

And this was the Lord's reply:

And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (Luke 10:28) 

His question was 'what should I do to inherit eternal life'? He was a lawyer familiar with the Old Testament and his answer was to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, it is to love God and  love man. Notice the Lord did not say, "You have answered correctly, do it and you will inherit eternal life". Instead He said, "Do it and you shall live".

In other words, eternal life is not for the future; eternal life means today! If you want to inherit eternal life, don't think of how many thousands of years you are going to live; but instead if you love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength every time, and love others - now; then you 'shall live'. This connects now, the present, to eternity. This is eternal life!

Eternal life is not just that we understand God's purpose during our brief and fleeting existence, but that our very brief moment in time has meaning. You may not understand everything but some truth has got into you to help you gird your loins by our spending time together in Ephesians. It is our corporate girding up of our loins. 

This is also our putting on of the new man. When we teach our children not to be so self-centered, and nurture them in the admonition of the Lord, we bring those whom the Lord has entrusted into our hands to connect them to eternity. It is not to raise them so that they can take care of you in your old age. I have seen so many in their retirement hoping their children will take care of them. Even if the children really try, this is not the meaning of our human life - to have a secure and problem free old age. This is not what we live for, neither is this to inherit eternal life. Eternal life is just to love God and to love our children and all those who are near to us in all our different human relationships.     

Having Shod Your Feet

'And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace' (Ephesians 6:15), is also part of putting on the new man. Christ on the cross has broken down the middle wall of partition; made both one and preached peace to those who were far off and those who were near. That is why we are so burdened about preaching the gospel starting with our families. We need to have good relationships in our households so that our lives will be the gospel so that in the proper time, the gospel of peace can be preached to them. 

Taking Up the Shield

'Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one' (Ephesians 6:16). The enemy will use every possible means to disturb, frustrate and damage our human relationships. However, if we see God's purpose, we will have the confidence and faith that this will quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

Helmet & Sword

'And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' (Ephesians 6:17).  'The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God' does not mean the sword is the Word of God but the Spirit is the Word of God. The Lord Jesus said in John 6:63:  

It is the Spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. (John 6:63) 

In other words, do not use the Word of God to 'slay' others. But instead the Word of God is the Spirit. We should use the Word of God to supply life to others.

"And For Me, That Utterance May Be Given Unto Me"

Praying always with all prayer and supplication (petition, NASB) in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Eph 6:18) 

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19) 

I would like to spend some time speaking about Paul's utterance in verse 19.  Paul's asking for prayers and petitions for all the saints 'and for me, that utterance may be given to me' shows that there was still something important he felt he needed to tell them by the opening of  his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Paul was prisoner in Rome and Ephesians was one of his prison epistles. I believe Paul's realization at this time was he was there to 'complete the word of God' (Col 1:25, Darby); meaning to explain the things the Lord Jesus said which, to many, may be too concise and difficult to understand.

For example, in Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it". This shows that God's enemy, the gates of Hades, will rise up to contest and frustrate His building work in every possible way. So Paul here referred to all human relationships and the different aspects of putting on the whole armor of God to show how to stop the gates of Hades from prevailing against the church.

The Prison Epistles

 There is no clear record of the chronological order of the writing of Paul's four prison epistles. However it is interesting that Ephesians is placed first, then Philippians, then Colossians and Philemon. I believe this is God's sovereign arrangement. I believe this also shows us Paul had something more to say regarding the matter of slaves (which he also wrote about in the other three prison epistles). I believe they also represent his further utterances that he asked the saints in Ephesus to petition for him.        

In Ephesians, Paul only mentioned that in the new man there cannot be Greek or Jew. But in Colossians Paul went further:

And have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of Him that created him (Col 3:10) 

Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman (slave, NKJV), freeman; but Christ is all, and in all (Col 3:11)

Paul specifically included here that there cannot be slave and freeman. In Ephesians, Paul only mentioned that in the sight of God, they were the same. I pondered over this. And I was touched by what Paul wrote in Philippians.

Taking the Form of a Slave

In Ephesians, Paul introduced himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, but in Philippians, he and Timothy were 'bondmen' (Darby) or 'slaves' (NLT) of Jesus Christ. And in Philippians 2:5-8 he said:

Have (Let, KJV) this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus  (Phil 2:5) 

Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped  (Phil 2:6)

But emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (slave, NLT), being made in the likeness of men  (Phil 2:7)

And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross (Phil 2:8) 

In verse 7, we know that He 'emptied Himself' of all the glory, the equality with God and became a man. But how do you understand the Lord Jesus 'taking the form of a slave'? There was no indication in the New Testament that the Lord was born into slavery or that He was indentured in any way during His 33½ years on the earth. I believe in Philippians 2:8 lies the answer.  

According to history, death by crucifixion was only practiced from about 200 B.C. to a little after 300 A.D. and was abolished by Constantine the Great. In the Roman Empire, death by crucifixion was applicable to slaves. Slaves found guilty of serious crimes were sentenced to death by crucifixion. So although we do not see in the Gospels that the Lord Jesus was a slave, yet He was sentenced to death by crucifixion. What this means is that throughout His life and His ministry, He was walking the way of the cross. He was willing to put Himself in a position of a slave even to die 'the death of the cross'.      

I believe Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about the slave and master relationship and felt he needed some more utterance for this. So he requested the saints in Ephesus to pray specifically for him 'that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel'. Hence in Philippians he puts himself in the position of a slave; a slave of Jesus Christ. Why did he do that and what does it mean? 

The real meaning of a slave is one who is willing to follow the master to the end. Paul was willing to follow the Lord to the very end; that is to take the way of the cross. For the real building of the church we must put on the new man and not allow any loopholes for the enemy to exploit. In every human relationship we must deny ourselves even in the extreme case of the master and the slave.     

Some may think this is not the age to talk about slavery. In those days, about ⅓ of the population were slaves but today we must see that every believer is a slave of Christ. For the church to be built up, every human relationship, be it husband and wife, children and parents, slave and master, or employee and employer, we all need to be willing to take the way of the cross. That is the only way the church can be built and the gates of Hades will not prevail.

We have a hymn that says, 'Praise Him, Praise Him, Christ is Victor' and another which says, 'There's a Man in the glory whose life is for me; He overcame Satan, from bondage He's free'. We can live such a life every day. The enemy has no ground in whatever human relationship we are in because we all can put on the whole armor of God.

This may end our study of the book of Ephesians but the Word of God will continue with us. We can pray for each other just like the Ephesians prayed for Paul that in all our human relationships we can cooperate with the Lord and take the way of the cross. May the Lord be gracious to all of us.