In
our last meditation we saw that the apostle Paul wants God’s children to be
prepared for Satan’s assaults. That’s why he gives us the necessary
instructions on how to protect ourselves against the devil’s scheming. The apostle
urges us to:
“... put on the full armour
of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians
6:13**)
Interestingly,
Paul appeals to the Christians in Rome to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ...”
(Romans 13:14***)
He encourages the believers in Ephesus
(Turkey) to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24**)
To God’s children in Colossae
(Turkey) he writes about: “... having put on the new self, which is being
renewed ..... in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10**)
I think that the expression ‘putting
on the full armour of God’ has the same meaning as ‘putting on the Lord
Jesus Christ’ and ‘putting on the new self’. It seems that the
reason for the different phrasing is related to the distinct pastoral situations.
In Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10, the apostle gives voice to
his desire that the Christians in those cities will grow strong in Christlike
maturity, whereas in Ephesians 6:13 he instructs the followers of Christ in
Ephesus and us on how to protect that transformation process against Satan’s
destructive attacks.
Today
we want to start looking into the practicalities of the question: How can I use
God’s armour to protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s relentless onslaught?
“Stand your ground...”
(Ephesians 6:14*)
Paul
begins his instruction with the command: “Stand firm”(*) or “Stand
your ground” (**) (Ephesians 6:14). He used this expression already in the verses
11 and 13. Empowered by God’s Spirit, we are able to offer resistance to
Satan’s attacks. For the apostle, victory over the enemy is a real option!
“...having
girded your waist with truth...” (Ephesians 6:14***)
It seems that Paul bases this
verse on the saying of the prophet Isaiah (8th century BC) with
regard to the coming Messiah: “Righteousness will be His belt and
faithfulness (or: truth) the sash round His waist.” (Isaiah 11:5**). The
New Testament shows that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament
prophecies and the personification of God’s truth. Here are some examples:
--
“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of
unfailing love and faithfulness (or: truth**). And we have seen His glory, the
glory of the only Son of the Father.” (John 1:14*)
-- “Jesus told him (Philip),
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through Me.” (John 14:6*)
-- “Since you
have heard all about Him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus” (Ephesians
4:21*)
--
“For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body.” (Colossians
2:9*)
Moreover,
in the New Testament, God’s Spirit is often called the Spirit of truth:
--
“I (Jesus) will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor to
be with you for ever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with
you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17**)
-- "But I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to
you from the Father and will tell you all about Me.” (John 15:26*)
-- “When the Spirit of truth
comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting His own
ideas; He will be telling you what He has heard. He will tell you about the
future.” (John 16:13*)
--
“We belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do
not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has
the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.” (1 John 4:6*)
I think that “having girded
your waist with truth” means nothing else than remaining in Jesus’
presence or being filled with (or: controlled by) Jesus’ Spirit:
“Remain in Me,
and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed
from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from Me. Yes, I am the vine;
you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much
fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” ( John 15:4-5*)
“When the Holy
Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22-23*)
“Let the Holy
Spirit fill and control you.” (Ephesians 5:18*)
So, “putting on the full
armour of God”, presupposes that my life is controlled by the presence and
power of God’s Spirit! If that would not be the case, all Paul’s further
commands would prompt self-righteous actions.
I think that the further
description of the armour of God is a characterization of Jesus’ life.
Therefore, one also could say: “putting on the full armour of God” means
nothing less than clothing yourself with Jesus Christ.
Notably, it follows that if I
want to protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks, I need to allow God’s
Spirit to shield me. Without His control over me, I am utterly lost to my ‘old
self’ and his unrighteous and immoral behaviour.
Translation: * New Living Translation; ** New
International Version; *** New King James Version.
About “ Satan and our
rebellious lives”, see Meditations 19-21.
About “The Holy Spirit and His
ministry”, see Meditations 27-34.
About “God’s major project:
transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ”, see Meditations
45-48.
About “Do not bring sorrow to God’s
Spirit”, see Meditations 49-55.
About “Personal Christlike love for
the Father and His Son”, see Meditations 56-64.
About “How to overcome
the power of sin in my life and in my church?” see Meditations 101-121.
