By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Religion, Samford University
Battle Armor
Ephesians 6:10–20
One of the fondest memories of my teenage years is a cross-country vacation my family took from Birmingham to California. While being cramped in the backseat of the car with my younger brother and sister for two weeks proved more “character building” than I wanted, getting to see the highlights of the American West was incredible. The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite, the Rockies — we saw it all. One of my favorite stops on the trip was at a movie studio in Los Angeles. The studio had a few rides, which was nice, but the rides were not the real attraction. What really brought people in was the chance to go behind the scenes and see how movies were really made. I have never felt more lied to in my life.
I just could not believe the tricks and techniques filmmakers used to capture just the images they wanted. Windows were set at different heights to make cowboys look taller or shorter. Wooden rails in saloons were put together with toothpicks so they would collapse when someone crashed into them. Tiny models were made to look like full-scale buildings on camera. With each display and explanation, one message came through loud and clear: When you watch a movie, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than you could ever imagine.
We are in a spiritual battle. (10–13)
The book of Ephesians would tell us the same thing is true when it comes to challenges we face as believers. Behind the scenes, in a realm beyond what we can fully describe or quantify, a spiritual struggle is taking place. Ephesians uses a wide variety of terms to describe the spiritual enemy set against God’s people: the devil, enemies not of blood and flesh, rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil. What these terms have in common is their description of spiritual forces that stand in opposition to God’s purposes.
God equips us and protects us completely. (14–17)
Although Ephesians uses a wide array of terms to describe these spiritual forces, it is interesting that the book does not encourage believers to delve into the intricacies of these forces as a means of defending against them. Believers are not told to map out the contours of the spiritual world, to “know the enemy” as it were. On the contrary, Ephesians argues it is enough to know there is an enemy and then encourages believers to guard themselves against this enemy by focusing on the fundamentals of their own Christian walk. Using the image of a soldier gearing up for battle, Ephesians tells us twice to put on “the whole armor of God.” The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit — these are the way the writer tells us to be people marked by truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation and God’s Word.
Equipped by God, we can act with boldness and confidence. (18–20)
Undergirding all of these spiritual disciplines is the most important defense of all: prayer. Four times in the passage Ephesians tells us to pray, giving it far more attention than any other aspect of our spiritual defense. The reason for this heavy emphasis is not hard to find. Prayer best captures the most important aspect of our weathering the storm of spiritual attack: dependence on God Himself. When we pray, we are throwing ourselves into the arms of our Father and expressing our faith in and dependence upon Him. This is the most important part of our spiritual security.
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