Bible Study
The whole armor of God is the complete set of Christian protective gear consisting of salvation, righteousness, trust (in the word), peace, faith and the spoken Word, worn always in order to withstand or resist the devil.
To put on the whole armor of God is to be continually conscious of, and unflinchingly committed to proclaiming who we are and what we have in Christ while living in this reality.
Like we stated in Part 4, the armor of God is not a combative tool, no, we are not fighting with the enemy, rather we stand in the victory that Christ has already won for us.
Our reference scripture has been…
“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 6:13-18 NKJV
Please read up on the Helmet of Salvation in Part 3, the Breastplate of Righteousness in Parts 4 and 5 and the Belt of Truth in Part 6.
Today we continue with another component of this armor; the shoes of the gospel of peace.
The Shoes of the gospel of peace
Have you ever wondered (like I do) why soldiers wear heavy hob-nailed boots? I often also wonder what might happen to someone who is accidentally stepped on by those boots….
The strong and sturdy-looking soldier’s boots are apparently built to withstand very rough terrains, providing stability and firm balance. A fallen soldier is as good as dead…
Most normal persons cherish a stress-free and a calm state of mind without too many unpleasant disturbances (both internally and externally). Unfortunately, with the prevalence of wars, social vices, unrests, economic upheavals and more, not so many can boast of such tranquility.
Apostle Paul in our text, speaks of a type of peace that is possible from being equipped and prepared with the gospel of peace.
“and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace“
Ephesians 6:15 NKJV
What is the gospel of peace?
The gospel of peace is the good news of glad tidings.
“And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things !”
Romans 10:15 AMP
The good news is about salvation through Christ…
“For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be made ineffective [deprived of its saving power].
1 Corinthians 1:17 AMP
“Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith].”
1 Corinthians 15:1 AMP
The good news is about the Kingdom of God.
“Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him“
Luke 8:1 AMP
“This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.”
Matthew 24:14 AMP
The good news is about joy and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ..
“How beautiful and delightful on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, Who brings good news of good [things], who announces salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7 AMP
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.”
Luke 2:10 AMP
The good news is that Jesus came, died, rose from the dead..
“And every single day, in the temple [area] and in homes, they did not stop teaching and telling the good news of Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).”
Acts 5:42 AMP
“The beginning of the [facts regarding the] good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Mark 1:1 AMP
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”
I Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
The good news is about Christ in us….
“Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display; nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].”
Luke 17:20-21 AMP
Christ is in us, the Kingdom of God is in us. That is the good news! Halleluyah!!!
We don’t search for peace, we don’t look for peace, no, peace is resident in us; Christ is in us and peace was deposited into our spirit at rebirth…we are to settle into and walk in this peace by being spirit-ruled.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Put on the shoes of the gospel of peace as an armor of God.
As we’ve seen above, the gospel of peace is the good news that Jesus came. So how does this translate into an armor?’
If Jesus didn’t come, our believe and faith are in vain. We have nothing to hold on to. Oh! Thank God Jesus came, and because He came, our faith is not in vain, Halleluyah!!
“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
I Corinthians 15:12-14, 20 NKJV
It is because Jesus came that we can confidently walk into and claim back territories the enemy tried to steal from us. We walk in and claim back our peace, our joy, our liberty, our freedom. We stand firmly and declare that we have peace because Jesus came. Halleluyah! This is the good news.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.“
I Corinthians 15:1-2 NKJV
Shod your feet with the gospel of peace, hold fast to the gospel of peace you received at salvation, stand by it, remind the devil that Jesus came and because Jesus came, you have peace, peace because you know that all of God’s promises in Christ are yeah and Amen. Settled. Halleluyah! Jesus came!!!!!Indeed we have life and life more abundantly.
Just as a soldier’s sturdy boots makes for balance and stability, putting on the shoes of peace as an armor provides a base, foundation, stability and calm confidence.
Thank You Father!
