Preparing for Battle
The passage of Scripture from Ephesians 6 is one of the most cited passages in all of Paul’s writings. It portrays an image that would make great sense to the people of his day – even more than in our own time.
The world in which Paul lived was one in which a military presence was always evident. Unlike our world in Canada, you could go nowhere without seeing at least one soldier in full armour with sword and shield. Many of you have probably visited or know someone who has visited a country in the world today where that reality still exists. And while the soldier in full armour and carrying weapons is often seen as a sign of trouble and aggression, it can also be a source of great comfort in a troubled place.
At the time of writing the letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul was a prisoner being transported to Rome for his trial before the Emperor. He was constantly under guard and would daily be seeing at least one soldier in full uniform prepared for battle. In his mind he would have remembered and seen soldiers entering battle and probably witnessed how the soldiers’ weapons enabled them to defend themselves against the attacks of their enemy.
And so Paul – as so often he does – finds in the images and situations of his life, examples that he can pull from daily life to encourage and support those who have come to faith in God through Christ. And while that image may not be a constant presence in our daily life, we can still relate well enough to it as we have no doubt read this passage or heard it many times.
The first thing we can notice about this passage, though, is that Paul uses the image not so that we will don armour like a soldier or arm ourselves as if to fight a human foe. Paul does not see other humans as the enemy of our faith and life in Christ. While certainly it may appear that those who seek us harm are very human, Paul would assert that it is forces beyond the human that are at work here. All of the words Paul uses to explain these forces are for him ways in which to acknowledge that there are spirits and demons present in the world whose whole reason for being is to disrupt our life with God and cause us to turn away from God. As the Celts acknowledged, evil exists in the world and seeks to pull us away from finding and hearing the heartbeat of God in our life. Evil forces seek to cloud our vision, dull our hearing and generally convince us that God is not real and that His love and grace are not as deep and embracing of our human condition. Our struggles in mind, body and spirit can cause us to lose faith or to doubt the reality of God. We can become convinced that God is either dead or is no longer interested in our well-being.
Paul sees these things as attacks of the devil, of the evil forces in the world. However we may think of that which is opposed to God’s hope and vision for this life, we certainly know that there are times when our minds cause us to doubt and to question. There are times when we can be convinced that belief in God and the wisdom of God are not real. In those times of struggle – and without a doubt they will come – Paul knows that the people need support. They certainly need the support of one another and so he encourages them to gather together for prayer, worship and to share their concerns and fears as well as their joys and hopes.
But there are going to be times when we will be in a place where there aren’t others around. There will be times when we will be on our own. How are we to protect ourselves in mind and spirit from the attacks on us that can cause us to doubt our decision to live for God?
Paul encourages us to think of the soldier. The soldier needs to protect himself from the harm that the enemy would bring upon him. To do so requires him to have certain equipment. He needs a breastplate – a special piece of armour to protect the vital areas of his body. He needs a helmet to protect his head for without a head the body cannot survive. He needs a shield to deflect the arrows and blows of other weapons. He needs protection on his feet to ensure that he maintains a solid footing. But he also needs a weapon to strike back against the aggression that he faces.
But Paul does not suggest that we become soldiers like the Roman soldiers. He does not suggest that we should annihilate those who seek to destroy our faith in God through physical violence. He suggests that we prepare for the battle of life by adopting and adapting the imagery of the soldier to ensure that we are prepared to stand firm against any and all attacks on our faith and life.
Before we can even put on the armour, we need to ensure that we are able to support our life in Christ and so we use a belt to surround our body with the truth of God. It will hold us firm and enable us to move in the world with a freedom. Then we don the breastplate of righteousness. This is our protection in our most vital areas for this reminds us that it is through Christ Himself that God brings us that perfect peace and forgiveness of sin. The breastplate wards off thoughts that would disturb that peace and sense of forgiveness. With the sandals on our feet, we are encouraged to step forward in faith assured that we need not fear where we go. We wear the helmet of salvation by which we consciously remember that God has placed His hand upon us and blessed us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ we have been granted forgiveness of our sins – not only those past but those present and those future.
Now we take up those things which will enable us to ward off attack and meet the challenges of this life. The shield represents our faith. It deflects the attacks upon us. In the days of the Roman Empire, the most common fear was that of the flaming arrows. The Roman shields were designed in such a way as to best be able to deflect and extinguish those arrows. The people would see this as an encouragement to know that whatever was directed at them that their faith could provide a shield and protection. Finally they could take up the sword – the sword of the Word of God. The Word of God would be their constant companion. The words of God would be like a sword for they would become their defence and their hope.
Perhaps our daily lives are not so much a battle as those of the Christians in the early days of the church; but we do not know what the future holds. But let us ever remember that preparation and vigilance are needed even in the most innocuous of times and places. It is when we fail to remember the past that we find ourselves unprepared for the future.
In closing his letter, Paul writes these words and I am quoting them to you today as we depart from this place to live in God’s world:
Peace be to all the [people of God], and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love undying. (Ephesians 6:23-24)