The Whole Armor of God (I)

Introduction

Ephesians 6: 10-18, is a very familiar portion of scripture, often freely quoted, confessed and professed by Christians.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints’‘ Ephesians 6:10-18. NKJV

Ephesians chapter six, actually represents the climax of Apostle Paul’s letter to faithful saints in Ephesus, a final word. Theological history has it that before the advent of the Church, the Ephesians were deeply devoted to the worship of goddess Diana. It is said that although Apostle Paul may not have been the first person to bring Christianity to this city of the Roman province of Asia, he was the first to make meaningful progress against the Diana cult. Through his teachings, Paul’s influence extended to every part of the province resulting in a decrease in faith in goddess Diana, the Church in Ephesus was planted and flourished.

This background provides great insights into Apostle Paul’s epistle to the the Church at Ephesus with its central focus on the identity of the Christian. Paul’s intent may have been for the new Church to make a paradigm shift from the old into the new to fully maximize the benefit of their new birth. This was probably a necessary and urgent step to guard against a vicious cycle of relapse, frustration, and relapse again. Verses 10-11, pretty much sets the tone for the remaining 7 verses….. this was the keynote….

”Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” Ephesians 6:10-11. NKJV

The summary of Ephesians 6:10-18

At first glance, Ephesians 6:10-18 outlines the following;

1. The Christian warfare; identifying it as a spiritual warfare, instead of a physical war against humans (flesh and blood).
2. The Christian foes; clearly naming them as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
3. The Christian armor; listed as- the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the girdle of the truth, boots of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (the Word).
4. Some weapons of Spiritual warfare; praying always in the Spirit (with perseverance and supplication).  

Immediately following Paul’s keynote message for the Ephesian Church was the direct instruction to ‘put on the whole armor of God‘……

What do we see in this instruction; ‘put on the whole armor of God‘?

1. Put on; to be become clad in, to dress in, to don, to en-robe, wear, to slip into, to be clothed in.  
2. Whole; a complete set of something, entire, total, full, unabridged, all in one piece, a unit, all of something.
3. Armor; a metal covering formally worn to protect someone in battle, a sheathing, protection.  
4. Armor of God; could mean an armor belonging to and worn by God, and/or a spiritual armor, not the usual metal or physical covering, something spiritual and owned by God.

In a sense then, Ephesians 6:11 is saying;

…………….be totally, completely, fully dressed (and protected) with God’s spiritual covering. The covering of salvation, righteousness, truth, peace, faith and have the fire of the Word in your mouth, without forgetting to pray always in the Spirit (with perseverance and supplication).

It is important to emphasize that this is a complete set. It is not to be worn disjointed, in a disconnected manner, in parts, or as bits and pieces. The instruction is to ‘put on the whole armor of God’.

Questions

1. As a Christian, are you conscious to put on the whole armor of God?
2. How have you been wearing your armor? Partially, completely?
3. Do you have a faith confession based on Ephesians 6:10-19?

Below, I share my Ephesians 6:10-18 confession. You are welcome to use mine as a template. Simply replace my name with yours, add any additional revelations you have on the scripture and there, you have it! …… 🙂

My Ephesians 6:10 Confession…

I am Grace Obomanu, I am born of God. A citizen of Heaven, purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I have the DNA of God; I have the very life of God in me. I have eternal life. I have life and life more abundantly. I am an heir of God; all that the Father has is mine. I have all things that pertains to life and godliness.

I am born of God. I overcome the world and I have victory by faith in Christ Jesus. There’s no sickness and disease in Heaven, none can stay in my body. Jesus carried away every sickness and disease in His body, He took them away, and He made me whole. I am whole, perfect and complete.

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Not the righteousness by works, no, God’s righteousness, bought for me through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I have right standing with God. Jesus took away every sin, iniquity and transgression. There is no sin in me. Where there’s no sin there is no charge. I am not guilty.

I declare that the Word of God is the truth over my life, I am who the Word says that I am. I can do what the Word says I can do. The Word (Jesus) lives in me, I can do all things through Christ. The greater One lives in me, I am greater than the enemy, greater than sickness and disease, greater than poverty, so much greater than every obstacle and challenge that may come my way.

I have peace on all sides. The peace that Jesus gives is mine. Not like the world gives, no, I have Jesus’s peace. The peace that sleeps in the middle of a storm, I have it. I am not afraid of what tomorrow will bring, indeed tomorrow will bring me good news, because my Father is all-good. I do not have the spirit of fear, no, I have the Spirit of love, power, sound mind. I have a sound mind.

By faith I know that the Word of God is true. By faith I overcome, I rule and reign in calm confidence, just like my Father. The Word of God is my sword, it is sharper than any 2-edged sword, piercing asunder even to the soul and marrow. I cast down every imagination of darkness and condemn every tongue that has risen against me in judgement. I trample on serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing shall by any means harm me in Jesus Christ name.

I am a victor. I am an overcomer. I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony. I am more than a conqueror.

Amen!

I believe that this confession will become expanded as I go through this study. Stay with me.

Until next time, Stay Safe in the Word and Covenant.

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Image courtesy freebiblestudyguides.org

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Blessings & Love Always.

Grace Obomanu

AboutGrace Obomanu

Grace obomanu is a Christian Blogger and Founder; 'Grace Obomanu Foundation'. Grace is an inspiring writer who intentionally projects the truth of God's word by sharing simple yet profound truths from the Bible. She writes with a revelational thrust, sharing wisdom, insights relatable to everyday living with particular emphasis on Victorious Christian Living. Her foundation, a non-profit trustee, continues to make impact, adding value to people's lives through outreaches, mentorship, bible teachings and counseling, partnerships. Grace has a diploma in Ministerial Training (with emphasis on Spiritual Leadership from Rhema Bible Training Center Nigeria. She trained as a medical doctor and has years of experience in Health Systems Management. She also holds a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Liverpool.