A Means of Personal Protection Nearly Two Millenia Old, Yet Still Very Relevant: The Whole Armor of God

Whether we acknowledge it or not there is a continual spiritual war that happens as we live out our lives here on Earth.  The devil constantly works at ways to trap us and our families and pull us down.  We know this to be true just based upon the amount of prosecuted criminal activity that we see in our cities and neighborhoods. See e.g., NeighborhoodScout.com, Detroit, MI Crime Rates (Assessed 06-20-2024)(reporting that Detroit is safer than only 1% of other US cities, having 41,001 crimes per year—12,774 being violent—and a 6.6% crime rate, 2.1% being attributable to violent crimes and 4.5% relating to property crimes).  All crimes are a sin.  Our legislative bodies criminalize behavior based upon bad action and bad thinking, in the law we call this mens rea and actus reus. Legal Information Institute, Mens Rea (2023)(“Mens rea is the state of mind statutorily required in order to convict a particular defendant of a particular crime) & Actus Reus (2022). To be found “guilty” of a crime one must not only act to cause the harm but you must think immorally or have a guilty mind.  This is why the punishments for criminal behavior are so much more severe than civil infractions, often requiring arrest, prison, and/or participation in privacy invading processes for probation or parole.     

Outside of the sin we hear about on the news, we notice how those close to us are also sinfully slacking in the battlefield of life.  We see our own family members, high school buddies, colleagues and church friends slip away from the spiritual values of our upbringings.  Around me I have noticed people in all these categories engage in lawless behavior—objective “sin,” embezzling money, promoting prostitution for employment, condoning murder and murder cover-ups, drug dealing and even drug use or addiction.  I wondered how did those around me, those for whom I cared the most, get so far away from our shared Christian values and so deeply immersed in demonic routines?  The casualties of this spiritual battle that we are engaged in are all the evidence I will ever want and need of the reality of our continual conflict with satan.

My circle-mates—most of whom I have known for decades—did not start out this way, most had above-average morality.  But now they seem staunch in their conviction of being able to commit these illicit sins without repercussion.  Their standards kept declining over time, little by little, such that they might not even recognize themselves if compared to their former selves.  The battle often starts off small, the enemy finding some foothold to enter our minds and hearts, just to take that inch and turn it into miles and miles. 

So, what do we do?  It may sound cheesy because we learned this lesson in Sunday school… a dozen times over, but Paul’s teaching about the Whole Armor of God is still very relevant.  It is an effective means of personal protection which never goes out of style; it will work just as well in the New Millenium as it did in grade school and in the 1st Century.  We just need to remind ourselves of it… over and over again as adults until we get to Heaven and this battle with satan in this life is over.  Just like military forces cannot relax or stop standing guard until the war is concluded, we cannot afford to cease protecting ourselves against the devil trying to gain access into our camps.  As long as we need personal protection, Paul’s lesson remains applicable.  Here is a contemporary reminder of the utility of the Whole Armor of God.

The Utility of the Whole Armor of God

Paul writes this letter to the church in Ephesus giving us several lessons in Ephesians 6 about family relationships (v.1-4) and employment relationships (v.5-9); then he ends the chapter by telling us to employ the Whole Armor of God (v.10-20).  In the text, Paul says that the utility of the Whole Armor of God is personal protection against the devil’s “wiles,” schemes or “stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive” us. v.10-11; Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus (2020).  He says that in life we are not wrestling with our competitors, enemies, or rivals in flesh and blood but with “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” v.12.  In other words, we fight against the demonic spirits that promote government corruption, corporate unprofessionalism, abuse of wealth and power, church hypocrisy, and people forsaking morality for wickedness.  Therefore, we must fight these spiritual weapons with spiritual safeguards. 

Many of the people who host wickedness use the devil’s tricks to ensnare us: lies, jealousy, violence, cheating or stealing.  No one wants to be considered the devil’s helper, a bad person working for an unscrupulous boss.  No one wants to go to jail, no one wants to be ashamed by their immoral choices, and because the devil is aware of this he does not pitch his ideas to you with the probability of being caught.  Just the opposite, he is the father of lies, so he tells you what you want to hear: that you will never be held accountable because of XYZ.  But there is no point in satan giving you immoral errands to run for him if it does not feed into his ultimate company goals for you and me: to steal from us, kill us and destroy us. John 10:7-10 (“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”)(emphasis given).  The proposals of the wicked are setups.

Boobytraps are usually not easily identifiable in life.  It can be difficult to locate a landmine without stepping on it, the enemy disguises them that way on purpose.  He wants us to trigger them.  So does the devil want us to detonate his bombs and set off havoc in our lives—thus he disguises the costs of his ideas.  We may never foresee the danger of satan’s proposals until we are waste deep in them.  So, Paul’s Armor is a guideline about how to optimally, proactively avoid the devil’s pitfalls and, if needed, retroactively get back to base camp and spiritual safety.

The Truth

First, Paul tells us to “gird[ our] waste[s] with truth.” v.14.  Some Bible scholars have interpreted this verse to mean the truth as found in the Word of God, but I would argue that Paul simply means the truth as found in life in general, whether it be through the Word of God or witnessing an event or gossip or your work or your dealings with others.  I say this because the Word of God is found later in this chapter (when Paul refers to the Sword of the Armor of God, which would imply the truthful or accurate Word of God).  Here, I think Paul is simply talking about avoiding being around the devil’s favorite tool, lies, and telling the truth in life instead.  Think about how much telling lies entangles us.  “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,/ When first we practice to deceive!” Marmion by Sir Walter Scott. Wikipedia, Marmion (Assessed 06-20-2024).  It is very difficult to tell just one lie, right?  We must cover the first, then the next and so forth.  Lies cause trouble for others when people rely upon them and it inconveniences us when we depend upon other people’s dishonesties.  But if we can establish a rapport of truth telling in our circles then that makes us feel very secure, stable and supported; like a strong girdle or weightlifting belt does. Proverbs 10:9 (“He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.”).  We cannot expect people to be honest with us, however, if we do not have an ethic of reliably being honest with others.

The truth is compared to a girdle because a battle girdle provides structural stability to your core, where your spine is, through which most muscular power is delivered.  When a girdle supports your core it makes much of the entire body stronger or stable.  When we do not deal in lies we avoid other sins as well because we cannot lie to cover up those sins.  We cannot steal because we would have to come clean about doing so, we cannot violently harm because we would have to confess to it, we cannot fornicate or commit adultery because we would assist in our own demise by being honest about it, we cannot defraud another because we do not lie.  Lying is at the foundation of so many sins, lies snowball into greater, more serious sin that many times could not occur but for our willingness to lie.  If we have a commitment to candor in the first instance then not only do we avoid lying but we avoid many of the other sins the Bible discourages.

In today’s world we think it is uncool or naïve to tell the truth always.  Obviously, one must be simpleminded to think that a lawyer or businessman could be prosperous in the Twenty-First Century without telling any lies, of course we must lie at least a little to get ahead and be successful in life.  Or since everyone else is lying, one will be left behind if you are unwilling to tell at least some lies.  But the devil does not care if it is 24BC or 2024AD, he is still trying to trap you as much as he was in Paul’s day, and untruths are just as dangerous now as they were then.  Landmines lies are, step on them if you’re really Michael Jackson “bad” and it will not be long before you realize that this truism is not changing.

The devil often asks us to tell falsehoods by bribing us with money, status, promotions or popularity and once facing that dilemma it can be difficult to say “no” because a lie seems like a small price to pay for something so valuable in exchange.  We call our lies harmless or negligible to alleviate our conscience but we do not know where our lies are going and the Bible teaches us that all lies are hateful acts, intended to crush those harmed by them. Proverbs 26:28 (“A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”); OpenBible.Info, 100 Bible Verses About Lying (Assessed 06-20-2024).  Instead of waiting to see what proposals the devil’s aides make to us to determine if it is a lie that we do not mind telling, take Paul’s advice and daily commit to wearing the Truth regardless of what proposals arise.  Do not deal in lies at all or do so as little as possible, not just in the interests of the person that you would be defrauding but for your own spiritual, mental and physical welfare as well.

Righteousness

Second, Paul tells us to put on a “breastplate of righteousness.”  Righteousness is right living in God’s eyes, according to what the Word of God teaches us.  Living righteously means that we decrease sin in our lives as much as possible and increase the habits taught in the Bible that cultivate our relationship with God.  Sin widens our separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-8), while practicing spirituality draws us closer to God, Psalm 34 (“The eyes of the Lord  are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”).  So, righteousness is obtained by staying away from the things that tear us away from God and following the things that bring us closer to God. 

Breastplates are coverings for your core made from material that is stronger than our clothes or skin, usually metal.  They protect our hearts especially.  Therefore, an increased relationship with God, obtainable through righteousness, protects our hearts as well.  Without it we become heartbroken, disheartened, we lose our optimism, and possibly our faith and hope in life.  We can become very cynical about life if our hearts are too deeply or permanently negatively affected by the disappointments of life.  Yet, a close relationship with God heartens us, re-energizes us for life, gives us hope to look forward to the future and to expect good things in this life and the next, no matter what happens to us.  Devoting our lives to God, protects our hearts so that we can enjoy our lives, thereby giving us back our lives in return.

In today’s world, we are so distracted away from building our relationships with God and being righteous, preoccupied by our careers, our friends, our families, our desires for wealth and fame, that we have little time for God.  Our Heavenly Father is not going to make us not sin or require us to go to church, so this freedom to skip God is often mistaken with God being irrelevant or unimportant.  But avoiding pessimism and depression is very important to our health, and bolstering our relationships with God is what Paul teaches is an effective antidote for discouragement.  If we want to stay encouraged we must stay close to God.  Cultivating our bond with God must be routine, be it thru weekly church sermons, bible studies, praise and worship music, charity, prayer, meditation, self-discipline, or folding spiritual books into our reading lists.  Habitually practicing these things will increase our righteousness and lift our hearts.

Peace

Thirdly, Paul says that we are to shoe our feet with the “preparation of the gospel of peace.” v.15.  In other words, we are to be preparing to teach peacefulness, forgiveness and non-violence.  One of Jesus’ main principles was non-violence.  Christ told us in His Sermon on the Mount that we are no longer to repay and eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth, but when slapped to turn the other cheek over to our enemies, Matthew 5:38-48, and He restored a Roman soldier’s ear after another severed it in Jesus’ defense, Luke 22:47-53. 

Some scholars argue that this is a peace obtained from believing the Good News that Jesus offers, that His sacrifice forgives our sins in life. Student’s Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers (1997).  But this is the subject of Paul’s analogy to Salvation and the Helmet in the Suit of Armor.  Mentioning it twice would be redundant.  Instead, peacefulness and non-violence are more probable subjects because they have helped many a cause in life to travel and be well-received, e.g., the American Civil Rights Movement as advanced by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Justice Thurgood Marshall or Gandhi’s movement for India’s independence from British rule.  These leaders’ commitments to non-violence, even in the face of hostility and violence was a big component of what made their plights so compelling and what has made their legacies so lasting.  Like great shoes, their dedication to peace carried their message further.  Contrast that with violent protestors, e.g., the vandals angry about police treatment in the States or Hamas breaching the Israeli border to kill or capture some 1,390 civilians to so-called advance their grievances with Israel. Gonzalez, M., The Heritage Foundation, Congress Should Investigate the Black Lives Matter Riots (Jan. 3, 2023)

"The BLM violence in 2020 left close to 20 people dead . The riots caused more than $1 billion in losses, the costliest in U.S. history. Several cities witnessed over 600 riots. And the violence did not start in 2020. Researcher Travis Campbell tracked more than 1,600 BLM protests nationwide between 2014 and 2019 and found that a 10% rise in civilian homicides followed as a result. That means that between 1,000 and 6,000 additional homicides occurred."

See also, Wikipedia, Israel-Hamas war (Assessed 06-20-2024)(Israel’s response to Hamas’ violence being one of the deadliest in history, inter alia, with 35,000 Palestinians killed and another 10,000 missing, at least 56% of whom are women and children). It does not matter what their cases were, what they are arguing in favor of, or who sits in at a university.  Because they murdered and assaulted innocent civilians, endorsement of their causes becomes impractical for any reputable government official.  Such savage brutality turns one off so badly that it makes them not even want to listen to what their problem was, you just want to accost the suspects as soon as possible.  Their message might as well be barefoot on broken glass because it is going nowhere.

We get so impassioned about our causes and so angered when we witness injustice that we think that we should remedy it by any means that we can, insults, fist fights, physical threats.  We let our competitive spirits get the best of us and we want to win the debate at all costs.  Most people run away from a fight scene, they shun boundless insults… not because the aggression is unwarranted but because people do not want to be near violence and drama at all.  Being violent is a great way to isolate yourselves and your cause, and it is much less effective than civil resistance. Dear, J., National Catholic Reporter, The facts are in: Nonviolent resistance works (Oct. 16, 2012)

"Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan uses graphs, charts, sociological research and statistical analysis to show how in the last century, nonviolent movements were far better at mobilizing supporters, resisting regime crackdowns, creating new initiatives, defeating repressive regimes and establishing lasting democracies. Their evidence points to the conclusion that nonviolent resistance is more effective than armed resistance in overturning oppressive and repressive regimes and in leading to more democratic societies."

Following Jesus’ example of non-violence helps to protect us against further bloodshed and it compels others to want to help us; it speaks volumes to our credibility.

Therefore, we must be coolheaded, peaceful examples to others as well.  This may require getting counseling on controlling our tempers or how to be less sensitive.  The Bible teaches us that peace can be obtained by finding our joy in the Lord, being gentle, not being anxious, and meditating on positive things. Philippians 4:1-13

"Be United, Joyful and in Prayer

…

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

Faith

Next, Paul says that “above all” we should take with us the “shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” v.16.  Faith is our belief and trust in God.  We believe the things God told us in the Bible and we trust God to take care of us.  This Faith covers us and protects our entire selves from attacks from satan.

A retired law enforcement officer and chaplain for LA County Sherrif’s Department, Tony Miano, makes an explanatory comparison to battle shields in Paul’s time with the ones issued to officers for duty. Take Up the Shield, Comparing the Uniform of the Police Officer & the Armor of God (2005), Ch. 7.  Miano talks about Roman shields being drenched in water before their use so that flaming arrows were extinguished upon landing in the shields.  Roman shields were used on the frontlines to protect the entire regiment.  Similarly, Officer Milano recounts using a ballistic shield when having back-to-back encounters with two different suspects in the same neighborhood over the course of a day.  After having lost his comrade in the first gun fight, Officer Miano was asked to assist in another call with a potentially armed gunman.  Despite the devastating circumstance of having lost his colleague the day prior, he was required to be brave enough to confront the second suspect and detain him.  He speaks of the type of trust he had to have in the effectiveness of his shield to do its job.

"Looking back on that day, I remember standing on that sidewalk with my attention focused on an unstable, potentially armed man, who was willing to put a little girl in harm’s way.  Though I was paying very close attention to the suspect, the positions of my fellow deputies, and my own tactics, I also found myself praising God.  In my heart and mind, I praised Him for allowing me to be a chaplain for the deputies who were with me on that street and for allowing me to serve alongside them in the trenches.

During that potentially dangerous call, I held the shield with a certain amount of faith—faith in the ability of the shield to do its job should the suspect have a gun and decide to shoot at me; faith in my fellow deputies to handle the call with sound tactics, common sense, and courage; and faith in the Lord to see me through the situation, as He has so faithfully done in every other circumstance."     

Similarly, as believers we must be brave,  trust the bulletproof Shield that God has given us, our Faith, trust that it will do its job, it will stop the bullets the devil fires at us.  Different from the Breastplate of Righteousness, which may also stop similar bullets, the Shield of Faith is another layer of protection.  We develop Faith through belief and trust versus righteous living.

Because so many things about God and Heaven are unknown or debatable, we use that as an excuse to not invest in getting to know God better.  Why learn something that may be inaccurate, why practice discipline that may not even matter, why doesn’t God just make having faith easier by giving us more evidence so that we will not need so much faith?  I do not know why there is so much mystery to faith and I do not know why God gives the amount of evidence that She has, providing so much substantiation with Jesus’ miracles and works done by other prophets but allegedly too little evidentiary support for so many humans.  But just because I do not fully understand how a ballistic shield works, however, that does not mean that the shield lacks utility or that I would not use it if under attack.  We are not going to know everything there is to know about God in this life. Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 (“no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”).  But we are to trust God our Mother and let that trust be a covering for us as we encounter adversity from the wicked.  Just like any relationship, dependance comes from reliability, therefore, lean on God more to learn how to have greater faith in Her.

Salvation

Next, Paul discusses wearing a “helmet of salvation.”  This Salvation is both the broad salvation from harm that God provides and the saving from hell that resulted from Jesus sacrificing His life for our sins on the Cross.  The Bible teaches that God saves us from various harms and bad situations outside of hell. Isaiah 12 (“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song’ He also has become my salvation.”).  Also, we know that Christ liberated us from concerns about death, knowing that we have the promise of eternal life through our belief in Jesus Christ. John 3:10-17.  This takes stress off our minds, preventing us from worrying about our situations or future.  Reducing fears is how knowledge of Salvation protects our minds.

It can be easy to still fret about our lives on Earth and in Heaven because there is so much mystery about our futures, despite God’s promises in the Bible.  Our colleagues are negative about our futures, downgrading our ability to secure or achieve reasonable employment.  Our friends do not want to see us earn more money than them, live in a happier marriage, or have a more fulfilling family life.  Our siblings do not want to know that we out measure them in any way. Menon, T. et al., Harvard Business Review, Envy at Work (April 2010)(discussing the commonality of envy at work and in personal circles, envy sometimes intensifying when those closest to us achieve more than us).  And some are so lost that they resort to violence to try to control us, they try to make us feel insecure about our health or threaten to end our lives while calling Heaven into question altogether, like in a domestic violence situation. Downing, K., Fortify Your Faith eNews, WWJD? Love, Not Domestic Abuse. What Women Need to Know About Bible Verses on “Submission.” (Feb. 2024).  These psychological attacks from the devil can be consuming.  It is hard to think productively when these sorts of concerns are on your brain.  However, push yourselves to stress less, John 14:25-31 (“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”).

Word of God

Next, Paul teaches that we are to carry with us the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” i.e., the Bible. v.17.  Faith not only shields us from the attacks of the devil but the Bible gives us resources to weaken the devil, scare him, get him away from us. See e.g., Luke 10:17-20.  Just like a sword or gun we can use the Word to hurt the devil, causing him to fear us in the way he has tried to make us fear him.  We do not have to just take satan’s blows, we can give him some back.  The Word of God is the antidote to satan’s lies, his misrepresentations about spirituality and life on Earth.  Beelzebub uses those lies, insecurities and doubts, to recruit us to follow his drum of misery.  But the Word of God teaches us that our lives should be happy not miserable. Crossway.org, 10 Key Bible Verses on Being Happy (Jul 29, 2023).  Our attitudes are to be charitable, not competitive. Acts 20:35 (“remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”).  We are to be confident not worried. Schumann, N., CountryLiving.com, 21 Comforting Bible Verses About Worry (Mar. 30, 2020).  We are to be non-violent and peaceful. Matthew 5:38-48 (as cited above also). 

We have to read the Bible more, speak the words of the Bible more, use God’s words against the devil.  When under attack it can be hard to find the words to say to demonic spirits but God has given us many piercing proverbs and texts that level the playing field between the devil and you.  It may sound boring or like grandmother’s hobby, but the devil has harassed her in ways similar to the way he is bothering you and your family today.  The difference between our grandparents and us is that they have learned what to do—Grandmother has learned to carry her Sword with her daily.

One excellent way to increase our use of the Word of God is through song.  Gospel or Christian music often quotes the Bible and/or is inspired by it.  The power of music of any kind has been testified to over time. Martin, S., BibleStudyTools.com, What Does the Bible Say About Music and What We Should Listen To? (April 25, 2024).  So, to combine the power of the Word of God with the power of music is to turn Paul’s Sword into a rocket-launching missile, like an FGM-148 Javelin. Wikipedia.com (Assessed 06-21-2024)(a portable, self-guided missile launcher that can take out a tank).  

Our Swords are on steroids with Biblical messages woven into the music that we love.  It is very convenient to just play music in the background while you work, drive, sleep or watch TV, why not use those opportunities to get more Word in your life?

Prayer

Finally, Paul teaches that we are to pray, for ourselves, for all the saints and our abilities to use the Whole Armor of God. v.18-20.  Prayer is not given an analogy to a piece of Armor, yet we know that it is still important to our faith because it enables us to talk to God and hear from God.  God does perceive our prayers and many times He answers them.  God is paying attention; God does care and God is interested. Psalm 34:15-16 (“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”).  Knowing that God is watching, why wouldn’t you talk to Him?  Why would you ignore Him?  We ultimately hope to have an eternal relationship with God, longer than any marriage, any job, any degree program, any child-raising experience, the biggest commitment we will ever have.  Shouldn’t we get to know Him?

Get in the habit of praying, in the evenings before bed, before meals or when you rise, when you get worried about something, when you become afraid of something.  God wants us to rely on Him, he wants us to bring our problems to Him.  Prayer is the way we do this.  So, stay prayerful… and wearing the Whole Armor of God.

Until next time: God Bless & Namaste (or the spirit in me recognizes and greets the spirit in you)!